やわら! / Yawara! (1989)

Directed By: Kazuo Yoshida Actors: Yui Asaka, Keiju Kobayashi, Bunta Sugawara, Hiroshi Abe, Reiko Hirayama Based on the popular manga by Naoki Urasawa, “YAWARA! A Fashionable Judo Girl!“ is a Japanese sports comedy-drama film about Yawara Inokuma (idol Yui Asaka) a seemingly ordinary high school girl who is secretly a judo prodigy trained by her grandfather, a former judo champion. Despite her extraordinary talent and heritage, Yawara dreams of living a normal life focused on fashion, romance, and going to concerts with her friends. However, her grandfather has grand ambitions for her, aiming to see her make a carefully orchestrated “debut“ and go on to win the gold at the upcoming Olympics. Despite her best efforts, Yawara gets caught up in the events of her school’s judo club and is hounded by persistent sports journalist Matsuda (Hiroshi Abe) who has recognized her potential to be the world’s next great sports sensation.