Gurazeni – 10

I love coincidences like this – having just visited Koushien for a Tigers game yesterday (and blogged about it) we get a Koushien-themed Gurazeni today.  They changed the team name of course (“Tempters”) but not the color scheme or the vibe.  As I said yesterday, in terms of atmosphere Koushien is pretty much acknowledged as the unrivaled top of the yaykuu food chain.  I don’t know if the mound actually shakes when the home fans go crazy, but it must feel like – and I’m sure that subterranean bullpen does.

The larger theme of the episode is the story of two “golden rookies” – high school rival infielders who starred at Koushien (the tournament).  One went pro straight out of high school, one went to college – pretty much the same choice top baseball players in the States have to face when they finish high school.  Both wound up with the Tempters, and both struggled – though the one who’s been around for four years is obviously on much thinner ice than the one who’s still a rookie.

As for Bonda, he gets stuck in mop-up duty in a blowout – something that’s an occupational hazard for non-star relievers.  Once a manager has given up on a game sometimes he’ll leave a pitcher in to get hammered in order to save the rest of his bullpen.  That obviously sucks for that pitcher, especially given how cutthroat Japanese baseball is in terms of setting salary.  Fortunately for Bonda the presence of the two struggling ex-phenoms at the bottom of the order provides him a lifeline, and he manages to work out of three jams thanks to his salary obsession and limit the damage.  But as he says, the stadium beat him – and it’s interesting to hear Bonda say that he can’t sleep after a game like that without getting hammered.  That’s baseball sometimes.

Gegege no Kitarou (2018) – 11

One thing we can say for certain about the 2018 Gegege no Kitarou is that it pulls no punches – there don’t seem to be many taboo topics here.  The 808 Tanuki of Shikoku have appeared in every version of the anime, I think (and obviously in the manga), and they’ve always been one of Kitarou’s nastiest antagonists.  But I don’t recall quite this much bloodshed happening so quickly in those earlier anime versions.

I had no idea when I said “It’s been a big year for tanuki in anime, that’s for sure” in my Hoozuki post earlier today that they’d be showing up yet again in Gegege no Kitarou.  These aren’t the loveable pranksters of Uchouten Kazoku or kindly teakettle impersonators with a yen to entertain – they’re man-eaters hellbent on world domination, led by the legendary Gyoubu-danuki.  He’s a prominent figure in many legends about Shikoku and the Matsuyama area, a powerful sorcerer.  Legend does indeed hold that the 808 Tanuki were sealed a couple of centuries ago, but (as is so often the case in stories like this) human carelessness sees them released.  Here, their plan involves the Kouryu – a beast’s egg that appears in the sky looking like a second moon.

A common theme in tales like this is human foolishness, and this one sees the prime minister (kudos for making it a woman, though she doesn’t exactly come off well) shooting down the egg (which the tanuki were apparently flummoxed about how to hatch).  In doing so the monster youkai inside emerges and pretty much laughs as every weapon the SDF throws at it before destroying a good chunk of Tokyo with one exhalation.  Meanwhile Kitarou and Medama-oyaji are underground, trying to rescue Mana and stop the destruction of Japan.  Nezumi-otoko has signed on as their underling (naturally) but as usual he’s going to be unpleasantly surprised to see just how little he factors into his new bosses’ plans.  With Kitarou turned to stone by Gyobu-danuki’s curse and Mana under a curse too, Medama-oyaji is going to have to take a more hands-on approach than usual to avoid disaster…