Ayane's High Kick
A high school girl trades wrestling dreams for kickboxing reality.
Ayane's High Kick is a two-episode original video animation (OVA) produced by Nikkatsu Corporation and Rikuentai, released in Japan in 1997. The series follows Ayane Mitsui, a 17-year-old athletic high school girl who wishes to become a professional wrestler like her idol Manami Toyota of the All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling circuit. Despite many auditions, she cannot qualify. A brilliant kickboxing coach, Kunimitsu, notices her potential and persuades her to train with him. Ayane hates kickboxing and is very vocal about it, but sticks with it due to her greater potential in the sport. Meanwhile, some less-savory teachers threaten to expel her if they get proof of her extracurricular activities, and another kickboxer, 21-year-old Sakurako Miyagawa, wants to fight her in the ring.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Comedy
- martial arts
- sports
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- The series was released on DVD for the first time on October 6, 1998, and later paired with Baki the Grappler on May 28, 2002.
- A one-shot manga adaptation by Ihara Hiroshi ran in Gakken's Monthly Comic Nora from June to December 1997.
Media
Ayane's High Kick was directed by Takahiro Okao and written by Isao Shizuya. Originally planned as six parts, only two OVA episodes were released in Japan on January 21 and April 25, 1997. A second DVD release paired it with Baki the Grappler on May 28, 2002. The series aired on AZN Television in August 2007 and on AT-X in 2008. Music was composed by Nittoku Inoue, with opening theme "Fight for Yourself" by The Street Beats and closing theme sung by Masako Miyamura. A 25-song CD soundtrack was released by Victor Entertainment on April 23, 1997. A one-shot manga by Ihara Hiroshi ran in Monthly Comic Nora from June to December 1997, with a self-published collection on August 16, 1998.
Reception
Martin Ouellette of Protoculture Addicts praised Ayane's High Kick as fun and entertaining, noting its cliché plot is well executed with cool character designs, simple dynamic animation, and a good mix of action and comedy. Chris Beveridge of Mania.com highlighted the light story, humor, and decent artwork for its era. Jason Bustard of THEM Anime Reviews called it a charming double-episode pilot that never became a full series, with fun characters and an interesting premise undermined by its short length and clichés.
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