Ookiku Furikabutte: Natsu no Taikai-hen

"Ookiku Furikabutte: Natsu no Taikai-hen" or "The Big Windup: Summer Tournament Chapter" is the sequel to "Ookiku Furikabutte". Continuing from the first series, Nishura High plays in the National High School Baseball Championship's prefectural qualifiers in hopes of reaching the Koushien.

As with the first series, this is only for baseball lovers since at least 80% of the screen time is either baseball game or people talking about baseball. If you can't sit through an entire baseball game, this is not a series for you. Watch "Cross Game" or "One Outs" instead.


STORY: 8/10
The previous series had introduction of characters and a demonstration of what a pitcher ... with perfect control combined with a highly analytical catcher can do as a battery. This time, it's about how reliance on the catcher and planned strategy can be beaten.

I would say the logic and analysis of players are rational and interesting, but I felt how being able to read the next pitch gave players the ability to hit something like .800 batting average was unrealistic. Knowing the next pitch and its course is a huge advantage to batters, but it's not likely students in high schools (not even known to be powerhouses) are capable of driving them to exact positions they want.


ANIMATION: 6/10
Slight improvement from first series. More details in the background and smoother motion, but overall same style and character design. Considering 2 years have passed... animation is unimpressive.


SOUND: 7/10
BGM is pretty average. Unremarkable types that you tend to miss for the most part, but picks up in the inspirational moments. I seemed to notice the trumpet cheering squad more often, playing traditional theme music for high school baseball tournaments as well as summer Jpop like Natsumatsuri by Jitterin' Jinn / Whiteberry.

Mihashi's voice was extremely annoying, but it was intended, and the seiyuu did a really fine job. Remaining cast also sounded like they should, but nothing out of the ordinary.

There was a huge improvement in OP/ED in my opinion. Songs are a lot catchier, and has the summer feel to it with refreshing lyrics.


CHARACTER: 9/10
Mihashi's character is so irritating! He gains a bit more confidence, and starts to open up a little bit, but it just takes so damn long for him to speak out every word! I guess this is intended since it makes me sympathize with Abe's frustration. This doesn't make Mihashi any less annoying though.

Character development was done really well in this series. Nishiura had teamwork and trust on surface, which was nearly forged in an instant in last series, but this season is where the real trust is earned.
Trust in teammates is always tested in times of difficulty and hardship. Players' doubts and the losing game this season leading to realization of mistake and improved team integrity was depicted really well.

They really took their sweet time in developing the characters, dedicating a whole series for a single issue, just like the first series. I really need to re-watch all the series before the final season of "Ookiku Furikabutte" to get a whole picture of Mihashi's slow maturity.


ENJOYMENT/OVERALL: 8/10
This is not really their fault, but it must be said: 13 episodes are not enough!

"Ookiku Furikabutte", at least so far, is unique in that it is truly a baseball anime, no romance, no school life, nothing else. However, it offers exceptionally thorough, albeit turtle-paced character development, analytic baseball, and couple of those heartwarming, inspirational moments.

Fortunately, the final two episodes screamed of sequels, and I will definitely be looking forward to them.

Ookiku Furikabutte: Natsu no Taikai Hen is the sequel, or the second season, of Ookiku Furikabutte. Of course, you will have to watch the first season before even thinking of trying to watch the sequel. If you liked the first season, then you will definitely enjoy this as well. It's a perfect continuation with the same story and characters, and not much changed, except for a few things. For example, since the two seasons were shown three years apart, one of the notable improvements is the art.

Also, I disagree with other reviewers: you do not need to be a baseball fan to enjoy this ... series. I'm definitely not one, but I still enjoyed Ookiku Furikabutte. Many baseball terms were used, and I found myself searching through google just to understand the context. Still, what I really enjoyed about this anime was the character development. Like most anime that deals with team sports, the actual team members are what actually draws us to like the anime. And, in Ookiku Furikabutte, we see the characters grow, adapt, and interact. The team showcases unique but realistic individuals, as well as opposing teams with the same type of members.

I'm not going to dwell to much on other aspects, because as I said, the bottom line is: if you enjoyed the first season, you'll definitely enjoy this one as well.

Ookiku Furikabutte. For some odd reason, the first season of this show was like a crack addiction. I couldn't stop watching it and searching for pictures. So, when I found out there was a second season, I was really stoked! If you haven't watched the first season, Ookiku Furikabutte, you really need to to understand this anime. This is my first review ever, so I hope you all take that into mind when you read this! I also agree that you do not need to be a baseball lover at all to watch this series. I was always bored to death at my brother's baseball ... games before this series, and now I'm actually more interested in them.

Story: 7
The reason I had been so interested in this series from the start was because of the story. I have never really been interested in sports anime before, but this one caught my eye. What I liked about it was the fact that not ever character was a power house. Nishiura did have some great players but not all of them were good, and even the best ones did have flaws.

The story seems to not have changed too much from the first season, except for the fact that you meet some new side characters (like the parents). I gave the story an 8 mainly because of how realistic it was. I liked the fact that they didn't win every game: they lost some, too. And the way they dealt with their losses was very realistic, too. They bawled like little babies. It wasn't the best story, but was decently written to say the most.

Art: 8

The art has really improved from the first season! While the eyes still creep me out a bit here and there, I find it more as an interesting touch. The animation is much more smoother in the second season and the drawings look far more crisp. While it's not the most fantastic I've ever seen, Ookiku Furikabutte's artwork is very expressive as well. For example, the eyes. The eye contact this anime has is very realistic and well done. I specifically remember a moment where Abe is thinking and looks into Mihashi's eyes, and when Mihashi realizes and looks back into his he immediately puts on more of a "grumpy" stare. Over all, I enjoyed the art work a lot.

Sound: 7

While the seiyuus are really good and the new opening and ending songs were definitely an improvement, the background music still irked me. Mainly it was because of the fact that the crowds were always cheering to the same exact music played by the band for about 5 or more episodes, but that was really it. Each voice actor played their part well, especially Mihashi's. That'd be a really tough role to play if I had to voice act as Mihashi!

Character: 9

The characters in this series don't seem like much until you really dig through. At first, Mihashi Ren seems extremely annoying and completely lacking in self-confidence. Abe at first just seems to be, excuse my language, but a controlling prick.

I had to really think to understand why I became to love such odd and annoying characters such as these two, and when I did I was surprised at the depth in them. Mihashi's main reason as to why he's so nervous, annoying and self-conscious is because of Mihoshi. Most people may find him annoying still, wondering why he's so "stupid" and "aggravating", but I was also badly ignored at my other school so I really sympathize with Mihashi. Also from being ignored I have become self-conscious and extremely nervous. Maybe not to his degree, but somewhere around there.

Mihashi is definitely not as sharp as the average crayon, I'll tell you. You can pick up on that from his logic. "If I trust Abe, I'll be the best ace!". But it's not just his horrible logic that's making him think that way. It's because he lost all hope in pitching while he was in Mihoshi, and now he has to find someone or something to pitch for. He's allowed himself to become brainwashed in thinking that by following Abe's lead, he'll become a better pitcher.

Abe is also a character I'd normally hate, but I actually really adore. Why? At first, he does indeed seem like a controlling prick. And while he is controlling, if you pay attention he's very nice. He cares a lot about Mihashi and wants to help him gain self confidence and become the great pitcher he wants to be, but is also too controlling of him. He is also controlling of Mihashi, telling him to only pitch what he says, because of his hurt ego from his past pitcher, Haruna.

If you pay attention, it seems as though Abe is trying as hard as he can not to get hurt again. He also seems to never have understood how to show affection in the right way. On the outside, he appears very cold, calculating, negative and just... angry. On the inside, he's just a bit hurt, kind (although he'd probably never admit it), easily angered and desperately searching for someone to control to make himself feel better.
The pitcher and the catcher in this series seem to be searching for someone who understands each other and emphasizes them. And, despite what they noticed, in the end they do find that once they open up more to each other.

The character change in this anime is overwhelming around the end. Abe tells Mihashi to shake his head to his pitches after getting his knee badly hurt. This may seem like nothing, but Abe is actually loosening the chain on Mihashi and trying to help him further become a better pitcher. This shows he isn't as rude as you may think in the beginning. If he were he wouldn't care if Mihashi was getting hurt or not, but because he finally realized he was Abe decided to go and help him.

Meanwhile, Mihashi is learning a bit more how to open up to others and is learning to rely on himself as a person and a pitcher, too. In the end it shows he is loosening up on his nervousness and he actually smiles. Abe is startled at this, noticing how different Mihashi appears when he is at ease.

Enjoyment: 7

While I'm not a sports fan I found this anime to be quite interesting and a good watch. I even got excited while watching the games, which surprised me. Unfortunately, though, I was mainly watching for the character development, which didn't occur as often as the baseball games did.

I did find myself enjoying the show while watching it, but one thing that annoyed me was how the game would stretch into episodes and episodes...

But, otherwise, it wasn't too bad at all.

Overall: 8

While I hold this anime close to my heart, I do admit that it has some flaws. So while I'd give it a 10 because it's one of my favorites, I'm going with an 8. The characters were definitely interesting, the story was decent and the art was odd. But, if you're looking for an interesting show, you should definitely watch this second season. It wraps up the show very nicely.

The 2nd season of Ookiku Furikabutte (The Big Windup!)
DO NOT WATCH THIS unless you've seen the 1st season.
Spoiler-ISH.

Pros
+ A much more comforting and fluid pace than it's preceding season.
+ A stable antagonist is introduced
+ Character growth for the most part.
+ Everyone who watches this should want to be Tajima, cause he's dope.

... Cons
- (Insert Name) has never batted in a real game? JEEZUS!!
- Mihashi is still too much of an introvert.
- The series is shorter and it ends as the team becoming sophomores. Although a natural ending, it made me want more :P

Final note: I don't even like watching baseball, yet this series is so engaging and involving that it made me watch consecutively.

Its a great seinen sports anime. You'll somehow learn about the rules or techniques playing baseball. The characters hardworks and efforts. The opponents perspective too. You'll learn how baseball works and how the players plays and reacts to various counter attacks. It's an interesting show. It made me realize baseball is interesting game.

I don't play baseball but watching the character's everyday life as baseball players is heartwarming. Doing their best in the games.

The characters are great too and funny. Even if it's serious there's comedy.

And i cried a lot.

The seiyuus are great too. The music everything is great. I love the art ... style too is great.

It's a 9/10 for me.

A very good anime that sticks true to the best of the high school sports genre. What I love most about this show however, is the characters. Our main boy, Mihashi, has some serious social anxiety, a trait not common in the genre, and you cant help but love him. I would fight a grizzly bear armed with bazookas for this boy. As the series goes on and he gets stronger and more self confident you cant help the swell of pride in your heart. And the interactions with the other characters like Abe and Tajima are just amazing. The character and interpersonal development really ... kicks off in this season, and even for the lesser known characters like Izumi, Mizutani, and Oki. You really start to get the whole team vibe that makes you want cheer for them just as hard, if not harder, as in real life games. I found myself shouting along everytime they got a strike or a run, ect. I also appreciated the view we get of opposing teams, as it makes the games feel more real and in-depth, but also edge-of-chair, heart-pounding (for reasons i wont spoil).

Overall, it's so good that I was devastated to finish and find no season 3 waiting for me, so for now I will go project my feelings for these characters onto other baseball anime to soothe the grief. But if you are lucky enough to be reading this review, it means you still have a whole lot of fun ahead of you. So watch it, I highly recommend!

I'm going to treat this as a no spoiler review for both Ookiku Furikabutte (prequel), and Ookiku Furikabutte: Natsu no Taikai-hen.

Story(8): Now I haven't watched many sports anime (Hajime no Ippo, and One Outs), but I'd say that this qualifies as a better than decent sports anime. It treats each game that the team plays as equal, and has a generally high stakes atmosphere every game. When watching this anime the episodes will fly past you, and leave you on the edge of your seat. However; the sports aspect of this show is not what makes it stand it out IMO.

Art(7): Nothing really special, ... but not too hard on the eyes. I'm not an artist nor do I know much about how to make art, but it's easy to look at.

Sound(8): Now unlike the art aspect, I can go fairly in depth about the sound and music, being a musician myself. Again the sound, and scoring isn't anything special. The music is rather lazily put together seeing as it's a formulaic 4 chord progression. However the sound editing is good. Having been to a few baseball games myself, I'd say that the effects and sounds are pretty accurate.

Character(9): What REALLY make this anime shine are the characters. One character in particular. Ren Mihashi is probably one of the more likable characters in all of anime. While Ren is probably an exaggerated character, he is very relatable, and has exceptional development. But Ren doesn't get all the attention. Ookiku doesn't neglect to develop it's side characters. A lot of members of the team have their very own story, and their very own development.

Enjoyment(8): As much as you can praise a show or a movie for brilliant writing, special effects, directing, the only thing that really matters is how much you enjoyed yourself while watching it. After all, it is entertainment. And this show doesn't have a shortage of entertaining and exciting moments. I recommend this to any sports anime fan, and to any fan of good characters.

If you like my review, or if you hate it, please message me. It'll be nice to talk.

This will go over the series as a whole.

Coming off of Diamond no Ace, I really didn't have too much expectation in this show after seeing how jank the animation was half the time, especially with how the movement was choreographed. How do I say this? Balls just felt fast in Diamond no Ace because of how the trajectory was mapped and the angles that the ball went through. When a ball hit the outfield, you had a clear indication of how the ball falls. When a runner gets onto base, it feels like he's running fast. The framing, choreography, and movement in Diamond no ... ace just perfectly capture the essence of the baseball plays.

There's not too much of that in this show. In a way, this disparity seems to be apparent in the other departments of this show. In this show, the pitcher throws 100 km/hr balls, and 120 km/hr balls are his limits. The team is full of freshmen, and some of the team members are not very good since they're complete newbies. Their batting lineup is alright, but they only have one all-star batter. The catcher's great, but still has lots of room for improvement. The practice fields and training facilities are what you expect from a public school's all-freshmen team: they're sharing the field with other teams, and don't have exclusive batting facilities or arrangements. This show is like the antithesis to Diamond no Ace, which is just a lot flashier, with great players being scouted across the nation, exclusive facilities, a controlled diet, and dorms just for baseball players. The team in Diamond no Ace is renowned, and the senior players are also great. Yet, if you take a look at the performances between the two teams, it's not too far.

In the end, Big Windup is a story about a grassroots team. The David that slays the goliath. They're underestimated. Their players aren't scouted. Their school isn't ranked. Yet, they try and succeed at playing well in baseball. And the show does a good job of portraying it.

For a baseball show, there aren't too many characters. There are only one or two characters that are actually relevant outside of the actual baseball team. Of the baseball team, I only remember Abe, Izumi, Hanai, Tajima, and Mihashi. Well, because of the smaller character cast, you do definitely get to get to know them better. Mihashi's obviously the most developed, the show having a lot of focus on his personal journey as a person as much as a pitcher. He's shy, lacks confidence due to past experiences, and can't string words together. He backs away from confrontation and tries to resolve the issue by sidestepping it. He's overly conscious of other people's opinions of him, and he always thinks of the worst situation. Surprisingly enough, there's a basic psychoanalysis of him that was done on him by another player, and I think it's quite apt. Abe's a great catcher but had bad experiences with an arrogant, but good pitcher. He initially plans on controlling Mihashi for his own desires but realizes that a battery is more of a two-way street than anything else. Tajima's the all-star player that probably could have been on any team, and acts as Mihashi's friend and somewhat of a "guardian" of sorts. He's hyperactive and talented but also cares for the rest of the team, especially Mihashi since he needs it the most. I would go over the rest of the characters, but I think you get the idea. The characters that do matter or get screen time have depth, and you get to see a lot more monologuing from them since there are not too many characters that get a lot of focus. You won't be disappointed with the cast, and Mihashi certainly isn't a generic protagonist-type main character which is a very welcome surprise.

You won't see the scale of Diamond no Ace, where there's a bunch of characters that you know from rival teams that have their own personalities. There are not too many side characters in this show, but when they show up, they matter and aren't just thrown away. There are so few side characters that half the matches, even the official ones, don't get any screen time in Big Windup, so the games that the show decides to feature are quite long. Games usually last 5 or 6 episodes, and the play-by-play in these games is quite entertaining to watch. Each game is done in-depth, and you get to see the thought processes and monologues of each player present. You barely get to know any of the rival teams' players too well, but you usually get to know one or two in-depth in terms of their personality monologuing. And well, despite the animation not being amazing like Diamond no Ace, the plays do feel like you can see the movement, and it's not all that bad. The animation isn't so stiff that it's a detriment, and you get to see how the plays turn out in a satisfying manner.

I like how Big Windup tries to do something a bit different, despite how unrealistic some of it is. Like how an all-freshmen team is this good, but it's a good change of pace, and the characters and games are fun to watch.

The beginning of this season is sort of off-beat and the animation is slightly different so it was a little disappointing. The story begins to pick up and becomes so exciting and fun! Having an all freshman team opens up for many kinds of games and stories to come with it and this season captures that really well. Every character gets the chance to develop throughout the games. The team is so funny and sweet and I love them all! With two incredible seasons with a great set-up for future games and possible conflicts, it's sad that there are not more episodes. Of course, the ... manga continues which may be worth the read and also these two seasons are so uplifting, they'd be good to rewatch any time. Such an impressive sports anime!!

I have mixed feelings with the ending and in general.
On the one hand, it was a very good and interesting series, but on the other hand, it undoubtedly generated great discomfort in me due to the little content that was adapted, since if we add both seasons, they were a total of 38 chapters and we agree that for a "Spokon" it is a number small enough to be able to be carried in a way that leaves a satisfactory ending for everyone, that is a true closure and not an open ending of which we will no longer know more about it. The animation ... is more careful than last season, the soundtrack is very good. The development of characters in this season is there and I liked that a lot as the protagonist begins to show that small and at the same time giant steps to improve. The only thing I don't like is that there are no more seasons. I liked the ending because it kind of closes a stage in this anime but never starts another one because there is no continuation so. I recommend it if you want to see a spokon.
En español:
Tengo sensaciones encontradas con el final y en general.
Por un lado fue una serie muy buena e interesante pero por el otro me genera sin dudas una gran desazón por el poco contenido que resulto adaptado, ya que si sumamos ambas temporadas fueron un total de 38 capítulos y convengamos que para un "Spokon" es un numero bastante chico como para poder ser llevado de una forma que deje un final satisfactorio para todos, que sea un verdadero cierre y no un final abierto del cual ya no sabremos mas de el. La aniamcion esta mas cuidada que la de la temporada pasada, la banda sonora muy buena. El desarrollo de personjaes en esta temporada hay y mucho eso me gusto como el protagonista comienza a mostrar eso pequeño y a la vez gigantes pasos para mejorar. Lo unico que no me gusto que no haya mas temporadas. El final me gusto porque como que cierra una etapa en este anime pero nunca comeinza otra porque no hay continuacion asi que. Lo recomiendo si quers ver un spokon.