At its core, Gurazeni: Money Pitch is a show for baseball fans, though that isn't to say that non-baseball fans can't enjoy this show. This show does a good job explaining some baseball lingo and the culture of the game.
Gurazeni: Money Pitch follows the story of 26-year old Natsunosuke Bonda, a left-handed relief pitcher for the Spiders. His role is a LOOGY (Left-Handed One Out Guy), who tries to get only one of the opposing batters out, who are usually of the other dominant hand. They usually only last one inning at the maximum. The thing that separates Bonda from the rest of the characters is that he has memorized every contract in his league. When he pitches, if a player has a lower contract than him, he's more likely to get them out opposed to when a player has a higher contract than him.
Bonda's journey is very similar to players in real life. Bonda has been lucky enough to net himself a 16 million yen contract, but it means nothing when compared to a 100+ million yen contract and his future. Your play on the field is your worth, and people won't want you if you're not worthy. Bonda is an easily replaceable player on the Spiders. Despite playing professionally for eight years, Bonda isn't a star on the Spiders. The only time he gets recognition is when he publicly humiliates himself, usually when he's drunk.
Gurazeni: Money Pitch shows a very good picture of the lives of the side characters too, usually giving them one episode. Whether it be an up and coming rookie, to a player striving to make it out of the minors, or even to a retired color commentator, we all get to see a peek of what their lives are like. When baseball players retire, most of them haven't made enough to live off of, and instead get jobs in sports media or as a manager.
Bonda's love interest is very different than what is typically common in the baseball world. Bonda's placement in "baseball society" puts actresses and models way out of his league. Instead, Bonda settles for a part-timing, ditsy college waitress at a restaurant near the Spiders' ballpark. In the second season, despite Bonda's attempts to conversate are hesitant due to her support of Bonda's rival baseball team. This creates a conflict for Bonda to overcome in a (hopefully coming) third season.
There's not a whole lot to say about the soundtrack. The opening and closing songs are very catchy, though they are used abundantly.
All in all, Gurazeni: Money Pitch is worth your time, there's never a dull moment. the only negative I can think of is the animation, which often uses poorly done CGI for lots of the baseball scenes. If you can get past that minor inconvenience, this show can be very enjoyable.
