Girl Fight: Stray Dogs Go Out - Appreciated for its realistic portrayal of youth and struggle

All-round evaluation and recommendation of Shoujo Fight: Stray Dogs Go Out - Shoujo Fight -

■ Public Media

OVA

■ Original Media

comics

■ Release date

October 23, 2009 *Included in the special edition of the 6th volume of the book released on October 23, 2009

■Release and sales

・Publisher/Kodansha ・Distributor/Kodansha

■Frequencies

29 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 1

■Original Story

Nihonbashi Yohko

■ Director

Shunsuke Tada

■ Production

・Animation production/Production IG
・Produced by Kodansha

■Works

©Yoko Nihonbashi/Kodansha

■ Story

A volleyball ensemble drama for those of you who find life difficult!
The National High School Volleyball Championship Tournament. Also known as the Spring High Volleyball Tournament, it is the Koshien of volleyball and the dream of high school students who belong to the volleyball club. Now, four high schools have been selected to pursue that dream: Kokuyami High School, Hakuunzan Academy, Suzaku High School, and Seiji High School. The four colors that never mix will stir up a spring storm!!

※Quoted from the official Evening website

■Cast

・Oishi Ren/Mizuki Nana ・Odagiri Manabu/Noto Mamiko ・Nobutomo Atsuko/Watanabe Akino ・Hayasaka Nao/Seto Saori ・Hasegawa Rumiko/Kobayashi Yuu ・Itami Shino/Yukana

■ Main staff

・Original work/Yoko Nihonbashi・Director/Shunsuke Tada・Script/Yoko Nihonbashi・Animation character design, animation director/Hideki Takahashi・Deformation design/Shigeto Sekigawa・Storyboard/Shinobu Tagashira・Direction/Shinpei Ezaki・Art director/Masanobu Nomura・Color design/Yuko Tsumori・Director of photography/Eiji Arai・Editor/Taeko Hamauzu・Sound director/Akihiko Nakajima・Music/Yoshihiro Ike・Producer/Noriyoshi Kobayashi・Animation producer/Rui Kuroki・Animation production/Production IG
・Produced by Kodansha

■ Related works

・Shoujo Fight full anime PV

■ Theme songs and music

・ED1
・Oh my friend
・Lyrics: MAYU
・Composition: Ryosuke Shigenaga ・Arrangement: Masanori Takumi ・Singer: BLiSTAR

・IN1
・Parallel World ・Lyrics/Ryosuke Shigenaga ・Composition/Ryosuke Shigenaga ・Arrangement/Ryosuke Shigenaga, Masanori Takumi ・Singer/BLiSTAR

Detailed evaluation and recommendation of Shoujo Fight: Stray Dogs' Outing - Shoujo Fight -

■ Overview of the work

"Shoujo Fight: Stray Dogs Go Out" is an OVA based on the manga by Yohko Nihonbashi. It was included in the special edition of the sixth volume of the manga, released on October 23, 2009, and is a 29-minute episode. It was animated by Production IG and directed by Shunsuke Tada. The work is a volleyball ensemble drama set at the National High School Volleyball Championship, and tells the story of high school students who are struggling to make ends meet.

■ The appeal of the story

The story of "Shoujo Fight" is set at the National High School Volleyball Championship, commonly known as "Spring High Volleyball." This tournament is also known as the Koshien of volleyball, and is the stage for high school students' dreams. The story unfolds as four high schools - Kokuyadani High School, Hakuunzan Academy, Suzaku High School, and Seiji High School - strive to achieve their dreams. Each of these high schools has a different background and personality, and the story depicts four colors that never mix together causing a spring storm.

Of particular note is the realistic portrayal of each character's difficulties in life and their struggles. For example, Oishi Ren (voice: Mizuki Nana) is portrayed as being strong-willed but troubled by a sense of isolation within his team. Also, Odagiri Manabu (voice: Noto Mamiko) shows leadership skills, but is also shown to face his own weaknesses. The portrayal of the inner thoughts of these characters evokes deep empathy in the viewer, which is what draws them into the story.

■Charm of the characters

Each character in "Shoujo Fight" has their own unique charm. Below, we will introduce the charms of the main characters.

• Oishi Ren (voiced by Mizuki Nana) : A strong-willed and highly skilled ace player. Despite feeling isolated and pressured within the team, it is moving to see him fight alongside his teammates. Mizuki Nana's powerful voice brings out the character's inner self.
• Odagiri Manabu (voiced by Noto Mamiko) : While playing an active role as the team's leader, he is also portrayed facing his own weaknesses. Noto Mamiko's delicate acting adds depth to the character.
• Nobutomo Atsuko (voiced by Watanabe Akino) : She is the mood maker of the team and supports her teammates. Although she has a bright personality, the loneliness she sometimes shows touches the hearts of viewers.
• Nao Hayasaka (voiced by Saori Seto) : A player with a calm and calm judgment. While she supports the team's strategy, she is also known for the scenes where she confronts her own emotions.
• Hasegawa Tomiko (voiced by Kobayashi Yu) : She is a hard worker who is always striving for self-improvement, which is appealing. Her cherishing the bonds she has with her friends is inspiring.
• Shino Itami (voiced by Yukana) : The team leader and motivator. Yukana's warm voice brings out the kindness of the character.

■Production quality

The production of "Girl Fight" highlights the high technical capabilities of Production IG. In particular, the work of Hideki Takahashi, who was in charge of animation character design and animation direction, portrayed the characters' expressions and movements realistically, leaving a strong impression on viewers. Additionally, the character designs by Shigeto Sekigawa, who was in charge of deformation design, also enhance the appeal of the work.

The team of storyboard artist Shinobu Taguchi and director Shinpei Ezaki has been successful in smoothing the flow of the story and evoking the emotions of the viewers. Art director Masanobu Nomura's background art also enriches the worldview of the film. Color designer Yuko Tsumori and cinematographer Eiji Arai's work play an important role in enhancing the atmosphere of the film.

Editor Hamauzu Taeko skillfully controls the pace of the story and keeps the viewer interested. Sound effects by sound director Nakajima Satoshihiko enhance the realism of the work. Music by Ike Yoshihiro is an important element in enhancing the emotions of the story.

■ The appeal of the theme songs and music

The theme song and music of "Shoujo Fight" are also important elements that enhance the appeal of the work. The ending theme "Oh my friend" is impressive with its powerful singing by BLiSTAR, enhancing the moving story. The teamwork between MAYU, who wrote the lyrics, and Ryosuke Shigenaga and Masanori Takumi, who composed and arranged the song, is outstanding.

The song "Parallel World" by BLiSTAR also enriches the worldview of the work. The work of Ryosuke Shigenaga and Masanori Takumi, who were in charge of the lyrics, composition, and arrangement, plays a role in digging deeper into the emotions of the story.

■ Introduction of related works

There is a full anime PV related to "Shoujo Fight". This PV condenses the charm of the work and plays an important role in conveying the worldview of the work to the viewers. If you are interested, please check it out.

■ Recommendation points

"Girl Fight: Stray Dogs Go Out" is a volleyball-themed ensemble drama that depicts the real emotions of high school students struggling to make ends meet. With the high production quality of Production IG and the direction of Shunsuke Tada, this work deeply moves viewers. It is particularly appealing in that it realistically depicts the inner thoughts of the characters and the conflicts and growth within the team. The theme song and inserted songs also enrich the worldview of the work and enhance the emotions of the viewer.

This work is recommended not only for volleyball fans, but also for those who love youth dramas and human dramas. Please watch this 29-minute work and experience this moving story for those who find life difficult.