Sports
Despite being polar opposites, Makoto "Smile" Tsukimoto and Yutaka "Peco" Hoshino have been best friends since childhood. Although the overly confident Peco strives to be the best ping-pong player in the world, he often skips practice, earning the ire of his fellow teammates on the Katase High School ping-pong team. Meanwhile, Smile—in spite of his innate talent for the sport—cannot help but hold back his full strength when playing against others. Through their mutual love for ping-pong, the two have developed a bond that is seemingly unbreakable. When Peco hears that an ex-national team player from China is coming to Japan, he drags Smile over to rival Tsujido High School to observe them. The subsequent trip leads to a clash between Peco and Kong Wenge, who overwhelmingly defeats the former in one game. Stunned by such a comprehensive loss, Peco finds himself questioning why he plays to begin with. Seeing his potential as a player, Katase's coach begins to train Smile to overcome his hesitation, but he is reluctant to play if it is not for enjoyment. As the two struggle to find meaning in the sport, a plethora of stronger players—each with their own internal strifes—await them at the inter-high tournament, where only the very best can persevere. But when these young athletes let their unbridled ambition go unchecked, the hardships they face paint a somber reality as they pursue glory. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Former ace runner of Sendai Josei High School, Kakeru Kurahara is chased away from a convenience store for shoplifting. Shaking off his pursuer, he runs into Haiji Kiyose, another student from his university. Haiji is impressed by Kakeru's agility and persuades him to live in Chikusei-sou, the run-down apartment where Haiji resides along with eight other students. Having lost his entire apartment deposit at a mahjong parlor, Kakeru accepts the offer reluctantly. However, Haiji reveals a secret during Kakeru's welcoming party: the apartment is actually the dormitory of the Kansei University Track Club. He unveils his ultimate goal of participating in the Hakone Ekiden—one of the most prominent university marathon relay races in Japan. Unfortunately, all the residents apart from Haiji and Kakeru are complete running novices. Worse still, none of the inhabitants are even remotely interested in being involved with Haiji's ridiculous plan! With only months before the deadline, will the fourth-year student be able to convince them otherwise and realize his elusive dream of running in the Hakone Ekiden? [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Tatara Fujita is a shy middle schooler who has no particular plan for the future. He has gotten through life by avoiding any kind of confrontation and blending in with the crowd. But blending in isn't enough to get out of trouble, as some bullies harass him for money. Luckily, he is saved by a man named Kaname Sengoku. Kaname invites Tatara to his dance studio. Although he would normally never set foot in such a place, Tatara is captivated by Sengoku's commanding presence. Granted an opportunity to dance with fellow classmate Shizuku Hanaoka—who often practices at the studio—Tatara realizes there's something about the idea of being put in the limelight and dancing where people will see him that keeps him coming back. With an earnest, passionate drive to improve, Tatara begins his journey into the world of competitive dance. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
"To be quiet and do as you're told, that's the cowardly choice." These are the words of Junk Dog, an underground fighter of Megalo Box, an evolution of boxing that utilizes mechanical limbs known as Gear to enhance the speed and power of its users. Despite the young man's brimming potential as a boxer, the illegal nature of his participation forces him to make a living off of throwing matches as dictated by his boss Gansaku Nanbu. However, this all changes when the Megalo Box champion Yuuri enters his shabby ring under the guise of just another challenger. Taken out in a single round, Junk Dog is left with a challenge: "If you're serious about fighting me again, then fight your way up to me and my ring." Filled with overwhelming excitement and backed by the criminal syndicate responsible for his thrown matches, Junk Dog enters Megalonia: a world-spanning tournament that will decide the strongest Megalo Boxer of them all. Having no name of his own, he takes on the moniker of "Joe" as he begins his climb from the very bottom of the ranked list of fighters. With only three months left to qualify, Joe must face off against opponents the likes of which he has never fought in order to meet the challenge of his rival. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
"Tsurune"—It's the sound made by the bowstring when an arrow is released, and the sound that inspired Minato Narumiya to learn kyudo, a modern Japanese martial art focusing on archery. However, an incident during his last middle school tournament caused him to quit the sport. But soon, many factors conspire to make Minato take up the bow once again: the start of a new kyudo club in his high school, a chance encounter with a mysterious archer, and the support of his childhood friends, Seiya Takehaya and Ryouhei Yamanouchi. Together with his childhood friends and his new teammates, Kaito Onogi and Nanao Kisaragi, Minato rekindles his love for kyudo and works with his team toward their aim of winning the prefectural tournament. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
The world of corporate badminton is not as easy as it seems. Although considered a former child prodigy, Mikoto Shiratori has not been living up to his potential as a badminton player for Mitsuhoshi Bank. Due to a past incident, Mikoto tries to transition from playing doubles to singles; nevertheless, he fails to produce positive results, much to his employer's dismay. After being fired from the bank, Mikoto is recruited by the Sunlight Beverage corporate badminton team. Surprisingly, not only do practices start in the evening, but he also has to work in the sales department of the company by day. While this is not a novel arrangement, Mikoto had thought he was invited solely to play sports. To make matters worse, he is forced to compete in doubles despite his reluctance. Struggling to adjust to his new professional life, Mikoto begins to doubt his decision to join the company. However, as he learns more about his latest teammates, he might just find the strength necessary to advance his badminton career. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Kojirou is the kendo instructor for Muroe High School and he's totally broke. But then an unexpected chance is given to him: his team must win against his senpai's team and the prize is: free meals for a whole year! Now, the only problem left... where to find girls skilled enough and willing to join the kendo team?
During a regular after-school grub crawl, gluttonous high schooler Hibiki Sakura is confronted about her ever-expanding waistline by her best friend, Ayaka Uehara. With her attempts at solitary exercise failing miserably, Hibiki decides to join the newly opened Silverman Gym. At her orientation, Hibiki runs into student council president and school idol Akemi Souryuuin. However, it soon turns out that Hibiki is in for a lot more than she bargained for. Not only is Silverman Gym full of world-renowned bodybuilders and athletes, but to make matters worse, Akemi turns out to be a total muscle fetishist! Grossed out by the scene unfolding before her eyes, Hibiki begins to leave, only to be stopped by trainer Naruzou Machio. Completely enthralled with her newfound Prince Charming, Hibiki signs up as a gym member. Now, as a result of her spur-of-the-moment decision, Hibiki must adapt to her new lifestyle. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
"Stride"—an extreme sport that combines parkour, free running, relay, and sprinting—is what made first year high school student Nana Sakurai enroll in Honan Academy, after being captivated by the school's stride team. Sharing the mutual intention of joining the team is fellow first year and stride maniac, Takeru Fujiwara, and together they request to join. Much to their dismay, however, the stride club is no longer active due to lack of members, and they are now operating under the shogi club. In order to revive the stride club, Nana and Takeru recruit first year Riku Yagami—a fast runner who is interested in almost every sport. With this new team, the club now aims high at a new goal: to win the prestigious End of Summer competition, and bring the Honan stride team back to their prime. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Video games, especially puzzle games, were always at the center of Konomi Kasahara's life. However, upon entering Hanamiya High School, she decides to break away from this lifestyle. As Konomi wanders the halls in search of a new activity to engage herself in, she stumbles upon a gigantic wall owned by the school's rock climbing team. Fascinated, she attempts to scale the wall, discovering that she can use her puzzle-solving skills to help her reach the top. Certain that she has found her calling, Konomi immediately joins the club. As she strives to improve her climbing skills, Konomi, alongside the rest of the Hanamiya Climbing Team, will learn what it truly means to be a "sports climber" and work to achieve victory in the upcoming competitions. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Genius setter Kimichika Haijima moves back to Fukui from Tokyo after an incident within his school's volleyball team forces him out. There, he is reunited with his childhood friend, Yuni Kuroba, a member of the Monshiro Middle School Boys' Volleyball Team, who is unaware of his own talents. Haijima notices Kuroba's abilities and is determined to form a new volleyball team with Kuroba as the team's ace. At the prefectural tournament, Kuroba crumbles under the pressure, which causes the Monshiro team to fall apart after losing. The loss also creates a rift between Haijima and Kuroba, leading the former to quit the team. Now, as students at Seiin High School, Haijima and Kuroba find themselves on the same volleyball team once again. Having learned from his past mistakes, Haijima helps Kuroba overcome his performance anxiety to become the ace and carry the team to the prefectural championship. With support from team captain Shinichirou Oda and vice captain Misao Aoki, Seiin aim to win the prefecturals and become Fukui's representatives at the Spring Tournament. To do this, they will need to beat Fukuho Technical High School, the reigning champions of Fukui. Will Haijima's team defeat the odds, or are they doomed to repeat his history of losing? [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Every five years, an exhilarating race called Redline is held, and the universe's most anticipated competition has only one rule: that there are none. Racers are pushed to their absolute limit—a feeling that daredevil driver JP knows all too well. Having just qualified to participate in Redline, he is eager to battle against the other highly skilled drivers, particularly the beautiful rising star and the only other human that qualified, Sonoshee McLaren. But this year's Redline may be far more dangerous than usual—it has been announced to take place on the planet Roboworld with its trigger-happy military and criminals who look to turn the race to their own advantage. However, the potential danger doesn't stop the racers; in fact, it only adds to the thrill. Relying solely on his vehicle's speed, JP prepares for the event to come, aiming to take first place in the biggest race of his life. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
When Minato Kiyomizu wakes up in a hospital, he learns that he has been comatose for 203 days. As it turns out, a car accident has caused him to lose all memory of his middle school journey. Eventually, he discovers his former glory in water polo and desires to continue where he has left off. However, embarrassingly becoming aware of the massive disparity between his old and current self, Minato begins intensive rehabilitation in hopes of starting anew—a life without water polo. Yet, Minato is promptly reminded of his past prowess and a promise on his very first day in Yamanami High School. Soon enough, despite being completely aware of his ineptitude, he joins the school's water polo club! While needing to relearn the sport's basics, he, along with his clubmates, must recruit new members to attain the required seven-man roster. With that, Minato tries to rekindle his deeply buried talent for water polo—and become one of Japan's renowned players once again. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Japan's latest competitive sport, keijo, is dictated by a simple set of rules: female-only participants must stand on circular platforms floating in a pool—referred to as "lands"—with the goal being to knocking off opponents using only their breasts and butts. Despite this outlandish premise, the sport attracts millions of viewers across the country and boasts a lavish prize pool. Many aspiring athletes take up the challenge in hopes of becoming the next national champion. After graduating from high school, the lively 17-year-old Nozomi Kaminashi enters the world of keijo, hoping to bring home a fortune to her poor family. As a gifted gymnast, Nozomi quickly proves herself a tough competitor after stealing the spotlight in her debut tournament. Meeting new friends and rivals as she climbs the ranks, Nozomi discovers that the path to stardom as a keijo player is filled with intense competition that will challenge not only her body, but also her soul. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
