Jan 2, 2011
If you watch this series, be prepared to embark on a roller coaster of emotion and enjoy some incredibly tense baseball. You will cry, jump in excitement, and sigh in relief.
The story really isn't that complicated and for the most part isn't even that interesting. You get hit with some incredible emotion in the first couple of episodes as the main character's 5th grade girlfriend tragically dies. I really felt the devastation that both Kou (the main character) and the Tsukishima family went through after Wakaba's death. The baseball portion of the story is well thought out with a variety of win/loss scenarios which always
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kept me guessing as to whether or not they would win the game (until the end of course :) ). My main beef with the story is the constant referencing and flashbacks to memories about wakaba and her death. I know she left a giant hole when she died, but my heart can hardly hold up when you keep reminding me of the enormous emotional pressure each of these kids carries around. I found the comedy and banter between characters very refreshing from other series. I'm not sure what it was, but it seems like each conversation carried an interesting tone, joke, or double-meaning.
I love the art style. It makes everything look very human. I think the beauty is in the inaccuracy of some of the lines and colors.
Sound was alright. There were times when I got tired of hearing the exact same suspense music as a close miss occurs.
The main characters (Kou and Aoba) had a lot of depth, but almost all of it was inferred. Several times in the series side-characters say that Kou and Aoba are not "honest about their feelings" which basically means they are a brick wall of emotion-deflection to other people. This can get kind of frustrating watching them fail to make a change in their relationships, but people actually act like this.
This series is enjoyable from a comedy aspect, but most of its worth comes from understanding how much losing a close friend/sibling can impact two people. The pacing of the baseballs was also done well. I never thought a game went on too long or focused on the wrong things.
The ending left me feeling a little empty. I wanted to watch them succeed at Koshien, and see Aoba and Kou grow closer.
It was a good watch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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