Arigatomina wrote:I haven't seen enough girl sports anime to know if it works the same for them (probably not, girls are more likely to lose their games while they're fighting over the lone male character - that's an entirely different anime cliche).
It's been a while since I watched Princess Nine which, if I'm not mistaken, is the only easily available girl sports anime at the moment. Let's give it a run-down.
Main Character: Ryo Hayakawa - star pitcher who inherited her late father's innate pitching skills on the mound. In latter episodes learns her father's special pitching technique that gets used to win games against stronger teams that eventually show up. Has a 'never say die' attitude and tries to be friends with everyone. Like most most main female characters is almost totally clueless that the Token Male Character has a crush on her. Also, like many main characters, she is being raised by a single parent since her father passed away (why must one or both parents die or move away?).
Rival Character: Izumi Himuro - she's the daughter of a wealthy and powerful family and her mother is the chairman of Kisaragi Girl's High School. Izumi is the school's star tennis player until she joins the baseball team. Beautiful, stylish, and athletically gifted, she is admired by many of her classmates. She is initially against the idea of a girl's baseball team and tries to get it disbanded by issuing a challenge to Ryo. Izumi is also Ryo's rival for the affections of Hiroki (The Stronger Older Role Model). In contrast to Ryo who has innate talent in baseball, Izumi's success is due to her hard work and rigourous training regimen. Probably the best overall player on the team. She plays third base.
The Stronger Veteran Role Model: Hiroki Takasugi - son of a wealthy family and star player on the Kisaragi Boy's High School's baseball team. Handsome, athletic, and the object of many a girl's fantasy, he eventually becomes a point of rivalry for the 2 main female characters. He encourages Ryo to pursue her dream of playing baseball and pitching in the The National High School Baseball Championship at Koshien Stadium. He has been friends with Izumi since they were children because their families were close. He also tutors Izumi in batting and other baseball skills and almost pushed her to join the baseball team.
The Buddy Character: Hikaru Yoshimoto - the sterotypical character from Osaka, she has boundless energy and is basically the Voice of Reason. Probably the most talkative of the bunch. She's an experienced softball player and can also be considered the veteran of the team. She plays first base.
The Quiet, Mysterious One: Yuki Azuma - heck, her name is almost a cliche; Yukis are almost always quiet characters. Mysterious and seemingly spaced out in her own world, she nevertheless is a superb fielder who manages to uncannily be in the right place to catch a ball. She also has a powerful throwing arm. She plays left field.
The Punk/Tough Character: Seira Morimura - a red-haired high school dropout, she used to be a star athlete on the track and field team of her former school. She is always arguing with her teammates, especially Yoko, but once she becomes friends with someone she'll will defend them until the end. She plays second base.
The Clutzy Comedy Character: Nene Mori - basically your comedy relief. What little of baseball she knows is from reading manga and magazines. Nene's a ditz and always mangages to over-do the things she tries. Freqeuntly a cheerleader (even dressing up in a cheerleading outfit), she tries to be friendly with everyone (Buddy Character B). Occasionally is called upon to be the ninth member of the team. She is the team manager.
The Small-town Girl: Koharu Hotta - born and raised in a small fishing town called Tosa, she developed her powerful swing, dubbed the 'Wave Motion Swing' by years of fishing and living on the sea (see note 1). A bit of a tomboy, she loves playing baseball and is the only one to actually play on a boy's team until they found out she was a girl. She gives up baseball after middle school to take care of her sick father. She agrees to joining the team after losing a challenge issued by Ryo and by the urging of her father. Basically a batter version of Ryo. She plays second field.
The Selfish Idol: Yoko Takashiki - hailing from Okinawa, she is pursuing a career in modelling. She joins the team with the ulterior motive to get media exposure for herself. Yoko has almost no athletic ability and basically makes in on the team roster just to fill an empty position. She avoids any situation that may mean her getting dirty or messing up her makeup. Of course, we know her selfish attitude will eventually change (see note 2). She plays right field.
The Gentle Giant: Mao Daidoji - a former member of the judo team, she is quite shy and lacks self-confidence. With her physical size and sense of balance honed from practicing judo, she's the only one able to catch Ryo's pitches. She actually does better at team judo events than individual ones so joining the baseball team is inevitable (see note 2). She is the catcher.
The Smart One: Kanako Mita - the daughter of the school's principal, she plans on becoming a doctor. A former star softball player in junior high, her father forbade her from playing sports in high school to concentrate on her studies. To play baseball without her father knowing, she has to disguise herself and use a psudonym, "Tami Konaka". Like most brainy characters, she usually wears glasses. She plays shortstop.
The Drunken Coach/Mentor: Shinsaku Kido - perpetually disheveled, a bit of a letch, and almost constantly drunk, he seems to have past connections to Ryo's and Izumi's parents. Despite his appearance, he is very observant and is somehow able to bring about the best from his players. He's the drunken kung-fu master that trains his disciples without looking like he is.
The Token Male Character: Seishiro Natsume - Ryo's best friend from kindergarten, he has a crush on Ryo but is unable to confess his feelings.
Story-wise, you know that every girl they recruit will eventually join the team. The obvious romantic rivalry will rear its head and will have an effect on the team. The team will resolve their personal differences, become friends, and end up stronger because of it. The amateurs will learn the game and play as a true team members. Yoko will put the team before her own selfish goals. Mao will gain confidence in herself and her abilities. Kanako's father will learn of his daughter playing baseball behind his back and make her quit, but Kanako's father will have a change of heart and instead of trying to dissolve the team, he'll start to support them instead. They will beat the odds and win every game against all the boy's teams they face until they face their counterparts of the Kisaragi Boy's High School. Can they beat Hiroki and the Kisaragi boy's team to make it to Koshien?
*1 - Also seen in many martial arts anime and movies, certain everyday activities or special regimens are able to build superior techniques. Ryo's ultimate technique is also gained through this cliche.
*2 - The cliche is that the theme of baseball manga and anime is that it's all about teamwork and teamplay. The team doesn't start succeeding until all the players start pulling together and believing in each other.
