Princess Nine

Princess Nine (full name, Princess Nine Kisaragi Joshi Kou Yakyuu-Bu) is a 26-episode Japanese anime broadcast in Japan in 1998. The television series was produced by ADV Films in North America, aired from April 8-October 14, 1998, ran for 26 episodes, and 6 volumes of videos were released on VHS and DVD.

The story concerns the trials of nine girls at the Kisaragi School for Girls who form a baseball team for the purpose of playing on equal footing with boys' teams at the most prestigious high school tournament in Japan at Koshien Stadium. They are led by ace pitcher, Ryo Hayakawa, daughter of a former rising pitching star in Japan.

Contents

1 Characters 1.1 The Team (in Batting Order) 1.2 Other characters 2 External link

Characters

The Team (in Batting Order)

1. Seira Morimura, second base - A former school dropout, the pink-haired thug had to be tricked into joining the team. Formerly a world-class sprinter, she fits right in as the leadoff batter on the team.
2. Hikaru Yoshimoto, first base - Hikaru is the energetic first baseman and switch hitter who was a former softball star recruited to the team.
3. Koharu Hotta, center field - One of the only members of the team with actual baseball experience, Koharu played for a boys' team before being found out as a girl. She grew up on the sea and has developed a powerful swing from her years of fishing.
4. Izumi Himuro, third base - Izumi is the daughter of the school's president, Keiko Himuro, and was a star tennis player. However, she cast aside her talent in tennis to become Ryo's rival in baseball. A caustic and difficult, her only goals pertain to her success.
5. Yuki Azuma, left field - Yuki is highly mysterious and quiet, possibly not even of this world. Never without her "alien" companion, Fifi, whom she keeps with her at all times, Yuki is nevertheless is a superb fielder who is always in the right place at the right time.
6. Kanako Mita, shortstop - An excellent baseball player, but the daughter of the school's principal who is vehemently opposed to the baseball team, Kanako has to disguise herself to be able to play for the team.
7. Yoko Takashika, right field - Recruited to fill a hole in the lineup, Yoko has very little athletic ability. Yoko is mostly interested in concentrating on a modeling career, but was looking to use the up-and-coming baseball team as a way to stand out from others.
8. Mao Daidoji, catcher - Plucked from the judo team, the imposing but incredibly-bashful Mao is the only person who can catch Ryo's pitches. An excellent team member when she can overcome her personal shyness.
9. Ryo Hayakawa, pitcher - Inheriting her father's pitching arm, Ryo has an innate pitching ability. Originally planning not to go to high school, but to help support her mother at the family's Oden shop, she is recruited to the Kisaragi Girls' High School to be the foundation of the new baseball team.

Other characters

• Nene Mori - Team manager and part-time cheerleader, Nene is a constant bundle of energy, but knows little of the sport of baseball (learning all she knows from sports manga). A perpetual ditz, Nene is constantly interested in any hobby or ability she can discover.
• Hiroki Takasugi - A star baseball player at the Kisaragi Boys' High School and son of a wealthy family, he was being groomed as a potential boyfriend and possibly fiancé of Izumi. However, Hiroki has an attraction to the spunky Ryo - he calls her "Ganmo-chan" ("Ms. Tofu" in the English dub) as it is his favorite part of Oden.
• Shino Hayakawa - Ryo's mother and owner/operator of an Oden shop. Her husband passed away several years ago and Shino and Ryo run the shop themselves now. Shino is highly supportive of Ryo's dreams to play baseball.
• Shinsaku Kido - Coach Kido is the moderately-lecherous drunkard of a coach who acts as the baseball team's coach. He has connections to both Keiko and Hidehiko Hayakawa from when they were all younger.
• Keiko Himuro - Keiko is the cold and seemingly aloof President of the school and mother to Izumi. Solid in her ambitions, she forgoes seemingly everything to accomplish her plans.
• Hidehiko Hayakawa - Ryo's late father. A rising star in baseball many years ago, but he was drummed out of baseball because of a scandal he was caught up in (but had nothing to do with).
• Seishiro Natsume - Ryo's best friend from junior high. He has a crush on Ryo, but can't express it.

External link

• ADV's Princess Nine web site (http://www.advfilms.com/favorites/princessnine/index.html)