Major 2nd Season 2 – 19

A couple thoughts predominate as I reflect on this episode of Major 2nd, one of the best of the entire series.  First, that very often a series will share the same personality as its protagonist.  That was true of the original Major, and it’s true of this one.  I respect a series that isn’t averse to the grunt work, digging into the details and getting them right.  And that, of course, is Daigo.  Unfortunately the other thought is that I’m having to try harder and harder not to hate the protagonist of the first series…

There wasn’t much preamble to the way the Oobi match concluded.  It was pretty clear at the end of last week’s episode how it was going to end, but at least Sakura’s leg cramps didn’t cost Fuurin the game.  The game itself was a bit of anti-climax, but it wasn’t really the point of this episode, as quickly became clear.  It made sense that Fuurin would lose, but how they lost was really important.  And they lost in a most encouraging way – coming within an out of winning a game they had no business winning (after having given up five unearned runs in the second), and showing their potential (not least to themselves) in the process.

And then there’s Goro.  Seriously, this guy really grates on me.  His whole routine about using baseball to communicate with his kids was meant to be cute, but it was a sad reflection of the fact that he can only communicate with them though the game.  As if that weren’t enough he bolted town (seriously, why bother coming back at all?) without even seeing his son.  A note is not a substitute for presence, sorry.  I adore this series but the one element that bothers me is the way Mitsuda-sensei glosses over what an awful parent Goro is.  Goro is a wonderful protagonist (albeit totally different from Daigo) but he’s a terrible father.

The bulk of the ep, though, really grinds on just what’s necessary to succeed as a youth baseball team.  Daigo is naturally gung ho to ride the wave of the team’s surprising success and power up for the rubber ball nationals in two months.  He proposes that Yayoi try being a closer – which, I must add, is exactly the role I had in mind for her as it’s less potentially stressful for her elbow and can use him in high leverage situations.  He initiates morning practice, then Saturday practice.  And, eventually, Sunday too.

The fault lines are pretty obvious here.  Anita has emerged as a key ally for Daigo – she’s a baseball idiot too, and keen to keep her less eager comrades in line.  Tao is the biggest problem by far.  Her enthusiasm for the game has clearly been waning, and while her supposed concern over her grades is nothing but a convenient excuse, her concern over Yayoi’s health is genuine.  Seira and Chisato complain about the grind, but it’s Tao who’s the only real obstacle.  For Yayoi’s part, she seems increasingly intent on giving baseball one last serious hurrah – though she’s not the type to try and order her friend to feel the same way.

This is not a simple matter.  Tao complaining about girls being crushed under the strain of a routine meant for boys is problematical to me, because ultimately if a girl in junior high wants to compete with the boys in baseball, she really does need to work harder than they do if anything.  Tao needs to either accept that or quit, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with either option – but she can’t have it both ways.  Her point about the physical strain on the players, however, is valid.  With only nine members Fuurin can’t afford an injury, and Anita is already carrying one.  Daigo is right to want his team on the same regimen as other serious middle school clubs – the question is whether this is too much, too fast.

Indeed, it’s Daigo who cracks first – though this, of course, is because he’s carrying a far heavier load than any of his teammates.  Daigo’s explosion was a little petulant but he is the captain, and the fact that he does so much that the others take for granted no doubt heightened his irritation.  That’s why it was so important that Sakura came to his defense, not with the other players but to Daigo himself.  He’s a miracle worker to have gotten this team as far as he has, and he needs to hear from someone on his team that what’s he’s doing is recognized by them.  This was really a wonderful moment in the series – honest and raw in an authentically adolescent way.

The future, then, clearly includes Chiyo (Watabe Sayumi, who was Akira in Koi wa Ameagari no You ni – and had a birthday yesterday), Chisato’s older sister.  And that’s good, since 10 is certainly better than 9.  But Fuurin is going to need more than Chiyo – they’re going to need a couple of male players quite frankly, and really strong ones too.  Not to mention a coach, so that Daigo can go back to being a captain and a player, not to mention a kid.  All that seems likely a matter for later, probably in a third season, but the foundation Daigo lays down now is going to be all-important when Fuurin is ready to move to the next level.

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13 comments

  1. K

    I am loving Major 2nd as Daigo is such an easy protagonist to root for. I really wish I could love all the Fuurin girls though. A lot of the girls I just find myself not being able to like (Tao and Anita the biggest offenders in this). Tao’s attitude grates on my nerves, but I doubt she’ll quit the team.

  2. Tao is probably my least favorite as well. Anita grated on me at first but she’s grown on me. She’s simple and direct and obviously loves the game, though she does need to keep the lying thing under control.

    If Major 2nd is going to keep its sense of realism, Fuurin is going to have to add a few more male players. If they’re going to compete at a national level in junior high, it’s just not feasible that they could do it with only 2 or 3 boys on the team.

  3. J

    That last part does make me wonder if they’ll eventually add the players that initially came from the Nanjo Lions back to the roster (the preview made me think of that a little bit too). Right now everyone except Akira went to senior league, but those seem to be the easiest option especially as they are already known characters with baseball experience. It’s more the coach that I’m worried about.

  4. Not Goro please.

  5. J

    I’m still clinging to the faint hope that it’ll be Taiga, honestly. Or if they absolutely have to reuse a character from the original, then Komori or heck, even Toshi. But please not Goro, yeah.

  6. Taiga would be great, Komori too. Of course Toshiya would be a great coach – we’ve seen that first-hand – but that seems pretty unlikely in practical terms.

  7. K

    Oh, yeah. I would certainly say Anita’s grown on me, but she hasn’t made the leap into likable territory for me. That first impression was so atrocious, it’s gonna take more than her love of the game to make me like her. On the bright side, she did get major points in my book for calling Tao out. My opinion could shift with more episodes. I’m hoping so. Since I love Sakura and Michiru, I know Takuya Mitsuda is capable of writing females I like, which is a rarity for me. (Sorry to jump into a conversation on your site like this; I just really want to talk about Major 2nd! I’ve been a long time admirer of your posts, but I’ve never had the guts to join a conversation. The lack of love for this series anywhere but here has made me crawl out of the woodwork though. Even many fans of the original Major seem to have nothing but criticism for Daigo’s journey…)

    I hope the males added to the team in the long run aren’t going to be the other Nanyou Lions like Jindujun93 believes, but I do think it’s a high probability.

    As for the coach, I think it will be either someone fans have never seen before or… Goro. Oh the trepidation. I’m not even entertaining the possibility of it being Toshiya. He seems happy where he’s at (I would love for it to be him; the lack of any Satou this season is crushing my heart).

  8. At least on LiA it has fans though! And it’s pretty popular in Japan.

    I’m fine with the Nanyou boys, if that’s who it is. I don’t feel like we got the chance to really get to know them enough to make a call.

  9. e

    Poor Daigo. Just a crumb of attention&encouragement from his ‘Goro the Manic Pixie Baseball Wanderer’ father and he went into overdrive :,>. His sister seems to be coping a bit better on that front… if anything because she’s had more time to process they are the baseball equivalent of an old-times sailor’s family? ^^”””
    Good on Mutsuko for raising up yet again… <3 . And now that the team's heart has grown fonder in his anime fever absence… we'll see about the new player(s?).
    – Food pr0n was pretty decent too. Talking of which… what's that humongous bread roll(?) Tao was munching exactly?
    – Toshi would be my dream coach scenario (also because we should hear *something* about Hikaru at least tangentially then. HIKARUUUUUUUUU T3T) but… who knows.

  10. I think Izumi copes better mostly because it’s just her personality. She’s an oldest, she’s tough, she’s confident. Daigo is a sweet and fragile kid really, and his captaincy – as remarkable as it is – is a triumph of his ability to transcend his essential self-doubting nature.

    I like the sailor analogy a lot actually. They say “sailors are married to the sea”, and Goro is certainly married to baseball.

    I expect a Hikaru-drop in the season finale, teaser style.

  11. I read all the comments here and just smile. Note: I follow the manga’s raw chapters when they are released. At the rate that the anime is using up manga chapters, the likely end point for this season is an interesting area to pause. Then, there will be at least another year before there is enough material for a 2-cour Season 3.

  12. M

    As someone who also follows the manga, I agree! There are so many comments here that just make me squirm and giggle.

    The stuff that I’m really wanting to see looks like it’s going to be well into Season 3, so I really hope that it happens.

  13. Good to know that there is another here who is up to-date with the manga. The events and developments right up to the most recent chapter (i.e. Chapter 210) would really mess up the anime-only watchers here. However, all that juicy stuff would be covered in Season 3. Will leave it at that. Thank you.

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