Forum - View topicCross Game (TV).
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18213 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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The way the series has set itself up, I wouldn't at all be surprised if it comes down to a matter of them both eventually getting the sense that Wakaba would give them her blessing as a couple in her absence. In a flashback in an earlier episode, after all, Wakaba more or less did say that Ko is the kind of boy that would eventually meet Aoba's demanding standards, and she clearly hasn't forgotten that comment. Though she seems to want to stay miffed at Ko over how Wakaba's attention was fixed more on him in her last few months, I also get the sense that, whether she wants to admit it or not, she's evaluating him, too. Even so, Wakaba's lingering influence is certainly going to continue to make this a tricky relationship to carry out, and (happily!) so far the series hasn't taken the easy route. That aside, the last two have been another great set of episodes. spoiler[Akuma deliberately taking himself out of the game against the farm team because he questioned his coach's judgment] was unexpected but still felt right and spoiler[the not-drawn-out progression of the game, as well as finally finding out who the old man is,] was very satisfying. I especially liked Ko's comments to Aoba during the game, particularly the one about trust. |
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Courbet
Posts: 47 |
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Fully agree with the above comments by Key.
This series is still the star of the early summer seasons - I dropped them all including East of Eden - but Cross Game is a keeper; simple, honest, good characterisation. Next episode with Azuma should be interesting - from the preview it looks like he will be going spoiler[ on a date with Aoba] which should spice things up in a nice spoiler[love triangle!] |
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rainbowcourage
 Posts: 1216 Location: what is commonly known as "hell week" |
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Ah, so that's who the date is with. I guess I can abide by it for the time being until Aoba stops being idiotic about Kou. I really liked the way this blogger put it: "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." |
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leongsh
 Posts: 181 |
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"But you still can't have him" |
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Key
Moderator
Posts: 18213 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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After the dramatics of last episode, 17 is a low-key but quite interesting one. spoiler[Aoba's handling of the "date" was quite amusing and surely not what anyone was expecting based on the preview, but that doesn't even compare to the shock of Azuma boarding with Kou in the wake of the dormitory situation going under. Azuma admitting that he stayed with the team because of Kou is far less surprising since he's always clearly sought to surround himself with the best players and made it clear in episode 16 that he acknowledges Kou as one of them.]
As for Aoba and Kou's relationship. . . spoiler[The comment Azuma tossed off about how "it must be hard for you two" after learning about Wakaba is one of the reasons I love this series. With a simple turn of phrase Azuma shows, without going into internal dialogue, that he recognizes the barrier to Aoba and Kou hooking up that Wakaba represents. As dour as his expression is, Azuma has shown on plenty of occasions that he's no fool when it comes to understanding people. Kou spying on Aoba through the window was also quite interesting, as I believe it's the first time in the series that he has shown such interest.] For being low-key, enough is going on in this episode that I may have to rewatch it. |
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Kirkdawg
 Subscriber Posts: 742 Location: California, USA |
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Key, I picked this series up based on the preview guide of ANN; wow, I have to agree that this is another gem of the season. It frustrates me that this series has a low fan base (based on the number of posts in this thread and number of ratings) because it just seems painful to watch an excellent series fly right under everyone's nose. And what's with the diverging opinions based on the ratings? Where did this series fall short? I would really like to hear from those with a low opinion of Cross Game. I would also like to see this licensed, but I'm not too hopeful due to the apparent low fan base. I'm glad to see there's a rumor at least that this series isn't 26 episodes, because that's how awesome it is.
Now to get a hold of that 17th episode 
EDIT: Well, don't want to make another post so I'll just add further comments now that I've watched ep. 17 spoiler[Heheh, the Aoba "date" was pretty amusing and I am not surprised she doesn't tell Kou the truth of the matter. I've taken a strong liking towards Azuma; the series is revealing more and more about him I just can't help but find likable. The stairs story really moved me. This episode focused on the relationship between the two love birds much more so than at least recent episodes. Some big hints were dropped, but at this pacing (which I don't mind at all) it seems these two still have a long way to go before they can overcome their obstacle. ] Gah...just can't get enough of this series. |
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rti9
 Posts: 1241 |
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A thread from some time ago entitled Why Aren't Sports Anime More Popular in the U.S. addressed this phenomenon. Reading that reminded of a video called Man in the Box - Star Wars vs. Sports. One of the things I like the most in this series is how it respects the game. I'm one of those who simply can't stand too much absurdity, like in Prince of Tennis and Princess Nine. Titles like Princess Nine sacrifice the game too much in exchange for more dramacity or flashier action. Cross Game's Azuma is an exceptional player, but is still believable. He trains more than anyone else and has very strong motivations. Really nice that the next episode will be about the girls. There is a jaw dropping evolution of women and baseball in Japan in the last few years. In Touch (1985), Minami Asakura is one of the managers of the baseball team. She meets with an alumnus who comments that during her school years, women as managers weren't allowed. In contrast, today we see someone like Eri Yoshida in the news. |
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Kirkdawg
Subscriber Posts: 742 Location: California, USA |
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Hm, makes me want to smack all the guys who say "all sports shows are boring" over the head really hard; it's the equivalent of judging a book by it's cover. Seriously though, people should at least give this show a try. It's amazingly well done.
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Emerje
 Posts: 7344 Location: Maine |
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Another thing to keep in mind is that this isn't completely unheard of for shows that are currently airing. A person that decides they don't like the show are going to rate it immediately while a person who continues watching is likely to reserve judgement, and their rating, until they've finished the show. Personally I don't rate anything I'm watching until I've finished it unless it's something that didn't capture my interest, then I might reflect that in a rating, but not harshly. At the moment Cross Game is in "great" territory with me. 
Emerje |
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nechronius
 Posts: 275 Location: So Cal, USA |
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I too am really enjoying this show, despite being about a subject I have almost no interest in. Amazing what brilliant story telling can do to bring in an audience that normally wouldn't give it a second glance.
I was so drawn by the story that I couldn't help but get ahead of the anime... Which once again leaves me with a sense of frustration about why I'm not a fan of ongoing manga to begin with. Without revealing any significant plot points, I will say that if the manga was over today, the equivalent number of anime episodes would be in the neighborhood of 40 or so, while my guesstimate is that the full story could probably be told with two full seasons (~52 eps). So here's to hoping there's a second season after this first run of 26 or so. Still can't get over those half circles for ears though... I mean they get the job done, but why do they have to look like part of a catcher's mitt... |
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leongsh
Posts: 181 |
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This show is expected to run for 51 episodes and not 26 episodes. Refer: http://www.ota-suke.jp/news/28329 ■ 最新ニュース / 2009年5月18日(月) 現在放送中のTVアニメ「クロスゲーム」のDVD第1巻の予約受付がAmazonで開始された。DVD第1 巻には第1話から3話までを収録。DVDは全13巻でリリース予定で、2巻目以降は4話ずつ収 録される。 Which says that the whole series will be 13 DVD volumes with the DVD Volume 1 of the show having 3 episodes and subsequent DVD volumes having 4 episodes each. That totals up to 51 episodes. |
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nechronius
Posts: 275 Location: So Cal, USA |
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I was merely going off what I remember about the Cross Game article here on ANN. But if it's going to run at least 51 eps that is great news. However I get the impression there's at least 20% more story to run before it can end, so if they've already planned for 51 eps then there would be another dozen or so episode run down the line.
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Kirkdawg
Subscriber Posts: 742 Location: California, USA |
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Huzzah for a series that well deserves 50+ episodes
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littletykes
Posts: 33 |
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Hi, just new to this thread.
Same here. After reading the ANN previews, I thought I'd give it a shot. This is one of the shows I'm grateful for "experimenting" by watching it. It's just sad that not many people are interested in it (the encyclopedia entries weren't even filled up with the likes of Akaishi & Nakanishi when I checked it up at first.)
Thank goodness. It would've been such a waste had it been just 26 episodes.
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Darc_knight
 Posts: 169 |
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If Cross Game the anime ends like the way the manga did, then i will neevr watch/read anime associated with Adachi Mitsuru. The beginning and the build up throughout the entire manga was really special, and made me really look forward to the end, but it ended with such a bad surprise. Uh, i just see myself falling into this trap in the ending, so before every episode I second guess mysefl and try not to watch, but I still end up watching it becuase it really is good. Maybe thats the magic of Mitsuru, but i could care less. Those who read the manga know what I'm talking about.
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