While browsing my archives, I came across two other fantastic sports anime that I'd forgotten about.
Taisho Baseball Girls - This one is more than just a sports anime. It's about girls fighting for a measure of respect and self-determination in an era where they were supposed to do little else than look pretty and practice homemaking. An excellent anime even if you don't care for sports anime in general. The humor is top notch and it has a number of awesome characters. Highly recommended.
Bamboo Blade - The story is about a kendo club that is falling apart. The captain and the adviser both want to rescue it (for different reasons) but they really need a member who can make a difference.
Enter Tama-chan, a small and serious girl who only cares about anime. She also grew up in a kendo dojo and is extremely skilled and talented but she has no interest in that. Will they be able to convince her to join and help resurrect the kendo club? Will they be able to find additional members?
Seriously, Tama-chan is one of the cutest badasses ever.
(warning: dub trailer)
It also features a beautiful sadist, for those who like that kind of thing:
