Big Windup!
Big Windup!, often shortened to Oofuri, is a Japanese baseball-themed manga series written and illustrated by Asa Higuchi. It has been serialized in Kodansha's manga magazine Monthly Afternoon since September 2003, with its chapters collected in 38 volumes as of June 2025.
It was adapted into an anime television series, directed by Tsutomu Mizushima and animated by A-1 Pictures, which aired for 25 episodes on TBS from April to September 2007. A 13-episode second season was broadcast from April to June 2010. In North America, the first season was licensed by Funimation, while the second season was licensed by Right Stuf.
By August 2023, the manga had over 18 million copies in circulation. It won the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize for best creative work in 2006 and the Kodansha Manga Award for general manga in 2007. The anime series has been overall well received by critics, praising its story, characters, and emphasis on strategy and teamwork, though its pacing has received somewhat mixed response.
Story
The series, set in Saitama Prefecture, follows the story of Ren Mihashi. Mihashi was the previous ace pitcher in his middle school's baseball team, but it seems that he only got the position because his grandfather was the owner of the school. His teammates hated him, and they always lost their games. Mihashi is thoroughly convinced that he is a lousy baseball pitcher, and feels guilty because he believes that he is responsible for all the losses. Mihashi graduates through middle school with extremely low self-esteem. But in truth Mihashi is really a hardworking and skillful pitcher, and the main reason why his team always lost all the games is because of bad cooperation, because his teammates never talked about the game with him, and they did not try to come up with a plan or strategy to fight against their rivals. Mihashi then transfers to Nishiura High School with plans of quitting baseball because he thinks he is not good enough to succeed at it, though he still loves the game deeply. However, he is dragged into Nishiura's baseball team by their coach, Momoe, while watching the team training outside the field. Assisted by his new teammates, he grows in stature, confidence and skill, helping his team excel with his own abilities.Characters
Nishiura Baseball Team
[Image:Nishiura DVD9.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Nishiura High School Baseball Team and associated members (from left to right, front row): Izumi, Hanai, Mizutani, Oki, Tajima, Mihashi, Nishihiro, Abe, Suyama, Sakaeguchi, and Ai-chan the dog; (left to right, back row): Shiga, Shino'oka, and Momoe];Ren Mihashi
;Takaya Abe
;Yuuichirou Tajima
;Azusa Hanai
;Yuuto Sakaeguchi
;Kousuke Izumi
;Shoji Suyama
;Fumiki Mizutani
;Kazutoshi Oki
;Shintarou Nishihiro
Associated members
;Maria Momoe;Chiyo Shino'oka
;Tsuyoshi Shiga
;Yoshirou Hamada
;Keisuke Umehara Riki Kajiyama
Opposition
Several rival teams feature prominently in the series. Mihoshi Academy, Mihashi's former team where he served as ace pitcher for three years, includes battery partners Kanou and Hatake, along with cleanup hitter Hiroyuki Oda. Musashino First's ace pitcher Haruna motivates his previously indifferent team to improve their performance. The squad includes starting pitcher Naoto Kaguyama, captain Ohkawa, and reserve pitcher Kyouhei Akimaru. Reigning Koshien champions Tosei High School initially underestimates Nishiura, fielding ace pitcher Junta Takase and captain Kazuki Kawai.;Shuugo Kanou
;Atsushi Hatake
;Motoki Haruna
Other characters
;Ruri MihashiDevelopment
While growing up in Saitama, Asa Higuchi became familiar with baseball by reading the manga Dokaben. When she was in high school, the story of a local baseball team wound up inspiring her to come up with the idea for her own baseball manga. In the original version, Mihashi never spoke and characters like Momoe, Kanou and Haruna did not exist yet. Following that, she collected data on high school baseball for over 10 years in order to create the manga, and she worked with the school she had attended, Urawanishi High School, in the year prior to the serialization.Five months prior to the serialization in Monthly Afternoon, Higuchi published a one shot in the magazine titled "The Basic of Basics". The story was centered around the characters of the Musashino Dai Ichi school, who would show up in the series itself.
In May 2024, it was announced that the manga would enter on indefinite hiatus.
Media
Manga
Written and illustrated by Asa Higuchi, Big Windup! started in Kodansha's manga magazine Monthly Afternoon on September 25, 2003. Kodansha has collected its chapters into individual volumes. The first volume was released on March 20, 2004. As of June 23, 2025, 38 volumes have been released.Anime
An anime television series adaptation was produced by A-1 Pictures. It was directed by Tsutomu Mizushima, with Yōsuke Kuroda handling series composition, Takahiko Yoshida designing the characters and Shirō Hamaguchi composing the music. It ran for 25 episodes and was broadcast in Japan on various Japan News Network stations, including TBS and MBS from April 13 to September 28, 2007. The first opening theme is "Dramatic", performed by Base Ball Bear, while the first ending theme is "Medaka no Mita Niji", performed by. The second opening theme is "Seishun Line", performed by Ikimonogakari, while the second ending theme is "Arigatō", performed by SunSet Swish.A second season, subtitled, aired for 13 episodes from April 2 to June 25, 2010. The opening theme is "Natsuzora", performed by Galileo Galilei, and the ending theme is "Shisō Densha", by.
The series was licensed in North America by Funimation in 2008. It was released on two DVD sets on August 18 and September 26, 2009, respectively. Lance Heiskell, marketing director of Funimation, announced in January 2010 that the company had no plans to release the second season. The series debuted on the Funimation Channel on March 14, 2011. The second season was licensed by Right Stuf and released on DVD through its Nozomi Entertainment label on November 1, 2016.
Video game
A video game adaptation of the series, subtitled "Honto no Ace ni Nareru Kamo", was released on the Nintendo DS by Marvelous on December 13, 2007.Reception
Manga
In 2007, Big Windup! won the Kodansha Manga Award for general manga. In August 2011, Nikkei Entertainment magazine published a list of top 50 manga creators by sales since January 2010; the series' author, Asa Higuchi, ranked 30th with over 2.24 million copies sold. The series was the 41st best selling manga in 2011, with over 1.09 million copies sold. By November 2019, the manga had over 15 million copies in circulation. By August 2023, it had over 18 million copies in circulation.Anime
Carl Kimlinger of Anime News Network awarded the first seven episodes a B+, praising the series for emphasizing "strategy and the technicalities of team play" over skills and thrills. He praised the series for its cohesive integration of narrative structure, directorial execution, musical composition, and vocal performances, which collectively deliver a deceptively straightforward premise, while skillfully incorporating nuanced tension and thematic complexity. Reviewing the second season, Kimlinger described it as a "quiet kind of series, with a quiet kind of charm", highlighting its "easygoing, perfectly balanced fun", and the surprising intensity of its cliffhangers.Justin Sevakis enjoyed the series but criticized the first season's second half for its slow pacing and "Shonen Tournament Syndrome." Despite this, he called it "the most compelling sports anime since Hajime no Ippo" and a "must-watch." Bamboo Dong praised its focus on teamwork and character dynamics, but noted its slow pacing, calling it "one of the finest baseball anime" and "seriously underrated."
James Brusuelas recommended it to baseball fans for its technical accuracy but acknowledged its slow pacing. He appreciated its grounded approach compared to typical "supernatural high school" anime. Holly Ellingwood lauded its humor, character depth, and animation, calling it "a baseball series that hits it out of the park"; she also praised its uplifting tone, and recommended it for fans of shows like The Prince of Tennis.
Brad Rice praised its strategic depth, likening it to Death Note without the intensity, and ranked it 47th in his "Top 50 Anime of the Decade" for making baseball accessible. Conversely, John Sinnott criticized protagonist Mihashi as "irritating", though he acknowledged the series' strong baseball drama.