The appeal and reviews of "Bats & Terry": A deep look into the story of baseball and youth

Batz & Terry: Youthful brilliance and crazy adventure

■ Public Media

theater

■ Original Media

comics

■ Release date

March 14, 1987 - January 1, 0000

■Distribution company

Shochiku

■ Eirin Number

112200

■Frequencies

79th minute

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 1

■Original Story

Original story: Oshima Yasuichi (Kodansha "Weekly Shonen Magazine")

■ Director

Director: Amino Tetsuro

■ Production

Japan Sunrise

■Works

©1986 Oshima Yasuichi, Kodansha, Sunrise, Shochiku

■ Story

Battou-gun (Batsu) and Ichimonji Teru (Terry) are the genius battery of Kaiho High School's baseball team, a chaotic duo who loves fighting with girls. During the regional qualifying rounds for Koshien, the two meet Shiraki Ann, who lost her lover in a motorcycle accident. Battou and Terry struggle to attract the heart of Ann, who has closed her heart off, but Tatsuo Yagami, who has a grudge against the two, kidnaps Ann.

■Explanation

This is Sunrise's first manga title, a film adaptation of a popular series serialized in "Weekly Shonen Magazine." In a history of Sunrise productions where the majority of the works are sci-fi mecha, this film is unique in that it combines three youthful themes: school, baseball, and romantic comedy. It is a work that has broadened the scope of the company's repertoire as a comprehensive anime production company. It will be shown at the same time as "Dirty Pair."

■Cast

・Battou Gang (Batsu) / Kazuhiko Inoue, Teru Ichimonji (Terry) / Kaneto Shiozawa, Ann Shiraki / Narimi Arimori, Kirishima / Atsushi Watanabe, Katsumi Ando (Andre) / Kazunari Masamune, Tatsuo Yagami / Naoki Tatsuta, Megumi Batto / Yoshiko Sakakibara, Kunio / Yoshikazu Hirano, Hanasaki / Shigeru Nakahara

■ Main staff

Produced by Masanori Ito (Sunrise Japan)
・Planning: Nippon Sunrise ・Original story: Oshima Yasuichi (Kodansha "Weekly Shonen Magazine")
・Screenplay / Yasushi Hirano・Character design / Noriyasu Yamauchi & Indorigoya・Art director / Mitsuki Nakamura, Kazuhiro Kinoshita・Animation director / Toyoo Ashida・Chief animation director / Noriyasu Yamauchi・Director of photography / Ichita Furubayashi・Editor / Tomoaki Tsurubuchi・Sound director / Yasuo Urakami・Music / Tatsumi Yano・Director / Mitsuko Kase・Director / Tetsuro Amino・Producer / Masuro Ueda (Sunrise), Yoshihide Kondo (Shochiku)

The appeal and evaluation of "Bats & Terry"

"Batsu & Terry" is a Japanese anime film released in 1987, based on a popular manga serialized in "Weekly Shonen Magazine" by Oshima Yasuichi. This work is the first anime film based on a manga produced by Sunrise, and is known as a unique work that skillfully combines three elements: youth, baseball, and romantic comedy. Below, we will explain in detail the appeal and evaluation of this work.

The appeal of the story

The story of "Bats & Terry" centers around two high school students, Battou-gun (Bats) and Ichimonji Teru (Terry). They are a genius battery for the Kaiho High School baseball team, and embark on various adventures in their quest to reach Koshien. Particularly memorable is their encounter with Shiraki Ann, who lost her lover in a motorcycle accident. Bats and Terry's struggle to save Ann, who has closed her heart, portrays the brilliance of youth and the depth of friendship. Furthermore, the development in which Yagami Tatsuo, who has a grudge against the pair, kidnaps Ann, adds tension and thrill to the story.

This story is an exquisite blend of the bittersweetness of youth and crazy adventures, and has the power to draw viewers in. In particular, the baseball scene aiming for Koshien is depicted as a symbol of youth and will surely touch the hearts of many viewers. There are also plenty of romantic comedy elements, and Batz and Terry's approach to girls and their interactions with Shiraki Ann will provide laughs and emotions.

Character Appeal

Each character in "Bats & Terry" is unique and charming. The main character, Battogun (Bats), is a typical delinquent boy who is not only talented at baseball, but also good at fighting and popular with girls. On the other hand, Ichimonji Teru (Terry) is calm and intelligent, but he is memorable for teaming up with Bats and taking crazy action. The combination of these two characters enhances the appeal of the work.

Shiraki Ann is a girl who lost her boyfriend in a motorcycle accident, and although she has a closed heart, it is moving to see her gradually open up as she is touched by the kindness of Batz and Terry. The villain, Yakami Tatsuo, is an important character who adds tension to the story by hating Batz and Terry and kidnapping Ann. Many other unique characters, such as Batou Megumi, Kunio, and Hanasaki, also appear in the story, adding to the overall appeal of the work.

Background and Evaluation

"Batsu & Terry" was Sunrise's first animated film based on a manga, and a new challenge for the company, whose mainstream work was sci-fi mecha. Director Tetsuro Amino tried his hand at a new genre, a coming-of-age story, and was successful. Screenwriter Yasushi Hirano created a story that viewers would not tire of, by maximizing the appeal of the original work while adding unique developments for the film.

Character design was handled by Yamauchi Noriyasu and Indorigoya, who faithfully recreated the atmosphere of the original work while adding the appeal of anime. Art directors Nakamura Mitsuki and Kinoshita Kazuhiro realistically depicted the scenery of Kaiho High School and Koshien, enhancing the visual appeal. Sound director Urakami Yasuo and music composer Yano Tatsumi provided sound effects and music that enhanced the atmosphere of the work, enhancing the emotions of the viewer.

This work has been highly praised since its release and is considered a monumental achievement in youth anime. It was especially praised for its story depicting the brilliance of youth and crazy adventures, its unique characters, and for being a new challenge for Sunrise. It was also loved by many viewers, along with "Dirty Pair," which was shown at the same time.

Recommendations and related works

Bat & Terry is recommended for anyone who loves coming-of-age anime, especially those who like baseball and romantic comedies, as well as fans of Sunrise and those who enjoy the work of director Tetsuro Amino.

Related works include "Dirty Pair," also produced by Sunrise, and the representative youth anime "Touch" and "Captain Tsubasa." These works are also masterpieces that depict the brilliance of youth and friendship, and share the same appeal as "Bats & Terry."

summary

"Batsu & Terry" is a unique work that skillfully combines the three elements of youth, baseball, and romantic comedy, and is a successful new challenge for Sunrise. The appeal of the story, the appeal of the characters, and the background and reviews of the production make this work a monumental work of youth anime. Please watch it and feel its charm.