Nine misfits, one janitor, zero chance — until they swing for the fences.
The school has its own softball team. The trouble is that there are nine of them and several of the girls are too weak, too small, too fat, too inexperienced, etc. They are in trouble. What is more, their manager is a janitor. The girls want to win in this adaptation of a popular manga in Japan.
Acting
Mirei Tanaka anchors the ensemble with genuine scrappiness.
Practical Effects
Real softball sequences, no CGI athleticism cheating.
Costume
Dusty janitor jumpsuit vs. crisp uniforms = visual poetry.
Director
Yasunari Izuma
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Adapts the 2008-2012 manga by Kanahei, part of a wave of josei sports comics centering adult women's physical struggles rather than cute high school tropes.
Director Yasunari Izuma spent months casting genuine athletic amateurs; several actresses had never held a bat before training began.
JP
