Who created Slow Step? It was in 1987 that Adachi began a new, ever-so-delicate comedy of adolescence. Briefer than the celebrated Rough and Touch, Slow Step unfolded in just seven small volumes. Nevertheless it was transposed almost immediately into anime. In 1991 five OAV's appeared, recounting the vicissitudes of Minatsu and company-altering, however, many of the events of the manga.

What is Slow Step? The story revolves around a romantic triangle formed by the girl Minatsu Nakazato, a young student and softball player; Shu Akiba, a schoolmate; and Naoto Kadomatsu, an up-and-coming boxer. In reality the three-way relationship is more like three-and-a-half, considering that Naoto is in love with Maria…actually Minatsu herself, who'd once disguised herself to escape some evildoers.

Who are the characters? Besides the three main characters-and the "inconvenient fourth," Maria-we find the usual number of extremely well-developed secondary characters. Kango Yamazakura is the coach of both the softball and boxing clubs, and nurses a certain passion for Minatsu. Ayako Sawamura is one of Minatsu's teammates, who joined the club only so she could be around Kango. There are also many curious minor characters, from Minatsu's papa (a wrestler), to the school principal (whose last name is Hitler-Chaplin!!) to the various students of Asaoka High School, all depicted with that special flair which we've come to expect from Master Adachi.

What is the story's locale? Like practically all of Adachi's works, Slow Step takes place in a purely scholastic environment, in the midst of everyday adolescent life. The classrooms, the hallways, the gymnasium, and the softball field become the stage on which the tale plays out, sometimes shifting suddenly to include the kids' rooms and the cafes-in short, all the places where students, and young people in general, may be found.