Seriously – we endure eight innings of Furuya and that’s the thanks we get? At least the episode was a good one – read all about it here.
Diamond no Ace Season 2 – 18
Seriously – we endure eight innings of Furuya and that’s the thanks we get? At least the episode was a good one – read all about it here.
Adam Makarevicz
August 5, 2015 at 4:18 pmI've been so busy I haven't had time to catch up on DnA or congratulate on your move to MAL–so, congratulations! Now is a good time to formally thank you for introducing me to Akatsuki no Yona and Baby Steps, so I'm glad a wider audience will see your recommendations, even though your DnA reviews lately would probably DIScourage someone from watching lol.
I don't know why I react so differently to these episodes than you. When I take an objective step back (more like four or five), I can't disagree with your complaints about Furuya, Kataoka, clichéd cliffhangers, and so forth. Yet for some reason my experience watching each episode is so blind and innocent (admittedly, very bad from a critical standpoint) that DnA can do just about anything and not truly upset me. Maybe it's Sawamura's dependably hilarious baka, or the fact that I can genuinely credit this show with getting me to like baseball IRL. Not that terrible anime doesn't irk me sometimes (don't get me started on Dragon Crisis) but for all its faults AoD just can't annoy me.
And hey, look on the bright side: despite the stale cliffhanger, the recap lasted all of five seconds. We actually saw new material BEFORE the OP.
admin
August 5, 2015 at 7:58 pmIndeed – no recap is rare…
I like seeing that positivity about a series, and although DnA does drive me crazy I still like it a lot. I think there are better baseball anime, if you're looking to branch out.
Adam Makarevicz
August 5, 2015 at 10:27 pmI've been thinking of trying other baseball manga but don't know where to start. I love Oofuri, particularly the manga, which I read first (the anime didn't meet my expectations half the time, although the other half of the time the anime was great). Besides that, I've checked out Cross Game and Mix, and though I knew beforehand baseball is more of a sideline in Adachi's stuff, they haven't quite gripped me like DnA or OF.
Judging from that, I'd say I like heavy game strategy, maybe with a good helping of in-game character drama. Got any suggestions?
leongsh
August 5, 2015 at 10:44 pm@Adam Makarevicz: Try the manga Last Inning. The manga is completed in Japan but the scanlation is stuck near halfway point for more than a year.
admin
August 6, 2015 at 6:48 amI'm still a big fan of Major. The manga is hugely popular, but I never sense it gets the credit it deserves.
leongsh
August 6, 2015 at 2:01 pmSince he asked for a manga where there's a lot of heavy game strategy, Major is not really it but it is a good roller-coaster ride of highs and lows as the reader experiences the relentless gutsy and reckless drive of Honda Gorou. The complete Major manga is a 78-volume bildundsroman of Honda Gorou. The complete Major anime comprises 6 seasons of 2 cour each with 2 OVAs.
Adam Makarevicz
August 6, 2015 at 7:38 pmThanks for the suggestions. Either way, I've been curious about Major, so that might be my next experiment. I haven't heard much about Last Inning, but I may check it out even though I despise stalled translations. Ugh!
On a random note, Enzo, your write-up on Ginga e Kickoff the other day got me super intrigued there, since that's my next favorite sport after baseball.
elianthos80
August 5, 2015 at 8:42 pmAah those mirrored evil grins behind the mitt were delicious 8D – such a thing would never happen with Furuya. Furucchi why are you so no fun and why do you take so much screentime (sometimes I wonder if what I red once about the mangaka actually wishing Furu were the MC vs the editor's opinion is actually true rather than a rumour) -. But the true evil was that cliffhanger at the end.
Lucky you… I might have to wait two weeks at least before I can see the outcome of that pitch. Grah.