Cross Game

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Alternative Titles

Japanese: クロスゲーム

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Information

Type: TV

Episodes: 50

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Apr 5, 2009 to Mar 28, 2010

Premiered: Spring 2009

Broadcast: Sundays at 10:00 (JST)

Producers: TV Tokyo, Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions

Licensors: None found, add some

Studios: SynergySP

Source: Manga

Genres: Drama, Romance, Sports

Themes: School, Team Sports

Demographic: Shounen

Duration: 23 min. per ep.

Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Statistics

Score: 8.38¹ (scored by 50,958 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #193²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #1770

Members: 124,477

Favorites: 3,047

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Synopsis

Kou Kitamura and Aoba Tsukishima are often at odds—even though their families happen to be close friends and business partners. Although the only child of a sports shop owner, Kou has never been interested in playing baseball. Despite this, he possesses an impressive batting ability honed by frequent visits to the local baseball batting center run by the Tsukushima family. On the other hand, Aoba loves to play baseball and is a star player with exceptional pitching form.

However, these two seemingly complete opposites share something very important to them—Wakaba Tsukishima, Aoba's older sister and Kou's destined sweetheart. Admired by the quarrelsome duo, Wakaba often finds herself the catalyst to their never-ending rivalry. But whether or not they realize that they have more in common than either would care to admit, only time will tell. The game of baseball may just be what the pair needs to ultimately overcome their own personal struggles.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Adaptation:

Cross Game

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Kitamura, Kou

Main

Irino, Miyu
Japanese

Tsukishima, Aoba

Main

Tomatsu, Haruka
Japanese

Azuma, Yuuhei

Supporting

Sakurai, Takahiro
Japanese

Tsukishima, Wakaba

Supporting

Kanda, Akemi
Japanese

Akaishi, Osamu

Supporting

Nomura, Kenji
Japanese

Azuma, Junpei

Supporting

Madono, Mitsuaki
Japanese

Nomo

Supporting

Nozawa, Masako
Japanese

Tsukishima, Ichiyou

Supporting

Toyoguchi, Megumi
Japanese

Senda, Keiichirou

Supporting

Kishio, Daisuke
Japanese

Oukubo, Hiroko

Supporting

Kameoka, Mami
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Kyoutani, Tomomi

Assistant Producer

Sekita, Osamu

Director

Takadera, Takeshi

Sound Director

Kawaguchi, Keiichirou

Episode Director, Storyboard

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Opening Theme

"Summer Rain" by Kobukuro

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Ending Theme

	1: "Koikogarete Mita Yume (恋焦がれて見た夢)" by Ayaka (eps 1-13)
	2: "Orange Days (オレンジDays)" by SQUAREHOOD (eps 14-26)
	3: "Moeru You na Koi Janai Kedo (燃えるような恋じゃないけど)" by Tsuru (鶴) (eps 27-39)
	4: "Rehearsal (リハーサル)" by Natsuko Kondo (近藤夏子) (eps 40-49)
	5: "Koi Suru Otome (恋スル乙女)" by Natsuko Kondo (近藤夏子) (eps 50)

Reviews

Feb 5, 2024

faniloy

Recommended

I've devoured countless sports anime over the years, earning myself the label of "huge fan." From the iconic Slam Dunk, Haikyuu!! and Kuroko's Basketball to the gritty boxing of Hajime no Ippo and the innovative Megalo Box, I've explored both classics like Baby Steps and Ahiru No Sora and more obscure gems like One Outs, Prince of Tennis, and Yowamushi Pedal. The list truly goes on!

What defines a sports anime for me? It's about taking the main protagonist on a journey fueled by a dream. They'll encounter weaknesses, self-doubt, and seemingly insurmountable obstacles. But gradually, they'll overcome them all. Along the way, they'll meet friendly ... rivals and supportive seniors, forging bonds as they train, learn, and grow together. Ultimately, self-improvement becomes a shared goal.

This journey toward achieving their dream is packed with drama, imagination, and exhilarating highs and gut-wrenching lows. Emotional narratives unfold, layered with character backstories, competitive tournaments, and intense training camps that all contribute to a complete and satisfying story. Almost all the sports anime I've watched have been crafted around such themes.

Some anime stories have touched me emotionally. With some characters, I have felt a sense of unity. However, no anime had made my eyes well up until I watched "Cross Game." But from the first episode of Cross Game, I have been profoundly emotional. I mean, right from the beginning of the story, I couldn't take such a massive blow. And throughout the entire anime, there was a constant thread of that impact. I can't count how many times tears welled up in my eyes while watching the whole anime.

"Cross Game" wasn't just another sports anime for me; it unlocked a new understanding of the genre. It transcended the typical "zero to hero" narrative and delved into the raw emotions and struggles intertwined with sports. While some may argue that the focus leans more towards sentimentality, I found it to be the most realistic sports anime I've experienced.

Instead of portraying characters magically achieving ultimate victory, "Cross Game" depicted the grit of realistic growth. It explored the yearning for dreams and finding contentment, not just in triumph, but in the journey itself. While others may have different interpretations and desires, "Cross Game" resonated deeply with me, offering invaluable lessons beyond the playing field.

This anime went beyond the bounds of athletic competition. It tackled profound themes: grief, acceptance, resilience, goal-setting, perseverance, and ultimately, achieving one's aspirations. The masterful blend of these elements, interwoven with a tender love story, elevated "Cross Game" to a level of extraordinary beauty. That's why it holds such a cherished place in my heart.

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Apr 13, 2024

Whe3333

Mixed Feelings

Spoiler-less, TL;DR, fast, simple, and easy-to-digest review:

Ball, Strike, Out

5/10

Animation? Ok (+)
For 2009 release, the animation ain't that bad... just below average. The artsyle doesn't have much details and relied on simplicity. The art reminds me of Doraemon and other children-oriented animes.

Characters? Ok (+)
They are mid at best. Most characters have very slow character development, including the main cast. Kou is bland, Aoba is insufferable, Azuma is as bland as Kou but cooler... I guess, Senda is annoying, Akaishi is a friend you want when you are being bullied, and the rest are just NPCs. They have very slow skill development given that they have 50 ...

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Feb 15, 2023

PixelB

Not Recommended

Funny

Cross Game humors itself to be a sports anime. It's not. This show is ABSOLUTELY NOT a sports show. It tricks you into thinking that it is something that it is not. While 80% of the show or more has focused on the "theme" of baseball, the reality is that it might as well be nothing. 80% of this show is absolutely nothing. It's too generic. People just throw balls and practice. There are no play-by-play games. Not a single game is described in detail. A large majority of games are skipped off-screen. People run. Coaches talk and do knocking drills. People hit balls. ... There are no descriptors. At all. I'm convinced that Mitsuru Adachi, the author of Cross Game, can't write any compelling baseball manga.

See, a baseball anime would actually have details about the damn games. There would be play-by-plays. Monologues of players at bat, the catcher's monologues of the calling of the game, and the pitcher's monologue of his own mental state of mind are shown. This is especially so when games are in tense situations. Not all plays should so slow-paced and detailed, but certainly, for the exciting showdowns, this stuff is pretty normal and necessary for a viewer to get invested in the play, characters, and stakes at hand. This show does none of that, and it extends to the entire cast of characters as well. In a sports show, each character should show their progression: their strengths and weaknesses, their struggles, and their eventual payoff for hard training. At the very least, the main characters should. I am well aware that characterizing 9 characters--an entire baseball team-- and other side characters is extremely tough while also trying to include baseball games and a plot. That being said, it's unacceptable that none of the characters have any shown progression in baseball. There are basically only four named characters on the baseball team of Seishuu Academy: Azuma, Kitamura, Akaishi, Nakanishi, and Senda. Azuma's a batting genius. He's got no flaws, and never had a slump. He barely has any mishaps, and even in the final game in extra innings, he barely breaks a sweat. Kitamura's a pitching genius. He's only got one flaw, which is his lack of stamina, which also eventually gets phased out. That's it. Akaishi, Nakanishi, and Senda don't even get enough screen time for me to exactly pinpoint any flaws or strengths unless you consider Nakanishi to be fat and slow. You don't know any players' batting skills other than Azuma's, and you don't know what pitch types they prefer.

Is it not enough evidence that there's no attention to detail when you consider that the game-winning homerun doesn't even show you what type of pitch was being thrown, and what count it was at? There's no attempt at making this show's focus on baseball.

So the show clearly tries to distance itself from sports. What is it after? Romance? Slice of life? Characterization? Well, it dabbles in all of those aspects but also fails to deliver. Aoba and Kou's relationship really reminded me of Akane and Ranma's relationship in Ranma 1/2, which is a good thing, but there are basically no slice-of-life scenes outside of baseball-related activities. I hate to say it, but even the slapstick rom-com that Ranma 1/2 did was successful in character development and it achieved what it was trying to do, but what is Cross Game trying to do?

There's romance in this show, but it's very slow and unrewarding. Regardless, the only reason the romance ever progresses is because of forced drama. There are a lot of dramatic situations that force people to expose fragility in order for the show and characters to progress, and it's just lame. As I said, there are no slice-of-life scenes, there's forced drama to increase tension in the shallow baseball games and romance, and all of these genres are half-baked in the show. There's no identity.

if the show decided to take one genre and stick with it, I'm sure the show would have been an enjoyable experience. Too bad it never does.

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Help: Cross Game filler episodes? JoNuttanon1994 - Dec 28, 2023	6 replies	by zckfox »» Dec 28, 2023 5:51 PM
Poll: Cross Game Episode 2 Discussion ( 1 2 ) BlowITA - Apr 12, 2009	66 replies	by -mmdll- »» Oct 9, 2023 7:43 AM
Poll: Cross Game Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) fanty - Apr 5, 2009	194 replies	by Ethan348 »» Jul 3, 2023 3:30 PM
Cross Game Soundtrack falph - Apr 5, 2010	8 replies	by StewedBeefHaunch »» Jun 18, 2023 2:04 PM
Poll: Cross Game Episode 50 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) tsubasalover - Mar 27, 2010	279 replies	by animejas »» Apr 27, 2023 1:45 PM

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Kitamura, Kou

Tsukishima, Aoba

Azuma, Yuuhei

Tsukishima, Wakaba

Akaishi, Osamu

Azuma, Junpei

Nomo

Tsukishima, Ichiyou

Senda, Keiichirou

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