The Witches of the Orient

The story of the incredible Japanese women's volleyball team is presented here for the first time, in quite an entertaining format. Luckily, the director had some great footage at hand, some of it even in impeccable quality.

The secret behind the success of the "witches," as they got nicknamed in Europe, is soon lifted, they trained so hard, it often becomes painful to watch. Their trainer was nicknamed, "the demon", quite appropriate! The young ladies did not give in though, and became national heroes, even famous today, 50 years after their great success. A lot of anime had been produced on the subject and the director edited it into the life footage and created some astonishing effects.

Seeing the remaining old ladies now was another highlight, hearing them talk on how hard it was, but also, how motivated they have been, to remain on the team.