The World's Only Cricket Anime Deserves Its Place in History

Everything You Need to Know About This Forgotten Animated Series

Any cricket fan who considers themselves a fan of anime and manga is very familiar with TMS Entertainment. One of Japan’s oldest and most famous anime studios, TMS Entertainment founded in October 1946, making it 80 years old. The long list of TMS franchises include modern classics like Lupin the Third, Detective Conan, Akira, and Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland.

TMS has also made its name in America with 1980s and 90s greats like The Real Ghostbusters, Rainbow Brite, Duck Tales, and Batman: The Animated Series. So, yeah. TMS Entertainment is kind of a big deal. But it’s high time we give respect to their little-known cricket masterpiece, Suraj: The Rising Star.

First things first. So far, Suraj: The Rising Star is the only cricket-based anime in existence. Hard to believe, right? Suraj is a re-imagination of the popular Japanese manga and subsequent animated franchise Star of the Giants (aka Kyojin no Hoshi).

Dating back as far as 1966 and creating new content into the next millennium, Star of the Giants is in the top 100 manga series according to TV Asahi, coming in at number 38 of all time. Suraj is also something pretty magical in its own right. A joint initiative between the Japanese and Indian government created Suraj: The Rising Star in 2012 to “enhance co-operation in the creative industries.”

KODANSHA Helped Create This Cricket Anime Series

Distributed by Viacom 18 on the Indian entertainment channel Colors, KODANSHA Inc and DQ Entertainment in partnership produced Suraj with the legendary TMS Entertainment studios. It became the first official Japan and India co-production project and commemorated the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations. In other words, Suraj is kind of a big deal and definitely deserves its rightful place in the halls of anime masterpieces.

The video aggregator Yidio describes the series as “the story of young sixteen-year-old from Mumbai, Suraj, who seeks to become the world’s greatest cricket player. In India, cricket is not just a sport but something more akin to a religion and young Suraj’s indomitable spirit will make him wish to become the idol his people seek and deserve.”

The 26-episode series span two seasons and begins when Suraj is twelve. He and is older sister soon learn that their father is a retired cricket legend with a secret when their father’s long-lost enemy Vikram comes around calling.

Suraj: The Rising Star Characters

The world’s only cricket anime series is filled with colorful characters played by a number of voice actors. The main characters include the following:

Suraj, the teenage protagonist: voiced by Nachiket Dighe

Shyam, Suraj’s father: voiced by Shaktee Singh

Shanti, Suraj’s older sister: voiced by Parignya Pandya Shah

Vikram, Suraj’s antagonist: voiced by Anshul

Other characters include Pappu (Amit Deondi), Samir (Sumit Kaul), Maya (Seema Masson), and Pakiya (Prafful Sahu). Secondary characters include Chintu (Saumya), Ajit (Milind), Guru (Mahendra Bhatnager), Keshto (Swapnil), Paplu (Devansh), Samir Tendlya, Raj, and Ichiro.

The Series Synopsis

Set in the bustling city of Mumbai, the story follows Suraj, a 12-year-old boy from the slums who dreams of becoming a cricket superstar. Suraj lives with his father, Shyam, a former cricketer whose career was cut short, and his older sister. Despite their poverty, Shyam is determined to see his son succeed where he could not. He subjects Suraj to a rigorous and often harsh training regimen, pushing him to develop exceptional speed and control as a bowler.

Suraj’s journey is fraught with challenges, including injuries, self-doubt, and the pressures of competition. He participates in school tournaments with his team from Sanskriti Secondary School, facing a series of defeats that test his resolve. Throughout the series, Suraj learns valuable lessons about perseverance, teamwork, and the importance of balancing ambition with humility.

As Suraj hones his skills and matures both on and off the field, he becomes a symbol of hope and determination, embodying the spirit of a true rising star in Indian cricket.

Young anime star, Suraj learns his bowling technique.

How To Watch Suraj: The Rising Star

Suraj: The Rising Star promotional artwork.

Currently, there is no way – either through streaming services or available for purchase on- line – that American audiences can appreciate Suraj: The Rising Star other than through a few smatterings of YouTube episodes and segments. Even then, these episodes are not in English and have no subtitles available. This is an anime travesty of monumental proportions.

It’s high time this TMS masterpiece series earns its place alongside other anime works of art. Perhaps TMS should consider adding Suraj to its rotation of anime giants available on Pluto TV, Roku, DirecTV and Time Warner Media. This time, with those ever-important English subtitles so we all can appreciate this lost piece of pop culture history.

If you have any copies of Suraj: The Rising Star, please reach out to us at 365notout.com. We are looking for the complete series! And, if you are as serious as us, then sign our petition to get Suraj on streaming!

Ever Wanted to Know What Exactly Does a Crumpet Have to Do with Cricket?

Breaking down that strange cricket phrase Raphael made to Casey Jones in the classic 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.

You Really Do Gotta Know What a Crumpet is to Understand Cricket