(L) Cross game

[Theowne]

Go Miki! Always liked that guy. All in all, a great "hey - remember that baseball thing?" type of episode, can't wait for the real dramatic games to begin. Hope they'll be every bit as satisfying as the climactic ones from Touch.

[JackRydden224]

Wow, after reading the latest manga chapter the anime has just become even more amazing. Adachi has always been good at subtle things but when you watch the anime knowing what they mean it just makes it that much better. I can't wait to see the rest of the series animated. Kudos to the director, too!

[Pellissier]

The new version of the ED (with new pictures) was full of eye-candies, so I though it was about time to create a new set of CG signatures. Feel free to snatch them as much as you wish.

Spoiler for 120 px height versions:

[Shiroth]

I'll be taking the first sig image then. Thanks a lot!

[poko-kun]

I too, love the first one!

[Shiroth]

I prefer the second and third shots of Aoba, though one with a baseball theme does the job rather well.

[MeoTwister5]

Miki finally got his shot in the spotlight. With him, Daimon finally got bitten by karma in the ass a second time.

In a way it's almost brilliantly anti-climactic how they took out Daimon again when everyone was pretty much expecting a showdown of sorts between Seishu and whatever team he was coaching at the time. When you think about how far Daimon has come unchanged compared to Miki and Seishu I think the unexpectedness of the game's end was a far better than having Daimon win. The story could have had two choices: either let Daimon win to satisfy the showdown expectations of people, or show just how different Daimon is from everyone else as a man who never really understood the sport by letting him lose to that which he disrespected the most. The second choice by far is the better one. In the long run, a development like this is far better for the story and far more poetic justice than losing to Seishu.

Also damn you Kou and your vagueness. If you want to go on a date with Aoba just say so. Everyone who watches this series has been agonizing over that for the last 20+ episodes.

Special mention for the preview for next week. It's... really suggestive. Something tells me something really awesome will come out next week between these two. About fucking time.

[leongsh]

Thanks, Pellissier. This saves me the effort for making a sig of the two together in baseball uniform.

[Sackett]

Poor Aoba. She really is falling for Kou isn't she? It must be so confusing for her.

All the boys trying to get a date if they preform some statistical feat on the baseball field, and then Kou teasing her by demanding to be let out of dating her if he gets double digit strikeouts.

Then the game comes and you can see Aoba getting her hopes up when it's the last out and only 9 strikeouts.

Then Kou gets to ten- and she's mad. She wants Kou, she knows she wants Kou, but I think she's still confused by it.

Poor Kou had completely forgotten about the whole deal... Aoba sure has changed, she was rather calm about the whole thing- most anime would have had her get mad because a man not even thinking about you is worse than if he was deliberately teasing her about avoiding a date- instead it showed how much Aoba has matured.

Then Kou's response to Aoba's criticism: "You like the clever type?" Obviously he meant 'You like the clever type of pitcher', but Aoba heard it as 'You like clever boys?"

Oh Kou... you have no idea what you are doing to that poor girl.

Soon Kou's going to find out that Aoba is interested in him- and I think it's going to greatly confuse and scare him.

Also great news on the Akane front. Aoba has clearly decided to get between her and Kou and actually compete- meanwhile Akaishi is succumbing to temptation...

I get the feeling that despite all the baseball focus that there will still be significant romantic developments.

[Haak]

Nakanishi: So Kurokoma have a big lead right?
Akaishi: Nope. It's actually a close match. And Kurokoma are in trouble...

*Cue Crowning Music of Awesome*

Oh Miki, YOU MOTHERFUCKING BEAST!!!

Oh btw Pellissier. Could you by any chance make a sig out of the Ichiyo and Junpei photo?

[poko-kun]

Um.. well I think the subtle of Kou's question if her likes tricky type is his wording.
Kou was using "suki" (like / love) when he could use "yori" (better than something) if he just wants to ask which kind pitcher is better in her view, so Aoba was stunned by his question.
Noted that Japanese guys don't use the word "suki" much if they don't mean it. (But girls say it a lot... as far as I know)

[Pellissier]

Originally Posted by Haak

Oh btw Pellissier. Could you by any chance make a sig out of the Ichiyo and Junpei photo?

Like this?

Originally Posted by poko-kun

Kou was using "suki" (like / love) when he could use "yori" (better than something) if he just wants to ask which kind pitcher is better in her view, so Aoba was stunned by his question.

I also smelled something wasn't right there, when I heard "suki" in that context. I think that Kou started being clever in the moment he said she prefers clever types lol.

Anyway, magnificent construction on the whole "if I ... would you date me" and everyone fails badly , "if I ... please spare me from a date with you" and he obviously succeeds.

I think we've seen two new sides of Aoba in this episodes (regulars of this thread should remember I listed 5 traits after episode 35, with images attached):

1) Player. Not as in baseball player, mind you. She avoided any possible contact between Akane and Kou, she guarded her territory. Yup, she's entered the game, "that" game.

2) Flirtatious. How else should we call the "do you want to avoid going on a date with me that much?" , this is borderline teasing, just that Kou at the moment seems to be deaf in that regard. Aoba often "plays around" with other people, most of the times to make fun of them, but here she was serious, and considering her character (she's *very* protective of her romantic feelings, to the point that perhaps even she doesn't know them) those words could only be said to someone she loves.

There is also the "soft" (or "dere") side when she blushed, but it's not the first time she blushes for Kou - see the episode when he gets close to her face - so while uncommon it's not new.

[Haak]

Originally Posted by Pellissier

Like this?

Awesome. Thanks.

[poko-kun]

Originally Posted by Pellissier

Anyway, magnificent construction on the whole "if I ... would you date me" and everyone fails badly , "if I ... please spare me from a date with you" and he obviously succeeds.

Loled at Azuma.
"2 Homers and ... (Aoba glanced at him) err... never mind"

Thinking about his character at the very beginning and now, he has changed a lot.

[Haak]

Originally Posted by poko-kun

Loled at Azuma.
"2 Homers and ... (Aoba glanced at him) err... never mind"

What I found even more amusing was that he actually failed!

[poko-kun]

Nah.. he failed because they walked him. My poor slugger.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by poko-kun

Thinking about his character at the very beginning and now, he has changed a lot.

Indeed. Azuma's development in this story is personally one of my favorite parts about it. He slowly opened up so much since he joined the team. Especially with his interaction with Aoba.

[DeX-kun]

What an amazing episode. I love how they balanced out this episode, with some development in both the romance and baseball department but damn, the return of Miki and the conversation between Aoba and Kou really did the job for me. I expect some very significant developments between Kou and Aoba in the next episode but I'll try not to get my hopes up just yet.

P.S. - I'll be using the last sig on your list Pellissier, thank you for these wonderful sigs.

[Kirarakim]

Thank You for the sigs Pellissier. I stole this one of Aoba as you can see. I haven't shown enough love for Cross Game despite it being my favorite series in a long time (first time I used a sig on this site too).

[king12354]

I thought Aoba looked particularly cute this episode.