One Outs

“Nobody wins, but I!”, the subtitle of the series, couldn’t be more accurate.

One Outs is the story of the extremist gambler Toua Tokuchi, his battle to completely crush his opponents in the Japanese Pacific Baseball League and, perhaps less importantly to the pitcher, earn a beefy salary while doing so. While advantageous, and likely to increase one's enjoyment of the series, a deep knowledge of the sport of Baseball is not required. Make no mistake; the series is first and foremost about the character, rather than the vehicle used to display his feats.

The story begins in the island of Okinawa, with the star player ... of the Lycaons, Kojima Hiromichi, training for the upcoming season in the hopes of leading the dismal team to the championships. It is here the title game is revealed to be a betting competition between batter and pitcher, with both sides attempting to overwhelm and suppress the other respectively. Tokuchi is revealed to be the undisputed king of the game, and through multiple matches with Lycaons members and Kojima himself, Tokuchi loses his first contest yet and agrees to join the Lycaons at the behest of Kojima, who believes he can lead the team to victory.

It is here that the primary antagonist is revealed, and the driving gamble of the series is set. The Lycaons team owner, Saikawa, is only concerned with money and the return he can get on stadium seating compared to his losses from expenses such as the players salary. As an all-too-intriguing prospect to Tokuchi and Saikawa, the One Outs contract is formed, granting Tokuchi 5,000,000 yen for every out he acquires as pitcher, but a deduction of 50,000,000 yen for every run he gives up. Thus the stage is set for a battle between the two, whilst Tokuchi also has to deal with the other teams in the league and the various methods he must dispel to win the game with a profit. A fun and smart little addition to the series is the revealed sum of Tokuchi’s current salary, usually given after every few games, to give the viewer an idea of just how much the strategist is escaping with.

Toua Tokuchi (And his very black & white view of winning & losing) is very much the star here, with even the over-lording antagonist being delegated to a role of being completely outwitted and shocked at each loss. In this sense, the series is very much like another oft-compared Madhouse anime, Akagi (In fact, both characters share the same voice actor, Masato Hagiwara). The spotlight is always on the overly-confident, cold-blooded genius, and you seldom if ever really feel like he’s going to lose, no matter what the predicament. If this isn’t your type of thing, One Outs might not be right for you, and another Madhouse gambling series, Kaiji, is likely more up your alley. Secondary characters such as Kojima and the catcher, Satoshi Ideguchi, essentially act as reasons for Tokuchi to explain his plans, though they occasional prove useful on their own, and the owner is always most concerned with ways to recoup his losses on the games with Tokuchi.

The rival teams all have various methods for victory, from star players to expert strategy to outright cheating, and watching these plans be revealed, falter, and be destroyed in kind by Tokuchi’s insight never gets tiring. The extents of the wild gambler’s methods are seen to truly reach their peak during the team’s third match with most powerful squad in the league, the Mariners. As if controlling puppets on a string, he turns the game into a farce just barely within the rules, with both teams striving for errors and various other foul plays in a race against time. Another example has him practicing the principles of “an eye for an eye”, responding to an intentional pitch thrown to injure him with throwing the bat at the pitcher during his swing. As all the teams have multi-layered paths to their own victory, the three-game series’ are never over too quickly, as both sides continually adjust in an attempt to corner the other. Many of the “tricks” aren’t easy to discern by oneself, and will paste a smile on your face or have you laughing manically upon the eventual reveal and Tokuchi subsequently using it against the opponents.

The series artwork is fairly realistic, with exception of characters like the Manager and Assistant Manager who are drawn in the fashion of comic relief. The series makes use of a few foreign (Essentially American) players as well, and draw then is somewhat stereotypical fashion, but still utilizing good designs. It seems Madhouse also wanted to appeal to female otaku in the series as well, with the OP housing continual shots of Tokuchi shirtless and looking aloof.

The audio work in One Outs is fitting, but the musical side never really rises above. It all fits great in the series and never feels out of place, but it’s also not really a soundtrack you would listen to outside of the anime. The voice acting is done really well, with Tokuchi’s voice actor, Masato Hagiwara, easily stealing the show thanks to his familiarity in the role (And gambling anime in general) thanks to his previous work as the title characters in Akagi and Kaiji. The Lycaons manager also performs admirably in his efforts at comic relief, making it a bit hard not to chuckle every time he calls for a “safety bunt-o”.

The series provides everything a viewer could want in a series based on mental and/or gambling, and the use of baseball allows all 25 episodes to remain fresh thanks to the numerous ways the rules can be warped and the loopholes that can be exploited. Anyone looking for series revolving around plans, schemes, and overall mental talent will certainly not be disappointed.

So, One Outs is an anime about sports, right? Hell no! Its about Tokuchi owning everyone and kicking their asses! Its very similar to Akagi, so if you enjoyed that the chances are VERY slim that you wont enjoy this one as well!

Story
Well, the story itself isnt really anything special, Its about Tokuchi Toua who is a genius pitcher. He kinda gets forced to join the lowly ranked Lycaons baseball team. Of course his goal is to make their team start winning their matches. So the basic story is pretty ordinary as you can see, but there are two things that makes the whole thing ... a lot more interesting. The first is how the matches are played. The Lycaons opponents always have better players overall, or some kind of ace up their sleeve and one team is even cheating. Now its Tokuchis job to destroy these opponents using his brilliant mind. Thats right, One Outs is actually more about strategies and mind games than actuall baseball.

The second twist is that Tokuchi gets 5 000 000 yen for every out he pitches, but loses 50 000 000 yen for every point he gives up. And the Lycaons manager cares more about making money out of Tokuchi than winning the actuall games, so he tries to make his own team lose! So outsmarting the other teams is not enough for Tokuchi, he has to fight on two fronts also preventing the manager from ruining the games with his interference. This puts Tokuchi in all kinds of impossible situations, but he always succeeds in coming up with a counter-strategy, and watching this is a blast! The best part is that all of Tokuchis strategies makes perfect sense after they are explained! You never feel like the creators are cheating and leaving out unexplained or logically invalid bits and pieces.

Art
Not a particularly interesting point. Its good, it does the job, it doesnt bother you.

Sound
Not that this matters or affects the score in anyway, but Ill still say it: The OP was pretty good, I actually watched it which I often dont. But of course the important stuff is the bgm and the voices. And well, I have no complaints, they were both very good. The music fit in great with the intense and exciting atmosphere.

Character
Ok, Tokuchi himself is awesome. He is one of the most badass characters ever. Nothing ever fazes him. Even if the situation is looking extremely bad he still remains cold and calculating, soon to be delivering his new plan that will eliminate all his obstacles. The thing is that the other characters are not even half as interesting. They are either tools for him to use, or obstacles for him to completely destroy, using these tools. And thats pretty much it. Of course it doesnt really matter seeing how the point of the show is watching when Tokuchi kicks ass.

Enjoyment
This show never really gets boring. You know Tokuchi is always going to win, but it doesnt matter, because seeing him in action is just too freakin awesome. Also, finding out HOW he will to get out of all the imossible situations and what kind of strategies he comes up with, is another important part. The only complaint here is that it is a bit slow sometimes, but you get so caught up in it that it doesnt really matter at all.

So, One Outs is a show about mind games and tricks more than baseball, and if you like that kind of stuff you must try this one. And yeah, if you like badass characters owning everyone then thats another reason to watch this. Even if you dont give it a try, because its awesome!

DISCLAIMER: I wrote this when I was maybe 15 or 16, and while I still think One Outs is repetitive and boring, I think a lot of my criticisms here are unfair. Still, I will not be taking this review down because I like it when One Outs fans come to the comments in my profile and act like there's something here worth debating about. Why don't you go to war for an anime that's actually worth something? Anyways, please enjoy this juvenile rant.


Shit.

I cannot express to you my level of disbelief at the fact that so many people gave this show a rating above ... 6. This show has to be the most stinking pile of shit I have ever seen in my favourite genre of anime: sports. And I know what people are going to say. "Oh but dude, this isn't a typical sports anime! You just don't understand baseball! You just don't understand Tokuchi Toua's intelligence!" This is false. You would have to be a mentally impaired slug to not understand Tokuchi Toua's intelligence after watching this series. In fact, that's basically the only thing that you take away from this series, besides a pretty decent OP and ED.


Characters:

There are none. No, wait, that's incorrect. There is one. One character. His name is Tokuchi Toua. He is the only person in the whole show. He is the only person in the entire world with a mind that is capable of functioning. Yes that was me exaggerating. But not really. The only reason any other character exists is to highlight Tokuchi Toua's godlike, incomparable intelligence. So let's give the cast a name. I propose, "Tokuchi Toua and His Bunch of Braindead Bitches." Because everyone is his braindead bitch. Not just the players on the team, but the manager, the owner, the players on the other team, and maybe even his parents for all the fuck I know. This wouldn't be as much of a problem if they at least gave us some backstory, some insight into Tokuchi's past that lets us see what made him this way. Anything that shaped his personality. But NO! God forbid we get a backstory on the only character worth caring about! Let's get backstories on characters that disappear after 3 episodes! Like that cheating manager! Or that shitty catcher! You know, they tell us that he's been playing One Outs his whole life, but they don't explain how he knows so fucking much about baseball. I'm just left to assume, but I won't dwell on that because it's not a very big complaint of mine. Hold up, did I mention that Tokuchi Toua is the perfect human being? That he is perfect in every sense of the word and nothing he does is incorrect? Because that's exactly how it seems. At the very beginning they tell us that, "despite his slow pitches, he still wins because he plays with other people's minds!" Which is fine, until you realize that he can, indeed, pitch fast. Fast enough to get the fastest baseball runner in the world out. He was hiding that trick all along. No mind games needed here. No weird tactics. Nothing. So yeah TL;DR, Tokuchi Toua is the everything and everybody else is either his bitch, an evil cunt, or both.


Music:

Usually one of my favourite parts about an anime but fuck. There's nothing here. I like the OP and ED, but besides that all there is is a bunch of bland, forgettable, funk tracks. And some atmospheric stuff I guess. Shit.


Story:

Interesting premise, I'll give it that. It starts off really strong, and basically has me hooked up until about episode 10-12, where I realize that every game they play is the same shit. The same predictable outcomes. I'll admit it is entertaining to watch the process by which Tokuchi arrives to victory, but if you don't know much about baseball and if you don't like sports/psychological anime, then I don't think you would enjoy this anime past the 8 episode mark.


Themes:

Not even the most basic and easy themes to explore are even hinted at in this anime. The theme of teamwork and unity to achieve a certain goal or purpose, the theme of never giving up regardless of how the odds are against you. These are all themes that are prevalent in sports anime, and I'm not saying all anime should follow genre conventions, but if you're going to choose between following a convention and not doing anything at all, I'd usually say go the conventional route. Teamwork can't be explored because they chose to replace characters with the cast of, "Tokuchi Toua's tools to triumph." In case you haven't noticed, I love alliteration.


TL;DR don't watch unless you absolutely adore baseball or psychological anime. And even then don't expect much.

"Winner takes all. This is the universal rule of battle." - Toua Tokuchi.

One Outs, for the most part, only caught my attention after I was looking for similar titles to the recent sports anime, Diamond no Ace. After taking a look at the synopsis I considered it and put it in plan-to-watch only to start and end it months later but in a rather very quick time.

The story sets off in the island of Okinawa, where the pinch-hitter of the struggling and fictional Lycaons team, Kojima Hiromichi, heads off to form a training camp in hopes of reclaiming the ultimate prize that is ... the Japanese Baseball Championship. When a minor league pitcher who trains with Kojima gets injured, him and Kojima's trainer are forced to look for a replacement, but this is when they run into a group of people who seem to play a shady game of gambling related to Baseball, named "One Outs". It's apparently a one-on-one between the batter and the pitcher but with money on the line. After completely losing out to a mysterious pitcher named Toua Tokuchi, Kojima arrives at the scene next day to avenge his teammates and find this mysterious pitcher and defeat him. Things don't go as planned for him though as even he is completely beaten by Tokuchi and is forced to conceal himself from the people for a week. After some days, though, Kojima finally returns and seeks a rematch with Tokuchi Toua once again. This time though, he urges Tokuchi that he'd retire from professional Baseball at once if he loses, but then tells Tokuchi that if he wins he'd take an arm off Tokuchi in order to make sure he never gambles on Baseball again. Tokuchi promptly agrees to the deal and faces off with Kojima once again. Circumstances make Tokuchi lose his first ever "One Outs" game and readily offers his arms to Kojima, but he tells that he never said he'd "break" his arm but simply "take it" as he grasps Tokuchi's right arm. Kojima urges Tokuchi, who has exceptional potential in Baseball, to join his team Lycaons and help them to win the Championship. Thus beginning his first step towards professional Baseball. Not long after he meets the Owner of the Lycaons, who refuses to give up any significant amount of salary to Tokuchi for his yet unknown abilities, Tokuchi then proposes an unusual ordeal, he tells that for every out he pitches, he'd get 5,000,000 yen but loses 50,000,000 yen for every run he gives up.

Regarding the artwork of the series as we move on, I have come across a few criticism's that it's pretty poor and not aesthetically pleasing. I, however, believe it's the opposite of that where the art actually stands out on top. I'm not an avid reader of Manga's and haven't read the One Outs manga either, but I can say that the art is top-notch throughout the series. It was indeed the striking poster of Tokuchi Toua that got me interested in it, and it isn't any different in the anime either, full marks for that. And I'm not comparing the two by any means but if you see the artwork of Death Note, a similar and much popular psychologically-hit anime and One Outs, you could say that it's Death Note that lacked a bit in art. This is just my opinion though, anyway.

Moving on to the Opening and Ending themes of One Outs as well as the soundtrack, which are pretty okay in comparison to the whole anime. They both practically just do the standard work of an opening and an ending theme, that's pretty much how I'd put it. The ending theme however was pretty good and made me search for the full version on Youtube and it was pretty nice.

The show is fully centered around our mastermind Tokuchi Toua, and the Owner being the antagonist. In terms of enjoyment, One Outs never disappoints and it kept me in the edge of my seat throughout the entire series. Game after game you are left astounded by the various shrewd and astute tactics by Tokuchi Toua.

It was only long after since I actually came across this anime for the first time that I started watching. And I managed to finish it off in a week but was left astounded as to what a great gem of a show this is. Compared to its various psychological thriller hits, its highly underrated and mostly overlooked just because it's based on the concept of Baseball and not many people are aware of the game. That being said I can guarantee you that you don't need to have a deep knowledge of the sport.

Diamond no Ace is the only other Baseball anime that I've watched so far and before that and I should say that STILL I have not a very complex idea on how Baseball works. Though I have learnt a fair amount of things. If you seek a mind-bending anime with a sharp-witted and easily likeable character with godly skills, One Outs is definitely worth checking out. If it turns out the way as it did for me, you'll love it for sure.

Pen is mightier than sword, that is what we learn from one outs. From the synopsis one may be confused that Is this baseball? Is this chess? Is this gambling? The answer is Nope its not, its ONE OUTS. Bored of animes with cliche MC, who either suck at everything and gradually develops into a strong character or suddenly gets a powerboost to defeat all his foes, or in the name of friends brings out some kind of hidden power, and stuff, then u r definitely looking for this awesomesauce.

Baseball as a sports isn't popular in my country, as such I dont even know all ... the rules of the game. The ongoing anime Diamond no Ace which is also a baseball anime inspired me and got me into the game, and as such I was expecting One Outs to be a similar sports genre anime. But I was gravely mistaken, and had to eat my words, because it was much more than that.

The best picture of one outs is this-What would happen if someone with IQ 200+ starts pitching in a baseball game? The answer is you get one outs. "Cool" "Awesome" "Incredible" "Mindblowing" these mere words are just not enough. "One outs" the title of the anime cant exactly bring out its epicness, rather the subtitle fairly does "nobody wins but I". The main reason  for all this is the additional psychological genre which grills our mind.

Animation and sound 8/10
Considering this to be a 2009 anime, the animation is pretty decent, but obviously not at the level of present animes. But it is not something which will burn up ur eyes, so this shouldn't be a barrier for watching the anime. As for osts and opening, these were cool, and conveyed the atmosphere in the most appreciable way which fits the genre.

Story 9/10 :
For the story, it is the most difficult part to explain without spoiling a bit. Almost the whole story revolves around the protagonist tokuchi, and the antagonist the Owner. The biggest defect of the story is that the introduction part was a bit long, other than that it follows a steady pace. So there is a miser owner, who gets into a contract with tokuchi, if tokuchi gets someone out, he gets 5 million yen, but if he gives up a run, he pays 50 million yen. The story is plain and simple he plays against his opponents, thats all. The story is kept interesting by showing us his tentative salary periodically, after each game. That said how the matches take place is quite amusing, and most often viewer will be tempted to say something like brilliant, and may have no words left for what comes next. As such the story mostly develops around the single protagonist tokuchi and how he distinguishes himself with his keen observational skills and high intellect. It conveys that skill is not the only important thing in a game such as baseball. Another aspect of the story is that there is always someone smart in the opponent team and rivals tokuchi.

Characters 8/10
The only character in focus is tokuchi, all others are sidelined and get less screen time. Apart from tokuchi there is the catcher Ideguchi who mostly serves to display the thought process of a common man, and brings out what is going through tokuchi's mind. Also there is the batter Kojima who plays a similar role, but in a rather sophisticated manner. And ofcourse we are also shown what the opponents are thinking. There is always one smart guy on the opposite team who partially sees through tokuchi's acts but what happens..... u need to watch the anime. Moreover there is the owner, his personal assistant, and chief, and the manager who mostly add to the comedy part. Tbh, this anime doesn't have comedy genre, yet I was forced to laugh on many occasions, especially due to the character's caricature done by the narrator. In fact narrator has done a very good job explaining many things.

Enjoyment 9/10
I enjoyed the series fully, tokuchi's character itself is brilliant, his tactics, his mind and his cunning behaviour. It was fun to see how his tricks succeeded, and the reactions of his opponents, and also that of the owner. I laughed a lot, on the incompetent manager, as well as on his teammates. I didn't regret a minute spent on it.
In the end, I couldnt give it a perfect 10, because it lacked two things. First is something, something which I can't recall, it is a silly thing, yet I can't recollect, Ah! I now remember, this lacks a SEQUEL. To get 10 it really needs a sequel.

Read the next para only if u have watched the series else skip the para.

Second, and the more important fact is this-- For the first 10 eps we are not shown what is going through tokuchi's mind. But after that we are shown what he is thinking giving us many clues and made it uninteresting. No doubt logic is a must in these kinds of anime, but the explanation were a bit too implicative. As a matter of fact I was able to predict 80% of the story from the clues presented. One may call it a positive factor which because the author states facts in a lucid yet tricky fashion, but on the other hand it may be referred to as a bit of cliche, because if u can predict the outcome the anime become less interesting. Other animes of the similar genre like death note were much more successful because unexpected things happened but in this case most of them are fact driven and if someone pays close attention they can decipher the whole anime. I know it is not a mystery genre, but nonetheless it became bit predictable in the latter half. I like it when the unexpected happens, in fact I expect the unexpected, but this became a bit low in the latter half. Not that it was 100% predictable or something, only a bit predictable. Nonetheless this fact can be easily overlooked and above all it is my personal opinion.

Overall 9/10
Finally, this has something which most animes lack, that is its knowledge of scientific facts. The anime lucidly explains psycology, physics, maths and some baseball terms. Many episodes come with a piercing quote from tokuchi, and his perception of winning.

So it doesnt really matter if u r some avid baseball fan, or simone with no prior knowledge of the sport, because it explains every detail. Moreover the suspense is also cool and it has got some of the best cliffhangers. All in one I would recommend this to anyone looking for a cool anime.

Oh boy, where to start. Well, to begin, if you enjoyed Kaiji and/or Akagi, you can stop reading this right now and go watch this show. If not, well, let's get down to it. One Outs is essentially a gambling show revolving around baseball. This would seem boring normally but the production team is apparently able to make even rock-paper-scissors exciting, so baseball can't be too bad. Though a generic sports anime on the surface, it shines in its characters and extremely unique approach to creating suspense. Hell, there's an episode where both teams have to LOSE the game in order to WIN it. It's ... only 11 episodes in so far but it's by far my favorite show this season. Go watch it.

One Outs was a baseball manga written by Kaitani Shinobu. It was adapted into an anime by our old friends at Madhouse, who brought us such classics as Black Lagoon, Petshop of Horrors and Rideback. Unfortunately, they've also been behind some of the worst anime I've ever seen such as Highschool of the Dead and Devil Hunter Yohko. I'm honestly not predicting their best work this time around, although a lot of that is more to do with the subject matter than anything else. I am not a person who cares about sports in the slightest. So, let's look at One Outs and see if ... it holds up in spite of my own apathy towards the material.

Story:

Our story opens with some minor league players at a training camp. After an injury destroys their pitcher's ability to throw balls at a guy with a stick, two of them go on a search for a new one. At this point they get lured to a gambling arena where people bet on whether or not a guy can hit a ball with a stick. The two lose a large amount of money and their friend, Kojima, who has won a bunch of awards with names that are meaningless to me, returns to challenge the pitcher who beat them, Tokuchi. He loses, but returns for a rematch, if he loses he'll retire, if he wins he'll take Tokuchi's hand so that he can never gamble using baseball again. Because a game that requires people to hit a ball with a stick and run in a square is serious business and not some kind of game.

In spite of a rather serious hand injury, Kojima wins, but instead of inflicting violence to take Tokuchi's hand, he recruits him as a pitcher to help his team, the Lycaons, win the championship. So, the basic plot is that a low ranking team aims for the championship? I haven't seen that plot since... every piece of sports media ever made, I think. To be fair, One Outs isn't typical in its execution. It uses Tokuchi's unusual contract with the game's owner as the primary source of tension instead of whether or not the team will win the big game. It also puts the focus, not on whether or not the Lycaons will win since basic pattern recognition gives it away, but on how they're going to win. Which is more interesting than it sounds since Tokuchi uses a lot of psychological manipulation and has to think of ways to outsmart his opponents while thwarting the owner's attempts to sabotage him.

The strategic aspects are pretty well handled in this anime, in spite of the rather trite plot. The series is also good at keeping the viewer's attention with various new elements and twists as well. However, the story telling isn't perfect. The biggest problem is the narrator. His entire job seems to be to give exposition. Which isn't so bad when it's used as a tool to skip through the boring bits, but it's also pretty unnecessary. You could cut out the dialogue for almost all of these scenes and lose nothing. There's also the issue of the plot itself. Even if the execution is unique, just about everyone knows exactly where it's going to go which does limit how much tension the series can have.

Characters:

The characters of One Outs are mixed. Tokuchi is a pretty interesting “magnificent bastard” type of character. The Lycaons' owner makes for a compelling antagonist as well. Ideguchi and Kojima are two-dimensional characters. They get some personality and develop a bit, but not a whole lot. The rest of the characters are pretty one-note. They're around and you might remember their names, but there isn't anything that really makes them unique or compelling. They're just “that guy who runs fast” or “that guy with glasses.”

One thing of note is that a lot of the antagonistic teams that Tokuchi and the Lycaons have to face are shown to have foreigners as their big guns. I'm not sure whether it's a demonstration of Xenophobia in which the great all-Japanese team has to face off against those foreign players who came from some unspecified location or it's just a coincidence. That being said, they do make it a point to bring the foreign players to the viewer's attention so the former seems more likely.

Art:

The art is pretty good, overall. The character designs are distinctive. The backgrounds are nicely detailed as well. That being said, there are some questionable art decisions. There are some ridiculously exaggerated expressions. For example, a “shocked” character might just open their mouth so wide they could fit their own head in there. Tokuchi also has an absurd hairstyle that makes him look like he's gone half super saiyan. I know, an anime with silly hair what an original concept.

Sound:

The acting in this is okay. It doesn't stand out in any way, but it's passable. The music is really effective when it comes to atmosphere. The tense moments have a score that perfectly emphasises the tension as do the victorious moments.

Ho-Yay:

There is none in this series. 1/10.

Final Thoughts:

In some ways, One Outs is a typical piece of sports media. Underdog team pushing for victory. In others, it's not at all typical. The battle of wits aspect works pretty effectively and the main protagonist is an interesting character, even if most of the side characters are really flat. Still, it has quite a bit of intrigue and I do recommend checking it out for the battle of wits, if you don't mind watching grown men act like hitting a ball with a stick is a pastime of dire importance or a predictable plot arc. Final rating, 6/10. Next week I'll look at Shining Tears x Wind.

"A low possibility doesn't mean its zero"
but the possibility of me having fun was too low.
This anime was painful to watch due to my poor knowledge of baseball and its obvious flaws, however i'll keep it short and simple :)

the story is nothing new.. A trash team trying to make to the top with the help of Tokuchi Toua a Bad ass genius manipulative gambler "Hisoka-ish" type of character who can read minds and body language.

the HUGE flaw in this anime was the character development, all of them made out to be absolute clueless idiots, both teammates and opponents
while ... in the other hand the blonde guy is perfect and unbelievably smart never breaks a sweat, always in god-mode always right and never struggle or show any signs of weakness

I wouldn't recommend it
there is not enough back stories, or hints of comedy or drama outside and inside the field, no relationship and friendship, no female characters, zero character development even the MC.. its just a slow boring anime trying so hard to be psychological and deep.

This anime was partially enjoyable, but my enjoyment was mostly overshadowed by what I see as failed potential. One Outs starts out with a world of potential with the interesting and enigmatic main character, genius pitcher Tokuchi Toua. The supporting characters are interesting as well and immediately given impressive backstory and development. The atmosphere seemed to be setting up for a great baseball journey and even the narrator promised that great unforeseen events would happen later on. However, after the first few introductory episodes the series levels out and becomes uninteresting focusing on one long match after another. Many people say this series is like ... Death Note with baseball. It is NOT like Death Note with baseball. There is a distinct lack of arch rivalry, but an abundance of Toua’s god mode. The series disappointed me because 1)Toua’s character never grows, changes, or gets a backstory, and 2) The matches got boring once I realized that they all followed one pattern:

Opponents: “Shenanigans! Let’s use dirty tricks, genius, mind games, cheating, and/or raw talent to try and make Toua lose!”
Toua : “Haha, nice try but I’m god” Toua then proceeds to own everyone.

This in and of itself is already an insult to the viewer, but it was made worse by making the matches long and trying to delude us into believing that Toua was actually taking risks and gambling, even though he was pretty much perfect. I’m ok with Gary Stu’s as long as the show is interesting and suspenseful, but unfortunately for me this show was boring. My breakdown will go into a little more detail about the qualities I liked and disliked in this series. There were some aspects I liked, but ultimately this was a frustrating watching experience.

Story
The series started off with great potential and a very interesting main character, but eventually plateaued. The plot doesn’t go very far and many episodes were spent on a single game. Over-emphasis on tricks, sneaky strategies and mind screwing.

Characters
Tokuchi Toua was always god-mode mind reading, always right, and always confident. We never get much depth into his charcter, thoughts or background. I like overpowered characters, but only if they come with a background, and at least the illusion of having struggles and growth. These things make it easier for the viewer to root for the character. Toua doesn’t seem to grow or learn anything. He’s just teaching and showing everybody else. He has an other-wordly quality to him that I really like. But in an anime like this where everything else and everyone else is realistic, it only contributed to the disconnect I felt with the show and with Toua. Toua’s teammates were mostly stupid and incapable and had to rely on Toua. Opponents had a monster-of-the-week feel to them.

One the show’s main villains, the team’s owner, was another major weakness. Tokuchi spent much of his time and effort just trying to defeat him. Why did the owner have to be the main foil? It was annoying, and a great hindrance to the plot and the story’s development. It was as if he (Tokuchi) was stuck in a permanent holding pattern fighting against the boss.

Art and Sound
The animation was pretty good, and the music was just okay. Not bad, but forgettable. Overall, the voice acting was good, but I think that Toua’s VA was miscast.

The Bottom Line: While the show was by no means terrible and had some enjoyable moments it ultimately let me down, and I feel like watching this wasn’t worth my time. I’d discourage others from viewing this as well. There are many other psychological and sports shows out there that are better than this.

"Winning a game is not dependent on surpassing your opponents with your strength or waiting for lucky breaks. Conquer the opponent, crushing them, and stepping over the fallen ones ruthlessly. Winning means dominating over countless dead bodies."

One Outs, I admit, was never on my radar. It only recently caught my attention when I found out that Hagiwara Masato, known for voicing Kaiji Itou (a dumb gambler with a crazy lucky streak and serious cunning known for crazy come-from-behind victories), and Akagi Shigiru (an insane gambler with a crazy lucky streak and serious cunning known for crazy come-from-behind victories), would be voicing Tokuchi Towa, a pitching ... gambler with a crazy lucky streak and serious cunning, known for crazy come-from-behind victories.

If I sound like I am mocking it, don't be fooled. One Outs provided for some seriously gripping drama that kept me from going to bed at decent hours, much like "Kaiji" and "Akagi" before it. Animated by Madhouse but not adapted from a manga by Nobuyuki Fukumoto, Madhouse took the lessons it learned from animating both "Akagi" and "Kaiji" Season One to put out an incredibly solid thriller that stands out as a great introduction to the manga series, and to psychological seinen gambling series.

(Note: I will be making comparisons to both "Akagi" and "Kaiji," mostly due to the similarities in theme, storytelling, and because Madhouse and Hagiwara Masato were both involved. No spoilers for either of those series to follow, and this review will cover the basic storyline without getting into the major twists.)

Story - 8

The story is about a baseball team. The Lyacons are a team much like the Red Sox (before their awesome win in 2004), a losing team with a highly devoted fan base. The manager is a complete asshole, one who really doesn't care about if the team wins or loses, but if they can turn a profit with filling the seats. Kojima, the star player, goes to Okinawa for training, where he meets a mysterious pitcher who makes bets with people in a game called "One Outs," a pitcher vs batter duel in which the pitcher must strike out the batter. Tokuchi, who had won 499 bets beforehand, barely loses to Kojima, in which Kojima gambled his retirement against Tokuchi's pitching hand, and is signed onto the Lyacons under a unique "One Outs" contract.

Throw an out, earn 5 Million Yen. Let a runner score, lose 50 million.

What follows are the first few games of the Lyacon's baseball season, with the typical arcs going in a pattern of learning about the opposing team, how high the stakes have been raised for Tokuchi, what crazy tricks the opposing team has to their advantage, and then Tokuchi systematically breaking down every single opponent that even tries to match his cunning. This is the basic story arc from "Akagi" (and Kaiji to a certain extent). If you're not ready for it, you might get sick of how many gosh dang times people underestimate Tokuchi and his planning, and how he basically not only saw through your plan but is actively undermining it AND turning it against you. It can get annoying, but part of the appeal is watching a genius like Tokuchi actually planning and counteracting seemingly clever plans while generally acting like a bored asshole (more on his character in a bit). This isn't to say the story is predictable: it's just that some might be turned off by what can sometimes feel like deceptive tension for the sake of tension.

Regardless, even if you're not into baseball, the show more or less using baseball as the framing device for what are basically one-on-one duels of cunning and wits. You don't need to know a lot about baseball: just knowing the basic rules will help you get the most out of the show. It has a snappy pace that gives it the "just one more episode" feeling to every ending. The pacing is slow, for sure, but deliberately so. No episodes ever feel too long or short, with each story arc resolving nicely and carrying into the next one. The story ends around the end of the manga's first major story arc, and I can imagine the rest of the manga plays out much like the events that preceeded it. But thankfully, One Outs ends on a clean note; something that plagues "Kaiji" Season 1 and "Akagi" (Madhouse definitely took this lesson to heart for the end of "Kaiji" Season 2).

(Note - Yes, I know it's not Madhouse's fault for the ending of "Akagi." The duel with Washizu has been going on for 10 years. I went to a convenience store recently and saw the new chapter, and it doesn't look any closer to ending. Kubo Tite WISHES he could stretch out a manga like that.)

The drama works very well, and it is those intense psychological battles that carry the story through to the end. The drama, the dialogue, and the intense reactions to the events of the story work very well. The issue, I find, is when the story tries to be "funny." While Kaiji and Akagi were occasionally sprinkled with bits of dark humor, it mainly kept the tension wound tighter then the seams on a baseball. "One Outs'" problem is with the material it is adapting: the moments of humor, be it the goofy reactions from the players or the visual metaphor of the manager being a dog is inconsistent with the themes and tone that One Outs tries to achieve. Nothing wrong with the occasional joke, but when a super serious moment has a moment of goofiness just kinda thrown in, the dissonance is really hard to ignore. Shows like "One Outs," "Kaiji," and "Akagi" are at their very best when it has a deep look into the hearts and minds of the key players in games of insane chance, skill, and wits.

In the end, the bits of humor don't detract from the overall story. I can even see "One Outs" as being a great introduction to the style of storytelling present in "Akagi" and "Kaiji," while not being as deathly serious. Plus, baseball fans are going to get a nice kick at all the care and attention that goes into dissecting and understanding the complexities of baseball, without getting in the way of the main plot threads spun by the devilishly clever Tokuchi.

Art - 6

The art is my second-least favorite part about the series. They did a good job adapting the manga's look and style, but it doesn't help that the manga's style is not that great to begin with. It's just odd to see main characters with really strong, sharp lines and great design being placed next to characters that are outright comical. As I mentioned in the story, the dissonance is hard to ignore.

Tokuchi is the best designed character of the bunch, animating fluidly and really carrying the emotions and attitudes that come from a guy like him. While he may be stoic, even the most stoic of characters have traces of emotion, and Madhouse did a great job with him in general. The other character that make up the supporting cast work well along side of Tokuchi. While they are more "normal" looking, it helps make Tokuchi stand out more, which is a good thing (Bonus points to Madhouse for giving Tokuchi a long nose, much like the heroes in many of Nobuyuki Fukumoto's works). Tokuchi is a very weird, mysterious guy that you can't help but notice, even in a crowd; and the art design carries this well. Characters like Kojima and Ideguchi help complete the contrast: Tokuchi is a thin, stoic, and sharp mouthed punk. Ideguchi is an emotional, stout catcher who wears his heart on his sleeve, and Kojima is a serious minded and broad, imposing man who is still approachable and humble. Madhouse clearly put a lot of thought into this dynamic, and it works out well. The three take up the most screen time, and the animation helps carry out these character moments when they are not talking.

As for the other characters, they don't get the same love. Many of the faces on the Lyacon's team are bland, and comical in comparison. It's ultimately kind-of-distracting, as their faces enter the frame, and instead of remembering them when they leave it, you end up annoyed because they took away valuable face time from the three main characters. There are good details on Tokuchi's opponents, but not many stand out. But with some of the antagonists, they're designed well enough to carry the idea that these are the kind of people who would go against Tokuchi in a battle of some kind.

Backgrounds are the weakest part. Most of the action takes place in baseball diamonds, and Madhouse fell flat in this regard. While there are moments of intense action that work really well, they really don't capture the full excitement of a baseball game. They use strong visual metaphors, but they're not as clever or well defined as the ingenious metaphors found within "Kaiji" or "Akagi." One would think that all that time spent animating "Hajime No Ippo" would give Madhouse some ideas on how to make baseball, which is typically seen as a dreadfully boring sport to watch (never watch baseball on TV if it's not a Tournament game) into a heart-pounding battle of wills. Ultimately, it simply only works some of the time, and is merely the plate in which the meal is delivered on, not being as finely crafted as the other elements.

Sound - 5

Sound was... ok. The ED is forgivable, and OP is just better off skipped. Granted, considering how perfect "Kaiji" Season 2's opening was, I might be the wrong person to ask.

Background music did it's job without standing out. The show has wonderfully exciting moments, and has appropriate background music when needed, but other then Tokuchi's theme, no track really stands out. Madhouse did amazing work with "Akagi" and "Kaiji" in terms of OST; a forgettable soundtrack is a sin.

It's not bad, it's not great. It's like a part-time worker: just punches in and punches out without making an impression. It's a damn shame, too. Music is what makes shows like these so gripping and exciting, and they just did an average job.

At this point I've been railing against the show really heavilly. But the next part is what makes the whole thing worth it.

Character/Voice Acting - 9

I have no idea what it is about Hagiwara Masato, but the people who make important decisions at Madhouse have figured out that by giving this guy an insane gambler to voice, he will nail it so perfectly it will give you chills. It's one thing to be a one trick pony, but this pony can do a really freaking good trick. Masato captures the essence of this character perfectly, with a deceptively monotone voice that is filled with the cunning of a demon behind every syllable. He's assure of himself that seems like arrogance to people who don't understand him. He's a punk who plays the fool so well that his deception will trap you before you even realize what is going on. And when he delivers lines about putting your life into a game, or when he's says that he will take out the next batter in 3 pitches, it pierces you like an untarnished blade that looks like it has not drawn blood until the very last moment.

He's really good, that's what I am saying. While Akagi was a genius who seemed bored all the time (And Kaiji was just in a league all of his own), this character is one of a troubled man. A guy who knows he is smart, and feels like he is a giant among men. But the difference here is that once he gets with the Lyacon's, you get the idea that he genuinely cares about people other then himself. While he is motivate by money and thrills, he wants to make others better. He gives encouragement, gives credit for his ideas to others, and all-in-all seems like a guy who really wants to have this team win. Tokuchi feels like a more likeable version of Akagi, in which he teaches harsh lessons to improve others. Then he crushes his opponents like a man who can only feel pleasure in overcoming insane odds, and then rubbing salt in the wound. The quote at the top captures his mentality perfectly, and Masato's voice acting carries it beautifully. While many of the other characters might be one note, he manages to conduct a symphony and uses every single limited note to create a wonderful character piece into the mind of a man who lives on the very edges of luck and skill.

Just listen to Tokuchi. The other voice actors turn in great performances, but it's all Masato's show. So with the voice acting, character arc, and story, it all hinges on how much you like this guy's voice. He's a great voice actor, and his strength carries the show to new heights.

Enjoyment/Overall - 8

I marathoned "Kaiji" Seasons 1 and 2 in about the span of 2 weeks or so. I went through "Akagi" in a few days. Likewise, "One Outs" came and went quick, but was still a great ride. I was seriously pumping my fist by the end, and the tension often kept me from getting a decent night sleep before work. "One Outs" is a lot like the title character: Singularly minded; but extremely brilliant at it's one talent. The art and music may not do much, but the well told drama along with with great voicework puts "One Outs" over the top, and rarely strikes out.

4 out of 5.

Hands down my favorite anime. I've rewatched it twice and if it were possible to erase my memories of what happens in this anime, I would likely rewatch it many more times. Now, without further ado...

[Story: 10]
The story revolves around a man named Toua Tokuchi, whose background is effectively unknown. All we know is that he excels in a form of gambling through baseball called "One Outs." This seems to be a theme in madhouse animes, such as Kaiji and Akagi, where the character's past remains a mystery and unknown throughout the story. Anyways, Toua is finally defeated in One ... Outs by a man nicknamed the "unlucky prodigy batter" Hiromichi Kojima, and due to the stakes of the gamble, Toua leaves the gambling world to lend his prowess to the weakest team in the Japanese Pacific League: the Saitama Lycaons. I won't post any spoilers, but basically the story from here on out is Toua's "conquests" of one team after another, using his sharp wit and gambling instincts to overcome star players, intelligent strategists, and even cheating on the opposing team's part to emerge victorious all while making a pretty penny off his special "One Outs" contract. A great addition is the current tally of Toua's salary due to the contract at the end of every few episodes and by near the end of the series, that number is scary huge.

[Art: 9]
Not outstanding but gets the job done. The way every character is drawn beautifully reflects their personality (i.e. Toua looks almost sinister at times) and as such really enhances the cinematic effect of the anime. It is also fairly realistic, unlike the weird style used in Kaiji and Akagi (although I found that style appropriate for those animes). Since, the story and character are so great, however, I'm not giving art much weight toward the final rating.

[Sound: 8]
OP and ED are decent (nothing special) and sound effects are accurate and well-executed. BGM is fairly limited but it does a good job setting the right mood. Like art, it's pretty overshadowed by the story and as such won't factor much into the final rating.

[Character: 10]
There are several "round" characters in the anime (characters that develop in terms of character and maturity), though surpirsingly one of them is not the protagonist (Toua Tokuchi). I'm referring to the Lycaons team as a whole. Throughout the course of the anime, they change for the better. But Toua, the protagonist, does not. So then, why do I still award a 10 for character? The answer is that Toua's character still works beautifully. He remains the cool, calculating, canniving SOB from begininning to end and while this personality doesn't change within him, it changes his teammates for the better. Through watching him win games with his cunning, you will see the Lycaons as a whole evolve from a downtrodden team that's last in the pennant race to one that is much more positive and has a better outlook on things by the end of the series. So what's amazing is not Toua's ability to change and become a better man himself, but rather his undeniable ability to lead and change every man on his team.

[Enjoyment: 10]
After everything I've said before, the 10 I awarded in enjoyment should be self-explanatory. If you don't care for baseball, or even dislike baseball, but have an appreciation of strategy and psychology among other things, I think this anime will still blow your socks off. This anime is easily addicting enough to make you want to watch the whole thing in one eight hour sitting.

[Overall: 10]
An outstanding anime and my favorite overall. Death Note, Code Geass and a number of other greats don't even come close to this in my book, although I enjoyed them very much.

this isn't really a sports anime, despite using baseball as a vehicle, and it isn't really a gambling show either, despite the lead character Tokuchi being an inveterate gambler. it is primarily a sort of mystery -- i got the most out of trying to figure out what Tokuchi was thinking, and how he would foil his enemies.

the premise of the story is unique and interesting, and i enjoyed the progression of a lengthy set of episodes each showing Tokuchi being pitted against various nefarious villains. mind, i didn't enjoy the villains, they were all one-note characters, bad guys through and through, constantly ... overacting, and therefore boring. but the way Tokuchi outthinks them is very entertaining. it would be even better if one could actually follow through all the complex twists and turns, but alas the writing doesn't allow for that much of the time. the pacing was overall good, except for the cliffhangers which sometimes seemed very artificial -- but if you marathon the show they won't bother you.

i love the art. the character design is excellent at conveying the traits of each character -- Tokuchi is all sharp angles and planes, Kojima looks solid, honest, reliable, Ideguchi is wide-eyed naivete, the coach all large flapping lips. Even tertiary characters are all unique. the background art is generally good with detail, and sometimes is astonishingly beautiful in its play with light. alas the animation is mediocre; too often speed lines replace actual movement.

the voice acting is nothing special, a few seiyuu i especially like had supporting roles, but they didn't stand out. it's always difficult for me to judge voice actors when the role calls for a character who is overacted by design, since i can't stand overacting, it's a bad mark against the seiyuu either way. Tokuchi is voiced by Hagiwara Masato (Akagi, Kaiji -- oh look, a theme!), with whom i am not terribly familiar; Tokuchi is very controlled, almost speaks with a monotone. BGM is good and fits the story. the OP grated on my nerves; the singer sounded like he was having problems with his bowel movement, though the music itself wasn't all bad. there's a bit of fanservice in the opening for those who like naked men (i'm all for that, but Tokuchi doesn't really turn my crank). the ED... umm. you know, i have already forgotten it.

the characters are what is most responsible for my low score. basically only Tokuchi is worth mentioning, and he is very smart, albeit not likeable, and he doesn't develop at all. there is the thinnest of backstories for him, and for Kojima. as already mentioned, we have one-note villains, and their motivations are simplistic. Tokuchi's team mates are largely too stupid to believe, we have no story on them and they don't grow/change. all that beautiful character design wasted on total zeroes when it comes to personality.

is it worth watching? for me it was; i enjoyed trying to puzzle out the ways in which Tokuchi would outfox his enemies. i learned a small bit of math i had previously been unaware of. i'll probably rewatch it just to think through the puzzling parts again. if you need your story to make sense, this isn't for you -- it is utterly implausible that anything like this could happen, though i guess it's more likely than giant robots fighting it out with swords. if you're looking for decent baseball action, don't look here, though there are a couple good bits on strategy, and it does help if you know baseball. i don't think this has any historical value; it won't become a classic. it did suck me in and kept me watching, and i'll remember it, but it's not sufficiently good for me to buy it.

the score i gave seems low, but i just started using a new, more finely grained scoring system, and i think i'll have to lower many of my scores. what sunk this show to a 6 is the lack of character personality and development, and the lazy animation.

STORY: 6/10
ART: 8/10
SOUND: 5/10
CHARACTER: 4/10
ENJOYMENT 8/10
OVERALL: 6/10

The anime is good but the story is too messed up. The one outs game, why the owner can't moved on and revised the freaking contract, the slugfest arc where they intentionally made fouls, and the cheating arc. The art I think is very good. Props to Madhoouse. The opening is good that it makes you wanna stay and listen to it first but the background and the ending is not too good for me I guess. The character development for the supporting is lacking to emphasize that the MC is too OP and he's gonna save the day. ... I did enjoy the show though and I like the antics that the anime brings.

*Note* This is my first review, so any feedback on how I can make it better/more useful to the reader is greatly appreciated :), thanks in advance.

At first glance, One Outs may seem to be based around baseball, but that's merely the medium used to deliver the psychological warfare that is entailed within this anime.

Story (9/10):
The story is revolved around a pitcher named Tokuchi Toua (who has had no previous 'official' experience as a professional baseball playe) and how he 'joins' the Lycoans to help them increase their ranking.

The story in itself is nothing special, but there are 2 aspects to this anime that ... make it interesting:

Firstly, Tokuchi's pitching is actually pretty average, even arguably below the standard of a professional baseball player. However, it's not his pitch that is his weapon, but rather his genius mind that he uses in order to out-wit his opponents.

Secondly, Tokuchi's contract is not that of your average baseball player, he gains 5,000,000 yen for every person he strikes out but loses 50,000,000 yen for every run scored while he is on the mound.

Art (7/10):
The art was nothing spectacular but wasn't an eye-sore either. It did it's job.

Sound (8/10):
The voice acting was well done, each voice suited it's character - especially Tokuchi's. The way the actor speaks as Tokuchi is a perfect reflection on how Tokuchi is portrayed through his actions. The music used did it's job and enhanced the experience, but the soundtracks used aren't really what you'd listen to outside of watching anime.

Characters (7/10):
The characters you get are the characters you expect, Tokuchi is a calm and calculating genius while the others are just your average baseball player. One Outs only really focuses on a handful of people while the others are just hurdles to overcome or a tool to be used.

Enjoyment (10/10):
One outs doesn't get boring, it's not one of those shows where material is just reused and recycled. Each match played is unique to itself and the way Tokuchi manages to deal with every 'impossible' scenario never fails to impress eiether. There are also elements of comedy mixed in here and there aswell.

As a conclusion, i'll say that i rated One Outs as a 10/10 for it's entertaining set-up. The show also requires no prior experience in baseball to understand what's going on, making it an easy watch for all anime lovers world wide.

“Winning is about trampling over corpses… It's not something beautiful. It's brutal. If you want to make it to the top- Steel yourselves.”

I'll admit I may be one of the only sports fans who doesn't care for baseball. Knowing this, the mention of a baseball-centered anime “One Outs” did anything but grab my attention. However, through many friend recommendations and some quoted similarities to the suspenseful Kaiji series, I was ultimately drawn to it. Does it live up to its ranking inside the top 150 rated anime on all of MAL, or does it drown in its own hype?

The first thing I noticed about One ... Outs is that it was produced by Madhouse, one of my all time favorite anime studios. The 2000’s were some of their best years, so it's unfortunate but understandable that shows like this and RAINBOW were overlooked by the masses. We are introduced to the series with a description of the prestige regarding one of Japan’s greatest baseball players, Hiromichi Kojima. While training for the upcoming season, Kojima uncovers an underground gambling game infamously labeled “One Outs”, betting a single pitcher against a respective batter. It is here that Kojima meets the smug-faced Tokuchi Toua and his illustrious baseball career is transformed forever.

I wouldn't say there's much there as far as story is concerned. There's more or less 4 mini-excerpts involving Tokuchi’s introduction, and 3 game series between the Lycaon’s (Tokuchi’s team) and other teams in the Japanese minor league. In each of the mini-arcs, Tokuchi’s mental prowess is showcased as he seeks to outwit the opposing team almost entirely by himself. There's one catch though. As a pitcher, Tokuchi is bound to a secretive contract developed by the owner of the Lycaons. Each out he gets earns him 5 million yen, while each run scored while he's on the mound costs him 50. Is his intellect and swagger enough to keep him afloat? With all the sinister tactics and tricks up his opponent’s sleeves, One Outs lets a simple sport like baseball transcend into a chess match between the minds.

Tokuchi as a protagonist is undeniably refreshing, as he breaks the mold in almost every way possible. He's cutthroat, appears to not give a shit 90% of the time and is leagues above his competition in intelligence. The best part is the stark level of confidence he displays at every waking turn. Effortlessly outsmarting his foes into a stupor of shame and disbelief. He's living by the catchphrase of the anime: “Nobody wins but I!” Tokuchi’s focus on winning isn't always overtly expressed. I can't begin to mention the amount of times where he appeared lackadaisical, while the whole time plotting the enemy’s demise. For fans of Kaiji’s character, Tokuchi is almost a polar opposite archetype. To be honest, the two anime are almost completely different in terms of their approach to winning, but both somehow achieve a similar level of suspense that keeps you constantly pressing the button for the next episode.

As outlandish and unpredictable as Tokuchi’s schemes sometimes appeared, I never had the thought “there’s no way that would work!” Every strategy fabricated in the anime has a sense of plausibility in it. Unfortunately, the repeated successes Tokuchi reaped only highlighted how dumb everyone else on his team was. There were countless instances where Tokuchi even exploited it by not coming forward with his plan and instead called everyone an idiot. It's like the writers were saying, “look at dumb the Lycaon’s are, but look at how smart Tokuchi is!” I mean, even the blind mouse finds the cheese every once in awhile. At least toward the end of the series, Kojima and even the catcher Ideguchi began to sign on to Tokuchi’s way of thinking. I would argue that almost every other character on the show is irrelevant because of how character driven the anime appears to be. Tokuchi Toua makes or breaks the anime.

The only disappointing factor for me in One Outs was the lack of “high stakes” mind games. Unlike Kaiji where literally every game is life and death, this anime only encompassed a few series of baseball games during the regular season. Even the curveballs (pun intended) the owner tries to throw our protagonist’s way are easily thwarted without any real sense of urgency on his behalf. I would've rather seen the mind games take place in the playoffs or for a more “life-threatening” cause. In the end, the sheer amount of aha! moments and badass Tokuchi escapades made One Outs quite worthwhile.

The animation isn't the most flashy thing you'll see out of Madhouse, but given it’s almost 10 years old at this point, it holds up decent enough. The character models aren't my favorite, but the artists did a fine job making each one distinguishable enough from the next, given this is a sports anime where there's a large cast and plenty of room to blend some faces together. The action animation was also quite detailed. Whether through the illustration of the American runner Johnson’s spellbinding speed, or the dark moments when Tokuchi was dissecting his opponent’s brain, I was entertained by the animation throughout.

The OP isn't one to remember. Nothing like the soothing, grainy cliche 2000’s rock singer voice against the backdrop of our main protagonist shirtless and posing for the camera. Lol, wtf? I prefer when either the song matches the ambience or the theme of the show, and not some mishmash of genres just to appease certain demographics. At least that hair raising Deadman Wonderland OP actually tied into the anime somewhat. The ED is much more fitting, though nothing noteworthy enough to play through each episode. The background music is simplistic but effective. I actually liked the flow of the music into each scene as well. Masoto Hagiwara has a brilliant performance as Tokuchi, cementing him as one of my personal favorite voice actors.

As mentioned before, I thoroughly enjoyed One Outs, and I would rank it up as a pleasant surprise in the medium. It's certainly not talked about as much as it should be, given its similarities to Kaiji and the fact that it's a sports anime. However, unlike other sports anime such as Haikyuu or Ping Pong, One Outs focuses almost solely on one character. If you don't care for Tokuchi’s arrogance or conceited nature, One Outs may not be the anime for you. If you like a main protagonist out of the norm, and an intellectual game of tricks and twists, then I give it the fullest of recommendations. As always, thanks for reading and be sure to check out my other reviews!

OVERALL- 7.5

All hail the almighty Tokuchi Toua: A man of many strengths and no flaws. For many this can be an appealing trait for a lead character, but for me it was an eventual cause for boredom in what was supposed to be a high stakes drama.

One Outs did begin on a strong note, introducing a gambling spin on a national pastime with the odds heavily stacked against an enigmatic character, but over time it became increasingly apparent that no one would challenge Tokuchi. He gets whatever he wants, when he wants, however he wants it, and never shows any shred of vulnerability. One Outs is ... most often compared to Kaiji the Ultimate Survivor, but in that show the main character is is the very opposite of invincible. He loses. A lot, and pays a major price as a result. We even learn about his life in the very first episode, and there are a wide variety of games played as opposed to just baseball with a cheating spin.

One Punch Man offers a similar divide in the talents of a lead and everyone else, but that's the literal joke constantly being played for laughs while being complimented by god tier animation and actual good supporting characters. One Outs offers none of this. It's often ugly to look at with no memorable character aside from the lead. Kojima was poised to be a rival of Tokuchi's and a supposed budding superstar in the baseball world, but he is practically invisible in actual matches presumably to show just how helpless the team is without their savior Tokuchi Christ.

Despite its aforementioned flaws, One Outs is not a bad anime. The actual strategy executed by Tokuchi is interesting especially in the end where it reaches a fever pitch. The OST's are memorable tracks that I'll be playing on long commutes for the foreseeable future. Tokuchi may be an one dimensional overpowered god, but he is a cool character with a level of intellect on par with the greatest minds in anime. One Outs does a lot well, but the things I'd expect to be most impressed with I instead left dissatisfied. Does not help that the anime doesn't cover the full story, and stops short of the Lycanons season truly beginning.

I understand why this anime is well regarded within the community, but for me it did not live up to its reputation and is closer to mediocre than a masterpiece of any sort.

One Outs is about a gambler named Tokuchi Toua who plays for the Lycaons baseball team with a different contract than other players. At first, I thought that this is just a typical sports anime wherein they train and strive to become champions but it turns out its not. Even if you are not a baseball fan, you will still enjoy watching this. You don't even need to understand baseball just to watch this. I'd say its more like gambling than baseball. I liked the way how he crushes his enemies under his feet so that they could not get back up. The characters are ... well-developed and the story is so great that it will make you watch for more. I can also say that Tokuchi is the smartest anime character. The sound effects fit perfectly for every situation the team is in. The art is not that commendable but suits this show. You won't find heroines or female characters here but so what? It is still a great show. Every episode will make you adore Tokuchi. I highly recommend it for all especially to those who likes dark and intellectual animes.

How nefarious can a main character get?

When one thinks of a sports anime, their mind doesn't even consider the fact that sports can be psychological. I finished this anime in 2 days, and I just have to say....Baseball meets Death Note. Tokuchi, Toua is in my mind the ultimate main character. He's just the definition of a bad ass and that's really what makes this anime so great. The supporting characters in my opinion were not that well developed but the performance of Tokuchi more then made up for that minor loss.

The score was simply beautiful when it was shown, the art was magnificient however ... like I said sometimes the supporting characters didn't seem like they had a lot of progress. The antognist was your typical greedy SOB which made you cringe when you saw him.

However the main part of this anime is suspense. You can't enter an episode and not wonder what is gonna happen next, that is how well this anime is made. It keeps you guessing and let me tell you, good luck guessing how Toua thinks, because it's damn near impossible.

Overall a 9/10, it's definetely an overlooked anime that deserves some light. You don't wanna miss this for one second.

One Outs was an overall enjoyable series that was definitely worth the watch. It contained an interesting and rather original premise, and captured my attention from the early episodes. However, it was not without it's flaws.

Story 8/10:
The general concept of the show was great. It was original, enjoyable and entertaining. But there were some aspects of the writing that became somewhat repetitive about halfway through the series. It adopted a "Villain of the week" sort of approach, where each baseball team had some sort of unstoppable player that had to be taken out. There was also no sense of what happens outside of the ... stadium, and while I know that the series' main purpose is to showcase the psychology of baseball games, it would have been nice to see some of the world that the characters were living in.

Art 9/10:
Standard quality Madhouse animation. A bit basic, but no major flaws or anything. Nothing really much to say, as it is Madhouse.

Sound 9/10:
I loved the OST of this series. Everything fit the scene perfectly, whether there was supposed to be tension, conflict, or just happy times, the music that accompanied the scene was spot on. The opening song as well was really good, something I would listen to for leisure.

Character 8/10:
To me, this is where the series falls a bit short. Don't get me wrong, while the characters were good, entertaining to watch, and made me care about them, they were not as fleshed out as they could be. For instance, we never even find out Tokuchi's back story, and how he became the Japanese DemiGod of baseball. And while I know that the anime only contains half what the original source material did, and that it may not be it's fault due to lack of run time, it still is a detriment to what could have been some of the most interesting characters (Tokuchi in particular) for this sort of genre.

Despite it lacking in certain areas, One Outs really is a fantastic show, that is worthwhile and entertaining. If you liked the psychological mind games of Death Note and Kaiji, then it is almost impossible to not like One Outs

Another one man show. Tokuchi Toua took it upon himself to get this anime the success it has got. If you think that it is sports anime and that too baseball and are not too aware of it and its rules don't worry because it gives the viewer a complete scenario of what is happening and moreover it has less to do with baseball and more with the psychological situations and gambling in which he seems to have his back to the wall and how he reacts to is what this anime is all about. 25 episodes of mental battle showing that your mind is ... your strongest weapon in any field you are indulged. Rest all the characters are mere spectator like us watching Toua displaying his talent.