Attacker You! - Western Versions and Connection To Attack No. 1

Western Versions and Connection To Attack No. 1

Many of the character names were changed for the Italian, French, and Spanish versions of the Attacker You! anime. In the Italian version, You is Mila Hazuki and Sho is Shiro Takiki. In the French version, You becomes Jeanne, Sho is Serge, Nami Hayase's name is changed to Peggy Hayase (interestingly, her name remains Nami in the Italian version), Eri Takigawa becomes Marie Takigawa (Kaori Takigawa in the Italian version); the Spanish dub, which was based on the French version, used the French names for Nami and Eri, although You was renamed Juana and Sho became Sergio (the Spanish versions of the characters' respective French names). The Italian theme song sung by Cristina D'Avena is also considered a classic in Italy, and the French and Spanish theme songs use the same melody in the vernacular language.

Although Attacker You! was not released in the German market, it is interesting to note that Kozue, the heroine of the earlier volleyball drama Attack No. 1, was named Mila (as You Hazuki was for the Italian Attacker You!) in the German-dubbed version of that 1969 series (retitled Mila Superstar, which also curiously uses the same theme song melody as the Italian, French and Spanish Attacker You! dubs).

European versions of the Attacker You! anime also created a link between this series and Attack No. 1 which did not exist in the original Japanese versions. In the Italian version, Mila (You) is a cousin of Mimi Ayuhara (the Italian name for Kozue of Attack No. 1), and dreams of becoming a volleyball star just like her. This alteration to the storyline carried over into the French- and Spanish-dubbed versions of the anime. Thus, Attacker You! is sometimes considered a spinoff of Attack No. 1, although there is in Japan no connection between the two series. Nippon Animation's 1977 TV series Attack on Tomorrow is the closest thing to an actual "sequel" or "spinoff" to Attack No. 1, although it also technically is not a spinoff or sequel as it too was based on an existing manga by a different artist than that of Attack No. 1.

In addition, the Italian production staff censored some potentially objectionable content from the original Japanese version, namely scenes of Coach Daimon's brutal and violent behavior toward his players and occasional scenes of bare breasts in shower scenes. These edits carried over into the French dub, while the cut scenes were retained in the Spanish version.