MAJOR (anime)
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| Major | |
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| メジャー (Major) |
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| Genre | Sport, Shonen, Comedy |
| Manga: MAJOR | |
| Authored by | Takuya Mitsuda |
| Publisher |  Shogakukan |
| Serialized in | Shōnen Sunday |
| Original run | 1994 – Ongoing |
| No. of volumes | 62 volumes |
| TV anime : Major Season One | |
| Directed by | Kenichi Kasai |
| Studio | Studio Hibari |
| Network |  NHK Hero TV |
| Original run | 13th November 2004 – 21st May 2005 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| TV anime : Major Season Two | |
| Directed by | Kenichi Kasai |
| Studio | Studio Hibari |
| Network | NHK |
| Original run | 10th December 2005 – 10th June 2006 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| TV anime : Major Season Three | |
| Directed by | Kenichi Kasai |
| Studio | Studio Hibari |
| Network | NHK |
| Original run | January 2007 – |
| No. of episodes | 26
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MAJOR (メジャー Mejyā?), is the anime adaption of the manga by Takuya Mitsuda. A part of Shonen Sunday, it has been adapted into a series produced by NHK and Studio Hibari. The anime first ran on November 13, 2004, and is currently on its 3rd season . The manga version has now been updated with its 61st vol.
Contents |
[edit] Story so far
Tagline: Shigeharu Honda is a Major League batter on the rise. His son Goro is a Little League pitcher who one day hopes to follow in his father's footsteps. Momoko Hoshino is Goro's schoolteacher, and the first woman Shigeharu has been interested in since the death of Goro's mother. The destinies of these three individuals will become intertwined as father and son experience both heartbreak and triumph on the baseball diamond. But when an unspeakable tragedy visits the family, it will take everything they have to pick up the pieces and reclaim their dreams.
[edit] Season 1
After his father dies from complications due to being struck by a wild pitch, Honda Goro is living under the care of Momoko Hoshino, who was engaged to his father and is Goro's former preschool teacher. Sharing his father's love of baseball, Goro dreams of one day becoming a professional player. Season 1 follows Goro as he plays little league with his friends from Elementary school on the Mifune Dolphins Little League team and shows himself to be an extremely gifted baseball player. His team isn't very strong at first, but his teammates share his determination and pull together in order to defeat the areas strongest little league team, the team that his oldest friend (Sato Toshiya) now plays for: Yokohama Little League. At the end of the season, Goro's adoptive mother marries Shigeno Hideki and the new family moves to Fukuoka when Shigeno is traded from the Blue Oceans.
[edit] Season 2
Goro moves back to Mifune when his stepfather is traded back to the Blue Oceans and finds his little league friends grown up and attending Mifune East Junior High School. He surprises his friends when he tells them that he has been playing soccer and doesn't plan on playing for the junior high baseball team, but changes his mind after confronting a bully who is threatening one of his friends. Together, Goro and his friend Komori Daisuke rebuild the junior high baseball team. The team becomes strong enough to enter the regional junior high tournament and Goro once again finds himself playing against his friend and rival Sato Toshiya, who plays on the Tomonoura Junior High School team. Mifune eventually beats Tomonoura in a tight game and Goro and Toshiya vow to play on the same high school team together. After the tournament, Goro, his friend Komori, and Toshiya decide to try out for the baseball team of the prestigious private high school, Kaido. Goro and Toshiya make the junior varsity team and spend a year and half together as teammates. However, in their second year, Goro reveals that his true desire is to challenge the excellent players of Kaido instead of play on the same team as them. His friend Toshiya is hurt by Goro's decision, but respects him for it. The season ends with Goro leading the junior varsity team to victory over a scrimmage against the varsity team, and with Goro quitting Kaido High School to play for another team.
[edit] Season 3
Goro has returned home after quitting Kaido. Upon his arrival, his mother voices her displeasure with the fact that he did not consult with her about his leaving. She insisted Goro to be accountable for his actions and to accept the responsibility of paying the application fees on which ever schools he chooses to enroll in. Goro's enrollment had been refused by several schools due to the assistant coach of Kaido (Egashira) threatening to sue the other schools. Goro was able to finally avoide Egashira's interference by enrolling in Seishuu High. Having been an all girls school until just two years ago, Sheishuu didn't have a baseball team. Goro enrolls, determined to create a baseball team from scratch. Goro's Stepfather, Shigeno Hideki later retires from his position as ace pitcher for the Blue Oceans.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Main Characters
- Honda Shigeharu
Honda Shigeharu is an up and coming baseball pitcher for the Blue Oceans. He is a widower and lives with his son Goro. An elbow injury threatens to end his baseball career early on until his friend and teammate, Shigeno, suggests that he try hitting. He was an exceptional hitter before he turned pro, and is a natural in the batter's box. He works his way up from a pinch hitter to play first base for the Blue Oceans. He tragically dies after being struck in the head by a pitch from Joe Gibson, a pitcher that had come to Japan from the Major Leagues.
- Honda Goro
The story's main character, Goro is a young talented baseball player. His love of the game stems from his father who played for the Yokohama Blue Oceans. Wanting nothing more than to follow in his father's footsteps, he strives to become a professional ball player. Thriving on the challenge of the mound, he puts everything into the competition. He makes friends easily, as people are drawn to his personality and his excitement of the game. He initially pitched right handed, but blew out his shoulder in senior little league. In junior high school and high school, he pitches left, but continues to bat right. After Momoko and Hideki married, he now became, Shigeno Goro.
- Momoko Hoshino (Momoko-sensei)
Momoko Hoshino was Goro's nursery school teacher when he was younger. After Goro left nursery school she dated his dad Shigeharu and was engaged to him at the time of his death. She adopted Goro and raises him as a single parent until she marries Shigeno Hideki several years later.
- Shigeno Hideki
Honda Shigeharu's best friend and is the ace starting pitcher for the Yokohama Blue Ocean's. They have played baseball together since high school and turned pro together. He becomes Goro's stepfather after he marries Hoshino.
[edit] Supportive Cast
- Sato Toshiya
Initially a shy boy focused on his studies, Toshiya is basically pulled from his books by Goro and shown how to play baseball. He developes a love of the game equal to Goro and becomes a talented catcher. He plays as the catcher for Yokohama Little League, which is the area's best team. Goro runs into him again (Goro moved away after he was adopted by his father's fiancee') and the two begin a rivalry as strong as their friendship. He plays against Goro on Yokohama Little and again as the catcher of Tomonoura Junior High School's team. They try out for Kaido High School's baseball team together and are team mates on Kaido's Junior Varsity team for a year and half.
- Shimizu Kaoru
Shimizu is in Goro's class in elementary school and eventually begins to play little league baseball on the Mifune Dolphins Little League after an argument with Goro where she sees his passion for the game. In Junior High School she switches to softball and becomes captain of the Mifune East Junior High team. Initially she plans to follow Goro, whom she has a crush on, to Kaido High School. However, she changes her mind after she discovers Kaido does not have a softball team and after Goro tells her to follow her love of softball.
- Komori Daisuke
A small kid in Goro's class who tags along with Sawamura Ryota who constantly bullies him. Goro sticks up for him a couple of times and invites Komori to play baseball with him. He says that he is no good, but surprises Goro with his skills. It turns out that he used to play catch with his father who used to be a relief catcher on the Yokohama Blue Ocean's minor league team. Komori turns out to be a very skilled and intelligent player. He plays as Goro's catcher from little league into junior high school and becomes captain of the Mifune East Junior High School team. He tries out for Kaido High School with Goro and Toshiya, but unfortunately doesn't make the cut and goes to Mifune High School instead.
- Sawamura Ryouta
Initially Sawamura is a bully in elementary school, pushing Komori around. Goro and Shimizu stand up to him and he eventually backs down ... but only after Goro hits him for trying to throw his baseball glove into the river. He soon realizes that he doesn't have any real friends and asks Goro if he can play baseball with him, Shimizu and Komori. He enjoys the sport, but isn't particularly good and switches to soccer in Junior High School; eventually becoming captain of the Mifune East Junior High soccer team. He remains friends with Komori, Shimizu, and Goro.
- Yamane
Introduced in season 2, Yamane is on the Mifune Junior High School team ... but uses it to cut class with some other friends that follow him. He and his friends beat up Komori after he tells them that they have to quit if they aren't going to contribute to the team... and then frighten all the other players into quitting too. When Goro returns and confronts him, Yamane reveals that he hates baseball because he cannot play it anymore. He was injured the year before and cannot throw the ball with his right arm. Goro, who suffered a similar injury, teaches Yamane to throw left-handed and he rejoins the team, playing first base. He goes on to Mifune High School with Komori.
[edit] Themes
[edit] Season One
- Opening (episodes 1-26): "Kokoro e (心絵 -- ココロエ)" by Road of Major
- Ending (episodes 1-16): "Step" by Beni Arashiro
- Ending (episodes 17-25): "Faraway" by Paradise GO!! GO!!
[edit] Season Two
- Opening (episodes 27-52): "Saraba Aoki Omakage (さらば碧き面影)" by Road of Major
- Ending (episodes 27-39): "Wonderland" by May
- Ending (episodes 40-51): "(しょぼい顔すんなよベイベー)" by The Loose Dogs
- Ending (episode 52): "Saraba Aoki Omakage (さらば碧き面影)" by Road of Major
[edit] Season Three
- Opening (episodes 53-present): "PLAY THE GAME" by Road of Major
- Ending (episodes 53-present): "Strike Party!!!" by BeForU
[edit] Voice Cast
[edit] Japanese Voice Cast
- Motoko Kumai as Honda Goro (eps 1-26)
- Shoutarou Morikubo as Honda (Shigeno) Goro (eps 27-)
- Fuyuka Oura as Sato Toshiya (eps 2-26)
- Masakazu Morita as Sato Toshiya (eps 27-)
- Rie Kugimiya as Komori Daisuke (eps 1-26)
- Kouki Miyata as Komori Daisuke (eps 27-)
- Kahoru Sasajima as Sawamura Ryouta
- Hideki Ogihara as Yamane
- Takehito Koyasu as Honda Shigeharu
- Junko Noda as Momoko Hoshino
- Shunsuke Sakuya as Shigeno Hideki
[edit] Trivia
- TV Asahi releases its list of the Top 100 Anime of All Time at the end of every year. In 2006, Major is ranked 46th, just behind another sports anime, Eyeshield 21. Based on a survey of 100 Japanese celebrities, it ranked as the 70th most popular show.[citation needed]
