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It’s just not possible to overstate how good it feels to have Baby Steps back.
OP: “Believe in Yourself” by Mao Abe (阿部 真央
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If you’re not aware of how much I love Baby Steps you must be new around here – I’ve been extolling its virtues since long before the anime was a glint in NHK’s eye. But just for the record, I love Baby Steps – love it passionately, unreservedly, love it to death. I love it as a manga and I love it as an anime, and however much of the latter we get I’ll be grateful for. It may very well be my favorite sports manga of all-time (though that’s a brutal choice, especially if you include Adachi under that umbrella). As a former competitive tennis player it holds an extra-special place in my heart, but my reasons for loving it go far beyond appreciation of just how right it gets the sport.
Getting a Baby Steps adaptation in the first place was a delightful surprise – getting a sequel (announced at the end of the first season finale) a complete shock. Like the first this season this one is scheduled to run 25 episodes, and that will take it nowhere close to the current point in the manga (it won’t even get as far as the most recently translated chapters). Once again whether there will be more in an unknown, but for now let’s just enjoy what we get. S2 starts with an excellent arc (though they pretty much all are) – Ei-chan’s trip to the Florida Tennis Academy (not to be confused in any way with the Bollettieri Tennis Academy – not even a little, now stop thinking it).
It’s startling to think how many of my favorite series of the last couple of years have come from Studio Pierrot, and the first season of Baby Steps constituted what was in many ways a “typical” modern Pierrot adaptation. It was almost obsessively faithful to the manga, and the production values were inconsistent. There were some exceptions, important match episodes that were very detailed and fluid, but generally the visuals were sub-par. I can say with certainty that the premiere of the second season is way better than that of the first in that regard, though not of course whether it will continue. The OP remains Abe Mao’s “Believe in Yourself”, with new animation – while I might otherwise be disappointed not to get a new song, this one is so perfect that I’m happy to keep it around. The ED is new, and likewise seems a good fit for the material.
This season of course is freed from the heavy lifting of setting up the story, so it can dive right into the main course, and it definitely hits the ground running. Eijun’s two-week trip to Florida is a huge step for him (“baby” or not) and indeed it’s a common rite of passage for young Japanese players to go to America and test themselves against the rest of the world. To say that Japanese kids find this experience intimidating would be an understatement – it can’t be forgotten that this remains one of the most self-contained societies in the world, one which forbade contact with the world until barely more than a century ago. And especially in the realm of athletics, where Japanese youngsters often give up a substantial size advantage, the rest of the world can seem very scary.
That context sets up the story perfectly, because among the many things that make Ei-chan a great protagonist are his self-awareness and his determination. And Florida is a big challenge for him, that’s for sure. His just-off-the-plane tennis baptism is a gentle one, a few rallies with junior player Marcia O’Brien (Han Megumi). But after Mike shows him around and introduces him to dorm-mates Taira Atsushi (Eguchi Takuya) and Ramesh Krishna (Hanae Natsuki) who give him the lay of the land and the daily routine, Day 1 brings a harsh reminder of just how big the hill is in the form of Marcia’s brother Alex (Kamiya Hiroshi). While most of the players at FTA are fellow juniors, Alex is a pro – albeit a newly-hatched one (ranked #819 in the world) – and as Atsushi laments, the pros are in a “different world” than the rest of the campers.
It so happens that our old friend Ike Souji is at the camp, too, and Alex would much rather spend his practice time against him than the newbie Maruo. There’s a lot going on here, some of it on the subtextual level. Natchan has asked Ike to help Ei-chan out however he can, and Ike decides on a kind of tough love approach to doing so – but ultimately, like everything else in Baby Steps the opportunity (in this case a chance to play every camper who wants a match against Ike) is only as good as what Ei-chan makes of it. This is the essence of the character – nothing comes easily to him. He’s not immune to being nervous at his situation, and he’s overwhelmed by the heavy ball and sheer pace he faces against Alex. But because Ei-chan is mature enough to understand his own frailties, they become opportunities – not necessarily to win, but to understand why he’s losing and win the next time. Or the time after. A journey of a thousand matches begins with a single step – a baby step, and there are no shortcuts.
Again, it’s hard for me to overstate how much I love this series – and it’s hard to overstate just how brilliant its take on athletics and personal growth is. Baby Steps, like its hero, never stands still, never repeats itself – there are always new challenges, new chances, new experiences and feelings, and we get to experience them right along with Ei-chan. For a boy so gifted at self-analysis, the chance to be at a place like FTA – where every stroke is filmed, awareness of physical and mental fitness obsessively mandated, and a coach for every skill-set is on-staff – is priceless. Because Eijun is who he is, he can get more from two weeks there than most kids could in six months – and that’s why he’s managed to get where he is in only two years. It’s remarkable, but only because Ei-chan himself is remarkable – and it’s mangaka Katsuki Hikaru’s great gift to be able to patiently and slowly, with baby steps, show us just how remarkable he is. For any lover of sports or of great characters, Baby Steps is manna from Heaven – there’s no other sports manga like it, and Pierrot is doing it justice in its transition to the screen.
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ED: “Yume no Tsuzuki (夢のつづき)” by Ganbare! Victory
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ILikePopCans
April 5, 2015 at 8:13 pmsomething something Translation Convention something not all people in the US are blonde.
But really, Im also glad BS is back. You really sing it praises and I join in during season 1. Such a good anime/manga.
gilraen_tinuviel
April 5, 2015 at 11:55 pmI'm glad it's back too. A little bigger budget for animation, as I see. Ei-chan is such good and atypical protagonist in sport anime. Shame the anime isn't more popular.
I like the manga too, I read it thanks to you. And I've actually learnt ton of things about tennis from it.
Gerard Jerry
April 6, 2015 at 12:29 amRight away the new cour won me over by sticking with "Believe in Yourself" by Mao Abe for the OP! Also nice was the new ED "Yume no Tsuzuki" by Ganbare! Victory ! I voted on season / annual favorites "Believe in Yourself"as the best !
But yes I think this show could easily be my # 1 for the season ( Sidonia might be there too!)
One thing it is about as close to the manga as I ever seen!
Does this get a unlucky overllook from shows like Free / Ping Pong and I will dare say this there are hard core anime Otaku who never played sports and just dont like sports period / which is a shame because Mauro is fighting an uphiil battle starting so late !
I hope you blog this every week as it is good!
admin
April 6, 2015 at 1:36 amThanks for all the comments! Yes, not all Americans are blonde (as BS will acknowledge shortly). And indeed, the budget does look a little bigger this time – for a first ep, anyway.
Gerard, I don't think Baby Steps is really overlapping much with the Free/Kurobas demographic, and I really don't believe Ping Pong was followed by a traditional sports anime demographic at all. Baby Steps is both old-school and unique, if you know what I mean.
nijibakurei
April 6, 2015 at 2:54 amSince I didn't yet read the manga, I was really excited to see this new season, and it was even beyond my expectations. I'm particularly eager to see how Maruo-kun will use all these equipments to improve. I'm also really glad to read your posts about this anime.
And it was a nice surprise to hear again Abe Mao.
I almost forgot how much this anime could make us joyful !
grm_rules
April 6, 2015 at 10:11 pmAs a competitive runner myself, the only gripe I had with the first season was its lack of focus on nutrition. Normally that wouldnt bother me at all, but with BS the bar is automatically set higher so amidst all the intricacies of the world of sports the author expertly introduced the audience to, I just couldnt help.
Its needless to say, then, that this season premiere couldnt possibly have been more satisfying for me.
Nadavu
April 6, 2015 at 10:19 pmAfter taking a long break from anime, starting off again with Baby Steps feels great – especially with the same openning song to welcome me back. Fighto-o, Ei-chan!
I do have a couple of questions, though:
a. Why's Eiichiro so bothered by the weight of the ball? Do they use a different ball in America, or is it that Alex is hitting extra hard and Eiichiro is jet lagged and it only feels heavier?
b. What did Alex mean by his comment that Asian players don't get western ettiquete? I didn't get that at all (or is intentionally vague and would be addressed later..?)
admin
April 7, 2015 at 12:23 am"Heavy ball" doesn't refer to the literal weight of the ball – it's the feel of trying to hit it (you see it used in baseball sometimes too, to refer to a pitcher – especially a sinkerballer). Because of the power and spin, a ball can feel much heavier impacting your racket and slow down your follow-through.
The etiquette thing puzzled me too – I'm not sure what Alex was referring to there.
elianthos80
April 7, 2015 at 6:38 pmIn the end I caved in and watched the episode. It's not like I have committed to any series atm so might as well enjoy a reliable adaptation of a good manga with a likable cast of characters to boot…
As much as I enjoyed the episode and the amount of amusing facial expression (with chibi goodness. And Maruo's rare funny voices moments X,D ) I think the OP still takes the cake this week. Good old song notwithstanding (yay!) there are some glimpses of a certain scene I'm very looking forward too (more yay!) and Maruo signing the camera was just too much of a giant grin-inducing moment.
Next episode now please?
admin
April 8, 2015 at 1:08 amWhy were you depriving yourself?
elianthos80
April 8, 2015 at 2:27 pmRL twists and turns so to speak.
admin
April 8, 2015 at 3:12 pmI feels ya
Earthling Zing
April 8, 2015 at 3:45 amMy comment got eaten up again…
Does anyone else think that kamiya hiroshi sounds weird in that body? Not that he's miscast, it fits his personality but just sounds off in that look…
Great episode though, can't wait to see how eiichiro will develop from here.
admin
April 8, 2015 at 10:53 amI have no problem coming right out and saying he's miscast. But it's not a huge deal in the big picture.
maverickmann84
April 8, 2015 at 4:37 amEvery other show could be horrible LN adaptations like HS DxD and with Baby Steps being back it would still be a decent season. Not to mention that now is when they are really going to get into the stuff that makes the manga the perfect sports manga. I'll hold back my urge to mention anything that happens, for fear of spoiling anything for people who don't read the manga, but this is definitely going to be the payoff for anyone who stuck around through season 1 despite lack of big budget, and comparably slow starting material.
melodic thoughts
April 9, 2015 at 3:29 pmI thought it was a little jarring that the second season went straight into continuity, given that there was still a short break between first season and second season. But on the bright side, it meant that we got to see a substantial amount of Maruo and tennis in the first episode.
I kind of miss the other characters back at STC though, hope the show flashes to them from time to time