Attack No.1: Namida no Sekai Senshuken

This film is probably the best one of the 4 recap films of the Attack No 1 series, I'd go as far to say that in some ways it was even better than the corresponding part of the original series.

The story covers the international tournament arc that takes place in New York. The film focuses mainly on the matches and cuts out some stuff that was in the original series that happened outside of the matches. I think that made the film feel more straight forward and easier to digest, while also focusing on the matches and the struggle of Kozue and her team ... throughout the tournament.

The art is one of the strengths of the film as the girls emotion and struggle is visually portrayed in very good fashion reminiscent of the 60s shoujo manga design style which I think emphasises the emotion and visual identity of the characters. One of the most clever visual metaphors used throughout the original series and the film is the sparkles in the eyes of the characters decipting the rivalry and tense moments of struggle of the characters. Which I think adds significant amount of visual personality to the design of the series.

Sound is another part that is reminiscent of the original series after the first scene the iconic theme song from the series plays which I think adds another layer of excitement towards the tournament when the girls are starting their journey. The voice acting is also really good, portraying the raw emotion and struggle of the characters in precise and dramatic manner which I think enhances the overall enjoyment of the film.

The important characters when it comes to this film are the coach and Ayuhara Kozue herself. The coach is probably one of yhe most iconic characters from the original series and his portrayal in this film does not leave you cold. I'd say that his character was portrayed better in the original series, but for this film I think he was fine.

Kozue the another important character I'd say that her relationship with the coach, her teammates and rivals are the interesting part of this film. The way those relationships play into her struggle throughout the tournament I think is laid out beautifully in the film and the ending pays respect to that struggle.

Overall I'd say this film provides a good portrayal of the events compared to the original series and in some ways even better when it comes to the tournament arc as a complete package.