Do not ask me why this episode started with that strange drawing of the Tsukishima cat. I’ve seen them before in Kodomo no Omocha and Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei, and never really understood what they were about… They were kind of charming in Kodocha, but here in Cross Game, I’m not so sure.
But nevertheless, this was one awesome episode. After the first baseball match of this series, I was really fearing for this episode, but it was over within just one episode, and that really made sure for an exciting episode, even though you could see the ending coming from miles away. It’s episodes like this where everything really comes together in terms of character-development, with some awesome results.
The evil coach was indeed your typical evil coach, and yet he struck me as an ambitious character who probably once loved to play baseball, but over the years became too obsessed over going to Koushien, so that he failed to see past the plans of Kou and the others that made them seem like a bunch of weaklings (the five games they lost were all against teams that previously ranked among the top 8, and they didn’t really lose that badly anyway). The final nail in the coffin for him was the identity of the mysterious old guy with the hat, as he turned out to be the actual principal of the school.
I have to wonder why this principal decided to disguise himself in the first place, though. If he was around the area, why didn’t he just come and show himself instead of being all sneaky? He definitely had his reasons for it, so I’m curious to find out about them.
This episode also brought Kou and Aoba a bit closer together. Despite their bickering, they really work together as a team. I loved how Aoba kept scolding him at the beginning of the game, because she knew that he could do much better. The next thing that’s going to need to happen is for Kou to stop trying to look mature in front of her, and instead start treating her normally. Due to Wakaba, the two of them have grown into an awkward relationship together, in which it nearly seems that they purposefully close each other off whenever they get too close to each other.
Rating: *** (Awesome)
You got me really excited to see this episode now. 🙂
Actually it was not principal (at least in manga), but the board chairman.
The old guy is more like the chairman of the school board. Seishu is a private school and he virtually owns it. Apparently he hasn’t been around the school much, so nobody really knows who he is and what he is. But he indeed has the ultimate power to hire, or fire anyone he wants.
As for reasons of him sneaking around – it could be quite simple. He certainly has heard enough bad things about pricnipal/baseball manager from Akaishi’s father. Also the chairman himself said that he has received complaints from teachers on the principals ‘shit list’, but was not sure if he can trust such rumours. It might been just ‘anonymous investigation’.
Or he just wanted to enjoy himself without being bothered by his official position.
Yep, the old guy wasn’t the principal. At one point in the anime, it was hinted that he held at least a title in the school but wasn’t the principal. I was expecting this episode to drag on a few episodes and was glad that this arc is over in just one episode. Talk about a fastball.
If you thought that 150 km/h fastballs can’t possibly exist in Japan high school pitchers (like I did)…check out Youtube. There are some who could plus a repertoire of very nasty curveballs and sliders.
Kou isn’t alone…..
I actually feel the need to add that the reason they lost the 5 games they did [ well, I haven’t watched the episode yet; but, according to the manga ] was because Kou was pitching for contact until the 6th [ or 7th? Can’t remember, sorry ]. He wanted to give the defense practice, and if he had shut them out the entire game, they wouldn’t have gotten any.
Also, your blogging this is much appreciated. 🙂
I love being able to come here and see if the episode was any good.
Excellent episode, the next one seems to be really great as well! I’m not even a baseball fan but this anime mixes slice of life with sports really, really well.
Really well paced episode. Enjoyed the interaction between all the characters. Just wonderful. Now, I’m feeling the space between Kou and Aoba is just painful. I’ve never felt that two characters I like should find different partners. Something signifant and tragic will need to happen before they can each forgive themselves and absolve the guilt. Since the manga hasn’t addressed it yet, how can the anime possible end in a satisfying way.
So…are these comments going to be spoiler land mines? Re. Irie’s comment, I would have preferred not to have known that…. Just wondering so I can avoid reading the comments in the future….
I don’t really see how the anime will follow the manga to it’s conclusion. That was probably my point. Sorry if you felt it was a spoiler but I didn’t provide any knowledge of future events.
As to reasons for Aoba and Kou to be together, I am speculating. I would really like them to be together but it just seems painful to watch. I am again speculating that something big has to happen to absolve their guilt. I have no idea what that will be.
You made the comment that the manga hadn`t done something yet and thus the anime probably wouldn’t. I don’t see how anyone could not consider that a spoiler for the anime. Anyone who reads it now knows not to even expect it.
Sorry.
Why can’t the anime follow the manga to its conclusion? It’s gonna be 51 episodes and by the the the the anime reaches its end the manga will almost certainly be over.
I never saw Kou as trying to act mature in front of Aoba. He just seems dense to me in that respect. Aoba seems to be the major pusher away of their relationship. Kou just sort of goes along with it. I mean in the first episode it took seeing another person who was crushed by Wakaba’s death to realize he himself was sad and needed to cry. Kou just seems the sort who doesn’t catch onto emotions (especially his own) quickly.