Ace Wo Nerae (Aim for the Ace)

First year student Oka Hiromi straddles a fence as she strains to view her idol Rika on the tennis court, Rika is the person that has inspired Hiromi to start playing tennis. Hiromi is startled and falls on Todou lying beneath her when he says “I can see your panties” So begins the shoujo sports manga adaptation.

Hiromi joins the tennis club is bullied by many of her senpai and befriended by her idol Rika who gives her a used racquet after the other girls ruin hers. She is bullied because the coach a former pro player quickly promotes Hiromi over her older teammates to the varsity squad because he feels that in Oka he has found a player with potential to go to the world stage, because during the first practice session even though her skill level was low her determination could not be beat. She continuously picked herself up from the court and requested more training.

Such a great Smile

I’ve enjoyed Ueto Aya every time that I’ve seen her, from Azumi to Attention Please. With her winning smile and an athletic build that lends credence to her role as the budding tennis star this is no exception. Matsumoto is fine as the pampered but not spoiled Ryuuziki Reika. Yoshizawa Yuo is competent if rather wooden as the potential love interest. Uchino Masaaki who portrays Munakata Jin is excellent as the stern and comtemplative coach. But for me the real standout performance was Sakai Ayana who plays Midorikawa Ranko a very complex character who changes the most throughout the series and the special episode.

This is a nine episode series with one special. All nine episodes have been subbed by J-TV download the torents here. The special I have only been able to find as a raw file with subs by Dust-Off. The special can be hard to find but it is really worth the effort. It is a direct continuation of the series and really raises the quality of the story to another level and should not be missed. Download the torrent for the special here.

Ending theme song: Ai no tameni by Ueto Aya

Aya Ueto - Ai No Tameni - Live 2005