The appeal and reputation of Taisho Baseball Girls: A deep look into the anime that depicts the fusion of history and sports

Taisho Baseball Girls.

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

Light novel

■ Broadcast period

July 2, 2009 - September 24, 2009
TBS Television July 2, 2009 to September 24, 2009 (Episodes 1 to 12) Every Thursday 25:59 to 26:29
Mainichi Broadcasting System July 9, 2009 to October 1, 2009 (Episodes 1 to 12) Every Thursday 25:55 to 26:25
Chubu Nippon Broadcasting July 16, 2009 to October 8, 2009 (Episodes 1 to 12) Every Thursday 26:00 to 26:30
BS-TBS July 25, 2009 - October 10, 2009 (Episodes 1-12) Every Saturday 25:00-25:30
Disney Channel April 24, 2010 to July 10, 2010 (episodes 1 to 12) Every Saturday 12:00 to 12:30

■Broadcasting station

TBS Television Network, BS-TBS, Disney Channel

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 12

■Original Story

・Original work: Jun Kagurazaka ("Taisho Baseball Girls." Tokuma Novels Edge)

■ Director

Takashi Ikebata

■ Production

・Animation production: JCSTAFF
・Production cooperation: Pony Canyon, Tokuma Shoten, Movic, Lantis ・Production: Toho Seika Oukakai, TBS

■Works

©Jun Kagurazaka/Tokuma Shoten, Toho Seika Oukakai

■ Story

The year is 1925.
Koume Suzuki, who attends Toho Seika Girls' High School, a school for girls from wealthy families, is approached by her best friend, Akiko Ogasawara, who says, "I'd like you to play baseball with me!"
Koume couldn't help but nod at the sudden request.
But why baseball?
I don't know the rules or the equipment to use.
The story of the lovely young ladies' struggles begins.

"By the way, what kind of sport is baseball?"

■Explanation

The year is 1925. In a society where male superiority over women is deeply rooted, Akiko Ogasawara, a student at Toho Seika Girls' High School, is begged by her best friend, Koume Suzuki, to "form a girls' baseball team together."
Though confused, Akiko agrees and starts calling for volunteers...

*Quoted from the JCSTAFF official website

■Cast

・Suzukawa Koume/Ito Kanae・Ogasawara Akiko/Nakahara Mai・Kawashima Noe/Ueda Kana・Soya Yuki/Noto Mamiko・Tsukikage Tomoe/Kaida Yuko・Tsukikage Shizuka/Kitamura Eri・Ishigaki Tamaki/Hirohashi Ryo・Sakurami Kyoko/Makino Yui・Kikusaka Kochou/Goto Saori・Owari Noriko/Fujimura Ayumi・Anna Cartland/Arai Satomi・Barbara McGregor/Mayama Ako・Kiya Saburo/Hino Satoshi・Iwasaki Sosuke/Kato Masayuki・Takahara Hanmutsumi/Kawada Shinji・Ogura Yahachiro/Sidemi Tamio・Suzukawa Yoichiro/Takaoka Binbin・Suzukawa Yae/Hisakawa Aya・Oguchi Kyoko/Yoshizawa Kiri・Yanagi Kazuma/Nishi Kensuke・Kitami Koichi/Soma Yukito・Tamura Inori/Tamanoi Naoki・Yoshimura Sozaburo/Nojima Yuji

■ Main staff

・Original story: Jun Kagurazaka (Taisho Baseball Girls, Tokuma Novels Edge)
・Planning / Yoshihisa Nakayama, Yoko Furukawa, Katsuhiko Yoshida, Naohiro Otani, Shunji Inoue ・Character concept / Kotaro ・Character concept collaboration / Sadamichi Koike ・Character design / Kanetoshi Kamimoto ・Prop design / Yoshiteru Tsujino (Chrono Gear), Masaru Hyodo ・Color design / Mayumi Tenbashi ・Art director / Shichiro Kobayashi ・Director of photography / Shingo Fukuyo ・Editing / Masahiro Goto ・Sound director / Satoshi Motoyama ・Music / Takayuki Hattori ・Music production / Lantis ・Series composition / Takashi Ikebata ・Special effects / Yoshihide Mukai ・3DCG director / Hidefumi Ihara, Jun Shiota [Episode 11]
・Editing studio/REAL-T
・Editing assistant: Hitomi Sudo ・Post-production: Tokyo Development Laboratory Hiroshi Kawachi ・Sound adjustment: Chika Abe ・Sound assistant: Satoshi Fujimura ・Sound effects: Yuji Furuya (Swara Pro)
・Sound Production Manager: Takatoshi Hamano ・Recording Studio: TAVAC
・Sound Production/Magic Capsule・PR Producer/Inoue Hiromi・PR/Tanaka Mizuho・Planning Cooperation/Sato Ikuyo, Nakajima Yoshimi, Sato Shigekaoru・Web Design/Noguchi Akiko・Production Manager/Kato Akira・Setting Production/Nishimura Rie・Producers/Murakami Hitoshi, Nakamura Shinichi, Mitsugi Sanae, Fujita Tomohiro, Koike Katsumi・Animation Production Manager/Matsukura Yuji・Animation Production Producer/Kashiwada Shinichiro・Animation Production/JCSTAFF
・Director: Takashi Ikebata ・Production cooperation: Pony Canyon, Tokuma Shoten, Movic, Lantis ・Production: Toho Seika Oukakai, TBS

■ Main Characters

・Suzukawa Koume She is the only daughter of the Western restaurant "Suzukawa" in the Azabu-Juban shopping arcade. She has a bright and lively personality. She helps out with cooking and serving at the restaurant. Her cheerfulness and friendliness means that many customers come just for her. By nature, she is often the one to listen, and on top of that, she has a hard time saying no. This backfires, and she often gets caught up in trouble. However, her classmates rely on her and confide their worries and concerns to her. She worries about her thick eyebrows, just like her father, and the muscles in her arms that she has built up from helping with cooking.
Akiko Ogasawara is the daughter of the Ogasawara family, who run a general trading company. Her classmates call her "Ojou" (young lady) because she is the richest person in the school and can be a bit self-centered, but they respect her for her international sense, sociability, and foresight, which she has inherited from her father. She respects her father, but she is a bit of a pain to deal with because he is strict. However, she was not raised in a sheltered environment and is very active. She is strong-willed, hates to lose, and once she gets her point across, she won't back down. Although she is stubborn, she is considerate.
Noe Kawashima's father is a doctor of engineering. She has the highest grades at the academy. She has a tendency to think about everything theoretically, and also places importance on experiments. She has a calm and cool personality, and speaks bluntly, but she is well-liked because she doesn't come across as annoying. She is a realist, and does not accept ghosts or ghost stories. As a scientist, she is firmly against them. She has a very bad day waking up, and dislikes sleeping in the same room as other people. Her glasses are custom-made by Carl Zeiss.
・Soya Yuki Class leader. She notices the small details and is the leader of the class. She is considerate and treats everyone kindly. She speaks in a gentle tone, but she says what she thinks clearly. Her family owns a long-established kimono shop. Following the trend towards Westernization, they also produce Western clothing. She is involved in management and her opinions are often reflected. She knows baseball. This is because a man she looks up to like an older brother plays baseball, but she doesn't reveal this, so she is simply known as "Yuki who knows a lot about baseball for some reason."
・Tsukikage Tomoe has a background in martial arts and excels at sports. She is particularly skilled in swordsmanship. She is tall and good-looking, making her extremely popular with the younger students. She has a twin sister, Shizuka. Her father is a doll maker, and raised Tomoe, the taller of the twins, as a "male doll." Because of this, she feels reluctant to look feminine. Contrary to her calm and intelligent appearance, she is playful and careless inside. She is the most free-spirited of her friends. Due to her insulting personality, she wants to be a newspaper reporter, but is a ghost member of the newspaper club. She shares a room with Shizuka in the dorms. She likes cute girls, and is very interested in Koume.
・Tsukikage Shizuka Tomoe's twin sister. She is meticulous and caring. She shares a room with Tomoe in the dormitory, but Shizuka takes care of most of her personal needs. She is always concerned about Tomoe, and acts like a nagging mother-in-law, interfering with Tomoe's careless behavior. She is jealous because her father always pays attention to Tomoe, but she becomes attracted to Tomoe's innocent nature. She is a member of the newspaper club and is serious about activities such as the school newspaper. As she is the same twin as Tomoe, she has good athletic ability, but she doesn't show it very often.
・Ishigaki Tamaki's father is a novelist and she herself aspires to be a writer. Her mother is a newspaper reporter. Because her parents are busy, she does all the housework herself. She is shy and doesn't like strangers, so she keeps her distance from her classmates. In reality, she is lonely and the only person she opens up to is her childhood friend, Yuki. She speaks in a masculine manner and is blunt in her speech, which gives the impression that she is difficult to approach, but once you get to know her, she is very caring. She is good at reading people's minds. She is a hard worker and approaches everything thoroughly.
・Sakurami Kyoko - Junior student. Aspiring to be a supporting actor, she has no desire to be the lead, but would like to be a great supporting actress. As her parents are abroad, she lives in a dormitory and shares a room with Kocho. She admires her senior in the dormitory, Tomoe, and naturally gets excited when she is in front of her. Influenced by her fashionable mother, she likes makeup. She also finds joy in putting makeup on others. As her slightly older brother is traveling with her parents, she feels a little left behind.
Kikusaka Kocho is a junior student. She is a member of the track and field club. She is particularly good at starting, and in elementary school, she was on par with the boys. However, since entering Toho Seika, her records have not improved much. She is quiet and withdrawn. She shares a room with Kyoko in the dormitory. Like Kyoko, she admires Tomoe's coolness, but she doesn't show it much out of respect for Kyoko. Her mother is a geisha and is rarely around, so she has no experience of the warmth of a home. Because of this, she also admires Koume, whose family gets along well.
A member of the newspaper club and the best friend of the Tsukikage sisters. She has a kind personality and reluctantly joins in when Tomoe forcefully invites her.

■Subtitle

・Episode 1/That thing that boys say (2009/07/02)
・Episode 2/Longing the Long Days of Spring (2009/07/09)
Episode 3: Daughter's Nine Scenes (2009/07/16)
・Episode 4/From now on (2009/07/23)
Episode 5: Flowers and Butterflies (2009/07/30)
Episode 6: The ball flies through the plains (2009/08/06)
・Episode 7/Azabu Hakkei Girls' Play (2009/08/13)
・Episode 8/Star of Azabu (2009/08/27)
・Episode 9/The Misunderstood Restaurant (2009/09/03)
Episode 10: What am I? (2009/09/10)
Episode 11: My heart is beating fast (2009/09/17)
・Episode 12/Covered in dirt and dust (2009/09/24)

■ Related works

・Taisho Baseball Girl. Is tonight a romantic strike for me?

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1
・Romantic strike.
Lyrics: rino
Composer: Takayuki Hattori Arranger: Kaoru Okubo Singer: Koume Suzuki (Kanae Ito), Akiko Ogasawara (Mai Nakahara), Noe Kawashima (Kanae Ueda), Yuki Soya (Mamiko Noto)

・ED1
・Yume Miru Kokoro ・Lyrics/Aki Hata ・Music/Takuya Watanabe ・Arrangement/Takuya Watanabe ・Singer/Kanae Ito

Detailed review and recommendation of Taisho Baseball Girls.

"Taisho Baseball Girls" is an anime based on a light novel by Jun Kagurazaka, which was broadcast in 2009. This work depicts the formation of a girls' baseball team and their struggles against the backdrop of the historical background of the Taisho era. Below, we will explain in detail the appeal and features of this work, as well as the recommended points.

Story and setting

"Taisho Baseball Girls" is set in Japan in the year 1925. In an era when there was a strong trend of male superiority over women, the appeal of the series lies in its innovative setting in which students at an all-girls school, Toho Seika Girls' High School, try their hand at baseball. The main character, Suzuki Koume, is invited by her best friend Ogasawara Akiko to join the baseball team, but she starts out without knowing anything about the rules or equipment of baseball. The struggle that begins with this ignorance will surprise and move viewers in a fresh way.

The story depicts the girls' development through baseball, while also skillfully weaving in the social background of the time and the theme of improving the status of women. In particular, the depiction of these girls taking on the challenge of baseball, a male-dominated sport, is sure to give courage and hope to viewers. Each episode also depicts the backstory and growth of each individual character, and the storytelling has been praised for drawing viewers in.

character

Each character in this work is unique and charming. The main character, Suzukikawa Koume, has a bright and lively personality and is loved by those around her. Her inability to say "no" sometimes causes trouble, but thanks to this, she is able to interact with many people and grow as a person.

Akiko Ogasawara is an active and strong-willed character, despite being raised in a wealthy family. Her leadership and foresight contribute greatly to the formation and management of the baseball team. In addition, the individuality of each character, such as Noe Kawashima's theoretical thinking, Yuki Soya's meticulous attention to detail, and Tomoe Tsukiyomi's athletic ability, support the team and enrich the story.

In particular, the twin sisters Tsukiei Tomoe and Tsukiei Shizuka are impressive for how they support each other despite their contrasting personalities. Tomoe's free-spiritedness and Shizuka's sensitivity provide viewers with a new perspective. Additionally, the backstories of each character are explored in depth, such as Ishigaki Tamaki's shy personality, Sakurami Kyoko's ambitions as a supporting actor, and Kikusaka Kocho's struggles in the track and field club, eliciting empathy from viewers.

Animation and performance

The animation for "Taisho Baseball Girls" was produced by JCSTAFF, and the character designs and background art are incredibly beautiful. In particular, the detailed depictions of the streets and costumes from the Taisho period have the power to draw the viewer into that era. Additionally, the movements in the baseball scenes, the changes in facial expressions, and other aspects of the characters' emotions are expressed in a realistic way, which is superb.

Director Ikebata Takashi has devised ways to keep viewers interested by depicting different themes and character growth in each episode. In particular, the baseball game scenes are skillfully created to create tension and excitement, drawing viewers in. Additionally, the background music by Hattori Takayuki is also an important element in enhancing the atmosphere of the story.

Theme songs and music

The opening theme "Romantic Strike." is sung by Kanae Ito (voice of Koume Suzuki), Mai Nakahara (voice of Akiko Ogasawara), Kana Ueda (voice of Noe Kawashima), and Mamiko Noto (voice of Yuki Soya), and is a song that symbolizes the theme of the work, "Dreams and Challenges." The collaboration between rino (lyrics), Takayuki Hattori (composition), and Kaoru Okubo (arrangement) leaves a strong impression on viewers.

The ending theme "Yume Miru Kokoro" is a beautiful ballad sung by Kanae Ito, who plays Koume Suzuki, depicting her growth and dreams. The song, written by Aki Hata and composed and arranged by Takuya Watanabe, moves viewers and plays an important role in leaving an impression on the story.

Recommended points

"Taisho Baseball Girls" is a work that can be recommended for the following reasons.

1. **A fusion of historical background and modern perspective**: While depicting the social background of the Taisho era, the story portrays the advancement of women's status and the pursuit of their dreams from a modern perspective, deeply inspiring viewers.

2. **Unique characters and a story of growth**: The individuality and growth of each character are depicted, evoking empathy and emotion in viewers. In particular, the story of growth and friendship through baseball is appealing.

3. **Beautiful animation and direction**: The beautiful animation by JCSTAFF and the skillful direction by Ikebata Takashi have the power to draw the viewer in. In particular, the tension and excitement of the baseball scenes are beautifully portrayed.

4. **Emotional Theme Songs and Music**: The opening and ending theme songs symbolize the theme of the work and leave a strong impression on the viewers. Kanae Ito's singing is particularly moving.

5. **Depiction of social themes**: The story of girls challenging the male-dominated society gives courage and hope to the viewers. It also depicts universal themes such as friendship and challenging dreams, making it a work that can be recommended to a wide range of audiences.

Conclusion

"Taisho Baseball Girls" is a moving work that depicts the formation and struggles of a girls' baseball team set against the historical backdrop of the Taisho era. The unique characters, beautiful animation, and moving theme song will draw viewers in and give them courage and hope. This work is especially recommended for viewers who sympathize with themes such as improving the status of women and challenging their dreams. Please enjoy this work and experience the dreams and challenges of girls in the Taisho era.