Gurazeni – 03

The Yamanashi (northern area of Mount Fuji) Clique is the subject of this week’s Gurazeni.  Really, though, any episode of this series is basically laser-focused on the cutthroat nature of NPB for those who aren’t superstars.  And maybe for those who bear the burden of being labeled potential ones.

We’ve met two of the Yamanashi boys – Bonda, of course, and Tokunaga-san up in the booth.  The third is Oono Yukio (Shirai Yuusuke), the youngest of the trio and a highly-regarded outfielder coming off a big season.  But the club may have given him the traditional slugger’s #3 a bit too early (numbers carry much more significance in Japanese than American baseball), because he’s been cracking under the pressure.  Tokunaga-san decides to try a tough-love approach with him – and with Bonda, too, as his ERA is hovering over 3.

One thing I think Gurazeni does very well is capture the extent to which baseball is a mental game.  Which is to say, a lot – it’s no coincidence ballplayers are some of the most superstitious guys in the sports world .  The whole arc of batter vs. pitcher is a very complex and inscrutable thing.  It’s another fun episode, especially if you love the game as much as I do.  I’m not sure I’ll continue to cover Gurazeni, as it obviously doesn’t have much of an English following, but I’ll certainly still be watching because it’s showing a side of baseball you just don’t get in any other anime.

Gegegge no Kitarou (2018) – 04

In no way let the fact that I’m writing about this episode of Gegege no Kitarou in a digest post convince you I wasn’t blown away by it – it’s simply a matter of time management.  Fact is this was one of the best anime episodes of the season, and even as much as I enjoyed the first three eps of this reboot, I was in no way prepared for how stunningly good this one would be.

A couple of obvious things stand out here.  First, the visuals in this ep were fantastic.  I love me some good youkai forest mystique and Toei poured it out in droves this week – which is good, because the whole thing about about seeing Gegege no Mori through the eyes of a child dazzled and bewildered by the wonder of it.  Also, the music (by the outstanding Takanashi Yasuharu) matched the visuals perfectly.  This is the best work I’ve seen from Toei since Kyousougiga in terms of production values.

Really, though, what I love most about this update of Gegege no Kitarou is the way it balances childish silliness and a sense of danger on the head of a pin.  There’s something sinister through this whole episode, even as little Yuta (Kokibo Shiho) marvels at finally seeing the place of magic his grandmother told him about.  Yuta is a force of nature, but it’s clear that he’s eventually going to get into trouble – which he finally does in picking one of Yama-jiji’s fruits without permission.  This Kitarou-kun is definitely a colder, more guarded kid than earlier incarnations – but the writing backs it up.  Kitarou is wary because the world of youkai can be dark and full of terrors.

It’s also interesting to speculate on just who Yuta’s grandmother is.  As Medama Oyaji says, human children are “between” – they retain a sense of openness and wonderment that can make the invisible world visible for them.  But clearly Yuta’s grandma has insight, somehow.  She’s turned Yuta into quite the youkai otaku, even knowing all the residents of Gegege no Mori by name – perhaps she was a fan of the original series?  If so, I can only hope she’s watching this one, too – I think she’d thoroughly approve.