Yawara!

YAWARA! / Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl

Genres: Combat Sports, Comedy, Romance, Seinen, Sports
Themes: Combat Sports
Demographics: Seinen
Studios: Madhouse
Producers: Kitty Films
Licensors: AnimEigo
Rating: 7.49 / 10
Rank: #2064
Popularity: #4888
Users Listed: 24,213
Users Scored: 4,826
NSFW: No
Last Updated: 10/06/2023
Aired: October 16, 1989 – September 21, 1992 (Fall)
Type: tv
Source: manga
Age Rating: PG 13
Episodes: 124
Broadcast: Monday at 07:30 (JST)

Synopsis:

Yawara Inokuma navigates the complexities of adolescence while striving for an unremarkable existence. Her carefully constructed world is challenged by an unexpected inheritance: exceptional skill in Judo, a discipline at odds with her desired image. As the granddaughter of a renowned Judo master, Yawara finds herself caught between maintaining normalcy and fulfilling expectations to become a national sporting icon.

The series explores the tension between personal desires and familial obligations as Yawara grapples with revealing her abilities. A keen sports reporter, Kousaku Matsuda, recognizes her potential and becomes determined to propel her into the public eye, regardless of the consequences. The story examines themes of identity, pressure, and the sacrifices made in pursuit of dreams, set against a backdrop of high school life and competitive martial arts. It offers a grounded portrayal of navigating ambition and self-discovery within traditional expectations.

Episodes:

Episode 1: Aim for Barcelona! The Young Girl Will Be the Winner of the National Achievement Award!! (Aired: 10/16/1989)
Episode 2: I've Found it! Yawara's Rival is the Ultimate Young Lady!! (Aired: 10/23/1989)
Episode 3: Enter Kazamatsuri! It is a Shame That She is Infatuated with Love!! (Aired: 10/30/1989)
Episode 4: A Strategy to Make Yawara Take Part in a Match! This is My Way!! (Aired: 11/06/1989)
Episode 5: Emergency Fight! Yawara's Road is Not Built in A Day!! (Aired: 11/13/1989)
... and 95 more episodes

Characters:

Inokuma, Jigorou (Main) - Voice Actors: Nagai, Ichiro
Inokuma, Yawara (Main) - Voice Actors: Minaguchi, Yuko
Adams, Kristin (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Satou, Ai
Arakawa, Seinosuke (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Tokumaru, Kan
Belkens (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Sasaki, Run
Davis (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Kakegawa, Hirohiko
Deneuve (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Mayama, Ako
Fujiwara (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Takizawa, Roko
Gen-san (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Iizuka, Shouzou
Gonzales (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Suzuki, Akiko
Gotou, Megumi (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Yamada, Fushigi
Gotouda, Sumire (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Hayami, Kei
Hagoromo, Wife (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Matsuoka, Youko
Hagoromo, Chief Clerk (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Nishikawa, Ikuo
Hagoromo, Katsuo (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Yamada, Fushigi
Hanazono, Fukuko (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Koorogi, Satomi
Hanazono, Kaoru (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Sugawara, Masashi
Hatakeyama (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Sakurai, Toshiharu
Hikage, Kyoko (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Touma, Yumi
Honami, Mother (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Kondou, Takako
Honami, Kinnosuke (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Suzuki, Taimei
Honami, Sayaka (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Takamori, Yoshino
Igarashi (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Kamei, Yoshiko
Inagaki (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Hirose, Masashi
Inokuma, Kojiro (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Okabe, Masaaki
Inokuma, Kaneko (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Minaguchi, Yuko
Inokuma, Tamao (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Fujita, Toshiko
Ishikura, Coach (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Inaba, Minoru
Itou, Mother (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Tomoe, Seiko
Itou, Father (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Bando, Naoki
Itou, Fujiko (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Kawashima, Chiyoko
Juujou, Michiko (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Mashiba, Mari
Kaga, Kuniko (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Akiyama, Runa
Kaizuka, Teacher (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Tahara, Aruno
Kamata (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Hirose, Masashi
Kamoda (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Chafurin
Kaori (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Matsuoka, Youko
Katagiri (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Shimaka, Yuu
Katori, Shinobu (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Yanagisawa, Michiyo
Katsuragi (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Hishizu, Yukari
Kawakami, Teacher (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Kakegawa, Hirohiko
Kazamatsuri, Father (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Fujimoto, Yuzuru
Kazamatsuri, Shinnosuke (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Kamiya, Akira
Kazumi (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Hara, Eriko
Khrushcheva (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Takizawa, Roko
Kimura (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Makishima, Naoki
Kobayashi (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Takayama, Minami
Kodama (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Oya, Kaneomi
Komiya, Yukari (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Sasaki, Yuuko
Konoike, Reiko (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Horikoshi, Mami
Kouno (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Kanemaru, Junichi
Kousaka (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Satou, Ai
Kujiraoka (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Hirose, Masashi
Kunihiko (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Meguro, Kousuke
Kuramochi (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Satou, Masaharu
... and 62 more characters

Staff:

Maruyama, Masao (Producer)
Tokita, Hiroko (Director)
Urakami, Yasuo (Sound Director)
Asaka, Morio (Episode Director, Storyboard)
Hirata, Toshio (Episode Director, Storyboard)
Katayama, Kazuyoshi (Episode Director, Storyboard)
Kou, Yuu (Episode Director, Storyboard)
Kousaka, Kitarou (Episode Director, Storyboard, Key Animation, Animation Director)
Kuroda, Yasuhiro (Episode Director)
Matsushita, Yukihiro (Episode Director)
Moriwaki, Makoto (Episode Director, Storyboard)
Okamura, Tensai (Episode Director, Storyboard, Key Animation)
Sakai, Akio (Episode Director, Storyboard, Animation Director)
Sakata, Junichi (Episode Director, Storyboard)
Urahata, Tatsuhiko (Episode Director)
Urata, Yasunori (Episode Director)
Nagaoka, Akinori (Storyboard)
Takatou, Kazushige (Storyboard)
Hagita, Mitsuo (Theme Song Arrangement)
Imai, Miki (Theme Song Performance)
Karashima, Midori (Theme Song Composition, Theme Song Lyrics, Theme Song Performance)
Kobayashi, Takeshi (Theme Song Arrangement)
Tsujihata, Tetsuya (Theme Song Composition)
Aohachi, Yoshinobu (Key Animation)
Aoki, Tetsurou (Key Animation)
Ashino, Yoshiharu (Key Animation)
Fukushima, Toyoaki (Key Animation)
Gotou, Takahiro (Animation Check, Key Animation)
Hamasaki, Hiroshi (Key Animation, Animation Director)
Handa, Seiji (Key Animation)
Hayashi, Hideo (In-Between Animation)
Hirata, Kahoru (Key Animation)
Ikeda, Yuuji (Key Animation)
Ikeda, Yuuji (Art Director)
Inose, Fujio (Key Animation)
Inoue, Toshiki (Series Composition)
Ishino, Satoshi (In-Between Animation)
Itou, Hidetsugu (In-Between Animation)
Kagiyama, Ako (Key Animation, Animation Check, In-Between Animation)
Kaneko, Masashi (Key Animation)
Kanemori, Yoshinori (Character Design, Animation Director)
Kawana, Kumiko (Key Animation)
Kawasaki, Hirotsugu (Key Animation)
Kimizuka, Katsunori (Animation Director, Key Animation)
Kitao, Masaru (Animation Director)
Kobayashi, Osamu (In-Between Animation)
Koike, Takeshi (Key Animation)
Kuzuya, Naoyuki (In-Between Animation)
Maki, Takao (In-Between Animation)
Makino, Ryuuichi (Key Animation)
... and 36 more staff

Forum Topics:

External Links:

Related Anime/Manga:

Yawara!: Zutto Kimi no Koto ga... (anime - Sequel)
Yawara! (manga - Adaptation)
Yawara! Sore Yuke Koshinuke Kids!! (anime - Side Story)