Speaking of ignored spots anime…  That’s Gurazeni to a “T”, at least in English.  It’s pretty popular in Japan actually – the manga does quite well – and I suspect that (along with the modest budget) is why it was greenlit for two cours.  It remains an absolute treasure for me as a fan of both anime and baseball, and I’m more than grateful for the tiny group of regulars who comment on these posts sometimes.  It’s nice to know you’re not the only one who cares.

We have a lot to be invested in this season (I use that term in both senses).  Not only is Gurazeni still Bonda’s compelling life story, but it’s developing quite the plot as well.  The Spiders are in the midst of a three-way pennant chase, Bonda continues to nurture growing feelings for Yuki, and a rather compelling new character has popped up.  That would by Itsuki Roppa, a journeyman who Bonda played alongside during his rehab stint in the minors.  Roppa is the same age as Bonda (26), but has never so much has gotten a hit in the majors.  He’s fat (even with his clothes off), love to eat and drink, and generally plays the game like a kid in what we’d call the sandlot, but the Japanese call the grasslot (contrarian as always).

Roppa is married and has a kid on the way, which makes his stalled career rather more depressing that it might be (although he has a son-in-law job behind the emergency glass).  He’s a talent – he hits .300 despite his conditioning and lack of situational understanding, he’s solid in the outfield, and deceptively fast.  Somebody like Bonda might easily resent someone like Roppa, but he really just wants to see him succeed – and Roppa ends up being recalled to the majors at the same time Bonda is.  After a couple days of impressive batting practice he gets the call to start in right field, but hits into bad luck in three straight at-bats.

Bonda, meanwhile, is chafing a bit at not being called on for a few days.  He finally does get that call in a crucial spot, the top of the 8th in Roppa’s first game – a clash with the rival Mops – and a bonehead play by Roppa promptly leads to the winning run scoring.  Bonda doesn’t take the loss, but it still hurts – so he goes back to his shokudo for the first time in five months, hoping a glimpse of Yuki’s face and a whiff of her karaage chahan will turn his frown upside down.  As long as she’s still working there, that is – which she is, thank goodness, and it does.

This strikes me as real growth for Bonda – rather than wallow in self-recrimination he finds peace through another outlet.  But for Roppa, things take a rather alarming turn when his wife tells him their son is a breech baby and that a C-section might be required.  Gurazeni isn’t a tragedy, but baseball doesn’t tend to be kind to guys like Roppa – so I’ll be very interested in seeing how both these plotlines play out.