is a romantic

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

kid

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

drawn by Noriaki Nagai. It was published by

Shogakukan is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, comics (manga), non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan. Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hit ...

in ''

CoroCoro Comic is a Japanese monthly manga magazine published by Shogakukan, established on May 15, 1977. Its main target is elementary school-aged boys, younger than the readers of shōnen manga. Several of its properties, like ''Doraemon'' and the '' Poké ...

'' magazine from 1985 to 1989. The story is usually classified as Comedy, Drama, Shōnen and Sports. The manga was turned into an

series by

Studio Pierrot is a Japanese animation studio established in May 1979 by former employees of both Tatsunoko Production and Mushi Production. Its headquarters are located in Mitaka, Tokyo. Pierrot is renowned for several worldwide popular anime series, such as ...

during 1986–1987. It ran 26 episodes and one 40 minute special, but only 23 episodes were aired in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. In 1988 the anime arrived to

EMEA EMEA is a shorthand designation meaning Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The acronym is used by institutions and governments, as well as in marketing and business when referring to this region: it is a shorthand way of referencing the two ...

in its dubbed version and had some success in the Middle East (''الهداف Al Haddaf''), Iran (''فوتبالیست‌ها''), South Korea (''내일은 축구왕''), Italy (''Palla al centro per Rudy''), Spain (''Supergol''), France (''But Pour Rudy''), Poland (''Piłkarze'') and especially in Germany and Austria (''Kickers''). In

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

, the anime was aired on TV1 RTM in 1990s,

Awesome TV Awesome TV is a free-to-air Malaysian television channel owned by Awesome Media Network Sdn Bhd (via Awesome Broadcasting Sdn Bhd). The channel features first-run local original production and foreign content. Awesome TV started its trial broadca ...

in 2020. In

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, the anime was aired on

Indosiar PT Indosiar Visual Mandiri, commonly known as Indosiar, is an Indonesian over-the-air television network. It broadcasts nationwide on UHF and can be received throughout the Indonesian archipelago on analog PAL television sets, established on ...

in 1995-1997, TPI in 2003, Bali TV in 2005.

Story

The story is about an enthusiastic kid soccer team at the Kitahara

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

, who struggle without a competent striker, when little Kakeru Daichi's (大地翔 Daichi Kakeru) family moves into the town. He immediately applies to join the team, keen to use his skills gained in the kid team of famous soccer club "The Falcons". With Kakeru the team becomes complete in every sense and he motivates the team to challenge the "Red Devils", a strong secondary school team whose

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

Uesugi is considered undefeatable. They lose 10 to 1, but Kakeru's scoring a single goal is still a small miracle. Under the strong leadership of their own goalkeeper Masaru Hongo, Kickers then enter the kid championship and fight their way up through hard won victories. Meanwhile, Hongo falls in love with Ayumi Daichi (大地歩 Daichi Ayumi), Kakeru's cute, sporty sister. In turn the striker enamours Akuna Yukie, a fragile, angelic pianist girl, who happens to be Uesugi's much younger sister. These affairs lead to some embarrassingly funny situations as well as numerous complications with the team's devoted and jealous

cheerleader Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ente ...

trio. For a short while, Kickers gain a professional trainer whose instructions help them win their way to the

semi-final A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...

s, just to meet the Red Devils once again. After a dramatic match, that spans two 20 minute episodes, Uesugi fends off Kakeru's final freescore and so the Kickers are out! The devastated team is soon divided by the arrival of Harry, a famous junior talent, who has been fired from three big name teams already for subversive behaviour. He infiltrates and splits Kickers, but his rudeness and Hongo's strong leadership re-unite the team. Harry then seduces Ayumi and assembles a faux team out of the school's scum so he can defeat the Kickers almost alone. Although the naive Kakeru is no match for the older and much stronger Harry, the Kickers's teamwork spirit and Uesugi's support secures a victory in this dirty match and Harry is devastated. The anime series ends with a redeemed Harry reconciling with the Kickers, before leaving the town to play overseas.

Crew

:Original story: Noriaki Nagai :Series Director: Akira Shigino :Series Composition:

Sukehiro Tomita is a Japanese scenario writer. He is known for his work on '' Digimon Frontier'', ''Gall Force'', ''Genesis Climber MOSPEADA'', ''Mobile Suit Victory Gundam'', '' Sailor Moon'', ''Macross II'', '' B't X'' and ''Wedding Peach''. Screenwriting A ...

:Script: Hiroshi Kaneko, Isao Shizutani, Mitsuo Aimono, Sukehiro Tomita :Episode Director: Akira Shigino, Harumi Tamano, Kazu Yokota, Minoru Shinbayashi, Roku Iwata, Shigeru Morikawa :Storyboard: Akira Shigino, Harumi Tamano, Kazu Yokota, Makoto Moriwaki, Minoru Shinbayashi, Roku Iwata, Shigeru Morikawa, Takayuki Kaneko :Art Director: Satoshi Miura :Art design: Masahiro Sato :Character Design: Takeshi Ozaka :Animation Director: Takeshi Ozaka, Katsuichi Nakayama, Masami Shimoda, Mitsuo Shindo, Takafumi Hayashi :Composer: Jun Irie :Director of Photography: Hitoshi Kaneko :Editing: Masanori Sakamoto :Sound Director: Naoko Asari :Sound Effects: Kazutoshi Sato :Production manager: Reiko Fukakusa :Producer: Haruhiko Akamine (NTV), Kunitaka Okada (I&S), Takaichi Matsumoto (Pierrot) :Executive producer: Yuji Nunokawa

Voice actors

Tomiko Suzuki was a Japanese voice actress who was born in Aichi Prefecture and was affiliated with Aoni Production at the time of her death. Suzuki's last film was '' Pokémon: Jirachi Wishmaker'' (where she voiced the protagonist Pokémon: Jirachi), re ...

- Kakeru Daichi :

Yuko Kobayashi is a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator, currently affiliated with 81 Produce and married to voice actor Mitsuaki Hoshino. Filmography Television animation *'' Attacker You!'' (1984), You Hazuki *''Ranma ½'' (1989), Atsuko, Anna and L ...

- Akuna Yukie :

Ikue Ohtani Ikue (written: 育江, 育恵, 郁恵, 郁絵 or いくえ in hiragana) is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese singer *, Japanese curler *, Japanese musician *, Japanese actress and voice actress *, J ...

- Kiyoshi Hara :

Kazue Ikura is a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator who works for Aoni Production. She was previously affiliated with theater groups/production companies 劇舎燐, 俳協, Production Baobab and NABEYA. She is most known for the roles of Kaori M ...

- Masaru Hongō :

Tarako , known under the professional name , is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer.Doi, Hitoshi.Tarako. ''Seiyuu Database''. July 5, 2010. Her debut role was as a preschooler on ''Urusei Yatsura''. She is currently employed by the talent mana ...

- Taichi :

Michie Tomizawa is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer born in Maruko, Nagano Prefecture and raised in Shinmachi, Gunma. Life and career She is most known for the roles of Matsuzaka-Sensei ('' Crayon Shin-chan''), Manami Kasuga (''Kimagure Orange Ro ...

- Tetsuya :

Urara Takano , known by her stage name is a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator from Togane, Chiba. She is currently affiliated with and representative of REMAX. Her most prominent role has been in the '' Sakura Wars'' video game franchise, where s ...

- Mamoru :

Eiko Hisamura is a Japanese actress and voice actress from Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Hisamura worked under her maiden name before her marriage and for a long time afterward, so that name is still often used, even among fans. She is currently affili ...

- Hikaru Uesugi :

Chieko Honda was a Japanese actress and voice actress. During her life, she was attached to Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society and Mix Max; she was attached to Aoni Production at the time of her death. On 18 February 2013, Honda died of multiple f ...

- Ayumi Daichi

Episode list

References

External links

Studio Pierrot official site

* * {{Pierrot (company) 1985 manga 1986 anime television series debuts Association football in anime and manga CoroCoro Comic Nippon TV original programming Pierrot (company) Shōnen manga Shogakukan franchises Shogakukan manga Winners of the Shogakukan Manga Award for children's manga