Aim for the Ace! (1979) | TitanGoji Anime Movie Reviews (PATREON COMMISSION)

Feel free to check out my TeePublic after the video and support me on Patreon. Watch till the end of the video for more. Special thanks to Patreon supporter NoActualContent for commissioning this video. If there's something you want me to make a video about then go support me on Patreon. Link is in the description. I'm just gonna be real with y'all. Life sucks. Most of the time things are not gonna go the way we want it to. You spend every waking moment of your life just waiting for that next trial to come your way. And no matter what, challenges and hardships will always come up when you least expect it. You're gonna get tired, fatigued, experience self-doubt. You'll feel like there's no way to deal with it. But what are you gonna do about it? Are you just gonna sit there and do nothing and let life kick you in the ass over and over? Or are you gonna face every second of your life ready to take on the world, carrying your own weight as you rise to greatness? The world is not gonna do it for you because it's unfair. You define your own actions and you have no idea of the potential you possess and the impact you can have on others. You have no clue of the wonders you can accomplish once you put your entire being in a positive state of body, mind, and soul. And that was the message I got when I watched Aim for the Ace, a 1979 film directed by Osamu Dezaki, known for his work on Astro Boy, Ashita no Joe, Lupin the Third, and Space Adventure Cobra. Aim for the Ace began life as a shoujo manga series by Sumika Yamamoto, published by Shueisha in Margaret Magazine from 1973 to 75. But due to its immense popularity, it was revived in 1979 and ended in 1980. The story was about a high school freshman named Hiromi Oka who had joined the tennis team, but her skills are less than to be desired, especially when she not only idolizes the top player of the team, but also suffers from anxiety. As the series progresses, her coach Munakata trains her to become a great tennis player, which eventually helps her become a mentally stronger person. This series would spawn several anime adaptations and spinoffs and is one of the most influential series out there, even inspiring the likes of Hideaki Anno, who explicitly references Aim for the Ace in works such as Gunbuster and Evangelion. Among these adaptations is a 1979 animated film from Toho, which tells the story of the original manga, but in a more abridged format. As the show ran for 26 episodes, whereas this is an 80 plus minute movie, so undoubtedly some material will get lost in translation. But as someone who isn't very familiar with the source material, don't worry, I'll fix that eventually, I actually found it to be a rather compelling movie that pretty much anyone can get something out of. It really hits home the idea that whether or not we achieve our goals, it all depends on how bad we want them and how far we're willing to go, and how far we're willing to push ourselves in order for that to happen. But about the stuff in the actual movie itself, for starters, Hiromi is a very memorable protagonist. She is undoubtedly the audience surrogate in the situations she's put in. As she's someone we can easily relate to, whether or not we've partaken in a sport. She's definitely a level-headed individual, but her anxiety and physical shortcomings get the best of her. Which certainly makes for a rather interesting yet tragic character, especially as she develops throughout the story. Like you really want to root for Hiromi to succeed. As for the other characters, I was afraid that Reika would be the stereotypically one-note rival to Hiromi, but I was surprised and glad at how down-to-earth she ended up being. She pretty much acts like how a team captain would behave around their teammates. People admire her not just because of her skills and talent, but because she's a caring and considerate person, and she wants the best for Hiromi even if she absolutely annihilates her in a game. Then there's Hayato Jin, I mean Munakata, their coach, and the dude's got some swagger, not gonna lie. His methods may be questionable, but he definitely wants the best for his team. Easily a fun character all around. Other supporting characters are pretty much there to bring a layer of humanity to these main characters, and not much else, but there's just enough depth and complexity in the writing to forgive it. I also want to give props to the score for this film. It definitely brings the more poppy and emotional beats and drives this movie would take. I especially adore the movie's main theme, and occasionally there'd be no music in some scenes, which does create a pretty heavy effect. But to kind of get this out of the way, I feel like the pacing was a little inconsistent. Again, a lot of material is being compressed into this one film, so some scenes just kind of go by very fast, which unfortunately leaves you wanting more. But it's not all the time, thankfully. But there are some scenes that did make me go, wait, what? And finally, I want to talk about the animation. 70s animation unfortunately doesn't get a very good rap, but this movie is a really good example of how ambitious these productions were starting to become. I especially love some of the stitch frames that would occur, and just how heavily detailed they are. And aside from that, the film has some very good shots that I can easily see as a desktop wallpaper. Aim for the Ace is easily one of those movies that makes anime such a beloved medium. It's got something for everyone, and overall, it's just a very fun and inspiring film. Appreciate the recommendation, no actual content. But what do you guys think? Have you seen Aim for the Ace? Did I pique your interest with this video? Go ahead and comment below. I also want to remind y'all that this video was commissioned by a Patreon supporter, so if you want me to review or just make a video about something, then subscribe to the $10 mobile suit tier or above on my Patreon. But if you can't afford that, you can still sub to a lower tier for your name at the end of every future upload, early access to videos, and exclusive content. And once I reach enough patrons, I'll do a video covering several unmade Godzilla films. So if that's something you'd like to see, then go support me on Patreon. Feel free to like, share, comment, subscribe, all that good stuff, and this is Titan Goji. Signing off.