“Nice Ball”

Yes, Mix is still a thing.  As we wait patiently for the inevitable anime adaptation we gratefully take our translated chapters when we get them, hoping that the arrival of the anime will hurry that process along a bit (as it sometimes does).

One thing that can be said about Adachi is that an enjoyment of the familiar is a big help in appreciating his work.  That applies to faces, and it applies to structure too – he stretches when he tackles other themes and the personal stories always vary, but Adachi-sensei is structurally pretty consistent when it comes to his baseball manga.  Meisei was never going to win this game (it’s only the 7th inning, but the writing is on the wall) and Touma was always going to make a big impression.  It’s in seeing the way Adachi plays it out that the satisfaction comes, and as usual he doesn’t disappoint.

Akai-kun hitting the two-run home run that will likely decide this game is a crucial reminder to Touma to keep his ego in check, but it’s his getting plunked by the Kenjou southpaw that strikes me as the crucial moment of the game.  It’s a bush league move, and it nearly starts a brawl – but it’s not Touma (or his brother) that charges the mound.  Touma seethes, and he has a perfect opportunity for payback when the pitcher leads off the next inning – but he merely strikes the punk out on three pitches.  And then the rest of the side, too.

In Adachi manga, it’s often the losing games that say the most about the hero (think of Kou’s first game with the “farm team” against the starters) and so it is with Touma here.  I’ll wager that he strikes Akai out in his last at-bat too, just as he says he will (as opposed to brushing him back), and even in defeat he’ll be the one making the strongest statement in this game.  And so will begin the long march towards Koushien, though in a monthly manga that’s going to seem even longer.