Battle Athletes Victory, Vol. 8: Human Race
The broadcast version of the adventures of champion athlete/Cosmo Beauty  winner Akari reach their conclusion in these episodes. The Nerilians, the  evil aliens mentioned at the beginning of the series, suddenly arrive. This gang of interstellar warriors challenges the inhabitants of other planets to  athletic contests, then enslaves them when they lose. Headmaster Grant Oldham  persuades Akari to reenter competition to save the Earth; together they  recruit the other Cosmo Beauty competitors--Ichan, Jessie, Kris, Lahrrie,  Mylandah, Tanya--to form a special team, with Mr. Miracle as their trainer.Although the Nerilians are half-human, half-machine hybrids, the Earth  girls hold their own in the initial events. The plot takes a decidedly weird  turn when the aliens bring Akari's mother, legendary Cosmo Beauty Tomoe  Midoh, back from the dead--as a 17-year-old! Akari must face her mother in  the final race, the 4,000-meter relay. Naturally, she comes from behind to win the  day for humanity.With her racing days behind her, Akari settles into life on Earth with a  reborn mother her own age and Mr. Miracle, who turns out to be her father,  Daizaemon Kanzaki. His morning newspaper announces the mysterious  disappearance of Oldham, so a sequel may already be in works. (Ages 13 and older, due to minor violence and suggestions of lesbian  relationships)--Charles Solomon