Ranked #203

Touch

Touch rightfully stands out as one of the best made series that earns the title of classic among anime. From the work of Adachi Mitsuru, he brings out an example of how a simple concept in a sports/romance series can provide great results in execution and writing.

As mentioned earlier, the story of Touch is based on a simple concept that is easy to follow. It is mainly a coming of age story where characters participate in the area of sports (mainly baseball) along with dealing the events that happen in their lives. One thing that Touch truly achieve is how Adachi brought great writing in its story. Because the writing is consider that great, none of the 101 episodes would feel like a bad episode to the viewer. To add with the enjoyment of the story, there are also a few unexpected plot twists that may certainly stun the audience in its results.

It is also hard to believe seeing several characters well-developed in Touch, but ever since completing the series they were truly among that class. The story of Touch features three childhood friends growing up where an older brother (Tatsuya) wants to do nothing, an younger brother (Kazuya) who is a very talented pitcher in baseball, and the cute girl (Minami) who lives next door. Tatsuya brings out a good performance such as providing humor and never falling out of character. This was obviously necessary to the story, especially when it comes to dealing with the shadow of his talented younger brother Kazuya. Minami (who enjoys managing the Meisei baseball team) also deals with situations such as her school popularity, her participation in gymnastics, and deciding who to be with in a romantic relationship.

Some of the supporting characters also manage to bring quite a lot to the story of Touch. One supporting character that has done well in his performance is the baseball catcher Koutarou. Koutarou's performance weighs on how supportive he is with the Meisei baseball team along with having a strong friendship with Kazuya. Another supporting character that brings out a solid performance is Harada who tends to provide advice to Tatsuya in making decisions. There is also the antagonist Kashiwaba Eijiro who ends up being a challenge to the Meisei baseball team in order to achieve his own agenda.

The one major setback viewers may have with Touch is the animation being dated, especially since this was a series made from the 80's. Being a witness of Adachi's works, his character designs are not all that great but they do seem to fit the image of being acceptable in a series such as this one. The background drawings visually were nice enough to look up at in Touch.

The sound department is mainly good in its results but it also has its setbacks from times in Touch. The opening and ending songs feature an assortment of 80's music that are mainly good tunes to listen to. Some examples of good songs would include the gentle music of "Kimi ga Inakereba", the upbeating music of "Che! Che! Che!", and a great song called "Kimi wo Tobashita Gogo" (which this reviewer thought was an appropriate closure song for a long series like Touch). From the scenes of Touch, some bgms manage to fit while other bgms do feel out of place at times. The seiyus also brought great performances with their characters, especially when providing their emotions in certain scenes.

Despite the animation being dated at times, Touch is certainly a sports/romance series that provides great results in both story and characters. For those that are fans of sports/romance genres, Touch is one series that is worth checking out. read more

I'm sort of surprised there isn't a review for this show already. This is really a great show. It's defenitely a classic.

Story
The story itself may not sound extremely original, but the way that it develops is excellent. The main focus of the series is the growth of the main character, Tatsuya. His brother, Kazuya, is the ace pitcher of the baseball team and everyone loves him. Both him and his brother like the same girl, Minami. Over the series, Tatsuya tries to make himself a better man for Minami, with a lot of influence from his brother Kazuya. The show has a lot of romance in it, as well as sports, but there is a good balance. Also, the dramatic parts of the story are done so well, but not overdramatized. The first 26 episodes focus on the relationship between the brothers and Minami, but after that it focuses on Tatsuya becoming part of the baseball team. It really feels like a slice of life anime when you're watching it. The series covers 3 years, but the pacing is perfect.

Animation
For a show that was made in 1985, the animation is really nice. It's simple, yes, and the character designs arent flashy. However, the animation itself is great. The movement of the characters while they are doing sports, or anything, is dead on. There aren't many "repeated" scenes over and over again, and if they are they're not too noticeable. The quality of animation is also consistent throughout. I personally also liked the simplistic character designs and feel of the show.

Sound
Nothing to out of ordinary here. You have your typical 80's pop songs for intro and ending songs. In the show there is a lot of classical music (like chopin) when Kazuya listens to his records or Minami does gymnastics. Aside from that the background music is fitting to the show, but does not really stand alone well. The voice actors are very good though, and extremely fitting to their roles. Tastuya and Minami's seiyuu's were great.


Character
The character development in this show is huge. Throughout the show you see the growth of the characters. Tatsuya undergoes the most growth since he is the main character, but Minami and other characters (even some of the minor characters) grow and change throughout the series. The only downside was the fact that you never really got to know all the members on the baseball team, which happens a lot with sports related shows. However, all the characters in this show are great.


Enjoyment
I enjoyed this series so much. There was not really any filler (besides a few recap episodes which would have been necessary for people following the show weekly) and each episode was interesting. The story never really seemed to drag, and even though there were times where you got frustrated at certain situations, they always turned out fine in the end. DON'T avoid this show because you dont like sports. the sports may be a crucial part to the story, but it defenitely does not have your typical "sports anime" feeling. Same with the romance. The romance in the show is really important, but it's not a "romance anime".

Overall
This show was really well done. At first, I was hooked by the romantic rivalry between the two brothers. However, as the story progressed i got hooked into seeing how Tatsuya would change by becoming part of the baseball team. The story itself is really good and I think it's defenitely worth watching. Don't be scared because it's an old series, it's defenitely a classic that should be watched by all! :) read more