Nine (manga)

Nine (ナイン) is a baseball manga series by Mitsuru Adachi. It was serialized in Monthly Shōnen Sunday Zōkan from the October 1978 through November 1980 issues. The series was adapted into three anime television films and a live-action television drama. An altered version of the first anime film was released in theaters, with new and re-arranged music.

The story is about two friends who were star athletes in junior high school who decide, on entering high school, to join the struggling baseball club so they can have a challenge. The title comes from the nine members of a baseball team.

Plot summary
Just before entering Seishū High School, track star Katsuya Niimi and judo champion Susumu Karasawa see a girl crying as the school loses a baseball game. The boys decide to join the team and improve it in order to make her smile. The girl turns out to be Yuri Nakao, daughter of the baseball coach, and they learn the baseball team will be shut down if it doesn't start winning. The series follows the three, as well as pitcher Eiji Kurahashi, as Niimi and Karasawa learn about baseball and what it means to be one of nine players on a team, as they work together through high school make it to Kōshien.

Characters
Character voices listed are for the anime releases only.


 * Katsuya Niimi (新見 克也)
 * Center fielder on the Seishū High School baseball club, in love with Yuri. In junior high, he held the national records for the 100 meter and 200 m races for his age group. His favorite food is gomokuzushi. He wears the number 8 on his jersey.
 * Center fielder on the Seishū High School baseball club, in love with Yuri. In junior high, he held the national records for the 100 meter and 200 m races for his age group. His favorite food is gomokuzushi. He wears the number 8 on his jersey.


 * Yuri Nakao (中尾 百合)
 * (TV movie 1), Mariko Kurata (TV movie 2), Narumi Yasuda (TV movie 3)
 * The manager of the Seishū High School baseball club and daughter of the baseball coach. There is a growing romance between Yuri and Katsuya.


 * Susumu Karasawa (唐沢 進)
 * Right fielder on the Seishū High School baseball club. In junior high, he was the prefectural champion in judo. He wears the number 9.
 * Right fielder on the Seishū High School baseball club. In junior high, he was the prefectural champion in judo. He wears the number 9.


 * Eiji Kurahashi (倉橋 永二)
 * Left-handed pitching ace on the Seishū High School baseball club, and was one of the top pitchers in all of Japan in middle school. Lives with his father, a truck driver.
 * Left-handed pitching ace on the Seishū High School baseball club, and was one of the top pitchers in all of Japan in middle school. Lives with his father, a truck driver.


 * Yukimi Yasuda (安田 雪美)
 * Star athlete of the Seishū High School track club, who has a crush on Katsuya since Middle School. After transferring to Seishū at the beginning of the school year, she begins pursuing him, much to the annoyance of Yuri.
 * Star athlete of the Seishū High School track club, who has a crush on Katsuya since Middle School. After transferring to Seishū at the beginning of the school year, she begins pursuing him, much to the annoyance of Yuri.


 * Kentarō Yamanaka (山中 健太郎)
 * A childhood friend of Yuri, and ace pitcher at Bunan High School where he has taken his team to victory at Kōshien. After an unexpected reunion with Yuri, he becomes the romantic rival of Katsuya.
 * A childhood friend of Yuri, and ace pitcher at Bunan High School where he has taken his team to victory at Kōshien. After an unexpected reunion with Yuri, he becomes the romantic rival of Katsuya.


 * Jirō Yamanaka (山中 二郎)
 * Kentarō's younger brother and a new member of the Seishū High School baseball club, playing third base. He has a crush on Yukimi. He wears the number 5.
 * Kentarō's younger brother and a new member of the Seishū High School baseball club, playing third base. He has a crush on Yukimi. He wears the number 5.


 * Chimi Yamanaka (山中 智美)
 * Younger sister of the Yamanaka brothers. She tries to mediate the relationship between Yuri and Kentarō, who in turn uses her to interfere with the developing romance between Yuri and Katsuya.


 * Coach Nakao
 * (TV movies), Kōichi Kitamura (theatrical movie)
 * The coach of the Seishū High School baseball club. He is in jeopardy of losing his job for not having won a single game, which he does with the addition of Eiji Kurahashi to the team. He formerly coached Kentarō for a short time when he was younger, and they were neighbours.


 * Kazuya Niimi's father
 * A former baseball player who helps Eiji join the baseball team after talking to his father, with whom he formed the winning battery at the invitational Kōshien tournament of 20-odd years prior to the events of the manga.
 * A former baseball player who helps Eiji join the baseball team after talking to his father, with whom he formed the winning battery at the invitational Kōshien tournament of 20-odd years prior to the events of the manga.


 * Kazuya Niimi's mother
 * Appears in the theatrical movie.
 * Appears in the theatrical movie.


 * Eiji Kurashashi's father
 * Appears in the theatrical movie.
 * Appears in the theatrical movie.


 * Yukimi Yasuda's grandmother
 * Appears in the theatrical movie.
 * Appears in the theatrical movie.

Sources:

Nine
The first Nine TV movie aired on May 4, 1983 on Fuji TV's Nissei Family Special program.

Music

 * Opening theme
 * "Love - Innocent" (LOVE·イノセント)
 * Vocals: Mariko Tsubota
 * Lyrics: Masao Urino
 * Composer: Hiroaki Serizawa


 * Insert songs
 * "Invited Desires" (つのる思い)
 * "Goodbye to Sadness" (悲しみにサヨナラ)
 * Vocals: Mariko Tsubota and Hiroaki Serizawa
 * Lyrics: Masao Urino
 * Composer: Hiroaki Serizawa


 * Ending theme
 * "Midsummer Runner" (真夏のランナー)
 * Vocals: Mariko Tsubota and Hiroaki Serizawa
 * Lyrics: Masao Urino
 * Composer: Hiroaki Serizawa

Staff

 * Director: Gisaburō Sugii
 * Teleplay: Hiroichi Fuse
 * Animation Director: Tsuneo Maeda
 * Art Director: Hiroshi Ōhno
 * Music: Hiroaki Serizawa
 * Audio Director: Atsushi Tashiro
 * Production: Toho, Group TAC, Fuji TV

Sources:

Nine 2: Sweetheart Declaration
The second Nine TV movie, Nine 2: Sweetheart Declaration (ナイン2 恋人宣言), aired on December 18, 1983 on Fuji TV's Nissei Family Special program.

Music

 * Opening theme
 * "Sweetheart Declaration" (恋人宣言)
 * Vocals: Mariko Tsubota
 * Lyrics: Mariko Ryū
 * Composer: Hiroaki Serizawa


 * Insert songs
 * "Blue Sky Feelings" (青空気分)
 * "My Young Boy" (私のYoung Boy)
 * Vocals: Mariko Tsubota and Hiroaki Serizawa
 * Lyrics: Mariko Ryū
 * Composer: Hiroaki Serizawa


 * Ending theme
 * "Midsummer Runner"
 * Vocals: Mariko Tsubota and Hiroaki Serizawa
 * Lyrics: Masao Urino
 * Composer: Hiroaki Serizawa

Staff

 * Director: Gisaburō Sugii
 * Teleplay: Shin'ichi Shirayama
 * Animation Director: Tsuneo Maeda
 * Chief Animator: Minoru Maeda
 * Art Director: Katsuyoshi Kanemura
 * Music: Hiroaki Serizawa
 * Audio Director: Atsushi Tashiro
 * Production: Toho, Group TAC, Fuji TV

Sources:

Nine: Final
The third Nine TV movie, Nine: Final (ナイン 完結編), aired on September 5, 1984 on Fuji TV's Nissei Family Special program.

Music

 * Opening theme
 * "Endless Summer" (エンドレスサマー)
 * Vocals: Hiroaki Serizawa
 * Lyrics: Masao Urino
 * Composer: Hiroaki Serizawa


 * Insert songs
 * "Around August" (八月のゆくえ)
 * "Boys in Love" (Boys in love)
 * Vocals: Hiroaki Serizawa
 * Lyrics: Masao Urino
 * Composer: Hiroaki Serizawa


 * Ending theme
 * "Midsummer Runner"
 * Vocals: Mariko Tsubota and Hiroaki Serizawa
 * Lyrics: Masao Urino
 * Composer: Hiroaki Serizawa

Staff

 * Director: Gisaburō Sugii
 * Teleplay: Yumiko Takaboshi
 * Animation Director: Tsuneo Maeda
 * Key Animation Director: Minoru Maeda
 * Art Director: Katsuyoshi Kanemura
 * Music: Hiroaki Serizawa
 * Audio Director: Atsushi Tashiro
 * Production: Toho, Group TAC, Fuji TV

Sources:

Theatrical movie
The first Nine TV movie was remade into a theatrical movie titled Nine the Original (ナイン オリジナル版), released on September 16, 1983 by Toho. Modifications were made to the original TV movie to fix problems with it, and some of the voice actors and background music were changed as well. When the Nine movies are rebroadcast on TV, this movie is shown in place of the original TV movie.

Music

 * Theme songs
 * "Amateur Photograph" (青いフォトグラフ)
 * "Love Taking Flight" (愛を翼にして)
 * Vocals: Mariko Kurata
 * Lyrics: Masao Urino
 * Composer: Hiroaki Serizawa


 * Insert songs
 * "Invited Desires"
 * "Sentimental Season" (涙色の季節)
 * "Midsummer Runner"
 * Vocals: Mariko Kurata and Hiroaki Serizawa
 * Lyrics: Masao Urino
 * Composer: Hiroaki Serizawa

Staff

 * Director: Gisaburō Sugii
 * Screenplay: Hiroichi Fuse
 * Animation Director: Tsuneo Maeda
 * Art Director: Hiroshi Ōhno
 * Music: Hiroaki Serizawa, Yasunori Tsuchida
 * Audio Director: Atsushi Tashiro
 * Producers: Yūkichi Ōhashi, Atsushi Tashiro
 * Production: Toho, Group TAC, Fuji TV

Sources:

TV live action drama
A Nine live action TV drama special aired on January 5, 1987 on Fuji TV's Monday Dramaland (月曜ドラマランド) program.

Cast

 * Aki Asakura (Yuri Nakao)
 * Kazuya Takahashi (Katsuya Niimi)
 * Kōyō Maeda (Jirō Yamanaka)
 * Mikio Ōsawa (Kentarō Yamanaka)
 * Mami Ōtsuka (Yukimi Yasuda)

Staff

 * Original Work: Mitsuru Adachi
 * Director: Yoshiharu Ueki
 * Teleplay: Fumiyo Asō
 * Production: Fuji TV

Sources: