Play Ball
Encyclopedia
is a manga
series by Akio Chiba
which ran in Weekly Shōnen Jump
from 1973 to 1978, which was adapted in 2005 and 2006 into an anime
series by Magic Bus
, aired across Japan on the anime satellite television
network, Animax
. The series was released concurrently with Chiba's other major work, Captain
, the other series for which he won the 22nd Shogakukan Manga Award
for shōnen
in 1977.
Chiba originally wanted to make the series a rugby
or American football
, but he began to be held up by collecting all the materials needed to make sure he understood the rules well enough to draw an accurate depiction. In order to catch up, he began creating a manga about the high school
baseball
career of his main character, Takao Taniguchi.
This eventually developed into the series Captain. Play Ball follows the story of the junior high school years of Taniguchi and his fellow teammates.
Nearly twenty-five years later, in 2005 and 2006, the series was adapted into two seasons of an UHF anime
TV series in 2005, which was broadcast across Japan by the anime satellite television
network, Animax
.
After someone leaks his secret to the captain of the soccer team, the captain becomes angry at him and Taniguchi decides that soccer is not really for him. At the recommendation of the captain, he resigns from the soccer club and joins the baseball club. The Sumitani baseball club would lose their big game every year due to the inexperience of the club members. After Taniguchi joined, however, the club begins to change for the better.
Tadakoro
Yutaka Kurabayashi
Nakayama
Ōta
Yamaguchi
Yamamoto
Marui
Yokoi
Handa
Tomuro
Suzuki
Matsugawa
Shimada
Katō
Second season
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series by Akio Chiba
Akio Chiba
was a Japanese manga artist born in Shenyang, Manchukuo . Chiba was known for publishing his works in both shōnen and shōjo magazines. Chiba made his professional debut in 1967 with his manga Sabu to Chibi while working as an assistant to his older brother, Tetsuya...
which ran in Weekly Shōnen Jump
Weekly Shonen Jump
is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.8 million copies...
from 1973 to 1978, which was adapted in 2005 and 2006 into an anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series by Magic Bus
Magic Bus (studio)
is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Nishi-Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. The company was founded in 1977 by producer and director Satoshi Dezaki in order to produce the anime TV series Shin Kyojin no Hoshi. In 1983, with Dezaki directing, Magic Bus collaborated in the animation production of...
, aired across Japan on the anime satellite television
Satellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
network, Animax
Animax
is a Japanese anime satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. A subsidiary of Japanese media conglomerate Sony, it is headquartered in in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with its co-founders and shareholders including Sony Pictures Entertainment and the noted anime studios...
. The series was released concurrently with Chiba's other major work, Captain
Captain (manga)
is a baseball manga series by Akio Chiba which ran in Monthly Shōnen Jump from 1972 to 1979. This series ran concurrently with another Chiba manga series Play Ball, which ran in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1973 to 1978...
, the other series for which he won the 22nd Shogakukan Manga Award
Shogakukan Manga Award
The is one of Japan's major manga awards, sponsored by Shogakukan Publishing. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga since 1955 and features candidates from a number of publishers.The current award categories are:...
for shōnen
Shonen
The term refers to manga marketed to a male audience aged roughly 10 and up. The Kanji characters literally mean "few" and "year", respectively, where the characters generally mean "comic"...
in 1977.
Chiba originally wanted to make the series a rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
or American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, but he began to be held up by collecting all the materials needed to make sure he understood the rules well enough to draw an accurate depiction. In order to catch up, he began creating a manga about the high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
career of his main character, Takao Taniguchi.
This eventually developed into the series Captain. Play Ball follows the story of the junior high school years of Taniguchi and his fellow teammates.
Nearly twenty-five years later, in 2005 and 2006, the series was adapted into two seasons of an UHF anime
UHF anime
refers to the anime broadcast by independent stations generally located in the Kanto, Chukyo and Kansai regions of Japan, who are members of the Japanese Association of Independent Television Stations . Other common names for UHF anime include and...
TV series in 2005, which was broadcast across Japan by the anime satellite television
Satellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
network, Animax
Animax
is a Japanese anime satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. A subsidiary of Japanese media conglomerate Sony, it is headquartered in in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with its co-founders and shareholders including Sony Pictures Entertainment and the noted anime studios...
.
Plot
After fracturing a finger in a junior high school game, Takao Taniguchi is unable to play baseball. After entering Sumitani High School, he is constantly watching the baseball club even though he is unable to play. He catches the eye of the captain of the soccer club, and while he still has lingering hopes of joining the baseball club, he decides to join the soccer club. While he's a complete beginner, Taniguchi developed a strong spirit of hard work while in junior high school and his new teammates begin to see his potential. While he focuses all of his energy on soccer, he is unable to forget his youthful zeal for baseball and he begins umpiring baseball games in secret.After someone leaks his secret to the captain of the soccer team, the captain becomes angry at him and Taniguchi decides that soccer is not really for him. At the recommendation of the captain, he resigns from the soccer club and joins the baseball club. The Sumitani baseball club would lose their big game every year due to the inexperience of the club members. After Taniguchi joined, however, the club begins to change for the better.
Characters
Takao Taniguchi- The main character. Plays pitcherPitcherIn baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
(right-handed) and third basemanThird basemanA third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
. He injured his finger in an accident when he was in junior high, and causing him to give up pitching because he thought it was too hard to pitch with a finger which caused him to be unable to pitch straight. However, through a great deal of effort and hard work, Taniguchi was able to overcome this and master the forkballForkballThe forkball is a type of pitch in baseball. Related to the split-fingered fastball, the forkball is held between the first two fingers and thrown hard snapping the wrist....
(in the anime, his right index finger is crooked). After that, he had surgery to fix the injury to his finger (the anime has the order of events a bit different than in the manga).
Tadakoro
- Plays catcherCatcherCatcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
. Was the captain of the baseball club when Taniguchi joined.
Yutaka Kurabayashi
- Plays catcher after Tadakoro. Usually bats third.
Nakayama
- Plays pitcher (left-handed) and third baseman. One year older than Taniguchi, and wears glasses.
Ōta
- Plays shortstopShortstopShortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
, and can run 100 m in 12 seconds. One year older than Taniguchi.
Yamaguchi
- One year older than Taniguchi. Known for having a huge moleMole (skin marking)A melanocytic nevus is a type of lesion that contains nevus cells .Some sources equate the term mole with "melanocytic nevus". Other sources reserve the term "mole" for other purposes....
.
Yamamoto
- One year older than Taniguchi. Plays right fielderRight fielderA right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
, first basemanFirst basemanFirst base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
, and is a right-handed relief pitcherRelief pitcherA relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
. Has an overbiteMalocclusionA malocclusion is a misalignment of teeth or incorrect relation between the teeth of the two dental arches. The term was coined by Edward Angle, the "father of modern orthodontics", as a derivative of occlusion, which refers to the manner in which opposing teeth meet.-Presentation:Most people have...
.
Marui
- One year younger than Taniguchi. Plays second basemanSecond basemanSecond base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
.
Yokoi
- Same age as Taniguchi. Plays second baseman, switches to shortstop in the second year, and third baseman in the third year.
Handa
- Same age as Taniguchi. Plays right fielder.
Tomuro
- Same age as Taniguchi. Plays left fielderLeft fielderIn baseball, a left fielder is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
.
Suzuki
- Same age as Taniguchi. Plays right fielder. Joined the baseball club at the same time as Handa.
Matsugawa
- One year younger than Taniguchi. Plays third baseman.
Shimada
- One year younger than Taniguchi. Plays center fielderCenter fielderA center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...
.
Katō
- One year younger than Taniguchi. Left-handed.
DVD releases
First season- Volume 1, AVBA-22361, ¥2940
- Volume 2, AVBA-22362, ¥5040
- Volume 3, AVBA-22363, ¥5040
- Volume 4, AVBA-22364, ¥5040
- Volume 5, AVBA-22365, ¥5040
- Volume 6, AVBA-22366, ¥5040
- Volume 7, AVBA-22367, ¥5040
Second season
- Volume 1, AVBA-22701, ¥5040
- Volume 2, AVBA-22702, ¥5040
- Volume 3, AVBA-22703, ¥5040
- Volume 4, AVBA-22704, ¥5040, July 26, 2006
- Volume 5, AVBA-22705, ¥5040, August 30, 2006