Story: 10 - Diamond no Ace is without a doubt the best Sports-Baseball anime ever. Diamond no Ace : Second Season is the continuation of Seidou's journey to win the Koushien. It also shows the path of Sawamura Eijun to become the ace and the best pitcher in all of japan.But the show provides us more than just following Sawamura's journey; we basically get an overall glimpse of how high school baseball in Japan. This show has taken time to progress , and over the 109 episodes (Season 1 - 75 ep , Season 2 - 34 ep) we have seen the development of Sawamura and Seidou over the time.
And one thing that I love about Diamond no Ace is the SUSPENCE. The DnA knows hows to build up suspense leading up to the final scene in every episode..
Art: 8 - The art is great. It is difficult to not like it. Overall, I have no complaints about the art , the only reason I did not give a higher rating is because I have seen more unique and well-made art-styles among the animes I watched so I the outcome was a 8/10 as you see.
The baseball-playing scenes are very well-done especially some of the pitches which are animated showing clear movement of the ball (slow-mo shots of how the ball moves, or a clear arrow-like streak of light to see the course of the ball). Especially Sawamura's unique pitching form is well done. I never tire of seeing it. In later episodes, we also get to see how genius of a catcher Miyuki is with a few amazing saves.
Because comedy is a big part of this show, sometimes we'll see chibi forms pop out now and then, or sudden solid-colored background changes (with sfx and the like) when the mood switches suddenly from serious to funny.
Overall, the animation gives off a very shounen-like vibe: we get to see red-colored and blue-colored demon eyes for when they're fired up, players aura engulfing their bodies like a flame when they're pumped up, etc.
Sound: 10 - It is just the best. Madhouse has fitted every scene with the right and most fitting sound effects. Specially in the BGM, I found that madhouse has done a really great job of mixing the sound with each moment and situation. I could feel the intensity and suspense of the game from the screen. Also, I'd like to include that the voice actors has a done a great job of voice acting. their voices fits the characters almost perfectly.
As for the OP & ED, I loved the OP HEROES" by Glay (frm eps 4-26) and ED "KIMERO!!" by OxT (frm eps 4-13) and "BLUE WINDING ROAD" which was great to hear and for sometime it had me humming and singing.
Character: 10 - All of them are great. But only 4 cast including the main character is the most eye catching of them all. Believe me, the supporting characters are not inferior. Just that these 4 characters shine more brightly than others.
Sawamura is the loud, cheerful, wears his heart on his sleeve kind of guy. So what kind of quirk does he have that makes him the Main Character? He's a southpaw (left-handed) pitcher and has a peculiar pitch (both of which make him a unique type of player). But, even though he's unique he isn't the type of MC that's super-talented right from the start, he doesn't suddenly "power up" in the middle of a game, is unstoppable and wins all the matches; on the contrary, he gets into Seidou and quickly realises it's not as easy as he thought to become the ace because there are other people there who are more skilled than him. He falters during important moments, and even if he doesn't get back up immediately, he does eventually pick himself up and learns to move on. In other words, he accepts that he has a lot of faults, and this is what makes him so likeable and seem more human. Though a bit of an idiot (well, a big idiot), he works hard, values friendship, supports the team and always puts 120% in everything that he does. And the best part for me, he's unpredictable. Just when you think he's turning the corner and well on his way to becoming the ace, he messes up a play or does something really silly. I'm always on edge with him.
Miyuki, the genius catcher, is personality-wise, almost the exact opposite of Sawamura, except for the cheerful part. He's as crafty and intelligent as they come and though on the outside he's always smiling, he has a bit of a dark side. He's like the evil genius.
Furuya is our Main Character's rival for the ace spot. At first glance, he looks like the cool and collected type of person, also; but after a while I found him to be an adorable idiot as well: not being able to catch a simple throw and his insta-snooze reaction amongst others.
Last but not least of our main cast quartet, is Haruichi. Character-design wise, he's the cutest one. Specially love his new haircut. And though he might be cute, he's one amazing baseball player: not only is he a batting prodigy, but an exceptional fielder as well. At the same time, he's so humble and shy. Cuteness overload!
And then we have the other Seidou members, who all play an important role in the show. All have distinctive and quirky personalties and you will grow attached to at least one after watching Diamond no Ace.
Enjoyment: 9 - So far I have been watching Diamond no Ace every week from Season 1. Whenever I'm watch it can always expect a good dose of humour interlaced with the appropriate amount of emotional moments and also a killer cliff-hanger. And what Diamond no Ace has no fillers and each episode is filled with action or drama.
Also, the funny moments are funny, they never ruin the atmosphere, they actually make it more interesting.And what makes it more enjoyable, is the details about the training, and how every character has a specialty, and even though they support each other, they're rivals as well.
Overall: 10 - Diamond no Ace is a great anime I recommend if you like to explore new genres or if you like anime like Haikyuu , Kuroko no Baske , Prince of Tennis and ... in other words fo sports anime fans. I'd say this is amust watch.
