What They Say:
“Training Camp Begins!”
Sawamura keeps training hard. However, it was obvious to everyone that he was overworking himself. Chris calls Sawamura over to give him a warning—the best thing Chris could do out of concern for Sawamura’s body. As the training camp of hell begins, Sawamura…
The Review: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
It’s been two weeks since we saw Eijun chosen for the first string, only left with the promise to get stronger for those that weren’t chosen. Upon watching that recap scene before the opening, I can tell it’s harder on those already in the first string than on Eijun.
This episode is all about how Eijun going to the first string is affecting everybody, and that teaser only strengthened that idea. First, the second years are wondering why not them? But they have a whole year more while the third years who weren’t chosen are left in the dark, to wither away in relative obscurity. His roommate is worried that he won’t play well since he was crying throughout the night. His teacher and the clumsy first year manager wonder why he’s still awake in class. Haruichi and Furuya are motivated just to get better. They’re also first years and they can’t be left behind Eijun.
It’s when Chris calls Eijun and Furuya for a little lesson on being a pitcher that things get serious. What does it mean to be an ace? The coach thinks the meaning is not to lose games. Chris thinks much of the same, but focuses on the player and player health. Working to be the ace means taking rests, building fundamentals, and doing the little things. Eijun barely learned how to pitch in two weeks and now he has to learn everything else about picking off batters and taking first base after a short hit to first.
When we finally get to a practice, the first string players are amazing. Haruichi and his older brother are spectacular and quick catches ad throws. But both Eijun and Furuya can barely make the pick off catches at first. In the evening, they do running drills to build stamina and work on base running form. The first years, needless to say, are nearly dead.
In Summary:
I was saying before that game times are high tension and low content. This is almost the exact opposite. The tension is still high, but in a way different way. The stakes are long term and it’s ok if they fail right now, because that’s what the training camp is designed for: allowing them to fail so they don’t do it during a game. Here, we also see one of the most emotional moments in the show that had me in tears just watching it. Seeing Chris give into Eijun and help him train for the first string was absolutely brilliant and only hits harder when you realize that Chris won’t be there forever. He’s gone after this year and Eijun has two more years left to go. So what’s going to happen when Chris leaves?
Grade: B
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Equipment: PS3, 32 in. Olevia 720p TV
