All kinds of stuff happened in this episode of Major 2nd, but I’m not going to bury the lead. And for me that was clearly the little aside from the Tsujidou Middle School coach (assistant, presumably) about the head coach being the one to accept Daigo’s request for a practice game. That was a Chekov’s Tsujidou head coach if I’ve ever seen one, so it’s a cinch bet that whoever they are, they’re someone we know and either were important or will be important to the story (or both).
But a lot of things went down before that, most of them involving Chiyo. Fellow first-years Anita and Chisato tag-team Akira, luring him to meet after school with a note only Aniya could not have realized would be taken for a love letter. It’s obvious what they want, and Akira for his part at least acknowledges that adding an insurance player could potentially improve Takumi’s rotten attitude. But he seems curiously indifferent to the news that a girl is into him, especially given that it’s an older woman. You’d think he’d be kind of interested, but he betrays no evidence of it.
Akira does eventually decide to talk to Chiyo, but he’s too late – she’s already joined the team. But it’s as a manager, since whatever trauma she experienced with baseball as a grade-schooler was apparently serious enough to put her off the game for life. It’s soon obvious enough that she’s not the unathletic kid she says she is, but she refuses Daigo’s entreaties to become a fully-fledged member. Soon enough, though, the situation becomes more urgent when Takumi drops out of practice with abdominal pain. Most of the crew assume he’s lying just to ditch, but it turns out to be appendicitis and he’s out of commission for a while.
Chisato had already started the pressure campaign, telling their father than her nee-san had joined the baseball club while conveniently leaving out the manager part. I don’t blame Chiyo for blowing up, because while Chisato’s manipulative nature is cute it’s not so cute when you’re the one on the receiving end of it (as I imagine Chiyo often has been). Akira does indeed join the others in asking Chiyo to join and salvage their much-needed practice match, but it’s worth noting that he’s the only one who expressed distaste at the idea of using Chiyo’s feelings to pressure her to join – and the only one who seems bothered when that’s actually what happens.
As for the match itself, Tsujidou doesn’t exactly make a good first impression. They’re a new prep school and clearly have some money behind them, and they’ve achieved their surprising baseball success in only three years. That’s all well and good, but I can do without the assistant coach snapping at Daigo for being too slow in donning his gear (he was on-deck). And I must say, I find the idea of a handicap in baseball rather arrogant and distasteful. Even in practice games that doesn’t sit well with me – or Fuurin, as it happens, who’re gifted the princely head start of 10 runs in the top of the first.
Whoever Tsujidou is, I’m getting the vibe that they’re going to be important. For them to have gotten so successful so quickly implies that they hired a coach with exceptional connections, exceptional baseball acumen, or both – and they have a seeming connection to Fuurin (or Daigo) to boot. Chiyo certainly represents a big question mark in left, but Fuurin is not a team to be taken at appearances, and ten is a lot of runs. Maybe the whole point of giving a handicap is to charge up the opposition and make them a tougher opponent – if so, it’s definitely mission accomplished here.
tsirrus
October 11, 2020 at 2:58 amThe past few episodes really fleshed out Chisato’s personality. She’s a force to be reckoned with, and not someone you’d want against you (even outside of baseball)…
Guardian Enzo
October 11, 2020 at 9:06 amThe twintailed assassin.
It makes you wonder what her mom is like, because her dad is such an amiable doofus and her sister seems straight as an arrow.
leongsh
October 11, 2020 at 6:17 amIt’s obvious what Tsujidou is being set up as – an equivalent to Kaido but at middle school level. For those who do not recall Kaido, it’s the high school with the elite baseball programme that steamrolls all the others during Goro’s time. Instead of having the good players congregate at the Senior League teams, it is pulling them in to play middle school baseball and to probably feed into affiliated high school(s). As to whether any connection to Fuurin, watch on to find out whether there is.
Ki
October 14, 2020 at 8:21 amI wasn’t going to post, but the more I think on it, the more I want to ask this question. Let me start by saying I’m not implying anyone watching Major 2nd is sexist/misogynist or anything negative, I’m just genuinely curious. Enzo, both Hikaru and Chisato have a somewhat manipulative streak, but why is Chisato’s manipulative nature seen as positive while Hikaru’s isn’t? Is it because Chisato has a cute design and voice, therefore anything she does is seen as cute? Is it because being manipulative is seen as a feminine trait? Is it because you had more sympathy for the target of the manipulation (Daigo in Hikaru’s case)?
I just remember it struck me in one of your previous blog posts because I quite enjoyed Hikaru’s manipulation in the first season and found it surprising you seemed to cast it in a negative light as “…his obsession with manipulation is not his finest trait” suggests. Granted, you did state it wouldn’t be so cute to be on the receiving end of the manipulation in Chisato’s case, so I could be reading into it here.
In any case, reception of Chisato’s character seems overwhelmingly positive while reception of Hikaru’s character seemed to be a very mixed bag. To me, they both are “cute” characters who have a not-so-cute tendency to use others to get what they want, which actually increases their charm for me—I have no qualms saying in the real world manipulativeness as a trait is negative, but as a character trait in fiction, it is rather entertaining. Their manipulativeness had the added bonus of showing Chisato and Hikaru as observant people in an unusual way for anime.
You don’t have to answer me of course, but I just find it interesting and would love to have the opinion of someone with high emotional and mental maturity (I appreciate your answers, even if I don’t say it). Things about gender/sex and societal expectations interest me to no end and I’m wondering if that’s the case here.
Guardian Enzo
October 14, 2020 at 9:11 amTo be honest, I don’t see any wide gap in my own reaction to the two of them. And I don’t think there are enough Major followers in English to even have a wide gap. Are you suggesting I’ve been going too easy on Chisato and was too hard on Hikaru? Because I really, really don’t think that’s the case.
Ki
October 15, 2020 at 6:23 amI’ll take your word for it. It’s quite probable my opinion was colored by comments read elsewhere and I read into it. Mostly, my comment was me expressing shock that two characters whom I view as similar seemed to have different reactions from viewers. I was hoping for insight as to why this was so, but if you don’t see a significant difference, my point is pretty moot. Maybe I only found it notable because I’ve yet to see a negative comment about Chisato, while the same can’t be said of Hikaru. I can certainly concede I could be wrong. I have been told I have a weird way of looking at things, so I could totally be seeing things off-base. I apologize if my previous post came off as abrasive. It wasn’t meant as such, though the more I re-read it, the more it seems it was.
Guardian Enzo
October 15, 2020 at 8:36 amWell, I would argue you’ve seen negative comments about her from me! Measured to be sure, but I think I’ve called out how she seems to have a manipulative side. I also don’t think I was notably harsher on Hikaru, who I always felt I reacted rather positively to.
That said, cute girls always get a much longer leash from anime fans in general for irritating behavior. Look at Chihaya, for cripes sake – if a male MC did the stuff she did he’d have been roasted alive by fans.
elianthos
October 15, 2020 at 12:37 pm– Mutsuko <333333. 'nuff said.
– Asahina good on you for being considerate on Big Sis Chiyo's feelings. You can grow up into a good man *patpats* . Tangent: he might like Anita at least a bit? Ayyyy unrequited shipbait sinking alert.
– 'Mushroom cannibalism' :,D
– Mystery head coach's mystery identity is making me antsy. In the meantime coach-in-the-pen is being RUDE. Don't you rush mah Daigo XPPPPP