Moero! Top Striker

Aired: 1991

A coming-of-age soccer drama set in Italy, in which a young Japanese striker named Sho Matsuki joins a renowned youth club and battles his way through the unforgiving European pyramid in pursuit of becoming a world-class forward. The series weaves in culture shock, language barriers, the camaraderie and rivalries of multinational teammates, and bonds with family, all backed by dynamic match animation from Nippon Animation. Wakako Shimazaki's bright theme songs underscore the series' optimism, and the show helped popularise football fandom in Japan just before the launch of the J. League.