That was some hard-core shounen sports drama right there. The unspoken mathematical elephant in the room finally got spoken this week. Two spots, three players – something had to give. Perhaps that something was Chris’ shoulder, but that remains to be seen. There was plenty of drama leading up to […] Read more
Daiya no A is a veritable feast for the baseball fan. Every week this series gives hardcore baseball lovers a little something to chew on while still managing to be thoroughly entertaining. This time the subject is “hiding the ball” – which is one of the practical implications of Eijun […] Read more
T’is the season of gruff but good-hearted sempai. I never really though about it, but it’s pretty amazing that with all the baseball anime and manga out there, this is the first time I’ve ever seen the towel drill. Anyone who follows baseball closely will know it well – it’s […] Read more
Growing pains, indeed. Why is it that baseball manga seem to come up with the most ridiculous versions of American names? You’d think as baseball fans the mangaka would have a better idea of what names are more common in the U.S. than the average Japanese, but for some reason […] Read more
We have met the enemy, and he is us. It’s 9:35 PM in Tokyo, and another excellent sports anime is going virtually unnoticed in the English-speaking world. I’m used to it by now but that doesn’t make it any less disappointing to me, yet it’s an inescapable fact – sports […] Read more
Ace of Diamond is issuing weekly reminders that it’s not to be overlooked in the race for best sports anime of the season. As great as this show is turning out to be, I have to admit my enjoyment of it would probably be a bit less if I didn’t […] Read more
Yup, that’s manga baseball all right. One of the things that’s always driven me crazy about baseball in manga – even in series I love, like Major – is this notion that the only manly thing to do is fight the opponent by throwing fastballs down the middle. Well, unless […] Read more
Damn – now that’s baseball anime right there. A multiple-award winning 37-volume (and counting) manga, Madhouse, Production I.G., a rock-solid veteran director – sometimes things just turn out like they should, and this adaptation is one of those times. It’t not as though Daiya no A is going to cross […] Read more
“Rival” can have more than one meaning, as this episode proves. In Japanese high school baseball, things are a bit different than what fans of American pro ball might be used to – as fans of baseball manga know very well. While there are multiple pitchers, there are no rotations […] Read more
The calendar says it’s autumn, but it feels like spring for sports anime. It hadn’t really occurred to me, but I wonder why the production committee behind Daiya no A decided to premiere it in the Fall 2013 season, just as the actual baseball season was coming to an end. […] Read more