Aim for the Ace! - TV Tropes (2024)

Aim for the Ace! provides examples of:

Adaptation Expansion: The last OVA series (appropriately subtitled "Final Stage") picks up where the manga ended and wraps up some loose ends, most importantly Hiromi's relationship with Toudou.
Alpha Bitch:
- Reika starts out acting like this, being the queen bee and at first angered that a newcomer like Hiromi could possibly have made the top five, but she warms up to her eventually.
- Despite acting more like a Beta Bitch to Reika, Kyoko Otowa is the biggest antagonist in early episodes, constantly bullying and insulting Hiromi, just because Coach Munakata chose Hiromi instead of her as one of the top 5 players.
Angst Coma: Hiromi goes into one after Coach Munakata dies. Made worse because Munakata died when she was in the USA, some of her friends knew but kept her Locked Out of the Loop so she wouldn't mentally splinter and lose her matches (like it happened to one of them when he found out), and she only learned about it when she came back home.
Art Evolution:
- The first two TV series (and to an extent the movie) basically had Sumika Yamamoto's artsyle with Akio Sugino's personal touches; in the OVAs, however, Akio Sugino's art-style is in full effect (so it's also an Art Shift at the same time).
- The manga started as what you'd expect from a shoujo manga of the time to looking more semi-realistic and defined by the end of its run.
Back Story: Jin's expands on why he wants his girls to be strong after training.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Reika seems to turn into a bitch at first, despite still being a good sport. Subverted over the course of the series, especially after Coach Munakata's death, as she turns into a much more sympathetic character.
Cannot Spit It Out: It takes a long time before Hiromi and Todou confess their love to each other, despite the Ship Tease since the beginning.
Chick Magnet: How many girls in the cast have feelings for Munakata?
Cute Kitten: Hiromi's cat Goemon. As well as his white "kittymama" and their babies.
Defrosting Ice Queen: Reika starts off as a haughty Alpha Bitch but eventually warms up to Hiromi.
Delicate and Sickly: Coach Jin Munakata. The reader knows what he has: leukemia. And unlike others, he actually dies.
Despair Event Horizon: There are moments when Hiromi thinks all hope is lost, especially when her coach Munakata dies. She gets better though.
Doorstopper: A 3000 page manga! Mostly because of its long running and popularity over many years.
Early-Installment Weirdness: The episodes of the 1973 anime series can come off as weirdly Off-Model compared to the Art Evolution of the OVA's in the 90s.
Ending Theme: One of the earliest examples of the "mellower, sad ending tune" formula, "Shiroi Tennis Court".
Even the Girls Want Her: Reika is an early example of the aloof Onee-sama that everyone wants to be or be with, including Hiromi. The Ship Tease undertones may not have strictly been on purpose, but they're still there.
Huge Schoolgirl: Ranko was this in the past, and her family introduced her to tennis to work through these issues.
Genki Girl:
- Hiromi is a gregarious and cheerful schoolgirl, an early version of the trope.
- Hiromi's friend Maki is a better example, since she is always perky and energetic, even when Hiromi feels down.
Girl Posse: The group of girls who idolize queen bee Reika in the beginning. They are quite mean to Hiromi, especially Otowa, who hates her.
Heroic BSoD:
- Hiromi Oka suffers a massive one that lasts for a few days when her coach and love interest Jin Munakata dies from his illness. At that time, she and her team are in America for a tournament when that happened but her teammates doesn't tell her that Munakata kicked it because they don't want her to lose. It was only when Hiromi and the team returns to Japan shortly after the tournament that she learns about the whole thing and she reads his diary which contains the entry on the day he died. She plunges into a near-catatonic state and almost crosses the Despair Event Horizon, and it takes her a while in-story to get better.
- Takayuki Todou himself also has one after Munakata's aforementioned death while he's away in the USA. He later loses his match in the tournament because of the shock.
Keeping Secrets Sucks: Coach Munakata's death happens when Hiromi and the team are in the USA. The first ones to find out (Ranko, Todou and Osaki) keep her Locked Out of the Loop. Neither is happy about it.
Love Bubbles: Happens when Reika's around. Hiromi sees bursting floral patterns and bubbles when Reika does any especially awesome tennis moves, only adding to the unintentional Ship Tease.
Locked Out of the Loop: When Munakata dies, Hiromi and the team are in the USA. Todou, Ranko and Oosaki find out but don't tell her so she won't lose her matches. (Todou has already lost his' due to the shock). Neither is happy about it, and specially since Hiromi has an enormous Heroic BSoD when she returns home and finds out...
Love Dodecahedron: Hiromi and Reika are both in love with Munakata. (And Ranko also is attracted to him, though they're half-siblings. He falls for Hiromi. And then he kicks it. Additionally, Todou never really stops liking Hiromi after they break up due to Munakata's veto.
Melodrama: There are a ton of dramatic moments that are exaggerated to the point of parody. It's also one of the reasons why so many Japanese people, male and female, love the show so much.
Naïve Newcomer:
- Hiromi starts off as a newcomer who has to learn everything about tennis, while being surrounded by older and more experienced players.
- Hiromi's friend Maki was just as clueless. Although Maki was really just in it to goof around from the start.
Never Got to Say Goodbye: Hiromi never has the opportunity to talk to Munakata about her most recent victory. His death was completely unexpected for her.
Nice Guy: Hiromi's Love Interest Todou. He does his best to support her, even when she is being bullied by the older players, or going through Training from Hell with the coach.
Ojou: Reika is one of the founding members of the stylized genre, and the first to use many of the phrases that went on to define the speech of rich girls in anime.
Onee-sama: Reika for Hiromi. The two even play together as a doubles couple for a tournament. Notably, this was first written well before everyone had slash goggles built into their eyes.
Ojou Ringlets: Reika's long blonde ringlets allude to her Ojou upbringing.
One Judge to Rule Them All: Nishiko School's Tennis Club will send a five-person team to a tournament. There are strict, time-honored rules as to how the five representatives are to be chosen: the club members will be tested, their skills will be evaluated by the sempai, and, in the end, the five who perform best will get a place in the team. Hiromi Oka, the heroine of the manga, does horribly in the tests... however, Coach Jin Munakata claims that she has "hidden potential" and, by his own authority, against the judgement of the sempai, gives her one of the five places.
Parental Abandonment: Munakata's mother was abandoned by her husband when Munakata was a kid, and then she fell victim to Death by Despair. (Meanwhile, Munakata's dad would marry Ranko's mother.) Munakata himself was Raised by Grandparents afterwards.
Passionate Sports Girl:
- Hiromi, the main character, is the Trope Codifier in anime and manga. She starts off as an inexperienced tennis player but, after some training, she ends up winning tournaments.
- Hiromi's teammate Reika "Madame Butterfly" Ryuuzaki also counts as a dedicated player, who starts playing tennis even before Hiromi.
Pastel-Chalked Freeze Frame: Being directed by Osamu Dezaki ^note, this is expected, especially in the movie and the OVAs.
Plucky Girl: Hiromi breaks down a few times and her journey is not easy, but she eventually finds a way to keep her determination to play tennis.
Precocious Crush: Hiromi crushes on her beloves Coach Munakata, big time. He also manages to swoon the other players with ease.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Reika's father, the president of the Japanese Tennis Federation.
Retired Badass: Both Munakata and Katsura used to be great tennis players before retiring for different reasons. The latter keeps training Hiromi after Munakata's death
The Rival:
- Hiromi, to Reika. Reika has always been the star player and becomes jealous of Hiromi because all the coach's attention went to her.
- Ranko and Reika are very competitive adversaries to each other, although it later turns into a Friendly Rivalry (with Hiromi too).
Second Love: Played with interestingly. Hiromi's first love was her fellow tennis player Todou, but Coach Munakata vetoed their relationship because he wanted her to focus in her career first and foremost. Then he became this trope to Hiromi... and then he died of his illness. And later, Hiromi and Todou find each other again.
Signature Headgear: Reika's big pink bow, the team captain's white barrettes, and Kyoko's orange bow-buns.
Star-Crossed Lovers: Hiromi and Munakata, because he already was dying of leukemia when he met her and they fell in love.
The Stoic: Coach Jin hardly ever shows emotions or expressions. He is also a Perpetual Frowner.
To Be a Master: Perfectly exemplifies the Japanese attitude of doing your best in everything (ganbarimasu).
Took a Level in Badass: Initially, Hiromi is treated like a joke by everyone except Coach Munataka and Maki. She becomes much more competent and respected by the end.
Training from Hell: Especially Hiromi, who goes through a very intense training with Munataka, the coach who thinks she has potential to become a top player. The coach has his own reasons for trying to strengthen the girls, though.
Your Days Are Numbered: Munakata's backstory. He was a great tennis player but was diagnosed with leukemia when he was atop of his career — and told that he had only three years from then on. He became a coach to find a heir/heiress before he died.