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Apr 26, 2015 4:20 PM

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Oct 2011
9381
MARUO WON T___T

Marcia crying for Maruo T__T

Baby Steps to Giant Strides <3
Apr 26, 2015 5:14 PM

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Jan 2011
27011
Aww, Marcia so tsundere.
Apr 26, 2015 5:56 PM

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Mar 2008
649
Such an awesome episode. I hope this season gets to the part
Apr 26, 2015 6:07 PM
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Aug 2012
8456
Ei-chan learning to to use his instincts instead of always listening to his reason, although it was because using reason still made him a step too slow when Alex started to effectively use his change of style. This match was a valuable experience for both Ei-chan and Alex, especially for them to move forward. Such an exciting match is definitely more suitable for a large audience. Excited for Ei-chan to show off his new skills~
Apr 26, 2015 7:16 PM

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Mar 2012
1917
Haha, dang, my prediction of the match was completely wrong last week. Thought a tiebreak would maybe happen in the second and Maruo would run out of steam in the last. Well, I'm perfectly fine being wrong here. ^^

After watching my favorite player Kei defend his title this morning, Baby Steps tops it off with a phenomenal match to conclude the Florida arc. Today is a very good day indeed. :D
Apr 26, 2015 10:42 PM

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Oct 2013
2433
Ei-chan vs Takuma will be fun! Lol Marcia was crying?
Apr 27, 2015 12:12 AM

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Mar 2009
8123
leetshoe said:
l bet he plowed that american chick. What happens in florida stays in florida, dude.


Marcia? She's thirteen years old!


Good episode. I liked how they all wrote in his notebook. That was heartwaming.
Apr 27, 2015 7:15 AM
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Nov 2008
111
Mirorin said:
And THAT is how you narrate "the zone" of a player. They don't suddenly gain an aura lol.

Next episode is that scene where Takuma interrupts! And Ei-chan's 2nd challenge to him.


It's not "the zone" ... yet
Apr 27, 2015 7:25 AM

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Sep 2014
2454
What a fantastic episode and a brilliant conclusion to the America arc! Maruo growing with every match is always so great to see. The match was engaging and well paced, as I expect from something of Baby Step's level. Great stuff. Can't wait for next week.
Apr 28, 2015 8:14 AM

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Jul 2014
320
So the title baby steps comes from Alex, not sure what to think of that, so perhaps what Alex wrote in his notebook will continue to inspire him throughout his tennis career maybe?

And Marcia is so damn cute but she's only 13...
must...
resist...
the...
...
nvm
How do I signature?
Apr 28, 2015 9:13 AM

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Dec 2011
1880
AnimeJunky said:
Such an awesome episode. I hope this season gets to the part


[/quote]
Apr 29, 2015 3:51 PM

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Oct 2014
199
I cant wait for Takuma and Maruo's Practise match.

May 1, 2015 11:47 AM

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Nov 2014
3277
Marcia actually cried
May 1, 2015 9:46 PM

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Nov 2014
616
Two wonderful weeks: cute friends, heaps of skills and knowledge.
Looking forward to Marue's first match in Japan again.
May 5, 2015 8:37 AM

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Nov 2010
2047
One of the best episodes so far with the insightful thoughts of Alex about Eichiro
and dropping the title there are the end

Marcia really didn't looked like a thirteen year old girl
Jun 1, 2015 4:18 PM

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Mar 2014
279
Really good close to the arc ei is gonna stomp on the competition when he gets back

Marcia the side chic tsundere, hoping she somehow meets Natsu cause that will be funny

also we finally got the title drop
Icedout15Jun 1, 2015 4:24 PM
Jul 1, 2015 10:39 PM

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Jun 2011
14436
T_T The feels.. I will really miss the Florida gang. Hope to see them again in the near future. Loved the part about the notebook.. Also the part where Marcia cries.. actually, I loved everything about the episode. XD
Honobono Log - best slice of life short
--------------------------------------------
most kawaii loli overlord
----------------------------
Donquixote Doflamingo AMV - Control
Jul 16, 2015 2:52 PM
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Jul 2018
561871
Wow he actually won?! even though that last ball was a lucky out.

"Baby Steps to Giant Strides"

^Alex is awesome
Mar 2, 2016 7:47 PM

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Aug 2013
4150
That was a great match.. one of the best of yet.
Awwww.... Marcia was crying during the parting. How sweet.
This two weeks at Florida was amazing. I like the characters.
A nice exposure to foreigners and real pros.
That's a nice quote by Alex.
Mar 2, 2016 7:47 PM

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Aug 2013
4150
That was a great match.. one of the best of yet.
Awwww.... Marcia was crying during the parting. How sweet.
This two weeks at Florida was amazing. I like the characters.
A nice exposure to foreigners and real pros.
That's a nice quote by Alex.
Apr 2, 2016 5:08 AM

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Dec 2012
3006
Great match, you did it Maruo ! These matches with the pros changed his play style.
Marcia was cute but Natsu is the true girl for him ;)
Mar 16, 2017 8:13 PM
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Mar 2017
1
I wouldn't say it's a spoiler. But the characters introduced when Ei-chan went to America are part of the story as well. I hope it's animated, but the American characters are re-introduced, and Ei-chan, Natsu, Marcia love triangle is inevitable.
Mar 5, 2018 11:21 PM

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Jun 2016
3391
As short as this arc was, it was incredibly sweet. Maruo's new friends were great. There were lessons to be learned. Maruo has developed as a player exponentially. And we had one of the best matches yet. If only it was better adapted as to not have everyone speak perfect English it would have been perfect... kinda.

Maruo had started to fill in the lesson he had finally solidified this episode before, but now it's as clear as day to Maruo himself and to the viewer. The imagery of his reason telling his instinct what to do until now and this time the two swapping off that routine and working together was one of the nicest ways I've seen it explained. You don't need to reason or think about everything you're doing. Your body has learned to walk, it's learned languages, it's learned a lot of intricate things it does everyday. All that is necessary is that you observe and let your body do the work. I loved the brief distinction of mindless playing and believing in yourself while observing we got as Maruo completely missed a serve when he shut everything off.
"Forget the Alex in my data. Keep my eyes on the Alex in front of me and the rest is up to chance."
It truly was the best Maruo has played yet and Alex noted that in his own way saying matches like they had are meant to be played in front of audiences. The gar moment of Maruo trying to win without showing his cramp and then painfully running to the net was both awesome and cool enough to shake Alex up and make him miss.

Another notable thing was Alex's distinction of Maruo. He's not lazy or indifferent, nor is he not a dreamer, rather he goes after one small goal at a time. This may not seem exponential in the moment but it's far reaching in the long run. "Baby steps to giant strides" is a beautiful way to put this. Those little steps, those little goals will end up creating a massive and achieved dream in the future.
Mar 23, 2019 4:07 AM

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Aug 2017
188
Too bad Ei-chan got leg cramp during his match against Alex. I was glad to see that he won, although it was a close one.

So the America arc had only four episodes huh. It's is short and I expected some more adventures to be honest, but I also think it's good that the story will focus on Japan from now on. I would love to see more moments between Eiichiro and Natsu! This was a good episode overall.
Jul 28, 2019 11:59 AM
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Apr 2016
13027
I didn't expect Ei-chan to lose after all that, however, it still turned to a very close match. Both Alex and Ei-chan evolved a lot whilst in the match. Time to say goodbye to the group.
Feb 20, 2020 5:19 PM
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Jul 2018
561871
I got up to get some oyster crackers, and when I returned, I saw that this is where I had paused it...

It wasn't actually shown why Maoro was on the ground in the first place, before getting up, though.

Probably to pretend to tie his shoe. So that he could ever-so quickly sneak a gaze as seen here.

Maoro you pervy son of a gun. I see what you're up to.

removed-userFeb 20, 2020 5:25 PM
Nov 26, 2020 8:43 AM

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Jul 2017
6869
"Baby steps to giant strides". It sums up the journey Maruo's undergoing really well. Love this quote from Alex, and really loved that everyone took Maruo's notebook to write notes for him to greet him off.

The match with Maruo and Alex was great and while Maruo overexerted himself at the end, he still won and beat the 819th ranked tennis player in the world. That's got to mean something for someone who was a complete rookie 2 years ago. He started really small by barely being able to serve and return properly back then and now he's taking giant leaps by beating actual professionals and improving his game massively.

Sad to see him leave the gang in America, he did form some great bonds and memories with them and while it only lasted two weeks, they sure did become a family with him. Marcia turning back and crying while seeing him leave was a nice touch too given her soft interior. Alex also seems to have found the way to progress his career instead of just thinking too much about the future and value the past and the small steps towards his end goal.
Mar 23, 2022 12:01 AM

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Jul 2021
9194
Marcia crying makes me wanna cry too ;_;

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