Nasu: Summer in Andalusia

About Nasu: Summer in Andalusia

If you are hunting for a new sports series, Nasu: Summer in Andalusia (茄子 アンダルシアの夏) deserves a look (2003). The setup goes like this. What the story covers: Pepe is a Spanish cyclist competing in the Vuelta an España, a multi-stage Iberian cycling race similar to the Tour de France. He is a support rider for one of the teams competing in the race, and his role is to assist the team's top rider in winning the overall race.

From there, as the story unfolds, the racers are set to ride through Pepe's home town in Andalusia on the same day as the wedding of his elder brother Ángel to his former girlfriend Carmen. Their relationship was a factor in his decision to leave the town to pursue professional cycling, and the wedding is a frustrating reminder that his career hasn't turned out as he would have liked. Now, with the sponsor planning to drop him from the team and his family and friends cheering him on, Pepe abandons his assigned role and strives for glory.

With sports at the core, training arcs, rivalry and match tension keep the stakes personal. Voice work is led by You Oizumi as Pepe Benengeli and Yuushi Satou as Gilmore. If you count yourself among anyone who likes underdog stories and competition, put it on your list. With 1 episodes in total, there is enough room for the story to develop.

Production & Appeal

MADHOUSE and Telecom Animation Film is the studio behind Nasu: Summer in Andalusia, and its direction shapes everything from character design to motion. Because it leans on sports, training arcs, rivalry and match tension keep the stakes personal. With a 6.7/10 score, it is more of a niche pick than a universal crowd-pleaser. On the casting side, You Oizumi voicing Pepe Benengeli gives the lead role a recognizable voice. Released in 2003, it competed with that season's other new series for attention.