Softenni! Blu-ray

The Shiratama Junior High School soft tennis team has one driving ambition: reach the national tournament. The ambition is not always matched by the effort. Asuna is a farm girl from Hokkaido who is genuinely serious about soft tennis and serves as the team's motivational engine, when she isn't distracted by elaborate daydreams about their handsome faculty advisor Mr. Mishimagi. Chitose is the team captain and also its worst player, a combination that would be alarming in a more disciplined club. Kurusu is a skilled ace whose primary off-court passion is cosplay. Elizabeth is a talented transfer student whose enthusiasm exceeds her Japanese language ability. Kotone is powerful, violence-prone, and would probably be happier in a martial arts dojo. Together they practice, occasionally play matches, and find themselves repeatedly sidetracked by adventures involving giant bears, supernatural encounters, and the general chaos of rural Hokkaido junior high school life — while the national tournament remains, theoretically, the goal.

Softenni! is a 12-episode sports comedy produced by Xebec — the studio behind Nadesico, Dual!, Love Hina, and Tenchi GXP — and based on Ryo Azuchi's eight-volume manga that ran in Monthly Comic Alive from 2008 to 2011, ending the same season the anime began airing. It aired in Japan in spring 2011 and leans heavily into fan service and absurdist comedy alongside its sports premise, sitting squarely in the girls' sports club subgenre alongside series like Bamboo Blade and Softenni's own self-aware acknowledgment that its characters are more interested in each other than in winning tournaments. The Blu-ray Complete Collection was released in North America by Sentai Filmworks on July 19, 2016, featuring Japanese audio with English subtitles only — no English dub was produced. Includes Softenni Shorts bonus content and clean opening and closing animations.

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Director: Atsushi Nakayama
Series Composition: Ryoki Kamitsubo
Original Manga: Ryo Azuchi (serialized in Monthly Comic Alive, Media Factory, 2008–2011, 8 volumes)
Studio: Xebec (Nadesico, Dual!, Love Hina, Tenchi GXP, Sorcerer Hunters, Pilot Candidate)
Opening Theme: "Rulebook wo Wasurechae" by StylipS
Ending Theme: "Tsumasakidachi" by StylipS

Japanese Cast:
- Eri Kitamura as Asuna Harukaze
- Kanae Ito as Chitose Akaso
- Shizuka Ito as Elena "Elizabeth" Morino
- Satomi Akesaka as Kotone Fuyukawa
- Haruka Tomatsu as Yayoi Kurusu
- Sayuri Yahagi as Elizabeth (additional cast)

Blu-ray Features (Sentai Filmworks Complete Collection)

- All 12 Episodes — Complete Series
- Softenni Shorts (bonus episodes)
- Clean Opening & Closing Animations
- DTS-HD MA Stereo Japanese Audio
- Sentai Filmworks Previews

Spoken Languages: Japanese Audio Only, English Subtitles (No English Dub Produced)

Edition Details

Japanese Title: ソフテニ! (Sofuteni!)
Runtime: ~300 Minutes (Complete Series, 12 Episodes)
Director: Atsushi Nakayama
Blu-ray Release Year: 2016 (U.S. Release, July 19 — Sentai Filmworks)
Original Broadcast Date (Japan): April 7 – June 23, 2011
Publisher: Sentai Filmworks
Rating: 17+
Region: Region A (North America)
Genre: Sports, Comedy, Fan Service
Themes: Soft Tennis Club, Rural Hokkaido Setting, Girls' Sports Comedy, Xebec Studio, Subtitle Only Release

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.