| Attack No. 1 | |
 Cover of the first manga volume (Kindle edition) | |
| アタックNo.1 (Atakku No. 1) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sports,Drama |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Chikako Urano |
| Published by | Shueisha |
| Magazine | Margaret |
| Demographic | Shōjo |
| Original run | January 7, 1968 –November 29, 1970 |
| Volumes | 12 |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Eiji Okabe Fumio Kurokawa Yoshio Takeuchi |
| Written by | Haruya Yamazaki Masaki Tsuji Mon Shichijō Tetsu Dezaki Tatsuo Tamura Tsunehisa Ito |
| Music by | Takeo Watanabe |
| Studio | Tokyo Movie |
| Original network | FNS (Fuji TV) |
| Original run | December 7, 1969 – November 28, 1971 |
| Episodes | 104 |
| Manga | |
| Shin Attack No. 1 | |
| Written by | Chikako Urano |
| Published by | Shueisha |
| Magazine | Margaret |
| Demographic | Shōjo |
| Original run | September 14, 1975 –December 14, 1975 |
| Volumes | 2 |
| Manga | |
| Shin Attack No. 1 | |
| Written by | Kanon Ozawa |
| Published by | Shueisha |
| Magazine | Margaret |
| Demographic | Shōjo |
| Original run | March 25, 2005 – present |
| Volumes | 3 |
| Television drama | |
| Original network | TV Asahi |
| Original run | April 4, 2005 – June 23, 2005 |
| Episodes | 11 |
Attack No. 1 (アタックNo.1,Atakku Nanbā Wan) is a Japanesemanga series byChikako Urano. It became the first televised female sports anime series in theshōjo category.
The anime is an adaptation of Urano's 1968 volleyball manga serialized inWeekly Margaret Magazine under the same name.[1] Urano was considered one of the founders of shōjo anime[2] and the series was introduced not only to push the older female manga fan base (as opposed to the significantly younger audience formagical girl series such asSally the Witch) into the anime mainstream, but also to capitalize on the boom of the gold medalJapanese women's volleyball team in the 1964Olympics.[3] The show did stand out in an era dominated byshōnen adventures andsci-fi anime, and was well received in the anime-friendly television markets ofFrance (as"Les Attaquantes"),Italy, (where it was originally retitled"Quella magnifica dozzina" and later"Mimì e la nazionale di pallavolo", where Kozue was renamed Mimì) andGermany (where it was retitled as"Mila Superstar", where Kozue was renamed Mila). The name Mila came from the immensely popular Italian version of 1984'sAttacker You!, in which the main character, You Hazuki, was renamed Mila, The series debuted on subtitle onITV in the United Kingdom.
A direct sequel was also released in manga format calledShin Attack No.1 (New Attack No.1) in 1975, but it was short-lived. The sequel was later redrawn between 2004 and 2005 in a new style by Kanon Ozawa.
The story is about a high school girl, Kozue Ayuhara, who transferred toFujimi Academy and tried out for the schoolvolleyball team. She develops a friendship with her teammate Midori Hayakawa, and her talents impress coach Shunsuke Hongō more and more each day. Though she showcases extraordinary volleyball skills, she makes enemies with Yumi Katsuragi, the star of the current team. Kozue discovers 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, set the tone for the drama to follow.
The anime was digitally remastered on DVD in 2003 from Amuse Video Inc.Low-priced edition released in 2007 from Columbia Music Entertainment.
From 1970 to 1971, a total of four anime movies were spawned based on the series byToho Co., Ltd and director Eiji Okabe.
| Japanese Name | English Name | Release Date | Run time |
|---|---|---|---|
| アタック No.1 富士見学園の新星 | 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 |
The original manga is re-printed byShueisha in 2003.
| No. | Release date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | January 2003[4] | 4-8342-7254-0 |
| 2 | January 2003[5] | 4-8342-7255-9 |
| 3 | February 2003[6] | 4-8342-7256-7 |
| 4 | February 2003[7] | 4-8342-7257-5 |
| 5 | March 2003[8] | 4-8342-7258-3 |
| 6 | March 2003[9] | 4-8342-7259-1 |
| 7 | March 2003[10] | 4-8342-7260-5 |
The redraw by Ozawa for Shin Attack No.1 spans the following 3 volumes:
| No. | Release date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 2005[11] | 978-4-08-847834-0 |
| 2 | June 2005[12] | 978-4-08-847863-0 |
| 3 | November 2005[13] | 978-4-08-846004-8 |
In 2005, a live action drama based onAttack No. 1 aired onTV Asahi.Ueto Aya, the famous Japanese actress and singer stars as Kozue Ayuhara.
The story is very similar to the original, but it has a few differences.
At the beginning of the manga series, Midori Hayakawa didn't like Kozue that much because Kozue was really good at volleyball (but they soon became best friends), but in the 2005 drama, Midori has bigger issues with Kozue. First of all, Midori was better at volleyball than Kozue at the start of this drama, and was very jealous when Kozue got called to come and play for Japan's national team (although at this point they didn't play any matches, but trained to become stronger). Secondly, Midori has a huge crush on Ichinose Tsutomu-kun. Midori had known Tsutomu-kun since she was very young, and when she found out that he liked Kozue, she was extremely jealous of Kozue. But when Tsutomu-kun died while saving a young boy, Midori's jealousy sort of evaporated. Thirdly, when Kozue helped some girls who were in her volleyball team, Fujimi, from a drunken man, she became popular, and got theNo. 1 tracksuit for Fujimi, Midori was very jealous, so she didn't tell Kozue that Kozue had been taken out of Japan's volleyball team because, replacing her, Midori had been called to play for Japan. Despite all this jealousy from Midori, Kozue and she are best friends, and in the end get to play together for Japan, as Kozue is called back.
Another difference is that Kozue injures her leg very badly and has to have surgery, but recovers fully.Also, in this drama, it doesn't reveal if Japan won worldwide, since it ends where Japan are playingBrazil.
In 1977, Fumio Kurokawa, Eiji Okabe and writer Haruya Yamazaki helmedAttack on Tomorrow (based on a new story byHana no Ko Lunlun creator Shiro Jinbo) for theNippon Animation studio, but it didn't come close to matching the success of the original series.
In 1984, Kazuyuki Okaseko directedAttacker You! for theKnack animation studio; while not an official spinoff ofAttack No. 1,Attacker You! invited the inevitable comparisons with the earlier series, although the latter was heavier on comedic elements. In addition, the screenwriters for the Italian version created a relationship between that series andAttack 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 ofAttack No. 1. ThisVoltron-style reworking of the story ofAttacker You! by the Italian dubbing staff carried over into the French and Spanish versions of the anime. To compound the confusion, the heroine ofAttack on Tomorrow is named Mimi in both the Japanese and Italian versions (although she is renamed Virginie in the French version).
This series was practically responsible for the explosion of the shōjo subgenre from 1960s and on. It was originally screened in evening prime time with a ~20% viewership, and therecord with its iconic opening theme, sung byKumiko Oosugi, had about 700,000 sales.[14] There were countless series that followed the same concept, but shifted the focus to different sports.Ace wo Nerae! fortennis,Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl forjudo are just some examples of series that appeared in the decades after the fading of this series.
The show has received numerous awards. On September 23, 2005 it was voted"TV Asahi 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.[15]
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 playerFrancesca Piccinini is one such example of someone inspired by the series.[16] (In Italy, the anime was shown on TV in the 1980s under the titleMimi e la nazionale della pallavolo. It was also known asMila Superstar in Germany and other countries,Les Attaquantes in French,La Panda de Julia in Spanish andTAKKITAKKI in Uzbekistan.)
Kazuko Suzuki describesAttack No. 1 as an "innovation on the campus story", where a heroine would go to college and meet her future husband. She describes Kozue as "psychologically independent", as Kozue has realised that she must strive to create her own happiness and continues to strive on after her boyfriend's death.[17]
Radiohead guitaristJonny Greenwood has a decal of the anime decorating the scratchplate of his most-often seenTelecaster Plus.[18]
