Forum - View topicCatch Me at the Ballpark! (TV).
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Edjwald
 Posts: 3505 |
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Catch Me at the Ballpark! (TV) Source: Manga (ongoing @ 15 volumes by Tatsurō Suga) Demographic: Seinen Animation Studio: EMT Squared Genres: comedy, slice of life Themes: adult cast, baseball, segments, sports, workplace Plot Summary: Murata, an office worker, meets Ruriko, a vendor selling beer who looks like a gyaru. He becomes her first regular customer. Ruriko acts cold toward Murata, but she has an innocent personality that comes out when he is out of sight. Air Date & Platform: April 01, 2025 Available on: Crunchyroll Episode Count / Runtime: 12 episodes [EDIT: Fancy opener stuff edited. -TK] Last edited by Edjwald on Sat Mar 22, 2025 5:05 pm; edited 3 times in total |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 4987 |
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I wonder what the episode structure is going to be like, seeing sport matches while getting hammered and slice of life fun in between?
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Edjwald
Posts: 3505 |
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Just based on the trailer, the MC is a corporate drone who goes to the ballpark to blow off some steam after work, so it ought to go well with those of us who like to watch our weekday anime after work. The anime looks and sounds pretty good too.
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Piglet the Grate
 Posts: 1433 Location: North America |
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Episode 1
Ruriko is a bit of a PITA, but actually likeable (and waifu material), so we are off to a good start. Murata is a Potato-kun, but that appears to be an essential part of the story.. Only disappointment is that Ruriko took Miku (the lost little girl) to security instead of giving her a beer. 
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smurky turkey
Posts: 4987 |
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That was an amusing first episode. The dynamic between Ruriko and Murata is fun though I fully expected the latter to be called kimo, kimo kimo at some point during the conversation. Also welcome is the solid animation and the pretty big cast. Said cast should help keep things varied since only having Ruriki be sassy could become monotonous after a while.
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Edjwald
Posts: 3505 |
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I enjoyed this a lot, with nary a twinge or a yawn. It's not spectacularly animated or anything, but I agree that it's well made compared to anime made on the cheap, and the show knows what it wants to be and has a soul. I certainly haven't seen fifteen other anime just like it that I could eventually name. I'm not even sure I've seen 3 anime like this. I mean, slice of life sure, sports centric, sure, but not like this.
In any case, I think the anime hit the sweet spot it was aiming for - the audience looking to take a load off after work. But maybe I'm sitting lonely in the bleachers on that one. I think the way the structure might work is that the main semi-romantic duo will probably be featured in the first mini-episode, and the second episode will branch out to subsidiary characters with either the male or the female lead weaving in and out of the story, which is cool. No talk about three episodes here. I'm expecting to still be around when episode 12 rolls around. |
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 25599 |
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So this is my fifth show of the new season and I'm five for five with no title showing any obvious signs of a future drop. That does not bode well for me keeping the menu under 30+ shows. On the other hand, I'm having fun. It was true last season and I think it will be true again this season, but anime seems to be ditching its over-reliance on school settings and its paucity of adult age characters, of which Catch Me at the Ballpark is a prime example. It's a trend I heartily welcome and hope persists.
I thought it was adorable how Ruriko fronts as a sassy, confident gyaru but is actually a nervous wreck over talking to customers. For his part, Murata, who has worrisome dark circles under his eyes is headed for a major upgrade to his ballpark experience now that he has a (seemingly) vivacious cutie keeping him beered up. I like that he carries a little notebook to record stats in... the sign of a true fan. Fun show and even as early as the first episode is showing that it won't be overly dependent on the Ruriko-Murata double act. |
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Tony K.
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 12058 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Pretty great first episode. I feel like this'll be "Bartender in a baseball stadium," but with very quirky characters. I know baseball culture is big in Japan, and this just makes it feel bigger. What I didn't know, however, was that these beer girls (uriko) were a thing. I've only ever gone to one public sporting event in a big stadium in my life, so I had to look up the whole beer vendor thing. Turns out, they do indeed get commissions, and making regular customers is a very important factor to their revenues.
The possible rom-com elements from the second segment look promising, but I especially loved that third segment with old and new guard with the lost child. It was very heartfelt and I'm curious what other kinds of scenarios the show will use to give us these SoL moments. 15 volumes of manga is a lot to draw from, too, so I hope they make a lot of episodes/segments. |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 4987 |
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Episode two sold me on watching until the end of the season. The main reason for that is the big cast and it indeed making for a varied assortment of segments. Like you said @Edjwald, it will be a surprise who shows up every time. This week had a (not really) baseball hating wife, some surprisingly helpful sleazeballs and Yamada who may or may not be happy with her job. The latter was particularly funny in that she is great at her job while wistfully looking at the beer vendors (Koutarou is also surprisingly popular).
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zfunk
Posts: 546 |
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Riruka seems like the only true main character. Murata based on the episode can be just as much of a background character as the other characters.
Last edited by zfunk on Tue Apr 08, 2025 4:40 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Edjwald
Posts: 3505 |
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This is one of those anime where, if I gave it number ratings, the objective rating I gave it would be much lower than the number representing how much I subjectively enjoy it. It's kind of taking the same spot that Welcomfe to Japan Ms. Elf had in terms of anime that I just find easy to chillax to.
I agree that Rurika seems to be the primary focus, but Murata appeared in every segment even if as a cameo, I don't think that's true of anybody else, though her supervisor cropped up more than once. I guess what I'm saying is, I wouldn't classify him as just another background character. At the very least, one of the most prominent background characters. |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 25599 |
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Episode 2
This built on the goodwill the first episode built in me. It confirmed that this show isn't just going to be Ruriko and Zombie Eyes chit-chatting. The wife cracked me up but I had to wonder how she would actually feel if her hubby started getting a bunch of positive female attention. And a gyaru who sucks at social media? I call b.s., man! |
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Beltane70
 Posts: 4182 |
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Thanks to the opening scene of the wife riding the Keiyo Line train to Kaihin-Makuhari station, which both actually exist, this episode of the show got me curious on how the setting differs from real Japanese baseball. Turns out that the stadium is based on the real life stadium for the Chiba Lotte Marines. All that and I’m not even a baseball fan!
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TJ_Kat
Posts: 868 Location: Saskatoon, Canada |
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That was my first reaction too! Totally ruined my suspension of disbelief 
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smurky turkey
Posts: 4987 |
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Seems like there really is no true main character in the show besides the Ballpark itself (though Ruriko does appear most so far). Episode three had Dennis Young fall in love while making a mess of his play, a helpful mascot and more Ruriko messing with Murata. The mascot bit made me curious as to who is in the suit since said person seems rather talented. Meanwhile the Ruriko/Murata combo stays fun due to them supporting one another (and given Murata's boss he needs it).
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