Pinch hitting for Tanba, Haruichi at the plate.
What They Say:
“Revenge”
I want to pitch to that mitt again… A meeting with catcher Kazuya Miyuki changed the 15-year-old Eijun Sawamura’s life. He said goodbye to all his friends and knocked upon the door of Seidou, a prestigious baseball school, intent on testing his own strength. There, he met many proud baseball players who were betting everything on the sport! A classic tale, yet new and fresh. All the emotion and excitement of the popular baseball manga is at last coming to television in the form of an anime!
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
The coaching philosophies at play here are completely different. On one hand, we have Sensen the dark horse. They have a coach who goes for the guaranteed. It’s a valid strategy, but an obviously flawed one. Nothing is guaranteed in sports and certainly not baseball when a slightly off pitch or just right hit can change the course of a game entirely. On our side, we have Seidou. Kataoka believes in his players and in them winning the game through his coaching at practice. We’ll see which one wins out, but it’s obvious to me even without considering that Seidou is the main characters’ team. Trust in your players to make plays. Don’t trust data to make plays.
In the eighth slot, Tanba gets subbed in for a pinch hitter, third main character Haruichi. He’s a reliable hitter with the same kind of style as his brother than can really hurt pitchers depending on how he plays. With two outs and the bases loaded, he has the perfect opportunity to show his stuff. But after three pitches, the count’s 1-2 and Haruichi’s in a pinch. Just what he didn’t want—or what any batter wants. But there’s something about what Maki is saying . “He’s just a first year.” Well, the first year was underestimated and he hit the curve to deep left field, just over the fielder’s glove. Three base runners come home and he gets a double. The kid’s now 3-for-3 in the tournament according to Chris.
Beginning the fifth inning, Eijun takes the mound. The first batter gets a walk, but Eijun…doesn’t seem fazed? He’s being his usual self, basically. It doesn’t help and his first outing since the home run from Yakushi ends up with runners on first and third with no outs. Sensen shows squeeze play, but the plan is just to mess with the pitcher. The first good pitch goes shallow outfield and Ryosuke is just too short to get the out. The third base runner comes in and Eijun’s looking worse and worse.
When Furuya goes to the bullpen, Eijun gets pumped. Some competition on the mound will let him focus on the game rather than the runs he could give up. This is coupled with the coach’s message to the team, saying that Masuko’s bald head will distract the team. They’re trying to relax Eijun, but Furuya and Kazuya only rile him up. “You’re being tested as a pitcher here.” Kazuya’s goading him on and he’s trying to make him play his best right after being at his lowest. This is the true test of the ace pitcher and the next batter is Sensen’s own ace.
In Summary:
This is the turning point for both Eijun and Haruichi. Haruichi showed his stuff with the three RBI double, but now it’s Eijun’s turn to show what he can do. The kid is a good pitcher, just a little green as the Sensen coach says. Eijun lacks experience and caves under pressure, like at the Yakushi game. He can keep motivation up, but it’s often a front to hide his own nervousness. How he deals with already giving up a run will show who he will be the rest of the series.
Grade: A
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Equipment: PS3, 24 in. Vizio 1080p HDTV
