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So this might be one of the more under the radar anime that many of you have never heard of before, and I don't blame you, I seriously overlooked this series for a long time. I looked at it on review sites, it got good ratings, but I skipped it because frankly I wasn't drawn into the artwork, and also because I'm not a fan of baseball at all. Like, I seriously cannot stand to sit down and watch a game of baseball and think it's one of the most boring sports in the world. However, I finally decided to give this show a chance because there wasn't much left for me to watch, and I have to say I can't remember the last time I felt so satisfied with a series all the way through.
Here's a basic summary of the plot: "The main character is Kou Kitamura, son of the owner of Kitamura Sports. In the same neighborhood is a batting center run by the Tsukishima family. Due to their proximity and the relationship between their businesses, the Kitamura and Tsukishima familes have been close for many years, with their children going back and forth between the two homes like extended family. Because Kou and Wakaba were the same age and always together, Aoba was jealous of all the time Kou spent with her older sister. Aoba is a natural pitcher with excellent form, and Kou secretly trains to become as good as she was, even while publicly showing little interest in baseball."
Now, the show IS about baseball; don't think I'm trying to fool you or anything. Although the main characters are in high school not that much stuff happens that isn't related to baseball. You'll rarely see them in class or doing some other school projects, but that also doesn't mean nothing else is actually "happening". A lot of the show is just about chasing goals, growing relationships, and how much someone's past can grow and affect their future.
The biggest thing I want to praise is the pacing. Never was there a dull moment, and the plot twists and new segments were tied in absolutely perfectly. Anytime you think the show is going to slow down it'll touch on an important topic, develop the characters, and then connect beautifully into the next part. The storyline isn't the most interesting, and the twists are generally not the biggest, but they were all logical and something I could accept as well as be completely satisfied with how it all unfolded. There's a great mix of comedy and tense moments all throughout, and I think that was what made me look forward to watching every upcoming episode even though it is 50 episodes long.
Now onto the characters. The main character and protagonist is Kou, the star and aspiring pitcher. I don't think he's the most complex, and at times he seems like the generic shonen type lead, and I'll be honest in saying I wasn't completely drawn in by him. However, he has his own sense of mystery around him even though he is the character we see the most, and I think he was very fitting for the role. Aoba is also one of the main characters, and I think she was my favorite. All the subtle ways she grows and all the challenges she faces were so well done in the story. Too many times I feel there is that useless girl lead in these type of shonen shows, but she was probably the most inspiring characters.
I don't want to spoil too much of the plot, but the opening episode was great. I won't believe anyone who says they watched the first episode but didn't continue onto the second. The ending was great as well, and I don't think it could have ended better. It finished at the perfect time, perfect for the story it was telling right from the beginning, and everything just felt right with how everything unfolded. I don't remember the last series I've watched where the story just tied together so perfectly from beginning to end, and even if you're not a baseball fan I'd definitely urge you to try this show out.
 
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I remember reading Cross Game I think a year ago. When that twin girl appeared it felt more like a love comedy rather than an actual baseball manga so I stopped reading. I haven't watched the anime yet, maybe I should...
Best thing about it, in my opinion, is how it's so much like real life because it doesn't have all the crazy elements that a shonen manga has. And yeah... Kou is really cool. I remember him throwing the baseball at a flasher several distances away.
Anyway, I'm sure the anime is good too.
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The manga series is one of my favorites, and I absolutely *love* discussing it with anyone who cares to listen. Not sure how touchy everyone is about spoilers, though...
A lot of stuff is really subtle, and sometimes you miss it in the translation, depending on the translator or how they interpreted it, but it's really great.
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I've watched it when it was airing and have been drawn into it right after the the ending credits of ep1 rolled.
It accompanied me for an entire year, which was really nice. Looking forward to a new episode every week was nice.
I loved every character in there and it was surprising how some of them turned out even though I had other expectations.
Also Aoba is the definition of tsundere lol, she was awesome.
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Good manga. I've read most of Adachi Mitsuru's works, very similar in each story though (love story + sports related).
He does have some different stuff though but I don't like it as much as his normal works, stuff like;
Touch, H2, Rough, Katsu
(the more lengthy works)
Very similar themes but still enjoyable.
Should check them out if you have the time (manga not anime though)
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I haven't watched this because it wasn't discussed much at the board I frequent.
However, if I do start this, it'll be one of the longer anime I've seen in a while. (Last 50 episode anime I saw was, I dunno, soul eater?)
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sounda kinda like how I was when I saw Major. I guess I'll check this out.
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On October 07 2011 04:10 OmniEulogy wrote:
sounda kinda like how I was when I saw Major. I guess I'll check this out.
Major was awesome, kinda crap how they just randomly decided to not make it anymore, felt like there was more that they could have done with it 
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yay another cross game fan  fantastic anime imo, I would not hesitate to put it in my top 10-20.
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On October 06 2011 19:20 Artline wrote:
I remember reading Cross Game I think a year ago. When that twin girl appeared it felt more like a love comedy rather than an actual baseball manga so I stopped reading. I haven't watched the anime yet, maybe I should...
Best thing about it, in my opinion, is how it's so much like real life because it doesn't have all the crazy elements that a shonen manga has. And yeah... Kou is really cool. I remember him throwing the baseball at a flasher several distances away.
Anyway, I'm sure the anime is good too.
I didn't like that part too much either at the time, but the way it ended made a large impression on me in how much the characters developed.
Also, for a shonen anime I love how subtle most things and changes are all the way to the end. You always have a small feeling but you aren't really sure until the very end.
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I literally just finished the first episode, and man I've never watched anything like this before. I know nothing about manga or any of this. I love baseball. The first episode made me break a tear. It reminds me of my life...but in a cartoon? Thanks for posting this.
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... can we please not worry about spoilers? It's almost impossible to discuss the series without spoilers given the nature of the way the story's set up (Volume 1 T_T)
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I actually stumbled across the anime Touch first. And was drawn to Cross game due to the similar art style.
If you liked one of them, you'll undoubtedly(sp?) like the other one. Preatty much parallell universes, you will recognise almost all of the characters, even tho they have slightly different roles in the shows.
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EPT
