(L) Cross game

[Nosauz]

oh god finally... this whole week has gone by in a daze. So much for no classes and no CG!!!! I think it's the reason why I've turned to heavy amounts of ero manga reading and back catalogue searching. I swear something about Summer Rain just feels soooo damn soothing, it's like the perfect primer before watching anything. And for love of god I hope they revert back to Orange days ed just because that ones sooo much more likeable than the current ed.

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by Proto

One day, the RAW comes out on Sunday, and on Monday morning the Subsmith guys already have their sub out.

Given they've had a week to rest up, I expect the Subsmith team to be translating real-time as the ep airs, and have everything encoded and uploaded within the hour. It's a public service to addicts everywhere, after all.

[PeterI]

Cross Game Quiz is back. Get your new wallpaper calendar for January at ani.tv/crossgame.

There is a new ED. Maybe it will grow on me.

Peter.

[Free]

Enzo, you crazy crazy person you...

Anywho, this week: What's Junpei's age?

And yes! New ending: リハーサル by 近藤夏子.

[Lauraleye]

Sweet new ending, I actually like it more than the previous... More lively

[Theowne]

Meh, it's a little too jumpy/loud for my tastes. P.S. The video is really corny.

[MeoTwister5]

We better get an awesome event/revelation to go with that shiny new ED.

[Nosauz]

again... ed quality really has dropped since the first two. sigh, hopefully they will maintain summer rain as the op, because that just never gets old! Also they need to get back to koshien so i can hear the awesome build up music to a big play.

[Proto]

It seems SynergySP is starting to feel budget constrictions with that ED. Well, let's hope that the money they saved for the ED will be used towards the actual episode animation so that the overall series graphical quality doesn't drop in the last stretch.

Other than that, in the actual episode we are basically presented with the calm before the storm. Next episode or the one after will be the one where the prefectural tournament starts I guess.

Only 11 episodes to go. And the countdown starts....

[PeterI]

Originally Posted by Proto

Only 11 episodes to go. And the countdown starts....

But at the current average of 3.175 chapters per episode, we are not going to be able to finish the last game of the preliminaries. We need more than 51 episodes for Cross Game. (Is it too much to hope for an extension to more like 56 episodes?) I hope they find a way of not making it feel rushed. The series has been wonderful so far. It is a shame there is an end in sight.

But on the bright side Ookiku Furikabutte season two is coming up, and if there is one thing i can say about that show, they don't rush through games.

[Kirarakim]

again... ed quality really has dropped since the first two. sigh, hopefully they will maintain summer rain as the op, because that just never gets old! Also they need to get back to koshien so i can hear the awesome build up music to a big play.

I haven't heard the new ending but I actually liked the 1st and 3rd ending the best. Didn't really care for the 2nd ending too much. But I agree about Summer Rain I love it and hope it stays the opening (although at this point I am pretty sure it will)

[totoum]

Really like the new ED,lyrics could fit different characters in the anime.

Also a slight change in the OP with Akaishi looking at Akane at the end.

[poko-kun]

New ED is nice ^^

[The Rumblefish]

Happy new year everyone.

Did you notice the subtle change at the end of the OP? I thought that was interesting.

I still don't know where the hell they are going with that national team subplot but so far it is well integrated into the story. I like how it echoes the theme of "whatever you do, make sure you have no regrets" which you can find elsewhere in the story.

Several might-be-subtly-pivotal moments are seen in this episode: Akaishi running around Akane, Akane and Aoba becoming closer, Aoba being confronted by Azuma's brother and a new reason for the team to aim for kōshien. And once again, the little changes in the anime adaptation made Aoba the clear central character of the episode.

(Is it too much to hope for an extension to more like 56 episodes?)

Here are some stats from previous long-running anime series based on Adachi's work:

Miyuki lasted 37 episodes (based on 12 manga volumes)
Touch lasted 101 episodes (based on 26 manga volumes)
Hi Atari Ryōkō lasted 48 episodes (based on 5 manga volumes - the anime greatly expanded the story)
H2 lasted 41 episodes (based on 34 manga volumes - the anime greatly reduced the story)

Cross Game is currently at 40 episodes.
The manga should end around 17 volumes.

Given that the translation to anime is close to what was done in Touch and Miyuki (mostly faithful with a few changes), it would be safe to expect around 60~70 episodes.

51+13 = 64 → I would expect at least another season unless the anime takes a huge shortcut. It could be done by reducing the amount of time dedicated to one match which really dragged out, both for the players and the readers, but I think the anime will keep on the current pace and adaptation policy.

Of course, this is nothing but unproven manga mathemagics; please don't rely too much on it.

the new ED

I still bet on Kobukuro's "Sayonara HERO" as the final ED for the series. I though it would be the new OP for 2010 but it seems they'll keep "Summer Rain" all the way.

[Theowne]

Yeah, nothing earth-shattering happens in episode 40, it's got that patented CG formula for sure. 11 episodes is pretty thin considering the plots that have to resolve though (Koshien + romantic subplots). In regards to the discussion about the manga adaptation above, I thought the episode count was a definite thing? And is CG performing well enough to warrant a sequel? It would be unfortunate if they cut off at 51 episodes but never finished the story.

As for the new ED in-anime, I'm not really impressed by either the song or the visuals. But I don't really mind that much.

Did you notice the subtle change at the end of the OP? I thought that was interesting.

Would that be Akaishi at the bottom of the X looking up at Akane instead of Azume? Can't remember if it was like that last week.

[The Rumblefish]

Yes. I often skip the OP but I am pretty sure it is new; it is also interesting that Akaishi looks upward. Azuma was looking toward Aoba and we can now be certain the directions for all characters were intended.

Originally Posted by Theowne

I thought the episode count was a definite thing?

Well, I thought so as well but I went back to the official website and could not see anything of the sort. Where did the 51 episodes number come from? Did TV Tokyo announce it or is this info based on TV program schedules in magazines?

The anime adapts about three chapters per episode. By sticking to such a rhythm and stopping at 51, they are falling about 10~20 chapters short from the complete coverage of the manga (if we assume it ends very soon). I can see them spending less time on the baseball matches but you also have to consider the extra bits they keep including in the anime. For example, it is pretty much guaranteed that we will see Nakanishi's girlfriend and the female baseball girls again. Also, the anime staff tends to transform tiny references to past events as flashback sequences.

What I can't fathom is why they would shorten the original plot yet add anime-original episodes and even an awkward recap episode. Unless the anime goes in a completely different direction for Kō's third year; maybe that's what the national team subplot is for?

By the way, readers of the manga will notice that they switched some elements chronologically beteween this episode and the next. Maybe we could discuss these changes in the manga thread since we have nothing to do until next weekend.

[Nosauz]

BEWM! Akaishi finally getting some love in da OP/club.

Anyway loved the episode although... whole womens baseball national team stuff is just annoying. I can't seem them straying from the established plot that involves aoba because if you have read the manga it just seems somewhat of a let down. Overall the episode was great, but man do they throw away a lot of subtlety for some really cheesy non manga writing. I just feel that the problem with the anime original material is that it is so obviously anime original, when in fact if you had a good writer the script should flow, and not seem clunky as you diverge from adachi. Also the anime studio really skimped on the ryou practice game, where they could have really fleshed it out a little more and given us some eye candy, but judging by the amount of baseball left, they could be saving their budget.

[Ansalem]

Originally Posted by Nosauz

Overall the episode was great, but man do they throw away a lot of subtlety for some really cheesy non manga writing.

Are you talking about just the dialogue for the Aoba/Women's Leage stuff? Because the script is often word-for-word from the manga most of the rest of the time, usually just shortened. It'd be good if you can give some examples to see what you mean.

[Nosauz]

women's league, also the kid batting while aoba and akane talk about looking alike.

also when the boys are hanging at clover, the timing was just awkward, same goes for the car ride.

[Ansalem]

Originally Posted by Nosauz

women's league, also the kid batting while aoba and akane talk about looking alike.

also when the boys are hanging at clover, the timing was just awkward, same goes for the car ride.

Well, I didn't really think that the scene order rearrangement they do was particularly awkward, but I can agree with you on the lack of subtlety on those extra lines when the stalker kid is batting.