- Americans Hate Tingle: The original anime was very popular in some European countries, but it failed in France, where it aired in 1988, while another volleyball anime Attacker You! was airing in a rival channel in the same period. For French viewers, this anime (older, more dramatic, with a Stoic Woobie as protagonist) was largely overshadowed by the success of Attacker You (more recent, more light-hearted, with a dynamic Genki Girl as protagonist). For this reason, only the first 52 episodes of Attack No. 1 were dubbed in French .
- Base-Breaking Character: Kozue is an iconic Passionate Sports Girl in the anime world and many people praise her for her strength, determination, self-sacrifice, and how she prioritizes hard work over her love life. But there are also people who don't find her a completely good role model: while she did have a positive influence on the viewers (she inspired many young girls to start playing volleyball), other people don't like how she obsessively prioritizes volleyball over everything (like refusing to leave a volleyball game even when they tell her that her boyfriend is dying in the hospital after a tragic accident).
- Fandom Rivalry: German fans often compare this show with Hikari no Densetsu, because the it has more popularity in the country.
- Germans Love David Hasselhoff:
- The original anime is a hit in Germany, where it was known as Mila Superstar, with Kozue renamed Mila. Even more so, considering it came out more than 23 years ago since its original release (1993), even beating out Heidi, Girl of the Alps as one of the oldest anime to become popular in Germany.
- The original anime is also beloved in Italy, where it was known as Mimì e la nazionale di pallavolo (with Kozue renamed Mimì). It actually inspired in a Real Life professional volleyball player from Italy, Francesca Piccinini, who watched the anime in her childhood and credited it for her interest in the sport.
- Heartwarming in Hindsight:
- Iron Woobie: Kozue suffers a lot, both physically and mentally, because of the Training from Hell or bad luck in general. She has been victim of mistreatment, violence, injuries, disease, and loss of loved ones. Despite being often demoralized, she always finds a way to pick herself up, without giving up her volleyball dream.
- Memetic Mutation:
- "Dakedo...namida ga dechau, onnanoko da mon."note
- The gif of Mimi being hit in the face by a volleyball often circulates on Italian internet.
- Values Dissonance: Kozue and the athletes work themselves to the bone and sacrifice their own health for their training, with even the coach being indifferent to the effects of the rigorous training and telling them to do better. This mirrors Japan's overwork culture and sense of duty towards the collective, but in the West this comes off as masochistic.
- Values Resonance: Attack No. 1 has a lead female character whose priority is her own life and her dreams for the future, rather than just having a love interest... in The '60s and The '70s. From The Other Wiki:"Kazuko Suzuki describes Attack No. 1 as an "innovation on the campus story", where a heroine would go to college and meet her future husband. She describes Kozue as "psychologically independent", as Kozue has realised that she must strive to create her own happiness and continues to strive on after her boyfriend's death."
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Ymmv/AttackNumberOne
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