Well, this is obviously less than ideal. Given that I’m having to try and nurse my MacBook battery for as long as I can, I figure my best bet is to compose on my iPad and only use the laptop to watch and publish. So needless to say it’s going to be shorter than normal posts for the next few days (with traveling that might have been true anyway of course).
The first time I lived in Japan i bought a pair of glasses from a national chain famous for their cheap prices (Gon and Killua sported their frames once). The way they do that is by offering a bunch of preset prescriptions and matching you to the closest one – which makes me wonder if Japanese people have less diversity in eyesight issues than Westerners. Maybe then, not so unlikely that Nagai’s spare pair was close enough for Hikaru. Though you know, you get to first faster if you don’t slide anyway…
Once the game gets going, it has all the makings of a classic underdog tale – which the underdog usually loses. Wasting a bases loaded situation set up by Daigo’s bunt single (all that practice pays off ) doesn’t help the cause – especially given that it was Hikaru who hit into a double play to end the threat, and trashed his glasses in the process. Toutou’s pitcher isn’t half bad once he gets a pep talk from Michiru, but there’s no doubt he’s in there because the coach is taking this game lightly – he’s actually dozing off in the dugout at one point.
”Wakki” is a bit of a beast behind the plate, which probably works better with his sister, who puts him in his place when necessary. But Hikaru’s megane mishap does lead to a run before Nagai steps up and saves the day at his own expense – better late than never. Hikaru has also implemented a trick Daigo picked up from his dad – moving laterally on the rubber to help him hit the corners. That’s a gimmick that’s only going to work for a short time, and indeed Wataru figures it out quickly enough, but Hikaru seems to indicate he’s learned at least one more. Based on the apparent talent gap between these two teams, he’s going to need it.
As for Daigo, it’s heartening to see him continue to find ways to help his team through sheer guts and instinct – like managing to put a suicide squeeze in-play despite a pitchout. It’s not a walkoff home run, but what makes Daigo a great protagonist is that he’s totally swallowed his pride – for now. He just wants to live the dream any way he can, and for the moment that’s glory enough. It’s not an everyday sports manga premise, but Major 2nd is not your everyday sports manga…
