(L) Cross game

[SagaraSouske]

I think after how hard she tried in pursuing her own dream, she now identifies the baseball team for their effort. It's just a matter of change of perspective and growing up a little.

[germanturkey]

BURN IN HELL MIZUKI. that is all.

so i enjoyed the "pre season break filler" that we got with Aoba and the women's baseball team. some good stuff there. but i want more relationship development. i stopped reading the manga after Akane was introduced, and i KNOW that that'll spur some development.

also, subsmith or central?

[DeX-kun]

Originally Posted by germanturkey

also, subsmith or central?

Whichever you prefer, they're both pretty accurate. SubSmith will give you very fast and accurate translations whereas Central will take their time and give you a near perfect translation.

[Haak]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

I think you're being a bit harsh here. I was left with the impression that she finally realized the level of devotion and commitment the players had made to their team and didn't want to exploit or interfere with them. I thought it was the first time in the whole show that she displayed any sense of empathy.

I agree. The last time we saw her was when she was rudely hurrying up a ceremony so that she could catch Seishu's game on the TV.

[The Rumblefish]

I am not complaining that I don't understand Risa's motivations. I came to the same conclusion as Proto. She feels guilty for not helping at all when she was a manager. Now that she has presumably made her own sacrifices and commited to a passion of her own, she understands them better and is rooting for them. Which, whether you think she feels guilt or not, seems to be the explanation we all agree on.

I am rather complaining that I am supposed to buy into that change even though there has not been any convincing subplot covering her character development after she left and explaining why she changed so much in two years (the theater scene already felt weird and quite out-of-character). We got nothing after the Risa copying Aboa episode, which was a great start to dig into that direction. It's especially interesting to contrast her random burst of affection for the team because Risa, Azuma, Miki and Daimon are all prominent characters in this episode as if it was an Early Episodes Bad Guys Reunion Tour. The word "antagonist" would be a bit strong here because this is a slice-of-life show and only Daimon was a truly nasty person among them, but they were all obstacles to the Farm Team's happiness in one way or another.

Azuma obviously had the most screen time and is one of the most important characters on the show, so it's not really fair to compare him with the three others. However, for reference, here is a very good example of how to depict one character's evolution through a show's lifespan. His circumstances were fleshed out (the brother guilt thing), we got to see his side of the story (losing Miki), his situation changed (living at Ko's), new sides of him were shown (falling for Aoba in a clumsy unassured way) and what seemed at first like annoying traits (his merciless observations) have not changed one bit yet now become endearing because we know him better and root for his happiness. And all this progress happened slowly. Adachi took his time to reverse the general perception of Azuma; that's why it works.

We obviously saw much less about Risa, Miki and Daimon. But from what we knew of them and the little info more we got recently, the current attitudes of Daimon and Miki make perfect sense. Miki was fed up with Daimon's view, stayed true to his word and joined a no-name school in which he found back the happiness of playing baseball with friends. Daimon has not changed one bit, which makes sense because we never ever got any clue of him understanding any lesson from his encounter with the Farm Team. Risa, on the other hand, changed her attitude significantly even though she received roughly as much screen time as Daimon since she left the stage (no pun intended) for her acting career.

To be convinced, I either needed more scenes with her, or I needed her change of attitude to be much more subtle. I would have prefered hints such as her finding an excuse not to bother their training (like an enigmatic stomach ache), rather than openly admitting she cares about the team. I would have welcomed evasive sentences which can be understood in different ways (re-"the kind of pitcher you like") rather than yelling at the manager so angrily. This is the kind of character treatment Adachi is usually extremely good at.

[poko-kun]

Originally Posted by germanturkey

BURN IN HELL MIZUKI. that is all.

wow that's fast.
you sure marathon watching CG.

[Proto]

We obviously saw much less about Risa, Miki and Daimon. But from what we knew of them and the little info more we got recently, the current attitudes of Daimon and Miki make perfect sense. Miki was fed up with Daimon's view, stayed true to his word and joined a no-name school in which he found back the happiness of playing baseball with friends. Daimon has not changed one bit, which makes sense because we never ever got any clue of him understanding any lesson from his encounter with the Farm Team. Risa, on the other hand, changed her attitude significantly even though she received roughly as much screen time as Daimon since she left the stage (no pun intended) for her acting career.

If you notice, what we got for all 3 Miki, Daimon and Risa were all extrapolations from the last character scenes we last got from them. As you mentioned, for Daimon and Miki it's easy to accept because for the former we are just extrapolating a constant function (no change) while for Miki it's a linear one, since the last we saw from him was he swearing to work towards a goal, and in this episode we saw the results.

Now Risa may be a little more difficult to see because it became sort of quadratic at some point (... damn, I thought I had already trashed my math nerdiness. ), however it's natural when you see the last development we got from her. From being someone who only cares about herself and is used to everyone just fawning her and serving everything in a golden platter, she learned for the first time the value of working towards a goal yourself, which is already some big character development (unlike what Miki and Daimon got for their previous last scenes). If you consider it that way, Risa's present attitude towards the baseball team isn't that far-fetched.

[Asleep]

Originally Posted by The Rumblefish

To be convinced, I either needed more scenes with her, or I needed her change of attitude to be much more subtle. I would have prefered hints such as her finding an excuse not to bother their training (like an enigmatic stomach ache), rather than openly admitting she cares about the team. I would have welcomed evasive sentences which can be understood in different ways (re-"the kind of pitcher you like") rather than yelling at the manager so angrily. This is the kind of character treatment Adachi is usually extremely good at.

I thought it worked fine. They did help her with her audition. Maybe she is just being nice in return.

I am not a manga reader and I don't want any spoilers either. I just want to know that the anime and manga can finish together. At least let us know if you find out the manga is ending soon so I can keep my hopes up

[germanturkey]

the entire second half of episode 31 is amazing. well placed insert song too (ED1).

[HitagiIsHot]

31 episodes in around 3 days . Koi Kogarete Mita Yume (ED1) is a beautiful song and it fits in well with the show. I'm hoping it somehow finds itself back into one of the remaining episodes at least once more. That would be sweet.

[germanturkey]

so, i've come to the realization that Kou needs to come to his realization. i think you guys know what i mean. like, i like Azuma, but not in this capacity... for instance, i wanted to physically hit something when he said "in laws can marry right?"

and for the ending that i'm picturing, the lyrics of ED1 fit perfectly for it too.

i've also been on the verge of screaming that's not Wakaba at the screen multiple times. my god, if this goes bad end, i think i might go crazy.

if my ship sinks...

[poko-kun]

Originally Posted by germanturkey

so, i've come to the realization that Kou needs to come to his realization. i think you guys know what i mean. like, i like Azuma, but not in this capacity... for instance, i wanted to physically hit something when he said "in laws can marry right?"

and for the ending that i'm picturing, the lyrics of ED1 fit perfectly for it too.

Noooooh, Azuma is my favourite. Don't hit him

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by germanturkey

so, i've come to the realization that Kou needs to come to his realization. i think you guys know what i mean. like, i like Azuma, but not in this capacity... for instance, i wanted to physically hit something when he said "in laws can marry right?"

and for the ending that i'm picturing, the lyrics of ED1 fit perfectly for it too.

I almost never get the end I want in any romance series, be it manga, anime, or both - True Tears being a rare, rare exception. The only thing that gives me hope in this case is that Cross Game really can't be called a romance in any strict sense of the word - how can it when there's only been the most subtle, implied romance between the main characters in 43 episodes?

[germanturkey]

^^ i shipped Hiromi and Shin too in TT. generally i'm right about who i ship

that being said, i think, THINK, that the realization i've been gunning for happened in 41. (yep.. 41..) going to sleep now though. my days off from studying after a midterm are over. good thing its a friday tomorrow

Akane is too much like Wakaba, and that has to make Kou uncomfortable. A direct replacement for Wakaba isn't what he wants or needs. he made it seem like he was beginning to move on from her when he said he stopped with the presents, but that was a lie, which shows she's still very much alive within him. and going out with mk.2 isn't something that would comfort him at all.

Aoba on the other hand, started to look at herself, ironically due to Akane, and now sees Kou in a different light. she's beginning to see what Wakaba saw in him. Now i wonder how they'll sort out the triangle with Azuma. its obvious from Akane and Aoba's chat that Aoba is harboring deep lying feelings, so i look forward to the next few eps to see how it'll be sorted out.

my ideal finishing scene would be Kou and Aoba (as a couple, duh) in front of Wakaba's grave. and Kou saying something like, "i hope you can forgive me for moving on Wakaba, but i think you'll like her." all with Koi Kogarete Mita Yume playing in the background. After all, scenes like this are pretty common. Rurouni Kenshin and Suzuka spring to mind.

like if there isn't an ending. i'm sure there'll be rioting in japan. like i'm assuming that Touch gets an ending right? so why would the guy do anything different?

i also disapprove of how Azuma didn't tell Aoba that it was Kou's idea to bring the glove kit.

[poko-kun]

Originally Posted by germanturkey

i also disapprove of how Azuma didn't tell Aoba that it was Kou's idea to bring the glove kit.

He just did the thing Kou told him to.
"no need to blable about it or hide it"
(Even Kou means his date with Akane)

[germanturkey]

yeah, he meant that about the date. frustrating about how he still hasn't realized his feelings yet...

also, i guess i should be happy that it isn't Azuma at the bottom of the 4 way split at the end of the OP...

[LusterFlare]

Have started rewatching from the beginning on my free time. Watching it the second time around, you notice a lot more of the subtleties and seeing the difference in character from the first episodes and the most recent episodes is flooring. Props to Adachi and the entire anime staff.

[The Rumblefish]

#44

I loved this episode and thought it was the perfect "typical offering" of was CG is about. The pace was good, the direction and production efforts were better than last week, the score was excellent as always, there was some proper development for the protagonists, several subtle quotes/interactions and a great showcase of secondary characters.

[bbee]

I took a stab at this show after someone said it was almost as good as Erin, and I saw a lot of people I've come to respect posting in this thread.. However I was disappointed, dropped the show after 6 eps and voted 4/10. Wikipedia has excellent episode summaries which I've read instead.

It might have something to do with the fact that baseball, like almost all sports, bores me to tears.. Seriously I'd rather be watching grass grow or paint dry than a baseball practice or game in this show. I just don't care if Team A beats Team B, if someone achieves his sportive goals or not, or about the politics and strategies involved. It seems like such a trivial thing to me.. It's such a shame, too, since the non-baseball related parts are perfectly decent. The first episode was great, and there is some amazing slice of life here, the best I've seen in any shounen show.

I've voiced the suggestion that some fansub group should release this show with all the baseball related bits cut out. You'd be left with a great slice of life show that would be a joy to watch. It's a shame that there aren't any subbers willing to do this kind of thing, since I can think of a lot of shows that would be dramatically improved by it (Erin without all the dumb characters and childish moments that weren't in the novel.. yum).

This show doesn't even take the typical anime stance to sports (which would be dumb, protracted standoffs and shallow rivalry).. And still I hate its guts for boring me. Add to that some really childish char designs, and the delight that is the SoL elements is completely cancelled out.
I can't really understand why it's so loved by many. Is there something more to the show that I'm missing?

[Proto]

There are only 3 big sports related segments in this show. Albeit most people in here aren't as bored by the sports elements as you seem to be, most of the middle segment of the series have barely any baseball at all, and the sports matches as a whole (bar the training periods) do not last more than 3 episodes except for the last one probably. so you should be able to enjoy the series should you be able to endure those. That said, you must be about the first person I've found on the whole net who doesn't like this series.

I took a stab at this show after someone said it was almost as good as Erin

Whoops, that could have been me.