Big Windup!

Big Windup! (Japanese: おおきく振りかぶって, Hepburn: Ōkiku Furikabutte), often shortened to Oofuri (おお振り), is a Japanese baseball-themed manga series written and illustrated by Asa Higuchi. It has been serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Monthly Afternoon since September 2003, with its chapters collected in 38 tankōbon volumes as of June 2025. The series follows Ren Mihashi, a timid school ace pitcher with low self-esteem who transfers to Nishiura High School in Saitama Prefecture. There, new teammates and a coach help him regain his confidence and skills. 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.