Turkey!

Mai Otonashi, Rina Godai, Nozomi Mitaka, Sayuri Ichinose, and Nanase Nikaidou are all members of their high school's bowling club. The captain, Mai, can effortlessly land a "turkey"—three strikes in a row—yet her next delivery always ruins her game. Each girl struggles with the sport in her own way, but that never stops them from having fun.

However, amusement is not enough for Rina. As the newest member, she is furious about the others' disregard for their failures. After an argument, Rina decides to quit the club, but Mai refuses to let her leave. During a match to determine if Rina stays, a strange incident occurs after Mai's turkey: the girls are sent back in time!

The group discover that they have landed right into the middle of a battlefield in the Sengoku period. They soon realize that recreating the match between Mai and Rina is the key to returning home. As the girls decide to enjoy their time in the unfamiliar era, Mai must prepare to score a turkey when it matters the most.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Otonashi, Mai Main

Hishikawa, Hana Japanese

Ichinose, Sayuri Main

Iwata, Haruki Japanese

Godai, Rina Main

Ichinose, Kana Japanese

Nikaidou, Nanase Main

Itou, Ayasa Japanese

Mitaka, Nozomi Main

Tenma, Yuuki Japanese

Sumomo Supporting

Hidaka, Noriko Japanese

Kagetoki Supporting

Hoshino, Takanori Japanese

Azuki Supporting

Nonaka, Ai Japanese

Komugi Supporting

Orikasa, Ai Japanese

Kousaka Supporting

Okamoto, Nobuhiko Japanese

Kinoshita, Tetsuya Producer

Iwasa, Naoki Producer

Miyata, Kazuya Producer

Watanabe, Toshiyuki Producer

Reviews

Oct 22, 2025

Johmiascle

Recommended

10/10 anime do not skip out on this one! I’m so glad I didn’t skip this anime like I originally was about to nor did I drop it like it thought I should have during the second episode….. This anime was an amazing adventure it made me think and feel so much it might be just a anime about bowling but it’s definitely not… and all the twist and turns especially the one on the last episode were so good… it made me think back to why I watch anime in the first place it was a good reminder of what makes a masterpiece… it ... was such a good story… it was really thought out and creative it deserves everyone to experience it at least once❤️

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by Johmiascle (1)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Nov 29, 2025

OneeSama

Mixed Feelings

The story setup is fun: a school club of bowling girls gets sent back in time to the Sengoku period in the middle of a battlefield.

Scenarios played out are what you'd expect from a group in a time travel situation: bewilderment, shock, cultural shift, technological differences, and linguistic issues.
Watching the girls navigate a new, or rather old, world is entertaining as they try to cautiously avoid any actions that might affect the future.
Overall, the show is silly, yet it weaves in moments of reality that remind the characters and viewers where they are. Politics and morals contrast, and heads get chopped off, rolling around like ... a bowling ball.

Unfortunately, the show progressively gets worse. While there are dilemmas and mysteries, the solutions and reasons often feel cheap. Akin to "with the power of friendship", "everyone gets a happy ending", and "deus ex machina".
Rediculous situations arise that are resolved with equally ludicrous answers, with the finale being an unrealistic and nonsensical circus.

The entirety of the show is one big roundabout way for the characters to forcibly bond with each other and fix inter-relational and personal problems that hold them back from succeeding in bowling. The anime was enjoyable enough to finish easily, but not good enough to recommend to friends or rewatch.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by OneeSama (20)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Oct 23, 2025

patkarunungan

Not Recommended

'Turkey! Time to Strike' seems to be a sports anime with cute girls. It, however, provides some twists that may amuse you or frustrate you.


§ Overview

A group of girls has a conflict with how they approach bowling. The captain of the bowling club, Mai, values enjoyment over winning. Her kouhai, Rina, has the mentality of winning.

One day, as Mai and Rina have a match to determine if Rina would quit or not, they find themselves transported to the Sengoku Period (戦国時代), about 1467 to 1615 AD.


... § What's in the name?

A strike happens when all the pins come crashing down due to the impact of the bowling ball. A turkey happens whenever there are three consecutive strikes. It is called that because historically, a turkey (you know, the fowl that's killed and cooked during Thanksgiving in America) was awarded for three consecutive strikes.


§ The studio and staff


⚫ The studio, Bakken Record, is new as it was established only in 2019. So far, it has only 6 titles, including Turkey. I haven't seen their other outputs, but they have mid to decent scores.

As far as Turkey is concerned, I am not impressed with their visuals, and the character design is forgettable.


⚫ It's interesting that the director, Kudou Susumu, served as director for three anime by GOATHands, two of which I've seen: 1) Momentary Lily, 2) The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses, and 3) The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today. I haven't seen no 3, so I'll use no 1 and no 2 for comparison.

GOATHands have polarising visuals. Many hate it; others like me love it.

Despite all the criticisms Momentary Lily received, I found value in watching it, from the visuals and the emotional payoff.

The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses is entertaining despite its visuals. I'm not saying it's bad. It's just that it seems the source material is good enough that, regardless of the director and the studio, the anime adaptation would be at least decent.

That's not the case with the writing of Turkey, and the only person I found responsible for the writing is scriptwriter Hiruta Naomi. This is her first work.


§ Issues with the story and commentary

1. Many people are expecting this to be a sports anime but were astonished that this is isekai-adjacent. I use that term because it resembles isekai, but it's not really an isekai. It's technically a time travel show.

I have no issue regarding this.


2. Some have noted that the drama seems forced and that the characters act so dumb.

I partially agree with this take. Rina's conflict with Mai is so frustrating to watch, and some of the behaviour I find unbelievable or contrived.


3. If I'm charitable to the writer, it seems that she is subtly criticising the girls of 2025 and reminding them of some of the positive values that women did in the past, namely duty, honour, and similar virtues. Despite seemingly favouring the past, the writer is also criticising the past for restricting freedom, and this aspect is more explicit.


4. To be fair, each of the girls in the main cast is given an episode to flesh out their character and backstory. This is better than some others, where the character's backstory is not explored at all. That said, I wish some of these character arcs were explored further in a later episode. Nanase's backstory, for one, is interesting, and it's too bad we can only infer what happens afterwards.

5. Its biggest sin is that the only good episode is the final episode, where the stakes are higher and the girls are slapped by reality into letting go of their naïveté. The previous episodes are either bad or mediocre. Is it worth putting up with all the crap just to reach a barely acceptable finale? You be the judge.


§ Conclusion

Turkey! is a forgettable show with some forgettable characters. It's not the worst show, to the point of being confusing. But for a so-so anime in an excellent Summer 2025 season, there are better anime out there if you're pressed for time.


NOTA BENE: A grade of 3 out of 10 means that I did not enjoy watching this anime despite being either well-regarded or at least popular, or perhaps I happened to rank them below my 4's but above my 2's.

My enjoyment spectrum lies from 4 to 10. If I have scored an anime below 4, I actively dislike it.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by patkarunungan (326)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Sports Anime (Girls Cast)

by YuikoKira

48 Entries · 10 Restacks

2025 Anime Worth Watching

by inazumera

20 Entries · 15 Restacks

Anime of the Year 2025

by SuperShulk

35 Entries · 10 Restacks

'Turkey!' Reveals Additional Cast, Second Promo

The official website for the Turkey! (Turkey! Time to Strike) original television anime revealed additional cast, the third key visual (pictured), and second promoti...read more

Jul 11, 5:37 PM by DatRandomDude | Discuss (7 comments)

Summer 2025 Simulcast List [Update 8/7]

In this thread, you'll find a comprehensive list of television anime acquired for simulcast release during the Summer 2025 season. Anime series licensed for hom...read more

Jun 27, 2:20 PM by Snow | Discuss (17 comments)

	Poll: Turkey! Episode 9 Discussion Stark700 - Sep 2	34 replies	by EdhyRa »» Nov 28, 7:32 PM
	Poll: Turkey! Episode 6 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Aug 12	65 replies	by EdhyRa »» Nov 28, 1:54 AM
	Poll: Turkey! Episode 2 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Jul 15	64 replies	by Alkimia »» Nov 11, 7:55 PM
	Poll: Turkey! Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Jul 8	99 replies	by Alkimia »» Nov 11, 4:30 PM
	Poll: Turkey! Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Sep 23	58 replies	by WestOnAndrewAve »» Oct 23, 12:54 PM