ベイビーステップ
Baby Steps
Based on the original manga by Hikaru Katsuki, Baby Steps centers on a honor student named Eiichiro Maruo who becomes frustrated with his life and decides to join the tennis club. Despite lacking experience and physical strength, he utilizes his studious nature to develop a strategic approach to playing tennis. Taking notes of his opponents’ habits and tendencies, he is able to predict their next move before they even react. He also meets Natsu Takasaki, a beautiful girl with a passion for tennis. With her help, he aims to become a professional tennis player. (Source: Crunchyroll)
Names
| Original | ベイビーステップ (japanese) |
|---|---|
| Romaji | Baby Steps |
| English | — |
| Chinese | 网球优等生 (simplified · via bangumi) |
Facts
| Format | TV series · 25 ep · 25 min · 10h total |
|---|---|
| Aired | 2014-04-06 → 2014-09-21 (Spring 2014) |
| Status | FINISHED |
| Studio | Studio Pierrot |
| Source | Manga |
| Origin | Japan (Anime) |
| Demographic | Shounen |
| Genres | RomanceSports |
| Themes | TennisMale ProtagonistFitnessHeterosexualComing of AgeShounenFemale Protagonist |
Reception
| Community score | 7.63 / 10 |
|---|---|
| Bayesian score | 7.62 / 10 |
| Composite | 58.4 |
| On lists | 32,045 |
| Favourited | 479 (1.5%) |
| Completion | 82.3% |
| Drop rate | 6.0% |
| In backlog | 32.8% |
| Score spread σ | 1.37 |
Score distribution
1492303914145549861,07073,26584,62092,05010831
Where it places
| Cohort | Value | Tier | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadcast season | Spring 2014 | B | 13 of 89 |
| Studio | Studio Pierrot | B | 25 of 115 |
| Year | 2014 | B | 54 of 389 |
| Genre | Sports | B | 110 of 447 |
| Length | Two-cour | C | 205 of 699 |
| Era | Early 2010s | B | 208 of 1,627 |
| Season (all years) | Spring | B | 326 of 1,868 |
| Genre | Romance | B | 332 of 1,687 |
| Demographic | Shounen | C | 372 of 1,219 |
| Source material | Manga | B | 694 of 3,025 |
| Format | TV series | B | 740 of 3,322 |
| Origin | Japan | B | 1,203 of 7,157 |
Key staff
| Director | Masahiko Murata, Kunihiko Inaba, Kazumi Yokoo |
|---|---|
| Series composition | Katsuhiko Chiba |
| Character design | Masayuki Kouda |
| Original creator | Hikaru Katsuki |
Franchise — ベイビーステップ
Related
| Relation | Year | Title |
|---|---|---|
| sequel | 2015 | Baby Steps 2 |
| character | 2017 | Animation × Paralympic: Who Is Your Hero? |
AniList id 20510 · MAL id 21185 · Bangumi 87717 · record updated 2026-08-27