High school student Yawara Inokuma enjoys a thoroughly contented and uneventful existence. She dreams of leading a conventional life as a refined young woman with a good-looking boyfriend in the near future. To Yawara's misfortune, she possesses an unwanted, exceptional aptitude for Judo, a contemporary martial art that is neither ladylike nor trendy. Furthermore, Yawara is the sole granddaughter of Jigorou Inokuma, a seventh-dan Judo master who anticipates her becoming a Japanese Judo superstar in the '90s. Yawara carefully conceals her physical power from others to preserve her ordinary standing, yet she is frequently forced into circumstances where she must utilize her Judo abilities. Watching Yawara's vast potential from the sidelines, Kousaku Matsuda, a sports journalist for a low-tier newspaper, is prepared to do whatever it takes to thrust her into the spotlight.