Ace wo Nerae!

'Gunbuster: Aim for the Top' is practically inspired by 'Aim for the Ace', if it wasn't obvious from the title themselves. Hell, both of them have COACHE bundled with them. The main characters are in the club or school on 'the whim', however the coaches sees the hidden potential inside them despite their current low ability. The main characters are seemingly forced into training and aiming towards the best position after struggle and finding out about themselves. There's also the jealous character and the others do not see what the coaches see. The beginning of Gunbuster is more closely related to the tennis anime, and yeah Aim for the Ace has no mecha or shooting or aliens, but both do have a good deal of character development and depth. Check them both out for the solid writing. read more 

There are various aspects common between the two animes. Build of the protagonist and personality and talent of the protagonist. The progression and hurdles faced. Coaching and gradual improvement. Gunbuster is basically an expansion of Aim for the Ace however not in a negative way - both have their uniqueness but share a lot of the feel. 

Watch a seemingly untalented girl get coached to greatness. Unlike Aim for the Top, Aim for the Ace show this journey in great detail and with a good amount of shoujo drama. 

If you haven't seen that masterpiece yet - it's time to do this! Oniisama e is darker and gloomy version of Ace wo Nerae. You can find very similar charachters here, especially the main heroine, they both is ordinary girl and sometimes the battle Oka vs Ryuuzaki remindes Nanako vs Fukiko. And there is also the strong girls friendship. Moreover, both have especial retro atmosphere, good music and style. 

A kind, pure-hearted high school girl is surprisingly chosen as a member for an elite society within the school during her first year. She then faces discrimination from other students who are jealous of her position and consider her to be unworthy, despite it being against her will anyway. The series are both narrated by the main character in the form of monologues in letters being written or discussions with her pet cat. 

Pivotal sports classics that would set the standard for the genre, both on the shonen and shojo sides of the spectrum