Episode 6: Vision Impaired Judo

This is the 6th installment of a short anime series showcasing the appeal of Para-sports, in collaboration with noted manga artists and popular musicians. This episode features vision impaired judo. Participants fight while gripping each other's uniforms and feeling their opponent's body movements. Matches always start with 2 competitors having a loose grip on each other's judo suits, so there is no grappling. The bouts are often decided when one player scores "ippon" or the winning point. Manga artist Katsutoshi Kawai, who has judo experience, has lent his talents to this sport's episode. He interviewed Junko Hirose, who won a bronze medal at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, and coaches of the vision impaired judo team. The story centers on a girl who gave up judo after losing her eyesight, but renewed her love of the sport by discovering its essence - mutual prosperity for self and others - through vision impaired judo. Singer-songwriter miwa composed the original theme song.

Transcript