The “Ippon” Again! anime release date is in January 2023, with the precise date yet to be disclosed.
Trailer PV2 for the upcoming “Ippon” Again! (Mou Ippon!) TV anime was released on October 21, 2022.
Accompanying it was a brand new key visual, both of which you can see below:
The “Ippon” Again! anime adaptation was announced back in April, whereupon trailer PV1 was revealed.
Mou Ippon! is a sports anime. It tells the story of Michi Sonoda, a judoka who plans to quit judo after her final junior high tournament. However, her friend Sanae Takigawa has different plans — she invites Michi to join the high school judo club.
The anime is based on the eponymous manga series by Yu Muraoka, which has been serialized in Akita Shoten’s Weekly Shōnen Champion since October 2018.
The individual chapters have been collected into twenty tankōbon volumes.
The “Ippon” Again! staff and cast
Ken Ogiwara is directing the series at Bakken Record. Ogiwara is known for his work on Shadows House (episode director).
Additional staff members include:
- Pony Canyon — producer
- Aya Satsuki (the SSSS.GRIDMAN ANOTHER LOAD novel) — scriptwriter
- Airi Takekawa — chief animation director, character designer
- Shun Narita (When Will Ayumu Make His Move?) — music composer
The “Ippon” Again! cast members include:
- Ayasa Itou — Michi Sonoda
- Yukari Anzai — Sanae Takigawa
- Chiyuki Miura — Towa Hiura
- Nene Hieda — Anna Nagumo
- Anna Nagase — Tsumugi Himeno
- Yumi Uchiyama — Shino Natsume
About the Ippon Again! manga
As mentioned above, the TV anime is based on the Mou Ippon! manga series written and illustrated by Yu Muraoka.
The story is set in Japan’s Saitama prefecture, where the girl’s Aoba West High school judo club is located.
Michi is planning to withdraw after a final win in junior high judo finals but she ends up fighting a powerful opponent and loses by an ippon,* which ruins her plans to end her career as a victor. What’s more, she passes out during the match.
Upon becoming a high school student, she is reunited with Towa Hiura, the girl she lost to in the final tournament.
Michi’s friend Sanae, who attends the same school, asks Michi to join the school’s judo club.
Presumably, the two rivals will end up in the same boat and learn much from one another.
There’s plenty of time left until January 2023, so stay tuned for further announcements on the anime!
* Ippon (一本, “one full point”) — the highest score a fighter can achieve in a martial arts ippon-waza-ari competition. Judo, kendo, karate, and jujitsu are among the martial arts that use this system.