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When they were handing out the clueless, Kataoka must have stood in line twice.
There are very few anime – and even fewer sports anime – that alternately compel me and drive me around the bend the way Diamond no Ace does. We go through cycles where things are exciting and riveting, but invariably we whipsaw back to a stretch where everything just makes you tear your hair out. And most of the time, those are directly connected to Kataoka and Furuya, the twin irritants of this series who seem forever joined at the hip.
This was a frustrating episode in so many ways. I’m not crazy about the ploy of turning Ugumori into a sympathetic opponent in the 8th inning of their game, for starters – compared to the likes of Yakushi and even Akikawa, their development has been second tier. We’ve had traces of the backstory before, but this was really too late for a full-on dump – as a result, it comes off as emotional manipulation.
And then there Furuya. And Kataoka. And the way Kataoka uses Furuya… Every time I start to hope Kataoka has maybe figured it out, he does something stupid and takes himself back to square one. Furuya trying to pitch the entire game is bad drama anyway, given what an unlikeable character he is, but here it’s just stupid baseball. Getting seven innings of 3-run ball from him is more than a good result – leaving him out there any longer (especially with his pitch count way over 100) is begging for trouble. So are we supposed to be surprised when it comes?
I’m just ready for this game to be over at this point, so we can get onto something more interesting. Seidou is obviously going to win, and Kataoka is obviously going to try and nurse Furuya through at least the 8th inning for some reason. We might get an inning from Nori or even Eijun, but at this point what I really care about is who starts the next game. Eijun is coming off a shutout (albeit a shortened one) and even if he digs in, Furuya has given up at least five runs – three of those a direct result of his own stupidity and selfishness – and Eijun will be the better-rested pitcher. So if Kataoka goes back to Furuya, he’ll be approaching a new low – and for him, that’s really saying something.
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Stöt
July 21, 2015 at 11:35 amDiamond no Ace is always pushing the limit for new lows., how can we otherwise appreciate the mediocre highs?
Anyway, it'd be nice for Eijun to at least test the water with these batters in the 9th inning. But I'm sure the series is going to pitch (pun not intended) this decision as some genius strategic move to keep Eijun as a hidden weapon in the next game against whoever that guy in the stand that is taping this game. Eijun is clearly the ace up Kataoka's sleeve. It's dank, dark and reeks of B.O. but at least the audience will think he'll get used every once in a while.
Rin_
July 21, 2015 at 1:06 pmI suppose Ugumori's backstory could have been explored a bit earlier, but I found it to be really compelling that it made me root for them. All the more so since Sawamura isn't pitching. What's really impressive about Ugumori is their sense of togertherness as a team, which is sorely lacking in this series as a whole, and in Seido in particular. Although I must admit, having a flashback involving Nao every time a batter was up was pretty contrived.
And don't even get me started on Kataoka, he's demonstrated incompetence enough as is. Inshiro's coach seems far more capable.
Adam Makarevicz
July 25, 2015 at 5:01 pmOn the contrary, this is still my second favorite match after Seido-Yakushi. Part of that is surely because I personally don't find Furuya and Kataoka nearly as grating, but your criticisms are spot on. As for Nao's backstory, I was looking forward to it for a while, so I was glad to finally see it. A little late, but I would have been more upset had they not shown it at all. And my gullible self jumped on the root-for-Ugumori bandwagon too; "emotional manipulation," yes, but more than a little successful.
elianthos80
July 26, 2015 at 10:41 pmThat backstory came too late in the game both literally and figuratively, yet… Wheelchair Bishie Mastermind crying still got me a bit D,:
About the rest of the episode… eh. I had this dreadful feeling Furu was going to over-overstay his pitching welcome again. Eijun – you know, the supposedly MC – when?