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Attack No. 1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Attack No.1 | |
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| アタック No.1 (Atakku No.1) |
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| Genre | Sports, Shōjo, Drama |
| Manga: Attack No.1 | |
| Authored by | Chikako Urano |
| Publisher | Shueisha |
| Serialized in | |
| Original run | January 7, 1968 – November 29, 1970 |
| No. of volumes | 12 |
| Manga: 新アタック No.1 (Shin Attack No.1) | |
| Authored by | Chikako Urano |
| Publisher | Shueisha |
| Serialized in | |
| Original run | September 14, 1975 – December 14, 1975 |
| No. of volumes | 2 |
| TV anime | |
| Directed by | Fumio Kurokawa, Eiji Okabe |
| Studio | TMS Entertainment |
| Network | Japan: Fuji TV |
| Original run | December 7, 1969 – November 28, 1971 |
| No. of episodes | 100 |
Attack No. 1 (Japanese: アタック No. 1) was a popular manga series in Japan. It also became the first televised female sports anime series in the shōjo category. It was also referred to as "Mila Superstar" when aired across Europe.
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The story is about Kozue Ayuhara, the new girl who transferred to Fujimi College, who tried out for the school volleyball team. Her friendship with Midori would develop, and her talents would impress coach Honga more and more each day. Though she showcased extraordinary volleyball skills, she would make enemies with Yoshimura, the star of the current team. Kozue would discover that being at the top would bring stress, incompatibilities and other dilemmas into her life. Her high expectations of becoming the best volleyball player in the school, Japan and eventually the world, would set the tone for the drama to follow.
The anime is an adaptation of Chikako Urano's 1968 volleyball manga serialized in Weekly Maragaret Magazine under the same name[1]. Chikako was considered one of the founders of shojo anime[2]. And the series was introduced not only to push the older female manga fan base (as opposed to the significantly younger audience for magical girl series such as Sally, the Witch) into the anime mainstream, but also capitalize on the boom of the gold medal Japanese women's volleyball team in the 1964 Olympics[3]. The show did stand out in an era dominated by shōnen adventures and sci-fi animes, and was well received in the anime-friendly television markets of France, Germany and Italy.
Additional Director: Fumio Kurokawa, Eiji Okabe
Screenwriter: Tatsuo Tamura, Masaki Tsuji, Tetsu Dezaki, Haruya Yamazaki, Tsunehisa Ito
Design: Jun Ikeda
Animator: Shingo Araki
Music: Takeo Watanabe
From 1970 to 1971, a total of 4 anime movies were spawned based on the series by Toho Co., Ltd and director Eiji Okabe.
| Japanese Name | English Name | Release Date | Run time |
|---|---|---|---|
| アタック No.１ | Attack No.1 the movie | March 21, 1970 | 63 mins |
| アタック No.１涙の回転レシーブ | Attack No.1 Revolution | August 1, 1970 | 60 mins |
| アタック No.１涙の世界選手権 | Attack No.1 World Championship | December 19, 1970 | 63 mins |
| アタック No.１涙の不死鳥 | Attack No.1 Immortal Bird | March 17, 1971 | 50 mins |
A direct sequel was also released in manga format called Shin Attack No.1 (New Attack No.1) in 1976, but it was short lived. The sequel was later redrawn between 2004 and 2005 in a new style by Kanon Ozawa.
The anime was digitally remastered on DVD in 2003.
In 1977 Fumio Kurokawa and Eiji Okabe helmed Attack on Tomorrow (based on a new story by Flower Angel creator Shiro Jinbo) for the Nippon Animation studio, but it didn't come close to matching the success of the original series.
In 1984 Kazuyuki Okaseko (Voltron) directed Attacker You! for the Knack animation studio; while not an official spinoff of Attack No. 1, Attacker You! invited the inevitable comparisons with the earlier series, although the latter was heavier on comedic elements. In addition (see Trivia below), the writers of the European dub versions created a plot link between the two series that did not exist in the originals.
The series was later converted to a live TV, non-anime show in Attack No. 1 2005 by TV Asahi.
This series was practically responsible for the explosion of the shojo subgenre from 1960s and on. There were countless series that followed the same concept, but shifted the focus to different sports. Ace wo Nerae! for tennis, Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl for judo are just some examples of series that appeared immediately after the fading of this series.
The show have received numerous awards. On September 23, 2005 it was voted "TV Asashi Top Anime" placing 61 out of 100. On October 13, 2006 it was voted "Japanese Favorite TV Anime" placing 9 out of 100 among celebrities[4].
This show also had a profound impact not only for being a sport spirited (supokon) anime in Japan, but had a strong influence long after the series ended. Italian professional volleyball player, Francesca Piccinini, is one such example of someone inspired by the series[5]. (In Italy, the anime was shown on TV in the 1980s under the title Mimi e la nazionale della pallavolo. It was also known as Mila Superstar in Germany and other countries, Les Attaquantes in French, La Panda de Julia in Spanish and TAKKITAKKI in Uzbestikan.)
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- Despite the show being called Mila Superstar when aired across Europe, the main character of Attack No. 1 in Japan was never called Mila. The name came from the immensely popular Italian version of 1984's Attacker You!, in which the main character, You Hazuki, was renamed Mila.
- In addition, the screenwriters for the Italian version of Attacker You! created a relationship between that series and Attack No. 1 that was not present in the original Japanese: they rewrote You Hazuki (Mila) as a cousin of Kozue, who was renamed "Mimi Ayuhara" in the Italian dub of Attack No. 1. This Voltron-style reworking of the story of Attacker You! by the Italian dubbing staff carried over into the French and Spanish versions of the anime. To compound the confusion, the heroine of the Attack No. 1 spinoff Attack on Tomorrow is named Mimi in both the Japanese and Italian versions.
- ^ Clements, Jonathan. McCarthy Helen. [2006] (2006). The Anime Encyclopedia: Revised & Expanded Edition. Berkeley, CA: Stone Bridge Press. ISBN 978-1-933330-10-5
- ^ Chikako Urano. "Chickako Urano's Manga List. " "Chickako Urano's Manga List." Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
- ^ 1964 Olympic Result. "1964 Olympic Results. " "1964 Women's Volleyball at Olympics." Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
- ^ Japanese Anime Vote. "TV Asashi Voting. " "Japanese Anime Vote." Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
- ^ Anime Summary. "Anime Summary. " "Summary of Attack No. 1." Retrieved on 2006-11-19.