Bandai Visual is continuing to re-issue some of its movies that came out far too many years ago on Blu-ray so that they’re still in print and accessible for fans and orderable for retailers. The bonus is that the pricing is generally better this time around. The latest to get the nod is the Ace wo Nerae! movie, which previously came out in September 2008 and is currently commanding a far too high of a price since it’s out of print.
The new release is scheduled to land on July 22nd, 2016 and will be priced at 4,800 yen. It’s expected to be identical to the previous release that came with a booklet as its only extra.
The film originally came out in September 1979 as a condensed retelling of the TV series of the same name. It was directed by Osamu Dezaki at Madhouse based on the screenplay by Keisuke Fujikawa and character designs by Akio Sugino. It’s based on the original manga by Sumika Yamamoto that ran in Margaret between 1973 and 1980 with a total of eighteen volumes produced.
Plot concept: High school freshman Hiromi joins the tennis club because of her admiration for Ryuzaki. Ryuzaki is a senior, who’s the best tennis player on the team and also nicknamed “Ochoufujin”, (“Madame Butterfly”), because of her elegance on the tennis court. However, the new coach, Jin Munakata, wants the inexperienced Hiromi to play in a forthcoming tournament.
Due to this, Hiromi considers quitting tennis for good but, in the depth of her soul, she soon realizes that she loves tennis after all. She returns to the club and, under Munakata’s coaching, her talent starts to bloom. In the end, Hiromi develops a strong emotional bond with her coach, not knowing that Munakata is risking his life because of a chronic illness.
[Source: Ace wo Nerae! Movie]
