(L) Cross Game

[Nosauz]

Originally Posted by BetoJR

H2 had games at the Koshien at least twice. Summer and winter, even.

Well I was refering to the final game, it's usally never koshien except in touch. It's as if in adachi's writing Koshien at the end makes the series some what final. I was more talking about Koshien being like a final showdown instead of just a game they win since they beat ryudou kind of thing.

[The Rumblefish]

Hmm my memory might be playing tricks on me but I believe the Kôshien was indeed shown in great details in H2, yet not at all in Touch.

Spoiler for Touch (MASSIVE SPOILER):

There is a jump in time just after Tacchan's confession to Minami, which happens on the opening day of Kôshien. We never see what does happen during Kôshien as the final chapter is set after Meisei has won, a fact which is discovered in the very last image of the very last page as a final surprise.

Anyhow, regarding the characters of Cross Game, the "deal" set with the little dead girl which changed their lives was playing in Kôshien, not winning it. This is why this game is more important than any match in the actual tournament.

[Reckoner]

Originally Posted by joeboygo

Hmm, I think I know why:

Subtlety isn't something you dig up with a speed plow. You are comparing subtle against slightly less subtle. I don't know who suggested that the anime had a "give it all away approach" but whoever it was may have been watching some other show. The anime retains a large measure of the subtlety of its source, so the contrast between the anime and the manga isn't that great. Still and all, because it is targeted at a younger demographic, the anime has to be dumbed down a smidgen so that it doesn't sail clear over the heads of the kids that tune in. That's not to say that the anime is bad. Far from it. That's precisely why it's been such a handy tool for manga "exegesis."

Subtlety is usually something that can only be appreciated after some pause, reflection, and perhaps a doubtle-take (or triple or quadruple...). After all, if it jumps right at you on first impression then (duh) it wasn't very subtle at all. This is particularly true in this case because the subtlety we all like to talk about results from the narrative technique Adachi uses, which relies heavily on severe economy of expression. That means that the subtlety isn't expressed in the story, which is simple enough for kids to follow, or in the underlying themes (shared loss, camaraderie, youthful romance) which are timeless, universal and pretty damned obvious. Instead, Adachi creates subtlety in the vague details, the accumulation of small, somethimes niggling little bits and the empty spaces in between. The real fun lies in finding these details, gathering them up, putting the pieces together then realizing how consistent Adachi has been with them. That's why Adachi can recycle a baseball story three times (or more) and we will lap it up each time.

Hence, if we want to discuss subtlety in an Adachi manga we can't take the big-picture approach. Parsing the subtlety must needs wading into the details and hashing them out - who said or did what, where, to whom, when, how etc. And most of the time these details come in the form of blanks that we are supposed fill in ourselves; i.e. what does that stupid facial expression really mean, or what did he or she really mean to say when she said that, or what really happened at that time, etc. One problem I would have in reading the manga after having seen the anime is that I would be filling most of those blanks with details supplied by the anime, which does most of that work for you. What comes first will necessarily diminish what follows, so individual preferences should determine the order in which they are taken in. As far as I'm concerned it makes more sense to go from the medium with fewer details (the manga) to the one with more (the anime) because then you would have something new to look forward to. Not only does the manga have fewer and vaguer "clues,"
it has no color, sound, inflection, music etc. Why not give yourself a chance to imagine these things before letting the anime do it for you.

No, no, I understand. I don't find Cross Game, manga or anime, to be incredibly subtle anyways because many of the things he does (Like mild changes of expression, or certain words or actions) do tend to jump out at me. I love when shows use any sort of subtleness, I just eat it all up.

But from what I could tell, the manga and anime are nearly identical in everything... besides maybe some pictures of what is underneath Aoba's skirt . That is the reason why I thought what some of these people said in the anime thread to be complete hog's wash.

[Proto]

i just shiver at the thought of when this showdown scene will be animated. That will be epic.

[leongsh]

Originally Posted by Proto

i just shiver at the thought of when this showdown scene will be animated. That will be epic.

And cue - end of anime episode. XD And maybe a 1-2 week break. XD

[Muyasuki]

The game ending run will be made by Senda and hit in by Nakanishi who had been having a complex about is ability in comparison to Azuma's.

[Tri-ring]

Any guess as what was written within Aoba's diary?

[BetoJR]

Oh, I can guess, alright... But, maybe, we won't have to guess at all.

[Nosauz]

Wtb kuruma sensei for the rest of the game.... god this guy is even more annoying.

Also Azuma... why do you have to be soooooo cool

[stpehen]

possible early release again this weekend, depending on the editor's schedule

bad news is that this issue is #2-3, and the next issue will be #4-5...so only two chapters over four weeks.

[mimi chan]

omg!! So we have to wait more

[The Rumblefish]

Originally Posted by stpehen

possible early release again this weekend, depending on the editor's schedule

Sorry do you mean the raw is out already somewhere and you guys are already working on it? Or do you expect the raw to appear early again? I did not see it passing by where it usually appears.

Speaking of reading Japanese, all my thoughts go to those who attempted the 日本語能力試験2級 together with me today. I think I could go to court for slaughtering the poor, defenseless Japanese grammar.

[stpehen]

I translated it Friday morning.

[The Rumblefish]

Thanks, good to know you receive it so fast. I finally got my hands on the Japanese version. Nice pin-up on the first page. As for the chapter itself...

Spoiler for CG chapter 154:

Great chapter. Nice use of silent pages, clever hindsight about the "he practiced on the wall" info we just got when the manga resumed and pretty much nothing left to wait from Kô and Aoba than to say out loud they are in love with each other. I enjoyed the way it was all suggested, very subtle and powerful as usual with Adachi. Aoba being discussed instead of Wakaba in the 楽しんでるか sentence and Mizuki's final remark both nail it perfectly.

Also a funny apparition of Adachi (probably for the last time) kinda admitting he had not noticed Mishima had no other chance to come back and/or making it obvious for readers who were not aware of the rules. I really wonder if we'll see anything more than the conclusion of this game.

... It's going to be REALLY TOUGH waiting for the next chapter.

[poko-kun]

Spoiler for 154 (or 164):

How come she has been writing about his bad points since she was in elementary school?
Interesting ^^ Is this called tsundere? lol

[DanielSong39]

Koh, I'm disappointed in you. You can do better...

[poko-kun]

Originally Posted by DanielSong39

Koh, I'm disappointed in you. You can do better...

He's great. His speed hasn't dropped through 11 innings.
Or ...the radar gun might has a problem.

By the way

Spoiler for batting orders:

If the 11th innings Seishu ends with Nakanishi, so the 12th will begin with Azuma.
Will Oikawa walk him?
(We still in 11th innings and I'm discussing about 12th already )

[DanielSong39]

I can't believe he allowed 1 run! Aren't Adachi heroes supposed to be invincible?

[Reckoner]

This chapter was just a tease, stalling the story damnit.

[poko-kun]

Originally Posted by DanielSong39

I can't believe he allowed 1 run! Aren't Adachi heroes supposed to be invincible?

Which chapter you were talking about?

That run leads to extra innings, which we are facing now.