Ace of the Diamond Season 2: Episodes 40-42 FULL LENGTH Reaction!
Added 2022-02-16 14:01:02 +0000 UTC**HEADPHONE WARNNGS THROUGHOUT**
The Finals are HERE! Yakushi vs. Seido and I'm already SO torn with who is going to take this game -- I love that Nori has had a confident start, that Kuramochi is keeping Miyuki in check about his very-much-an-injury, and we get SHIRASU FANSERVICE?! Seido has things seemingly on their side starting out this game...
...but of course, our wild card shyboy in the streets/monster on the mound Raichi is here to crush that momentum! These episodes were fantastic and there's a LOT to talk about -- as per Ace of the Diamond usual! Play Ball! Right?
LINK: https://share.vidyard.com/watch/oP4idzjGxDsanSJbqqVLFn?
Thanks for watching with me and for the support!
Comments
It seems very fitting that this is the longest game since Inashiro; it’s the finals after all, right?! 😊 I guess maybe Sawamura’s mom had to work during this game? Someone has to be the bread winner! ^^ I would really like Chris to have a “talk” to Miyuki about that at some point – I’m not sure if we get it or not, but Miyuki respects Chris, so maybe this will be a one-time occasion? We hope? @_@ I LOVE the “Shut. Up. Now. <3” moment, though! It’s so precious and Sawamura’s reliance on Miyuki with him – solidifies their dynamic as a duo perfectly. And at least Kuramochi isn’t keeping it all to himself….maybe they’re slowwwwly learning from the past one baby step at a time? By the end of Act II, will they actually convince a player to NOT play with an injury from the start?! We can only hope? “Ace of the Lawyers,” ha! Yeah, the “one inning at most” does seem a bit like a plot contrivance, but I’ll let it go at this point; I’m just happy that they are making Furuya sit out for the most part. And that’s actually a REALLY good point about Nori…I hadn’t thought about that. This entire time, we’ve viewed Nori as the closer, but without the initial “stress” of the game, maybe He WOULD be better to start a game than finish it…hm. You’re maybe onto something there; I like it! I do love Raichi and Coach Todoroki in this. They are more strategists than they’re given credit for (at least Coach Todoroki is) and I love “pretty-boy” is a canon phrase to describe Miyuki now. I DO like that not that Sawamura had “SOME” form of potential and control to catch Miyuki’s eye from the start; I love that contrast of Raichi as the opposite of Shunshin and how much BOTH Miyuki and Mei dislike Raichi as a pitcher. There’s no finesse or strategy at ALL. Just power. And of COURSE Mei realizes Miyuki’s injured. It is good that we see Ochiai’s advice pay of with Kuramochi, and that Cheetahmochi embraces it! 😊 I also had no real clue about base coaches; I’m glad this series has taught me that, too! And I love that all of those VA’s sing the ED – I feel a lot of Japanese VA’s have dual careers as both a voice actor and professional singer, so it works out well for them, whereas we don’t see that with English VA’s. It’s interesting to compare! Thank you for the comment!!
Romaniablack
2022-03-15 20:42:01 +0000 UTCYou can tell this is the climax game of the season, and I won't be surprised if it lasts the rest of the season, which will make it the longest game since the summer final against Inashiro. With all the third-years, whom I loved seeing again helping in the evening before, Sawamura's family (but not his Mom?) and Wakana, almost everyone important to Sawamura shows up to the game. And, of course, Miyuki ended up playing while injured. Chris would be so disappointed, and I hope Chris gets the chance to call him out on it in the future. If there are any positives to be said about the whole ordeal, they are that at least Miyuki is planning for the possibility of him not playing, and Kuramochi talking to Shirasu about the whole thing rather than keeping it to himself as he did regarding Ryosuke (although I'm frustrated that he didn't actually stop Miyuki in the end...; pulling Miyuki now would hurt morale, but still...). It's also endearingly funny that Sawamura responds with "of course I do!" to Miyuki saying "don't rely on me all the time". You can't take away his favorite catcher! :) That and "Shut. Up. Now. <3" are hilarious! At least Kataoka is being responsible and not allowing Furuya to play. And what kind of doctor says "one inning at most" when someone's already injured? If this series took place in America, it would have to be named "Ace of the Lawyers". I'll admit that I was pleasantly surprised by Kawakami this set. I think he might be better off as a starter, where he doesn't have the full weight of game on his shoulders. If Seido continues with the pitcher relay, maybe the relay should be switched to Kawakami, Sawamura, Furuya or Kawakami, Furuya, Sawamura. And, if anything, he's let down by Miyuki, who for some reason underestimated Raichi and called for the sinker. I mean, how many times does Raichi have to hit a home run off of a pitch he's seen twice before people stop letting him see a pitch twice? And not only that, but Coach Todoroki is outmaneuvering Miyuki (whom he hilariously calls a "pretty-boy catcher"; it's canon, LOL) as well. Fortunately, the team makes up for it in their aggressive offense. That first run from Kuramochi was simply awesome. He really is Cheetahmochi! This is why Ochiai told him to never bat right again. If he can get on base, he easily steals second and is in a position to make it home with a deep hit, or as it's put "a single is basically a double". And hats off to the series for showing the importance of base coaches; unsung heroes. But as if he isn't already overpowered (and unbeknownst to him, skyrocketing in popularity; he's already in my Top 5), it's Raichi's turn on the mound. And does he have demon energy, or what?! Too bad he doesn't have any control, forcing Miyuki to throw himself backwards like he did and aggravating his injury. But Raichi has no control and is just throwing the ball as hard as he can. There's more to pitching than that (a lesson Furuya needs to learn too). He is the exact opposite of Shunshin, and he earns the exact opposite reaction from Miyuki that Shunshin did. It also makes me think, as untrained as Sawamura was at the beginning, he must have had some control to impress Miyuki when they first met. Or Miyuki must have seen potential in him otherwise. (Or maybe he was just smitten as first sight... :D). And when he finally shows up (after waxing hypothetical about being a soccer star, LOL; in reality, he's probably as bad at soccer as Miyuki was during that match a few weeks back), Mei is obviously disgusted with Raichi's pitching too. He also realizes that Miyuki is hurt, which doesn't surprise me given their history. That's four in-the-know. Lastly, the new ending that started this set is yet again sung by the voice actors, this time by Sawamura, Miyuki, Kuramochi, Furuya and Haruichi. It really is impressive that so many of the voice actors have good singing voices, or at least singing practice as part of their training. It's definitely something I haven't seen among English VAs.
zeroantizero
2022-03-13 06:50:06 +0000 UTCRaichi is a mangaka fave?! YESSSS! That makes me so happy! :) I also love that someone in real life is kind of like Raichi! That's so cool! :) And the fact that the research process is as detailed as Furudate?! Impressive -- I love that! :) That is one thing about the series -- it's so realistic and shows all the work that goes into the sport and I really appreciate that. I can't blame them for their favorite being Sanada! Taste, indeed!! I would SO watch a Yakushi spinoff any day! Thanks for the comment!! :D
Romaniablack
2022-02-19 21:24:07 +0000 UTCAhh I love that you love raichi so much because he’s definitely one of the mangaka’s favs too! There was this interview where terajima talked about how at first, lots of people told him that there was no way someone like raichi would exist in real life, but this player named ohtani shohei came along and eventually surpassed everyone’s expectations by being a crazy hitter AND pitching AND playing outfield while having a really bright personality (he’s now THE Japanese baseball dude and plays in the Majors for LA, his nickname is “shotime” lol) so it’s made it a lot easier for tj to write about characters like raichi and the crazy things they can do without losing that sense of reality. Some of raichi’s form is even based off of ohtani’s (tj gets inspiration for the pitching form of most of our main pitchers from various pros). I’ll find and share the full interview when you’re further along because some things haven’t been covered yet, but there are some really interesting tidbits about everyone! His research process into the sport (on both the hs level and in the pros) is as detailed as furudate’s! Oh and Ohtani himself also really likes daiya (lots of pro Japanese baseball players follow the series) for being so realistic about little things like practice or specific plays, and even incorporating different baseball trends in the majors. He did a promo for the series recently too! His fav is sanada btw lol the man has TASTE. He thinks it’s so fancy how a high schooler can pitch a cutter, and when he was asked about how he would pitch to raichi he was just like, no way can anyone defeat him 😂😂 I’m sure he’s right there with you in wanting that yakushi spin off!
Prinn
2022-02-18 00:30:44 +0000 UTCThis set is so chaotic lol and my boy Koushuu is back! Love to see it! I love getting to see Shirasu and Mochi connect. We don't see them talk much but they all joined the team together so it's nice to see Mochi trusting him with something that you typically would trust your other vice captain with. Kuramochi knows between Shirasu and Zono who would be the better of the 2 to share this with and I love getting to see Mochis more mature approach to Miyukis injury over his approach with Ryousuke. Miyuki thinks he's being so slick trying to get Ono ready to play without being upfront about it lol. Poor Ono is probably so confused 😂 I don't think he's necessarily doing it because he's sure he's going to be taken out I think he's just doing it as a precautionary thing. Obviously with Ryousuke last year, no one was prepared in advance and it caused problems so even if he doesn't tell Ono what's going on, making sure he's ready at least could help. I'm a fan of Eijuns random track suit collection that broke out in these episodes lol. I dont remember seeing them before now but I enjoy them 😂 "Break down after we win". Ugh that scene is one of my favourites in this season. Kuramochi was so not confident enough, nor disrespectful enough, to say that kind of think to Ryousuke last year but I'm sure he wanted to. It's good that with his best friend who's in his same year that he can be straight up about it. You can really tell it's coming from a place of the trauma that Kuramochi would've worked through from last year. Like if you're going to be this stubborn about playing and not telling the coach or not letting Ono in, you cannot wimp out half way and leave the game cuz it'll ruin the team morale to have you leave in the middle. I'm sure to Kuramochi he would rather have an Ono who isn't as experienced with these games but who isn't injured over an injured Miyuki who's making half assed plays because he's stubborn and is hurting. I think that was his way of saying "either tell the coach now or don't tell him at all until we're done". The team morale would absolutely plummet if Miyuki left midgame instead of just not playing at all. And I'm so glad he confronted him. There's something so satisfying about watching Kuramochi steal a base lol. The lead off that just looks like he's challenging every pitcher, the way he moves INSTSANTLY when he knows they're pitching, and his front slide into the base is always so exciting. One of my favourite players to watch run the bases. Miyuki hitting Mishima in the glove with that hit was so lucky for them lol. He takes it as a play well done but it was 99.9% just pure luck lol. Had it gone anywhere else it wouldve gotten him on base. The beginning innings here are so funny with Sawamuras little quips. He keeps jumping back and forth between the dugout and the bullpen and its such like chipmunk/squirrel activity 😂 he can't stay still the poor boy. Raichis hit off Nori almost fully killed Mishima too lol. He almost smoked through him with that ball and how fast it was going. It's a hazard being on Raichis team. I think part of Miyukis mistake with Raichi during that at bat was that he tried to finish it with a pitch that already beat Raichi. Raichi is the type of batter that will retain and remember every pitch that beats him or that he misses. As soon as Amahisa struck him out with that, he had that pitch memorized for next time and then Miyuki tried it and obviously Raichi knows that pitch now and he won't fall for it again. He's so scary like that. You almost have to have new pitches to take him on every single time you face him. Mei talking like he would still be a star if he had played soccer... lol he's too much. I'd love to see Mei play soccer but I can't imagine he'd be very good at it 😂 but clearly his ego is very healthy in knowing he was made to be a star and nothing less. Harada and Tetsu definitely have a really nice and clear respect for each other. Like you said it was seen at the end of the Inashiro finals but I think now that they aren't "enemies" they can bond and connect and understand eachother from a fellow player point of view. The only person Harada has ever actually dissed was Miyuki 😂 I think in general he does respect players who take the game as seriously as he does and who are good at what they do and that's Tetsu to a T. I dont think Tetsu feels poorly about any players. Just focuses on himself and what he can do. The thing I always love about Kuramochis steal home is that when they're showing the crowd reaction shots you can see Carlos GRINNING away lol. Like he loves seeing people use their speed just like he does. He loves those tricky and underhanded plays and I'm sure he respects Kuramochi for playing a similar way to him. Ryousuke is one of my favourite 3rd years lol. Absolutely one of my favourite. He's so savage while still being so funny and supportive. He literally tells Haruichi that his GLOVE will feel betrayed by Haruichi asking Ryou to use his. And that his GLOVE will cry over it. What lmao. He's so funny effortlessly. I love that Kijima, the backup 2nd baseman, also really looks up to him and uses that chance to ask for advice. It's very sweet. This tournament has been bad on Miyukis physical health lol. When he's not being beamed in the side or almost the head by pitchers, he's being tackled into the ground. I'd say he needs to wear a helmet but he's always wearing a helmet so maybe he should invest in a bullet proof vest for under his uniform lol. Someone needs to protect this boy. Shirakawa is always so bitter about Miyuki. He also hates him/wants to belittle him even when he's doing fine. "The cleanup should hit to the outfield". Okay bud move along lol. Mei and Miyuki have such a bond that Mei can tell in SECONDS that he's hurt when people who have been around him since he was hurt still have no idea lol. Childhood friend goals tbh. Sanada is just such a friendly bean lol. You're right that he's just a simple jock who happens to be really hot. If he were a student at my school when I was in high school I'd be so intimidated by him but he seems like the type of kid who wouldn't judge or mock anyone regardless of how handsome and popular he is. Just a friendly boy. As for animal nicknames for Sanada I'd go with a Jaguar maybe. Beautiful to look at, dangerous to face head on, not inherently aggressive unless threatened. Something that's really cool that I don't remember if I've said before is that originally, the mangaka TJ was going to make Raichi the main character of daiya with Yakushi being the main team. That's why Raichi and Sawamura are quite similar personality wise with some obvious differences. Raichi originally was probably supposed to be less empty headed and more like Sawamura is right now but changed it because he didn't want to do the typical "underdog" story in a sports anime. He wanted to take on the powerhouse school idea instead of the underdog school idea so he changed ideas. I think it worked out for the better lol but thats why TJ loves Raichi so much. Raichi as a pitcher is definitely not as serious about pitching as anyone else in this series. He does it only for fun and because it surprises teams. Like you said, Yakushi is really unpredictable so they'll do whatever they can to surprise and throw off their opponent and Raichi is the best type of firecracker wild card to play in any scenario. I doubt he'd ever play pitcher seriously but as long as he has fun and batters struggle to hit off him and his wild pitches then he's doing his job well 😂 As far as 3rd base coaches go, there's also 1st base coaches and their goal is just to tell the runner what's happening and if there's time to make it to the next base. The 1st base coach also takes the runners elbow and shin guards so they aren't running with them on but if the batter hits to the field and can't see what the fielders are doing they trust the 1st base coach to tell them if they can make it to second or not. And similar with the 3rd base coach. They're watching the fielders and the ball and they try to judge if the runner can make it home or not. They also indicate to them if they should slide coming from second or if they can just stand up to reach the base. They're basically just an extra set of eyes for the runners that's why it's good to have base coaches who pay a lot of attention and who pick up on small details like Mimura did in that play.
Kelsey
2022-02-17 00:33:31 +0000 UTCKuramochi just can't catch a break -- boy needs to major to be a counselor! :P And yes, Haurichi is getting the brother sass going! As much as I love determined/sassy Haruichi, seeing him get so happy with Kuramochi acknowledging his name was so precious! And SERIOUSLY. MEI. THE FAITH. Hahahaha, I love how you worded it, because it's SO true! :) Thanks for the comment!! And no worries -- have a great week, too, in the meantime! :D
Romaniablack
2022-02-16 22:25:22 +0000 UTCKuromochi once again in the dilemma of whether he reveals someone is hurt or not. If I were him and it happens next year again, I would give up 😂 “Please don’t become even more annoying” 😂 I love that Haruichi is slowly becoming more sassy like Ryo! And him being stubborn about wanting Ryo’s glove like he was with the wooden bat. ♥️♥️ Plus, it was the cutest when he got so happy by Kuramochi calling him Haruichi ! 💕💕 Mei: Kazuya made a mistake, he must be hurt or something, there’s no other option. THE FAITH! Love it! ♥️ I wasn’t able to watch the review yet, but I’ll be back! 😂 Have a great week ♥️♥️
Melanie Marie
2022-02-16 16:09:32 +0000 UTC
