Year:
1998
Studio:
Pioneer LDC, SOFTX, TV Tokyo
Feature:
5/5
DVD:
0/5
Battle Athletes Victory is a 26-episode 20-minute anime aimed at
younger audiences. It tells the story of 15-year old Akari Kanzaki and
her quest to become Cosmo Beauty. The Cosmo Beauty contest pits young
women in a series of athletic events with Cosmo Beauty being the girl
who survives to win each round.
Akari has lots of doubts but a sterling pedigree: she is the daughter
of the greatest Cosmo Beauty ever, Tomoe Midoh. At first she starts out
with the other hopefuls in the Antartic Training Center. There Akari
meets other girls and makes friends and rivals.
Eventually Akari and two of her other friends make it to the University
Satellite, where the actual Cosmo Beauty competition is run. She has to
make new friends and get used to a new world. Akari continues to have
dreadful self-doubts which she must overcome in order to claim the
title.
The last DVD of the series reveal the purpose behind the Cosmo Beauty
competition and the real enemies of the Human race. All in all is a
good series with lots of clearly defined characters that come and go
but they each their story arcs. Every character has at least one
episode where their background is explained as well as why they are in
the competition.
It's the story of friendship and struggle and perhaps the meaning of
sport and most of of all it's a coming of age story of a girl finding
her way into young adulthood. I went from thinking this was a rather
anime to being quite impressed with the whole series.
Episodes
01. Ready, Go!
Midterm exam, a race where the contestants pull massive stone rolling
pins. Obstacles include a steep cliff, a minefield, and Ling Pha's
cheating.
1. Jessie Gurtlant (Marie Downing)
2. Ayla V Roznovsky
3. Tanya Natdhipytadd (Julie Maddalena)
4. Ichino Yanagida (Wendee Lee)
??. Ling Pha Wong middle of the pack
119 (last). Akari Kanzaki (Lia Sargent)
02. Kowloon's Attack!
Midterm make-up exam. Ling Pha arranges a bicycle race and she further
ensures she'll win by having her henchmen alter the track during the
race. Akari and Ling Pha are in the race.
1. Ling Pha
2. Akari
03. Night of Woong-A-Ji
To celebrate Woong-A-Ji Day, Tanya goes crazy and stalks the other
students, warpainting their faces. The girls use a relay race to lure
Tanya into a trap.
04. My Rival
Akari learns to swim. Battle Royal - a swimming event. It turns into a
personal match between Jesse and Ayla, who swim themselves into
exhaustion.
05. Arrogance
It's finally confirmed: Akari's mother is the great former Cosmo Beauty
Tomoe Midoh. Jesse challenges Akari to a race, for not living up to her
mother's greatness. It's a 2 km race and Akari loses badly. Akari
leaves the training school in disgrace.
We also find out that the Earth shifted axis, a terrible catastrophe
that wiped out most of humanity. This is why the training school are on
Antartica.
06. The Return Home
Ichan tracks Akari to her home, where Akari is hiding out. Akari
reveals that she wanted to go to University Satellite to fulfill her
mother's dying wish. Eventually Ichan convinces Akari to return to
training school.
07. Lamentation
Two months later, Akari is a new girl and surprising everyone with her
competitiveness. Ichan and Akari make a pact to make it to University
Satellite together. Periodical Record Exam -- various events:
1. Jessie
2. Ayla
3. Tanya
4. Ichino
9. Akari
With Akari improving so drastically, Ichino starts feeling jealous.
Jealous and afraid that Akari will soon surpass her. Ichan challenges
Akari to a race and has a nervous breakdown.
08. The Sinking Talent
In the last episode Ichan broke her leg and will now miss final exams.
Akari feels very guilty. Ichan leaves Training School. Final exam:
triathlon.
09. The Thing on the Other Side
As Akari listlessly races the final exam, she can't help but think of
Ichan and has no motivation. Meanwhile, as Jessie and Ayla compete for
to win, we get a bit of Ayla's past. After the swimming part of the
race, Ayla drops out because she has been ordered to. But she is not
sad because Ayla finally now realizes the meaning of sport.
Just when Akari decides to give up, a group of spectators from Osaka
(Ichan's home) cheer her on. A mysterious boy -- who turns out to be
Ichan's brother -- gives Akari Ichan's competition number. With renewed
energy, Akari returns to the race.
10. The Promise Resurrected
A storm engulfs the course as the third part of the final exam begins.
Down to the final wire it's Akari and Jessie... and then Akari drops
Ichan's number and stops with indecision. Suddenly, Ichan appears at
the finish line and urges Akari to victory! Jessie is heartbroken.
1. Akari
2. Jessie
3. Tanya
4. Ling Pha
11. Girl Meets Girls
Akari, Jessie and Tanya are on the shuttle to University Satellite.
They meet Anna (Ruby Marlowe). Akari runs into Kris Christopher
(Dorothy Melendrez) from the Moon, who immediately falls in love with
Akari.
The shuttle is hijacked by insane terrorists. Kris and the others
subdue the terrorists. But the hijacker's plan goes ahead. The shuttle
boosts out of control, heading to University Satellite, with Akari and
Kris onboard. The school Headmaster uses his immense strength to stop
the runaway shuttle.
12. There Go The Three!
Akari is roomed with Kris and Anna. Together they make up a University
Satellite team. Kris has a pet cow named Yube, for the fresh milk. Kris
continues to make moves on Akari. We find out that USSA stands for
United System Sports Academy.
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First day of
training. Instructor is Mr Miracle, who has trained 7
students to Cosmo Queen. Unfortunately, he is quite frail from the
decades of training. Miracle tests the trio to see if they are
worthy
of his time and teachings.
13. There Go The Three Again!
Preliminary competitions. The top thirty students make it to the final
Cosmo Beauty competitions. A ten game losing streak disheartens Akari's
team. Kris keeps taking religious days off and Anna is a klutz. The
eleventh loss leaves the team in the darkest depths of despair.
14. There Go The New Three!
Akari's team takes a day off from training and go shopping. The trio
are stuck in an elevator and talk things out. Kris and Anna explain why
they came to the University. Crisis strikes when the elevator starts
falling. The three work together to save themselves and in the process
bond together as a team. Team Earth-A finally gets their first win to
go to 1-11.
15. Light
Captain Lahrri Fernando (Mimi Woods), Cosmo Beauty of last semester,
makes her appearance and singlehandedly beats Jessie's team senseless.
Jessie reveals her past as an orphaned waif with only her sick younger
sister to keep her company. Jessie challenges Lahrri and sees something
that causes her to drop out of University and return to Earth.
16. Shadows
In the final patch of the Preliminary Competition, Akari's team is
matched against Tanya's team. The winner will go on and the loser goes
home. Akari can't bring herself to divulge Tanya's weaknesses. The
rogue Mylandah Walter is introduced. She is being released from
incarceration after assaulting a fellow student.
In the game Akari is frozen by indecision but snaps out of it in time
to help her team beat Tanya's team. Tanya's other original teammate is
almost revealed to be Ling Pha Wong!
17. I'm Sorry
Anna's episode. Seedings for the Great Competition are determined. Anna
Respighi has to go up against Mylandah in the first round. Anna thinks
back on her childhood with her twin sister Elaine as they both competed
to get to University Satellite. Apparently little Anna has a dark
secret.
18. Reason to Fight
Kris vows vengeance on Mylandah. Mr Miracle chooses Kris as his
official student. Tanya almost unveils Ling Pha Wong. Akari barely
makes it through the first round. Kris misses Akari whom she is
forbidden to see. Unlike everyone else, Lahrri doesn't see Tomoe Midoh
as a role-model but as a ghost she must beat. Anna and Kris have a
heart to heart talk.
19. From Heart, To Heart
Semifinalists: Kris, Akari, Mylandah and Lahrri. The girls each prepare
in their own way for the final matches. It's sort of a life-sized
air-hockey match. Kris and Akari each go down a set scoring only one
point between them. Kris talks to Akari before the next set of their
matches.
20. Friend
In the depths of despair, Akari feels Kris' Spirits and starts playing
better. Meanwhile Kris can feel Akari's heart and is also invigorated.
Lahrri reflects on her past with Mylandah and we see the beginning of
their great rivalry. Lahrri finally realizes why Mylandah hates her so.
Akari and Kris go on to beat the upperclassmen and will meet in the
finals.
21. Save the Last Dance for Me
Akari and Kris prepare for the final match. A strong shockwave from
outer space cripples the University Satellite. The finals are delayed
one day, which means they'll be held on Kris' day of rest so she'll
have to forfeit. Kris decides to race and forsake her religious beliefs.
22. Farewell & Introductions
The final race for Cosmo Beauty. Akari and Kris enter the light. Akari
wins! She becomes the 1003rd Cosmo Beauty! Kris has to go back to the
moon to become a priestess. Akari cries. Kris thanks Akari. Surprise
ending.
23. Day of Resurrection
The Nerilians arrive to invade Earth. Mr Miracle is revealed to be
Akari's father! The Nerilians challenge Earth to a Mega-Competition.
Seven female Earth champions have to be found and trained in one month.
This is why the Cosmo Beauty contest was established a millenia ago.
1. Akari
2. Ichino
3. Tanya
4. Kris
5. Lahrri
6. Mylandah
7. Ayla (cancels)
8. Jessie
Ayla can't make it because she's seven months pregnant. Jessie is
running booked races to raise money for the orphanage and is unwilling
to go but does agree to run against Akari in a booked race. Jessie and
Akari tie, prompting Jessie to join the Mega-Competition team.
24. Cultural Catastrophe
The team trains intensively. Anna is an alternate and does all the
cooking. Akari tries to bond with her father. The Nerellian star system
arrives and the Mega-Competition begins.
1. 100 Meter Dash: Jessie vs a Sports Car --> Jessie wins!
25. Oh God! The Evil Trap of the Nerilians!
As the contest continues, the Earth teams keeps winning. Akari is the
first to lose but the Earth team is still up 5-1. In the second stage
of the competition the Earth team competes against a resurrected
17-year old Tomoe Midoh! Apparently Tomoe was rather self-centered and
not nice at all back then.
Tomoe wins all the events and with only two events left the Earth team
is only up 5-4. Tomoe beats Lahrri to tie up the contest. The last
event is the 4km Relay. Eric, Mr Miracle's faithful assistant, reveals
himself as a Nerellian stooge when he poisons Miracle!
26. Goal!
The 4km Relay pits Tomoe Midoh against four Earthers: Jessie, Kris,
Ichan and Akari. Jessie finally learns the true spirit of competition
and is able to keep the race tied after the first relay. Kris uses her
Spirit power and tie to Akari to pull slightly ahead after the second
relay. Ichan lags far behind as she passes the baton to Akari.
Akari catches up to Tomoe. Tomoe uses her supersonic speed to blaze to
the lead. Tomoe's spirit talks to Akari and urges her on. Akari
displays her own supersonic speed power. She catches up and passes
Tomoe to win the relay. The Earth is saved!
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