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What did you think of this episode?
5Loved it!
53.5%
46
4Liked it!
34.9%
30
3It was OK
9.3%
8
2Disliked it
1.2%
1
1Hated it
1.2%
1
Average 4.4
86 votes
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May 25, 2014 2:20 AM
#1

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Nov 2011
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THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE.
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Ah that was cute. The festival and Natsu in that outfit <3

Looks like Eiichirou is training harder than ever. No surprise there but I wish him the best of success in his future matches. I notice his swings have already improved so that's progress there.
Stark700May 25, 2014 2:56 AM
May 25, 2014 4:19 AM
#2

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Apr 2014
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This has got to be the first episode with anime-original stuff, maybe even 10 minutes of it. Don't necessarily agree with the characterization but... it's not terrible. Maybe.

Got to have some way to prevent the year that passes in a chapter from feeling rushed, I guess. The Nacchan omake was great, though!

I'm super excited for the matches to come. Also, now that I've caught up to the manga translated so far, the flashes of future opponents in the opening are give me hopes that they'll be animated to that point. Come on! Give me some of that Cheery-kun and Moe-moe-kun! So cool. *___*
May 25, 2014 4:48 AM
#3

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Dec 2011
1862
Half of it was filers but it goes well with it and a lots of NatsuxMaruo moments.Can't wait for him to get serious in that tournament
May 25, 2014 5:13 AM
#4

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Jun 2012
2593
lmao She was so happy when Ei-chan called her Nat-chan.
May 25, 2014 5:26 AM
#5
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Jun 2010
331
This is what a lot of the anime adaptation needs to do these days. Rather than rush/cram a bunch into a single episode, they add,alter, or make up their own scenes to fit the series better.
May 25, 2014 5:30 AM
#6

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Aug 2013
208
Nacchan omg youuuu qtpieee <3

The aura of seeded players esp when Takuma, Araya and Miyagawa gathered though!

I'm such a happy NatsuxEiichiro shipper yassss thank you for the half-filler(?) episode!!

Can't wait to see that megane seeded player in action (I'm sorry I just have a thing for megane guys)
May 25, 2014 5:49 AM
#7

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26606
Jealous guy showed up again.
May 25, 2014 6:27 AM
#8

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2403
Development with Natsu. I liked how she wouldn't answer Ei-chan, but she gave in xD
Calling Natsu, Nat-chan sure is nice to see! Lots of support for Ei-chan!
Sasaki checking Ei-chan out!
Ei-chan managing to keep up with his schoolwork! Lots of hard work put into playing tennis. Plus, a lot of time passed too, I wonder what sorts of Tennis Ei-chan can play now.
May 25, 2014 7:00 AM
#9

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Apr 2014
963
Didn't like the anime orignal stuff.
"Even villains have standards"
-Accelerator-

May 25, 2014 7:20 AM
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Feb 2014
326
The animation for this is so bad!!! Takasaki looks so weird, at one point should looked like a salamander (its funny because her name is natsu)
I only read books i have already read
May 25, 2014 7:38 AM
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12
I really like this episode. Yea, there were some new stuff difference from the manga, but it was not all filter. It was not completely filter. They did mention in the manga that he had a few tournament but kept losing on the third round. They put it in but it did technically happened in the manga. I love that they put the side story in the anime : D E chan calling her Nat chan!! However, I wanted to see him call her that in school and all the guys are like O_O I like how it shows him practicing with the seed players. It shows his progress and what he needs to work on. Aw, him stopping cram school :D The New Years was so cute! Her sister shows up. I actually like this episode. It shows what happened in the year and his improvement. That's me though : D More NatchanxEchan moments : D
May 25, 2014 7:54 AM
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PremiumCascade said:
The animation for this is so bad!!! Takasaki looks so weird, at one point should looked like a salamander (its funny because her name is natsu)


Really, not like I'm expecting high quality animation from this series but many parts of this episode were really badly animated.

At least the anime original part were not too bad.
May 25, 2014 8:09 AM
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May 2014
1
I haven't read the manga, but this anime just doesn't seem that great. The characters are so bland. I've never seen a flirting relationship in an anime that was so uninteresting. Why don't they go into more analysis about how he's improving if this is supposed to be a show about "baby steps?" I think this will be the last episode I"m watching.
May 25, 2014 8:41 AM

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10990
Didn't expect they'd just go past 1 year like that. I thought that it's called Baby Steps for slow progression XD But it wasn't so bad. Good to see a character that doesn't make a fuss of calling the girl by a nickname :3

Some QUALITY this ep but nothing that important happened in it so ok. Nxt ep onwards should be really good though :D
May 25, 2014 8:44 AM
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Feb 2014
108
pejogo said:
I haven't read the manga, but this anime just doesn't seem that great. The characters are so bland. I've never seen a flirting relationship in an anime that was so uninteresting. Why don't they go into more analysis about how he's improving if this is supposed to be a show about "baby steps?" I think this will be the last episode I"m watching.


hmm about the anime original content, while it's not so bad, it changes the love story tone..the outline is pretty clear, sasaki>ei>nat-chan (still not clear if nat-chan have the same feeling)

happy to see nat-chan onee-san..

and that animation quality..log horizon is better than this..how much nhk throw the budget for this anime?

can't wait for the match..
May 25, 2014 8:57 AM

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3028
Damn that QUALITY, at least it's still enjoyable somehow. This episode was just a build-up so nothing really good happened, instead I'm expecting great things next week's episode.

The jelly guy is fucking awkward.

I'm also glad they kept the realism of Eichan dropping out cram schools and some ranks.
May 25, 2014 9:43 AM

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Wow, suddenly he's already taking part in his 2nd Kanagawa Circuit Junior. Hopefully he goes past 3rd round this time
May 25, 2014 9:53 AM
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62
Possible Manga spoilers inside:

Anyway, I really love the manga but somehow this episode felt really really bad in my opinion. The animation quality was terrible as well.
Making my most favourite manga into such an average anime is a crime.
May 25, 2014 10:14 AM

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May 2013
7106
Eiichiro got a new nickname for Natsu. He is really working hard to be a good tennis player.
May 25, 2014 11:03 AM

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Jan 2013
11047
Time flew by this episode. Lot's of practice, even a little romantic development.
May 25, 2014 11:08 AM

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Jul 2010
2471
Terrible animation and artstyle, yet still a decent episode.Disliked megane girl scenes tho, but everything else was just fine.Nacchan is so cute.
May 25, 2014 1:47 PM
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564127
Eiichirou is working so hard to be a good tennis player.
May 25, 2014 1:54 PM

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Mar 2012
1917
Wow, time really does fly in Baby Steps. xD

Nothing of any major relevance happened this episode, but you do see Ei-chan working harder while he's starting to slip a bit in school. I expect something big next episode. :D
May 25, 2014 2:09 PM
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May 2014
27
Still liking this anime, it could be better in a few ways, but it'll still stay one of my favorites. I think it's just the time flying by.
May 25, 2014 2:39 PM
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Apr 2013
80
Is it me or is the animation quality really cheap? I'm seeing a lot of close-ups and instances where the camera just pans across a still image rather than actually having the characters you know, animate. I really like the manga and of the main reasons I was looking forward to the anime was to see all of the matches brought to life.

So I'm a bit disappointed about that, but otherwise the series has been adapted fairly well so far since the characters and story are what's most important imo.
May 25, 2014 2:40 PM

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Apr 2013
358
Lots of DERP going on in this episode, especially for Natsu. There was also a really funny shot when Eiichiro and Sasaki were looking at their results. If you look at the expression on the girl in the front's face, she has the most robotic expression. Let's hope that the next episodes don't have so much "quality."
May 25, 2014 3:12 PM
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111
Barion-Zara said:
Didn't expect they'd just go past 1 year like that. I thought that it's called Baby Steps for slow progression XD But it wasn't so bad. Good to see a character that doesn't make a fuss of calling the girl by a nickname :3

Some QUALITY this ep but nothing that important happened in it so ok. Nxt ep onwards should be really good though :D


The first year was in order to give Ei-chan the starting boost where he can start competing with seeded players.

Now everything is going to have a slower pace, also Maruo is going to learn from matches too.

A good part about this series is that it still takes time for the main char to get strong ( but still not op ), we are usually used to prodigy main that takes so little time to train but even considering this Maruuo is fast as hell too.
May 25, 2014 3:32 PM

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Apr 2014
6858
Pretty sure the art wasn't this ugly in the manga.
May 25, 2014 3:44 PM
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Nov 2008
111
Z4k said:
Pretty sure the art wasn't this ugly in the manga.


It's not, not even early when it just started.

This episode was just plain bad/horrible regarding the animation.
May 25, 2014 4:15 PM

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Dec 2011
935
Let getting that revenge start!

Well he does seem to have improved and all, but it's still disappointing how hard he won against that first guy 6-4.

Meh... he lost in the 3rd round... even a tourney will less skilled players is hard on Ei-chan it seems...

So Natsuki got at Ei-chan for not calling her Nat-chan at school.

Natsuki and her sister looked great in those yukata :3

He's already a 2nd year lol and once again he loses in the 3rd round...

And the Kanagawa Junior Circuit is off to a start once again.
"Let justice be done, though the heavens fall."
May 25, 2014 4:23 PM

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Jul 2011
4401
I hope he beats that guy he lost to last time during the tournament. :D

His marks seem to be slipping a bit, but so far no issues with the family. He even drops cram school.
And the other class rep notices his muscles! LOL! Loved the classroom scene when Takuma came in too. "Is he being bullied!?" XD
May 25, 2014 4:24 PM

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4656
Lots of time went by in one episode. Nice to know that it will be progressing to the good parts fairly quickly then.
May 25, 2014 4:29 PM

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Sep 2008
590
wow a lot of anime original stuff this week, though it was actually quite good. The early part of the manga was the only bit I felt was rushed. We got to see a lot more of his development and tournaments, even if they were montages.

I also had no clue Natsu had an older sister.

Well we're now at the second year where everything starts to only get better and better.
May 25, 2014 5:40 PM

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4759
Sasaki was totally checking out his arms XD!

It was so cute seeing Natsu getting a bit sulky and ignoring Ei-chan for not calling her Nat-chan. The ship is not there yet Ei-chan but hang in there!
"May those who accept their fate be granted happiness."

"May those who defy their fate be granted glory."
May 25, 2014 6:09 PM
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6648
Well, I would have to say that the animation was successful, it got me interested in the story and buying the manga, so on that front kudos to the animation.

That said, for a manga called "Baby Steps" which is about the slow incremental steps an athlete has to do in order to become world class, I am disappointed this was done for only one cour. On the other hand, short of committing to a multi year project, I don't think this story could be told properly in 1, 2, or even an entire year, and the animators were wise to realize this and go OVS (just coined the expression I believe, the Story equivalent of OVA).

I prefer animations that are going to end to actually end, so my compliments that this is going to branch out and do its own ending. Still, really wish the art wasn't so bad, granted mid season is where you usually see cracks in the animation, but they shouldn't have done it the episode they decided to go their own way.
May 25, 2014 6:47 PM

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Takuan_Soho said:
I am disappointed this was done for only one cour.


Show's two-cour, dude.
May 25, 2014 6:50 PM
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6648
AsherFischell said:
Show's two-cour, dude.


Really? Thanks. Though as I said 1, 2 or even 4 wouldn't do the manga justice.
May 25, 2014 7:01 PM

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48251
The episode title made me worried cuz the one year thing but surprisingly, the time skip was very natural and well paced.
May 25, 2014 8:01 PM
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May 2014
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Can someone fill me in on what the original anime parts were? I haven't read any of the manga, so obviously I didn't notice them.
May 25, 2014 8:03 PM

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the pacing was terribad

also they are making a big deal out of Nat-chan, yeah I know it's a Japanese thing but they were doing it the whole fucking episode
May 25, 2014 8:36 PM

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9025
Ei-chan is progressing before my eyes T__T. Hope he gets his revenge !!!
May 25, 2014 11:18 PM

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Doublea said:
Can someone fill me in on what the original anime parts were? I haven't read any of the manga, so obviously I didn't notice them.

As far as I remember they didn't show Maruo in those smaller tournaments, nor do I recall the scene at the shrine (though I'm not sure if I'm just forgetting it).

Most of the other stuff was in the manga. Particularly Maruo calling her Na-chan, and his grades slowly dropping due to his increase in practice.
May 26, 2014 2:08 AM

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velcom said:
Doublea said:
Can someone fill me in on what the original anime parts were? I haven't read any of the manga, so obviously I didn't notice them.

As far as I remember they didn't show Maruo in those smaller tournaments, nor do I recall the scene at the shrine (though I'm not sure if I'm just forgetting it).

Most of the other stuff was in the manga. Particularly Maruo calling her Na-chan, and his grades slowly dropping due to his increase in practice.

The first scene about entering the other tournaments, the practice scenes with dialogue and all but one of the scenes in which Maruo talks with his mom.

It's inferred that these things happen in the manga (with exception of New Years and conversations with his mom) but do not go into near as much detail as the anime does.
May 26, 2014 5:56 AM

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Akanezora said:

I'm also glad they kept the realism of Eichan dropping out cram schools and some ranks.

+1 to that.

So half of the episode was filler? Well it was okay, it was meant to show what he was doing for the whole year instead of just skipping it all, though it did feel a little awkward when they did those mini time skip (weeks/months) in the episode.
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May 26, 2014 1:02 PM

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Damn so a few months were passed in a single episode.
May 26, 2014 1:09 PM
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Kageyama is such a bro, I love how he seems to be going to every single on of Ei-chan's matches to support him.
May 27, 2014 12:43 AM
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7280
So according to you guy this had filler and it's still going this fast? Jesus.
As an anime viewer only I have to say that the fillers weren't obvious.

I know there's a lot of eyebrow talk about this season's Chaika but I have to say that Baby Steps has plenty of intense eyebrows too.
May 28, 2014 10:17 AM

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May 2012
184
This series has taken me by surprise personally because I don't naturally enjoy sports series but this one is different. My favorite element has been Eiichiro's methodical notes and mental abilities which for me adds some level of psyche and intrigue. Before seeing this anime I didn't realize tennis could be such a game of mentality.

Watching him grow from the average kid with smarts to beginning to envelop a real passion for the sport is enjoyable so far. As of episode 8 and those before it he seems to continue getting better at a believable pace. And, the fact they waited for episode 8 for him to even think of calling Natsu Nat-chan shows the modesty of the romance in this series. It's a breathe of fresh air to get the spotlight off of relationships and really focus on something else for once. The subtle relationship that does exist and continue to grow is only another upside to this series thus far.
BayrockMay 28, 2014 10:20 AM
May 28, 2014 3:20 PM

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Apr 2013
358
Takuan_Soho said:
AsherFischell said:
Show's two-cour, dude.


Really? Thanks. Though as I said 1, 2 or even 4 wouldn't do the manga justice.


They're not trying to do the entire manga, though. Probably just the first 10-12 volumes.
May 28, 2014 5:05 PM
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May 2014
27
Bayrock said:
This series has taken me by surprise personally because I don't naturally enjoy sports series but this one is different. My favorite element has been Eiichiro's methodical notes and mental abilities which for me adds some level of psyche and intrigue. Before seeing this anime I didn't realize tennis could be such a game of mentality.

Watching him grow from the average kid with smarts to beginning to envelop a real passion for the sport is enjoyable so far. As of episode 8 and those before it he seems to continue getting better at a believable pace. And, the fact they waited for episode 8 for him to even think of calling Natsu Nat-chan shows the modesty of the romance in this series. It's a breathe of fresh air to get the spotlight off of relationships and really focus on something else for once. The subtle relationship that does exist and continue to grow is only another upside to this series thus far.


Yup, Tennis is like 75% mental, 25% physical.
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