Taishou Yakyuu Musume

1925, Japan. The Taishou era is nearing its end, an era that increased the Western influence of the Meiji era. Among other things, the now ever-present "sailor uniform" was introduced in 1920. Another sign of the times was the feminist movement, which began to gain traction. However, Japan is still a very patriarchal society, and even running is seen as a vulgar thing for women to do.

It is to this backdrop that Taishou Yakyuu Musume (Taisho Baseball Girls) is set. The rich middle-schooler Akiko Ogasawara is at a party held by her rich father, wherein the subject of feminism is brought up by her arranged fiancé, the also middle-schooler Sousuke Iwasaki. After he voices patriarchal views to Akiko, she becomes angry and decides to prove Iwasaki otherwise by beating him at his own game - baseball. Together with her close friend Koume Suzukawa, she tries to gather an all-girls baseball team called the Ouka-Kai; however, there are many obstacles in the way - finding enough members, learning how to play, continuing in the face of humiliating defeats. . .

Based on a light novel series by Atsushi Kagurasaka. Animated by J.C.Staff. It also had a PS2 game.

Compare with Princess Nine.

Tropes used in Taishou Yakyuu Musume include:

• Ahoge: Kyouko and Kochou.
• Arranged Marriage: Koume is told by her parents to marry Saburou Kitami, a young man who works as a chef in her family's restaurant. This ultimately suits her just fine.
  • There is also a similar arrangement between Akiko Ogasawara and Sousuke Iwasaki. She doesn't hate him, but after hearing his sexist comments she gets fired up and decides to make him change his mind so he will see her as his equal. (And he does; the credits of the last episode have the two walking together side by side (back then the wife should walk some steps behind her husband) and having what seems a pleasant chat, implying that they'll be happy later.)
• Betty and Veronica: Saburou (Betty) and Takahara (Veronica), for Koume. As said above, not only Saburou and Koume are arranged to marry but she actually likes him, while she's not that fond of Takahara.
  • Also, one can easily see Tomoe (Veronica) and Akiko (Betty) as this for Koume.
• Blush Sticker: Koume.
• Boarding School: Touho Seika Academy has optional dormitories, and four of the main girls (Kochou, Kyouko and the Tsukubae twins Tomoe and Shizuka) live there.
• Butt Monkey: Kyouko. She is thrown a bone once in a while, though.
• Champions on the Inside: the girls middle school baseball team loses by a single point to their nationals-contending boys team rivals when the protagonist is off by a few millimeters in her last second slide to home base. This is still considered to be a good ending as the girls have earned the respect of their rivals, and more importantly have proven to themselves that being girls does not mean that they can't achieve anything they put their minds to.
• Childhood Friends: Yuki and Tamaki
• Clingy Jealous Sister: Shizuka acts like this towards her twin sister Tomoe. Most probably just being over-protective.
• Club Stub: Akiko had lots of difficulties at first to recruit girls for her baseball club, mostly because they were scared at the idea of possibly competing against boys' teams that were much better trained and seasoned at the sport. Fortunately, it gets solved relatively soon.
• Daydream Surprise: The first episode opens on Koume singing a cute rendition of "Tokyo Bushi" (a Japanese song set to the melody of "Marching Through Georgia") in a fashion reminiscent of a musical. It's all in her head.
• Dogged Nice Guy: Takahara, to Koume.
• Down to the Last Play
• Early-Bird Cameo: Kochou appears briefly playing with Kyouko in the first episode.
• Hair Decorations: All the girls in the team: Koume has a flower hairpin, Akiko has a pink bow, Yuki has a white headband, Tomoe has a blue clip, etc.
• Hot Mom: Yae Suzukawa
• Exactly What It Says on the Tin: although the tin is in Japanese.
• Expressive Hair: Noe
• Expy: Koume looks and acts a lot like Yurie from Kamichu!. Minus the god-like powers, of course.
• Family Business: Yoichirou and Yae Suzukawa's yoshoku restaurant. Koume is seen helping out once in a while there.
  • The Souya family's kimono shop.
• Flower in Her Hair: Koume
• Forehead of Doom: Kyouko
• Genki Girl: Koume.
  • Anna-sensei has all the tale-telling signs of having been one. Age has mellowed her out... somewhat.
• Hime Cut: A lot.
• Hot Springs Episode
• Humble Pie: Sousuke
• I Have This Friend: Koume uses this to check her father's opinion on girls playing sports and to get a leatherworker to modify a baseball glove to fit her hand.
• I'm Taking Her Home with Me: Koume, to Tamaki.
• Keigo: Used by most of the girls and many teachers as is demanded culturally and in their school environment. Special mention goes to Tamaki--although she uses more informal, masculine tenses, she also speaks in a particularly archaic dialect which is a throwback to times when surnames were uncommon and women were referred to by given name with the respectful prefix "o" (eg. Oyuki, Okoume).
• Lover Tug of War: Tomoe and Akiko, over Koume.
• Luminescent Blush: Often used in combination with Koume's ever present rosy cheeks.
• Martial Arts and Crafts: Tomoe's kendo skills make her a good batter.
• Meganekko: Noe
• Miracle Rally: Is that Mamiko Noto giving a (gentle, of course) Rousing Speech? Followed by a Theme Music Power-Up, even.
• Mistaken for Cheating: In episode 9, Yae finds a photo of one of Asaka's baseball players that fell out of Koume's drawer. She and Yoichirou assume that Koume is going out with someone other than her fiancé, Saburou. They approach Koume, who in turn assumes that they're talking about her secret baseball training. Hilarity Ensues.
• Nakama
• Official Couple: Koume/Saburou, Akiko/Sousuke.
• One-Gender School: Touhou Seika Female Academy (for the girls) and Asaka Junior High (for the boys)
• Onee-Sama: Tomoe and Shizuka have a huge fangirl following amongst the younger students.
• The Ojou: Akiko.
• Passionate Sports Girl: All of them evolve into this.
• Person Magnet: Koume is popular with boys and girls without even trying.
• Phenotype Stereotype: Anna Curtland, the girls' homeroom teacher and sponsor of the baseball team, complete with the occasional Gratuitous English. As far as the Eaglelander thing goes, she's a lot closer to a Type 1.
• Record Needle Scratch: All the time.
• Recurring Extra: "Natto, Natto, Natto"
• Returning the Handkerchief: Takahara
• The Roaring Twenties: The Taishou period stretches from 1912 to 1926, and the story takes place in 1925.
• Sailor Fuku: Most of the Tohou Seika girls wear white and blue ones... except for Koume, Shizuka, Tamaki and Noe, who use hakama instead. Much to Koume's frustration, her old-fashioned parents won't let her use a fuku.
  • Additionally, the boys from Sousuke's school all wear gakuran.
• Sempai-Kohai: Kyouko and Kochou are one year younger than the other girls.
• Shipper with an Agenda:  Yae and Youjirou want Koume to marry Saburou because he works at their restaurant and that would be good for the Family Business. It helps that she and Saburou hit it off well.
• Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Koume prefers Saburou not just because they're supposed to marry, but because he's a sweet guy who does support her baseball dreams. (By contrast, Takahara doesn't take her seriously in that sense)
• Schoolgirl Lesbians: Tomoe blushes while thinking of winning a date with Koume, spaces out looking at her and gets all worried when Koume shows any interest in other girls (not to mention her reaction to Akiko and Koume "baseball marriage"). And at the very end there's her reaction to Koume introducing Saburou as her fiancé to the team, which mirrors exactly that of Koume's Dogged Nice Guy Takahata. There's Romantic Two-Girl Friendship between these two, at the very least.
  • Tomoe also has her own passionate fangirl, Kyouko.
• Self Proclaimed Love Interest: Takahara, to Koume.
• Sibling Yin-Yang: The Tsukubae sisters, Shizuka and Tomoe, are characterized in this fashion.
• Spoiler Opening: The team's final composition is shown in the opening.
• Stay in the Kitchen: Akiko's fiance Sousuke thought this, and it was a major factor for her deciding to create a girls' baseball team. He does change his mind, however.
  • Also the principal of his school refused the challenge for this reason.
• Strong Family Resemblance: Koume resembles her mother, Yae.
• Tachi: Tomoe hits several of the archetypical points.
• Took a Level In Badass: These girls at least barely know how to swing a bat (save for Tamaki and Yuki), but by the end they can put up quite a fight against boys who have trained for much longer and are on their way to the Nationals.
• Tsundere: Tamaki Ishigaki.
  • Also, Tomoe's sister Shizuka.
• Yamato Nadeshiko: Koume's Hot Mom Yae. Yuki also shows some traits and has both the looks and the voice actress.
• You Go, Girl!: Pretty much the premise of the show.
• Yuri Fangirl: Noriko is aware of Tomoe's crush on Koume and tries to convince Shizuka to let her be.

Noriko: "Oh, I long to shower the lily's calyx with my impassioned feelings..."