Turkey anime plays the biggest UNO reverse card with first episode

Going into the Summer 2025 anime season, animation studio Bakken Record announced a new original anime, Turkey! Time to Strike. As seen in the promotional materials, the anime was originally marketed as a bowling anime. However, the anime played the biggest UNO reverse card on its audience with the conclusion of its first episode.

Turkey! Time to Strike, also called Turkey! in Japan, is an original television anime series directed by Susumu Kudo and written by Naomi Hiruta. The anime centers on the five members of the Ikkokukan High School Bowling Club as they navigate their way through the Sengoku period.

Original anime Turkey reveals its true plot

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As anime fans must be aware, Bakken Record's new original anime, Turkey, was originally marketed as an anime about a girls' high school bowling club. And, as marketed, the anime opened with that plot. While Mai and her friends prioritized having fun during their bowling club activities, team member Rina prioritized winning. This rift saw Rina leave the team, hoping to play with people who were more focused on winning.

In response, Mai played a game with Rina, a win in which would see Rina return to the team. Unfortunately, with Mai's loss, she failed in her mission. Soon after, just as Mai tried to knock down the "snake eye" in front of her, the bowling ball started glowing, pulling Mai towards the pins. All the members of the club tried to catch hold of Mai. However, the bowling ball did not budge and transported the five girls to the Sengoku period.

Mai Otonashi as seen in Turkey! Time to Strike (Image via Bakken Record)

Soon after, the series' official sources revealed the anime's original plot, which was about a group of girls from a high school bowling club being sent back in time to the Warring States period in Japan. As expected, the audience never expected such a development and expressed their surprise online.

Fans' reaction to Turkey anime's plot switch

Most anime fans were surprised by the sudden change in plot as they never expected an anime to change its setting in the first episode.

With that, several fans expressed their newfound interest in the series. Many fans also added that such possibilities were why one must always watch original anime.

"For once.....hmmph.....an isekai has my attention!," one fan said.

"This is why you always watch original anime," another fan added.

"But why? I just wanted a nice bowling anime," another fan said.

"Wow what a crazy twist I’m glad you spoiled it the day it released :)," other fan said.

Meanwhile, other fans weren't so pleased with the plot change. Some anime fans genuinely wanted to watch an anime about bowling, but were left disappointed to learn that the story was something different.

As for other fans, they disliked how people were spoiling the story's suspense on the day of its release. Hence, they decided not to watch the anime.

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About the author

Gokul has been an anime writer in Pop Culture division at Sportskeeda since 2022. His love for watching anime and his interest in the ever-growing anime industry inspire Gokul to produce insightful content about the genre on a daily basis. He holds a Master's degree in Communication & Journalism, and has worked for close to 3.5 years in the field.

Gokul likes to thoroughly research about the anime he is writing about and only credits a source after verifying its credibility. He loves the popular Shonen anime, Black Clover, for its memorable characters and their development throughout the story.

When not racking his brain behind his next anime story, Gokul likes to play video games, read manga, and play football.

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Edited by Gokul Chettiyar