(CR) Baby Steps

[tsunade666]

I find the adaptation fine and enjoyable. I actually like the chibi mode of the characters. Though after watching episode 4. I ended up marathoning the manga. From vol 1-22.

Its actually nice. And its not dragon ball tennis like the other one but a realistic tennis. slow but good. The baby steps title actually fit it.


This is a must watch and a definitely keeper for this season.

[Guardian Enzo]

If you play or played tennis this series is like Christmas morning, and the gifts just keep on coming. I wish the animation was better (it was actually pretty decent for most of the match itself this week) but the substance is spot-on.

[Nightengale]

I've really enjoyed the adaption so far. It's low-key, but retains pretty much the entirety of the manga's overall atmosphere.

The latest episode felt really good, for me. The early parts of Baby Steps are some of the slower paced ones, but the direction, the music, etc made the last few minutes of the episode really immersive.

I can't wait for the series to get its balls in a proper spin.

[magnumcyclonex]

For all of you who've played or taken tennis lessons. Is it realistic to have someone learn all the basic strokes (forehand, backhand, serves) within 4 months and be prepared enough to enter a tournament, or was that just a little bit of a stretch?

[SuitUp]

^
I don't know about tennis specifically, but 4 months is enough time to pick up the basics of just about any sport, especially if you're a training maniac like our protagonist.

[cyberdemon]

Originally Posted by magnumcyclonex

For all of you who've played or taken tennis lessons. Is it realistic to have someone learn all the basic strokes (forehand, backhand, serves) within 4 months and be prepared enough to enter a tournament, or was that just a little bit of a stretch?

I don't play tennis but Maruo is good at repetition which is good for Tennis so picking up the basics in 4 months is possible. Being prepared for a tournament is another thing but there is a lot to be learned by playing against a live ball aiming to win compared to practice matches. There's a big difference between practicing ad matches but the experience is necessary to continue on. In this case it is all about the experience he could gain by playing in a real match.

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by magnumcyclonex

For all of you who've played or taken tennis lessons. Is it realistic to have someone learn all the basic strokes (forehand, backhand, serves) within 4 months and be prepared enough to enter a tournament, or was that just a little bit of a stretch?

Totally realistic for a child Maruo's age, if they're willing to put in his level of effort at practice and have some natural affinity for the game.

[Mubyoshi]

Oh, this was a pretty good episode, time sure flew when watching this one. Glad he's actually losing though lol. By the way, it appears that he has the sharingan.

[Itlandm]

My palms were all sweaty after watching episode five. Someone is doing something right!

I was surprised to see him use this special vision powers to try to turn the game around. I would have expected him to use his notes and figure out his opponents play style over the course of the game. Oh well, perhaps later?

[Dorsai]

I just found out about this anime adaptation... Was waiting few years for it... Hope it will get few seasons and whole manga material will be animated So refreshing to see one of my favourite sport manga to get anime adaptation...

Its not special vision powers, its not this kind of manga/anime... Some people have superior vision like him, you can call it genetic miracle or gift from God he have since birth, but its still something realistic and happens in real life...

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by Itlandm

My palms were all sweaty after watching episode five. Someone is doing something right!

I was surprised to see him use this special vision powers to try to turn the game around. I would have expected him to use his notes and figure out his opponents play style over the course of the game. Oh well, perhaps later?

Look at it this way. Has Ei-chan done anything at this point to force Oobayashi to display any special pattern or style that could be figured out to begin with?

[LoweGear]

Originally Posted by Itlandm

I would have expected him to use his notes and figure out his opponents play style over the course of the game. Oh well, perhaps later?

He does a lot of that later, at least in the manga. Thing is, Maruo cannot rely just on his eyes, or his notes, or his training alone in his matches: he needs all of them in concert, and then focusing on which aspect of his would be best suited for his opponent. Some of the manga's best matches has Maruo trying to figure out what his opponents are going to do.

[HandofFate]

Finally some tournament play.

Really reminds me of Ippo.

[Reckoner]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

Totally realistic for a child Maruo's age, if they're willing to put in his level of effort at practice and have some natural affinity for the game.

It's not impossible, but it is extremely unlikely that someone would be hitting as well as Maruo does this episode. Returns like those don't just spring out of a few months of practice, I don't care who you are. What was more realistic was all the points where he basically could only hit weak shots into the middle of the court with no real speed or spin at all. I'd also expect far more errors, but that wouldn't be entertaining for viewers of course. Not the first sports manga to embellish things by any means though so it's not like I particularly care. If I did, it'd be very hard for me to watch this since tennis is a sport I've played for over a decade in my life at a decently high level and I'm an avid pro tennis follower.

What this anime/manga gets about tennis is some of the smaller things like the feeling of hitting your first good shot or the desire to perfect your form. Although some of the technique stuff is described strangely or too vaguely, things like Natsu telling Maruo to keep your body weight moving forward on your returns (really this applies to practically any shot) is spot on.

Also someone should tell Oobayashi that S&V is a relic of the past and he'll never amount to anything playing like that.

[Guardian Enzo]

Yeah, I think I saw Jon Isner standing behind Ivo Karlovic at a soup kitchen.

"People say it's harder to do it, the technology. But I think technology would have helped me out. If I used these racquets that Rafa is using, it's easier to serve, easier to volley. I could serve harder, longer. It would have been easier. So it all evens out. But I think serve-and-volley tennis, it would have been just fine today. I just think you need to know how to do it.”

- Pete Sampras

[Reckoner]

You named two guys who are 6'9 or taller. One of which doesn't serve and volley (John Isner mostly plays from the baseline). Karlovic tries his best, but any of his success is built off his serve being that ridiculous. His net play is awful. The only true serve and volley player in the top 50 today to me is Llordra (Maybe to a lesser degree Stepanek but not even sure he's top 50 anymore), but he's never won anything of note. Nonetheless, the vast majority of players in the modern game are base liners. Even someone like Raonic doesn't go to the net that much.

Sampras might believe the technology would help him, but what has killed serve and volley in the modern game is the RPM's that these strings generate. Players can get such easy power and produce ridiculous angles like never before from anywhere on the court. Greatest example of course being Nadal, but even Federer benefited massively from this change in technology. It's just not a stable game plan to rely on it anymore (Though it can of course be a good mix up tactic), especially with how slow and high bouncing so many of these surfaces are today (Including Wimbledon!). There's a good reason why Federer switched from serve and volley early in his career to a more base line oriented game (and the results back it up).

If they ever regulated the string technology, we might see serve and volley actually make a come back.

[Guardian Enzo]

It's cyclical. Serve and Volley will come back - maybe not to the degree it was widespread 30 years ago, but it will come back. As for Feds, he was actually one of the last holdouts against moving to a larger, state-of-the-art racket so to say he "benefited massively" from the technology change is certainly misleading if not outright false. Everyone who plays with modern equipment benefits from it compared to using outdated equipment, but compared to most of his peers Federer benefited a lot less. He was also never primarily a serve-and-volleyer, except on grass and on his first serves. I think he simply realized his skill set was better suited to an all-court game which featured serve-and-volley as a changeup.

It's also worth pointing out that someone like Oobayashi isn't worried about being the #1 player in the world - he's worried about winning satellite junior events in Japan. As a tall and imposing player in a country where most of his rivals are neither, he's playing up a physical advantage wisely. He also gets the added bonus that he's using a style most of his opponents rarely see and aren't well-practiced at competing against. I could say more on this, but it would be bordering on spoilers so I'll hold back.

[Pellissier]

Well nothing bad if in minor tournaments we see someone play serve and volley. Of course it's obsolete and all, but it's entertaining seeing someone play like that. I'd be more concerned if this series will present a big opponent playing S&V later.

The last I saw consistently playing S&V has been Taylor Dent. But it could be that the author is just an Edberg (or Becker or Sampras or McEnroe) fan.

[Reckoner]

Well it's not like I was saying it's a flaw or anything . I've come across one or two pretty decent junior players who S&V before in tournaments. I was just making a larger commentary about the modern game.

Against someone like Maruo, it's more than enough to crush him. He isn't going to be producing the passing shots that make today's S&V players cry - not yet at least.

[ditn]

I mostly remember Tim Henman as S&V player