Forum - View topicCross Game (TV).
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Spastic Minnow
 Bargain HunterExempt from Grammar Rules  Posts: 4613 Location: Gainesville, FL |
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Another little thing. I did some searching and didn't notice anyone mentioning this comparison/tribute anywhere.
Although I have to figure just about any ball player in Japan has done the Ichiro pose at some point or another. |
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yuna49
 Posts: 3804 |
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Wow, nice find there, Minnow-san!
I've sometimes wondered whether Kou was at all modeled on "Dice-K" Matsuzaka who now plays for the Boston Red Sox. Daisuke was the preeminent high-school pitcher of his era and set records at Koushien yet to be equaled, I believe. He continues to lead Japan to victories in the World Baseball Classic, sometimes to the detriment of his later performance for the Red Sox. Like Kou, Daisuke even now has something of a "baby" face and seems to hide his awesome abilities behind a rather shy and retiring demeanor. I often remark on how different Matsuzaka appears from Okajima Hideki, the left-handed reliever who projects the same sort of self-confidence as Ichiro. In the movie Summer Wars, one of the characters is the mother of a high-school pitcher. She wears a Matsuzaka Red Sox shirt while watching her son pitch. |
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Dorcas_Aurelia
 Posts: 5344 Location: Philly |
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Is it really that unique of a pose? I know Ryan Howard does a similar stance when he's up at bat, so if they were really trying to do a tribute to Ichiro, wouldn't Azuma being putting his left hand on his shoulder, rather than tugging at his sleeve? |
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Spastic Minnow
Bargain Hunter Exempt from Grammar Rules Posts: 4613 Location: Gainesville, FL |
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I'm not one hundred percent sure but I would bet it's supposed to be a reference. Ichiro apparently does it before every single swing- it would be recognized in Japan as something he does. And Ichiro is pulling on his sleeve in that picture (as he always does), it's just that he's pulling at the top of his sleeve in that picture, not the bottom. |
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theMICK64
Posts: 4 |
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I 1st came across the series because of the baseball content. And as time went on, it mirrored my time in Jr/Sr High School, some what. The cultural differences between Japan and the US is noticable. I hope to get through the series once more, to really take it in properly, and reluctantly move on to another, but simular type. Any and all suggestions are welcomed. These type of shows take me back to a better time, and the wholesome content is refreshing. Love the characters and the whole story line of the journey to Koshien. Did Ko win??? Hope so, for Aoba and his sake. That final scene, holding hands....
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TatsuGero23
 Posts: 1277 Location: Sniper Island, USA (It's in your heart!) |
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theMICK64: Whenever your in the mood again, you should give another Adachi series a try. Adachi is the original creator of the manga series this anime was based off. It's a little old and a bit long but it's another nice story like Cross Game. The anime series is called Touch. It's another baseball anime but with a strong focus on the characters just like Cross Game was.
I only got into his stuff sometime early last year or year before but I really love his mangas. You probably shouldn't read them all at one time (unless you want to) but his stuff tends to be a nice breath of fresh air in between anime series or if you feel burned out on mecha, shonen, etc etc. |
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theMICK64
Posts: 4 |
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Thanks, Tatsu, I'll check it out. I've just gone though the 11 pgs of this post and am so glad to hear how well this series is liked. My 1st exposer to anime was the Gundam series. And on TV, I catch Adult Swim, which shows anime, such as Bleach and others. The Japanese have it together. Great imagination and some wonderful story lines.
Cross Game hits home for me, is so far as my Jr/High School yrs. I played sandlot games with the same group of guys, and then through our schools teams. My grandfather taught me the "KnuckelBall pitch when I was 15. He said, if I wanted to get a leg up on the other guys who were bigger and hit better, learn to pitch and have a pitch that will allow you to pitch more often and longer. Thoughout that summer, I worked on that pitch every single day, throwing it to my brother, who's 3 yrs younger. When I entered High School and 1st went to the OF, my nornal position, I could no longer throw to the infield without the ball going all over the place. I could no longer throw the ball in a straight line. So one day, I was pitching batting practice, and NO one could hit the ball solid. Pop ups to the IF, come backers, weak grounders, almost nothing past the IF. So the 1st game of the season, our Ace, a flame thrower, Robert C. goes 7 strong innings before getting in trouble. I get called in from LF to relieve. I get the next 6 outs on 14 pitches. Sweet. Over the 3 yrs at High School and American Legion Ball, I had a combined record of 27-3, with 21 saves. I don't think my top speed would have been more than 65-70 mph, but the movement on that ball was great. So I can relate to "Cross Game" some what. I just didn't get the girl in the end. Had there been an Aoba in my life, I may not have done that well. LOL. |
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lllwtflll
 Posts: 105 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
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Though I still lurk around, I haven't contributed to these forums in a while, as I rarely feel the need to speak up about a series unless I find it truly captivating from beginning to end. This is definitely one of those cases.
I started Cross Game last week after remembering that it had been mentioned in the best of 2010 lists by Carl and Key. I've already finished the series and I have to say that it now holds a firm spot among my top 5. I can't recall a single boring episode in this series, which says a lot considering it's length. I thought the story was expertly executed from beginning to end, and what amazed me the most was how I often felt like I was actually cheering for one of my favourite teams everytime Seishuu stepped into the ball park. I felt as if I was really riding out the highs and lows with them as their team progressed from farm club status, to starters in the second year, and on to contenders in the third year. spoiler[When Seishuu lost a heart breaker to Ryuou in the second year to end their run, I honestly felt as if I just watched my team bow out of the playoffs in overtime in game 7 (I'm a hockey fan...) and I had that same, horrible, empty feeling in my gut. ] Not many series have been able to affect me that way. Would I call this a masterpiece? I'd say it's pretty damn close, though I felt the show could've done without Mizuki. spoiler[ He served almost no purpose in forwarding the plot at all. He was never really a threat to anyone in the bid for Tsukishima's heart, he had no baseball talent, and he became a completely intolerable, whiny little wimp once he started cheering *against* Seishuu. No, the fact that he finally cheered em on in the final against Ryuou did not redeem his character in any way, imo.] Am I happy with the ending? Yes. spoiler[ Regarding the whole thing between Aoba and Kou, I think the writers threw in just enough to let us know where things stand between them, without having to show it overtly. I like where it ended, and I thought that last little exchange at the train station was priceless. "When are you gunna let go of my hand?" "If you don't like it, you can let go anytime!" "Roger." Aaaand, he doesn't let go. Done and done.] Overall, a truly great, heartfelt series. I'd recommend it to anyone, baseball fan or not. It seems pretty unlikely that this type of series would get picked up for distribution in North America, but one can hope. I'd love to add it to my collection. Besides Toradora!, there hasn't been a whole lot that I've felt the need to purchase in the last while... |
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yuna49
Posts: 3804 |
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After being burned by VIZ on Monster, I wouldn't trust them to complete all of Cross Game even if they start. There's a certain "self-fulfilling prophecy" aspect to this. Even if they release a box with, say, episodes 1-13, I wouldn't buy it at this point. If enough people share my attitude, then the market for the initial release will be depressed, and VIZ may well conclude that it's not worth completing the series. I "voted" in the marketplace for Monster when they finally released it, and look what that got me. |
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