"Mou Ippon!" is a sports manga serialized in Weekly Shonen Champion that depicts high school girls who are devoted to judo. An anime version is scheduled to air in January 2023. It may be rare for a boys' magazine to have high school girls as the main characters, as most of the works have boys as the protagonists. However, due to the strong sports element, it has become a popular work that has a reputation for being as interesting as a boys' manga. There are also many rival schools in this work that the protagonists face off against. In this article, we will introduce some of the schools that are rivals to the protagonists!
Introduction: What kind of story is it?
Michi Sonoda, a third-year junior high school student, had a strong desire to win by ippon in the judo club she belonged to. She naturally intended to win by ippon in her final tournament and end her career on a high note, but her opponent was a stronger opponent than she had ever faced before, and she lost with a shimmy. After graduating from junior high school and entering high school, Michi had planned to give up judo in high school and devote herself to love and fun. However, her fate began to change when she reunited with the person who had defeated her in her last junior high school match.
Aoba Nishi High School
This is the judo club at the high school where the main character, Michi Sonoda, and her friends attend. The story begins when Michi joins the club after reuniting with Hiura Towa, who defeated her in middle school. They practice every day with the aim of winning tournaments such as the Inter-High. Anna Nagumo, who quit the kendo club halfway through, joins the judo club. In fact, before Michi and her friends joined the club, there was a person named Tsumugi Himeno who had been supporting the judo club alone and was in a semi-retired state. However, seeing Michi enthusiastically tackle judo, she decides to rejoin the club to make the most of the little time she has left. Advisor Shino Natsume is still a beginner with a first-degree black belt, but she has excellent teaching skills. She is also excellent at observing the members' personalities and abilities, as well as their efforts behind the scenes.
Kasumigaoka High School
The judo club is led by ace Erika Amane. In the story, it is the first rival school to stand in Michi's way, including scenes other than the matches. Ace Amane is from Kawakita Junior High School, the same junior high school as Towa and is one year older than Towa. In fact, it was Amane who invited Towa to join the judo club in junior high school. A rift developed between Towa and Amane over a regular match held within the club. After that, they faced off against Towa in the team match at the Inter-High School Championships, and after the match, they praised each other and no longer had any grudges.
Hakata Minami High School
As the name suggests, this is a high school in Fukuoka Prefecture, and they will compete against Aoba Nishi in the Kinshu Cup. It used to be said to be a strong school. In recent years, it has not achieved any notable results, and there are not enough members. However, each member is talented, and one of the members, Minato Yuki, is skilled enough to place third in the Fukuoka Prefectural Tournament. There are also other members who are judo enthusiasts and well-informed, and new members who are active in the Inter-High School Championships. There are also members whose parents own ramen shops, so you can feel the elements of Hakata.
Tachikawa Gakuen
This school will face Aoba Nishi High School in the third round of the Kinshuki Cup. It was the winner of last year's Kinshuki Cup, and is said to be a strong school and a favorite to win. This is also the alma mater of Natsume, the advisor of the Aoba Nishi Judo Club. There is a wide variety of members, and all of them are not easy to deal with. Due to the large number of members, there are many nicknames, and some players are called "Tatami Demon", "Skill Jungle" and "Martial Arts Hall Anaconda". In particular, a player named Fujimori Ran is called "King Kong" by the members of Aoba Nishi, a nickname that accurately describes the strength and impact of the player.
Seijo Gakuen High School
It is famous as one of the leading girls' schools in Japan. The judo club's performance is excellent, and they have an amazing track record, having placed first in Saitama Prefecture and participated in the Inter-High School Championships three years in a row, the High School Championships two years in a row, and won the Saitama Prefecture Rookie Tournament two years in a row. With the retirement of the regular members of the year that was called the Golden Generation, the number of club members is currently at an all-time low. Critics have called the new team a "generation in the valley," but they are determined to achieve their predecessors' long-cherished dream of becoming Japan's best.
Summary of schools that appear in the work
In addition to the schools introduced this time, many other schools appear. As a result, this work has a very large number of characters. Many characters are not sure whether they will appear in the first series, but they are all unique, so I hope to see them all appear in the anime and play an active role someday!
