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Baby Steps Tennis Manga Gets Live-Action Drama Adaptation
posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
Amazon is currently displaying the cover of this year's 27th issue of Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine, which reveals that Hikaru Katsuki's Baby Steps manga is getting a live-action drama adaptation. The actual issue ships on June 1.
The 26th issue of the magazine had teased on Wednesday that the 27th issue would have a "big announcement" for the manga, and fans on Twitter had reported seeing filming and casting extras for a live-action adaptation as early as March.
The manga revolves around Eiichirō "Ei-chan" Maruo, a punctual and earnest boy who has strived for straight As since elementary school. The 15-year-old high school boy stops by a tennis school to deal with his lack of exercise. There, he meets Natsu Takasaki, a beautiful, earnest girl who only has passion for tennis.
Katsuki launched the manga in Weekly Shōnen Magazine in 2007. Kodansha published the manga's 39th compiled book volume (pictured at right) on March 17.
The manga's first television anime series premiered in April 2014, and the second series premiered in April 2015. Katsuki himself collaborated on the creation of episodes with original stories not told in the manga. Studio Pierrot animated the both television series, with 25 episodes for each series. Crunchyroll streamed both series as they aired in Japan.
