Episode 6

The sixth episode of the Stars Align (Anime) series. It premiered on November 14, 2019.

## Plot

During the practice match against Misaki Academy, the team decides that Nao and Taiyo play the first match. They both get anxious about their performance, and worry that they’re unable to score a single point against their opponents. Right before their first match begins, Yuu goes over the data analytics they’ve gathered on their rivals. According to their information, the opponents for the first match are Kazumi Miwa and Ayumu Ooi. Miwa has an excellent first serve while Ooi could defend a huge area of the net, a classic combination of a soft tennis pair.

In the first match, the Nao–Taiyo pair gets to serve first. They’re playing a double back strategy, redirecting all the hits to Miwa which makes him exhausted. When Nao or Taiyo see an opportunity, they smash the ball and score a point. This strategy has succeeded in making Miwa annoyed and exhausted, which affects the pair's performance. Nao and Taiyo win the first set with a perfect score. During the second set, Miwa and Ooi apologize to each other and start playing seriously. The pair uses a slice serve which caught the Nao–Taiyo pair off guard and wins the set with a perfect score. During the third and fourth set, Nao and Taiyo are unable to score a single point, therefore giving victory to the Miwa–Ooi pair.

For the second match, the Rintaro–Itsuki pair are up against Daiki Ikeda and Akitaka Yanagishita. Yuuta shares their analysis, telling them that Yanagishita has a stronger serve than Miwa while Ikeda positions himself to put Yanagishita in his best position. The match begins with Yanagishita’s serve first. Rintaro and Itsuki make some mistakes and they are unable to return their opponent's serve properly, giving the first set to the Ikeda–Yanagishita pair. During the second set, Itsuki motivates Rintaro, getting them pumped up. They’re able to set the game pace and constantly put pressure on their opponent. Rintaro and Itsuki won the second set with a perfect score. As the game continues, Rintaro and Itsuki quickly become exhausted, causing their performance to worsen while their opponent maintains a stable performance. The Ikeda–Yanagishita pair wins the third and fourth set, ultimately winning the game.

In the third match, Tsubasa and Shingo are up against Takeru Tanaka and Masato Nagano. According to Yuu, their opponent represents Misaki Academy in the national tournament, and they are just plain good. Feeling discouraged, Yuuta gives them an energy drink to motivate them back. Before the match begins, Tanaka and Nagano both tease Tsubasa and Shingo. Annoyed, they retaliate by squeezing Nagano’s hand and kicking Tanaka’s right leg. The match begins with Shingo making the first serve. As he delivers the serve, Tsubasa shouts loudly which distracts their opponent's focus. This happens throughout the first set and the Tsubasa–Shingo pair easily win the first set. Tanaka and Nagano manage to retain their focus after the first set and start putting pressure on Shingo and Tsubasa. They successfully make a comeback by scoring three consecutive sets, winning them the match.

The next match is the Toma–Maki pair against Shinjiro Sunaga and Arashi Oji. They realize that Arashi is the captain and ace of Misaki Academy. He competed at the National Soft Tennis Tournament representing the Misaki Academy implying that he is a skillful player. The game starts with Toma making the first serve. The Toma–Maki pair manage to score a point, but this advantage soon turns back by the Oji–Sunaga pair, winning the first set. During the second set, both Maki and Toma are unable to return Oji’s serve, causing them to score zero points and giving the set to the Oji–Sunaga pair. After losing the second set, Maki thought of something and wants to try it out during the next set.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

* Yuta Asuka
* Kanako Mitsue
* Taiyo Ishigami
* Nao Tsukinose
* Shingo Takenouchi
* Tsubasa Soga
* Rintaro Futsu
* Itsuki Ameno
* Toma Shinjo
* Maki Katsuragi
* Kadowaki
* Takayuki Sakurai
* Katsumi Miwa
* Ayumu Ooi
* Arashi Oji
* Ikeda
* Yanagishita
* Masato Nagano
* Takeru Tanaka
* Shinjiro Sunaga

## Quotes

* Keep thinking about losing and you'll lose a match you can win. – **Maki Katsuragi**
* A loss you can learn and grow from isn't simply a loss. – **Yuuta Asuka**
* (*To Maki and Toma*) I'm going to absolutely crush you. – **Arashi Oji**

## Trivia

* The Misaki Academy has over 60 members on the Boys Soft Tennis Team, so the first-year students act as the cheer squad.
* After scoring a point, Nao and Taiyo celebrate by shouting “**yūki**(勇気), **Genki**(元気), **Shōri**(勝利)” which means courage, energetic, victory. The English dub version translated this as "**be brave, be bold, victory**"