(L) Cross game

[poko-kun]

Originally Posted by Proto

Spoiler for ep. 36:

OMG, we got DRAMA. How many episodes had it been since we had the last cliffhanger?

Mwahaha, I just love my teasers.

since 30
and waited to see the result in 32 (cuz 31 not count)

[Proto]

Oh, it hadn't been that many then. But it was sure surprising when

Spoiler for ep. 36:

*that*

happened.

[DeX-kun]

God! I want to open those spoiler tags so badly right now So judging by some of the reactions, is this a good episode?

[poko-kun]

Originally Posted by Proto

Oh, it hadn't been that many then. But it was sure surprising when

Spoiler for ep. 36:

*that*

happened.

indeed


(Seems like only Proto and I have watched this episode)

Originally Posted by DeX-kun

God! I want to open those spoiler tags so badly right now So judging by some of the reactions, is this a good episode?

It is!

[Proto]

Originally Posted by DeX-kun

God! I want to open those spoiler tags so badly right now So judging by some of the reactions, is this a good episode?

Yes, it is specially interesting because

Spoiler for ep. 36:

a certain event

happens in this episode.

[Free]

You guys are bad people.

Spoiler for 36:

Azuma wanted. Dead or barely alive.

[poko-kun]

Originally Posted by Free

You guys are bad people.

Spoiler for 36:

Azuma wanted. Dead or barely alive.

Spoiler for to answer your question.:

Alive please, Seishu needs him.

[Theowne]

I am so tempted to spoil myself with the manga

[Nosauz]

you should read the manga, whether it's now, or till it's finished, but this episode was decent, but if they had done a two episode filler arc, it could have been much better. Still decent for non adachi material. And I wish they had spliced some of the guys training.

[DeX-kun]

Originally Posted by Proto

Yes, it is specially interesting because

Spoiler for ep. 36:

a certain event

happens in this episode.

You're a jerk Kidding of course because while I quoted your post, I can actually see what you wrote and I guess I should thank you for not actually putting anything significant within the spoiler tags

[HitagiIsHot]

Originally Posted by Nosauz

you should read the manga, whether it's now, or till it's finished, but this episode was decent, but if they had done a two episode filler arc, it could have been much better. Still decent for non adachi material. And I wish they had spliced some of the guys training.

Agreed. The episode is decent for non-adachi material.

Spoiler for episode 36:

So, just curious, I'm assuming the next one is not a filler/"non adachi-material" episode, is that correct?

I expected that Aoba is more than good enough to get in women's tryouts- maybe even be the ace, but always had a feeling that she won't be in the national team, for she has a "duty" to fulfill first with Kou and the rest of them.

[Ingram]

Originally Posted by HitagiIsHot

Spoiler for episode 36:

Looks like Aoba will be alright next ep.

So much for the cliffhanger... ;_; I was concerned that I'd have to wait a week to find out more.

[Ansalem]

Previews are really a mixed bag. When they are used to build suspense, I like them. An example would be when we say Azuma saying that the only girl he'd date was (presumably) Aoba. Was he really talking to her? Why does he say it? What's her reaction?

This week was an example of a bad preview.

Spoiler for ep36/37 preview:

They end in the cliffhanger of Aoba getting hurt, then show in the preview that she's fine. Suspense gone.

Unfortunately, there's no way to tell which it'll be. I usually don't watch them because of that, but I accidentally watched it this week.

[HitagiIsHot]

In addition, don't forget previews can sometimes be misleading.

Originally Posted by Ingram

So much for the cliffhanger... ;_; I was concerned that I'd have to wait a week to find out more.

Spoiler for ep36 preview:

It's pure speculation on my part, not necessarily what the anime creators will end up doing.

Anyways thanks for mentioning that, I changed my earlier post to something a little more friendly for those who don't watch teh previews.

[JackRydden224]

Originally Posted by HitagiIsHot

Agreed. The episode is decent for non-adachi material.

Spoiler for episode 36:

So, just curious, I'm assuming the next one is not a filler/"non adachi-material" episode, is that correct?

I expected that Aoba is more than good enough to get in women's tryouts- maybe even be the ace, but always had a feeling that she won't be in the national team, for she has a "duty" to fulfill first with Kou and the rest of them.

From the looks of it the next episode is back to Adachi stuff.

I'm a bit worried though, the pace Adachi is drawing the manga is turtle speed. He spends a fair amount of time on games but the anime just breezes through them. I don't see Adachi speeding up, and I wouldn't wish for it either so I guess that leaves us with some more fillers.

[The Rumblefish]

Spoiler for Answering HitagiIsHot's question in post #2031 (= whether the cliffhanger was in the manga):

Indeed, everything is anime original except the ending (from the moment Kô suggests Aoba to protect herself, the cold spray order etc.). It is also Azuma who hits her in the manga, obviously.

Spoiler for whether the preview for ep37 is deceiving or not (but only on the most important point / does not go into much detail about next ep):

I agree the preview did a bad job. Knowing how Adachi likes to put drama in all his works, I am sure some people would have freaked out and panicked for her death. They could have at least toyed with the audience for a second there! Maybe they were afraid it was too much of a strain on the young audience.

[CWW]

Akaishi is apparently trying to score points with Akane the only way he can. If Adachi shoehorns the two into a relationship I will be so pissed.

In other shocking news, Kou does some sweet things for Aoba. It's like Adachi isn't even trying anymore.

[JackRydden224]

Originally Posted by CWW

In other shocking news, Kou does some sweet things for Aoba. It's like Adachi isn't even trying anymore.

Kou has always done sweet things for Aoba, little things here and there, some times Aoba realizes but other times she doesn't. It's typical Adachi-ism.

[The Rumblefish]

Four random comments about episode 36:

1) I am under the impression these anime-original episodes are not just filler but are conscious decisions from the anime staff to make the anime more female-friendly. The manga runs in a shônen publication so the majority of its readership is boys. the TV show's audience is probably much better balanced. From the dialogue in this episode, I got the impression the scriptwriters wanted to persuade their audience (male and female) that female sports is not a lesser form of sport and should be encouraged. Besides the national team subplot itself, good examples are Ichiyo's answer to Momiji and Kojima mentioning she is inspired by Aoba and wishes to continue playing at university. I almost got a vibe of activism from this episode.

Another sign is that, as we discussed previously, most of the changes in the anime give more attention and depth to Aoba. Furthermore, almost all the original characters are girls. Even Nakanishi's girlfriend is much more used than in the manga (and in a clever way).

2) I was wondering about how much the female national team subplot would change the course of the original story, but one interesting twist is that this episode's cliffhanger will force Aoba out of the national team selection. After all, they say the next phase of the selection is "next week". Whatever happens to Aoba in ep37, there is no way she will participate in that match.

This is a pretty clever way to put Aoba back into the main storyline without forcing her to drop out of the selection process. Furthermore, it gives even more importance to what happens at the end of this episode. I thought that deserved praise.

3) Another nice anime addition is how much they extend the "Aoba's thank you curse" running gag.

4) Finally, I am quite amused by one small detail: it is mentioned that the jersey numbers are given according to the player's age. If you pay close attention, Aoba is clearly one of the youngest talents, with jersey 18. All the other good players have way higher numbers.

When the coach mentions who is selected at the end of the day, he goes: "Numbers 4, 15, 18, 22... <volume fading down>"

This is obviously for dramatic effect and I guess they did not really pay attention to the implication of this dialogue line, but who the hell are the two other genius First years (even younger than Aoba!) who passed along with the monsters we just saw?

[CWW]

Originally Posted by JackRydden224

Kou has always done sweet things for Aoba, little things here and there, some times Aoba realizes but other times she doesn't. It's typical Adachi-ism.

I was being facetious.