Baby Steps | |
ベイビーステップ (Beibī Suteppu) | |
---|---|
Genre | Sports[1] |
Manga | |
Written by | Hikaru Katsuki |
Published by | Kodansha |
English publisher |
|
Magazine | Weekly Shōnen Magazine |
Demographic | Shōnen |
Original run | October 17, 2007 – November 1, 2017 |
Volumes | 47 |
Anime television series | |
Directed by | Masahiko Murata |
Produced by | Kenji Saito |
Written by | Katsuhiko Chiba |
Music by |
|
Studio | Pierrot |
Original network | NHK-E |
Original run | April 6, 2014 – September 20, 2015 |
Episodes | 50 |
Baby Steps (Japanese: ベイビーステップ, Hepburn: Beibī Suteppu) is a Japanese manga series by Hikaru Katsuki. It was serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine from October 2007 to November 2017, with its chapters collected in forty-seven tankōbon volumes. The story is centered on Eiichirō Maruo, a first year honor student who one day decides that he is lacking exercise. He then joins the Southern Tennis Club (STC) where he begins his tennis journey.
The manga was adapted into a twenty-five episode anime television series by studio Pierrot, which was broadcast on NHK-E from April to September 2014. A twenty-five episode second season was broadcast from April to September 2015.
In 2014, Baby Steps won the 38th Kodansha Manga Award for the Best Shōnen Manga category.
Eiichirō Maruo, a first year honor student, one day decides he is unhappy with the way things are and lacks exercise. He finds a flyer for the Tennis Club and decides to check it out. He is instantly captivated by it. With no prior experience and poor physical conditioning, he embarks on a tennis journey using his smarts, dedication and work ethic. He uses his inherent studious nature to develop an extremely strategic approach to tennis, taking notes on the habits and tendencies of his opponents thus allowing him to predict their shots before they make them.
Written and illustrated by Hikaru Katsuki, Baby Steps was serialized for ten years in Kodansha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine from October 17, 2007,[7] to November 1, 2017.[8] Kodansha collected its chapters in forty-seven volumes, released from February 15, 2008,[9] to December 15, 2017.[10]
Kodansha published the series in English on their K Manga service.[11]
Main article: List of Baby Steps episodes |
An anime television series adaptation was announced in November 2013.[57] Animated by studio Pierrot,[58] the series was broadcast for twenty-five episodes on NHK Educational TV from April 6 to September 21, 2014.[59][60] Mao Abe performed the opening theme "Believe in yourself" and Babyraids performed the ending theme "Baby Steps" (ベイビーステップ, Beibī Suteppu).[61]
A twenty-five episode second season was broadcast from April 5 to September 20, 2015.[62][63] Mao Abe's "Believe in yourself" was used again as the opening theme for the second season, while Ganbare! Victory performed the ending theme "Yume no Tsuzuki" (夢のつづき, "Dream Continuation").[64][65]
In 2014, Baby Steps won the 38th Kodansha Manga Award in the Best Shōnen Manga category.[66]