areaseven Posted May 29, 2004 Posted May 29, 2004 Ace wo Nerae! ( エースをねらえ! ) TV Asahi, 2004 As if this will ever see a U.S. release... Not Rated (Suggested 13-Up). Contains mature situations. Cast - Aya Ueto as Hiromi Oka - Rio Matsumoto as Reika "Ochoufujin" Ryuuzaki - Masaki Uchino as Coach Jin Munakata - Yuu Yoshizawa as Takayuki Todou - Ayana Sakai as Ranko Midorikawa Synopsis On her first day at Nishi High School, 16-year-old Hiromi Oka watches star tennis player Reika Ryuuzaki practice in the court, prompting her to join the Tennis Club in hopes of befriending Reika. One day, a man named Jin Munakata enters the court and addresses himself as the Tennis Club's new coach and has the club undergo rigorous training. Despite her inexperience, Hiromi's perseverance prompts Munakata to select her as one of the club's five regular players. But with all the peer pressure from her seniors, does Hiromi have what it takes to aim for the Ace? Lowdown After spawning several anime adaptations, Sumika Yamamoto's best-selling manga is among the latest to receive the live-action treatment. Much like the boxing manga Ashita no Joe, Ace wo Nerae! is a sports drama focusing on an underdog's desire to be the best in her sport. Many anime fans know that Ace wo Nerae! was the basis for GAINAX's anime masterpiece Gunbuster. And it shows on this new adaptation. If you've seen Gunbuster, you'll immediately recognize almost every scene on the first episode. Remember when the heroine first meets her senpai, who gives her some pointers on how to excel? How about the thumbtack incident which prompts her to ask the coach why she was chosen? Or how about the bully senpai who challenges the heroine to a duel in hopes of humiliating her? It's not a case of deja vu at all. Aya Ueto and Rio Matsumoto do an impressive job playing the show's two main characters, but it's Masaki Uchino who captures the essence of the story with his cold and sometimes menacing portrayal of the coach. The show isn't all drama, as there is a lot of humor in it - especially when the characters are first introduced. The music for the series is pretty good, featuring an updated version of the anime's title track. In addition, the upbeat ending theme "Ai no Tame ni" is performed by Aya herself. Personally, I've never seen the anime series nor have I read the manga, but I found the live-action Ace wo Nerae! very enjoyable. Now if only the fansubbers would go beyond the first episode... Rating: B+ Links TV Asahi's Official Ace wo Nerae! Homepage (Japanese) Download episode 1 here. Reference Anime News Network Quote
Noriko Takaya Posted May 29, 2004 Posted May 29, 2004 After seeing the first episode of the original animated series, you can tell that Gunbuster and Aim for the Ace are almost exact carbon copies. I may have to download this and watch it. Quote
Ali Sama Posted May 29, 2004 Posted May 29, 2004 After seeing the first episode of the original animated series, you can tell that Gunbuster and Aim for the Ace are almost exact carbon copies. I may have to download this and watch it. yeah. I love the live action ver. the anime had to much bishonin for my tastes. Quote
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