Ace of the Diamond Season 2: Episodes 34-36 FULL LENGTH Reaction!
Added 2022-02-02 14:00:07 +0000 UTC**CAPTAIN-LEVEL HEADPHONE WARNING**
Oh captain, my captain! The last set of episodes were definitely Furuya's, and this set is Miyuki's! Sawamura gets major honorable mentions, though, for being the best ray of sunshine, but our catcher and captain proved his ability in the last few innings with Seiko -- and we went into OVERTIME (or "extra innings")!
Our boys are going to the FINALS -- but against who? Because Kosei and Ichidai are giving Yakushi a run for their money so far...and...does Kosei have a crush on Raichi? Is this the most unlikely crack pairing in baseball anime?! I'm excited to talk to you all about it and about this set of episodes as a whole!
LINK: https://share.vidyard.com/watch/NC1mxGAdaTcfcQztjjWZNY?
Thanks for watching with me and for the support!
Comments
I definitely still want to go watch a game, to at least test my knowledge from the show, haha! But yeah, indulging in more AotD doesn’t sound bad, either! This Seiko game WAS so good to watch though, if for Sawamura and Miyuki’s great moments throughout! And going extra innings! Woo! Yeah, realistically I wondered if Ogawa would have been ejected, but if it’s a plot convenience, at least it’s for an amazing character moment! ^^ “tritagonist” – HA! Let’s do it, at this point! Miyuki, Sawamura, and Furuya have CERTAINLY grown at this point – which is why I like the final OP for this season so much, to showcase all three – they are our trio of main characters at this point (will Haruichi make it a quartet? :P ) and I like that Miyuki has grown so much over the course of this season alongside Sawamura. I do agree, though, that I’m disappointed with as much as he’s revered Chris, that he held back from addressing the injury…but…it’s showing Miyuki is still greedy, and still has a ways to go. And Kataoka isn’t perfect; he should have made Miyuki go for a check-up or encouraged him to join Furuya at the hospital after the game. It’s amazing that Furuya is the one to notice and not our sunshine boy (our oblivious gremlin), and like you said, Furuya connected Miyuki’s reaction to his own, and Sawamura would have lost focus if he’d known Miyuki could have been in pain for the next game. I agree, though, I do love that Kataoka gives Sawamura encouragement with the plan – it needed to happen and it works. And that’s so interesting with Ogawa – his development gets stunted and stopped the moment he decides to go for that tackle. And Masu is part of that loss, too, which he acknowledges. I do agree with you that I think the parent took the incident to an extreme and the school board probably panicked and it led to the suspension. I keep thinking about Stars Align, where there’s a similar plot thread in it with a character whose mother is known for making big deals about incidents with the team and staff. Seiko reminds me a lot of Sannoh in Slam Dunk; they’re a threat…but not my favorite team, either. But STILL, Amahisa is just cruel in that moment, taking out his own frustrations onto Ogawa, who doesn’t know where it’s coming from at all. And HA! No time for crushes; Raichi is too oblivious for that. I can see that about the catcher-pitcher switch; those positions seem so demanding specifically for the talents they align with, I feel you’d want to specialize in one or the other, and add batting to it. Thanks for the comment!!
Romaniablack
2022-03-04 19:29:17 +0000 UTCIt's funny what a few weeks difference makes. I was thrilled AotD was hyping you up to watch a real baseball game. I was even going to recommend a league and a few teams! But since this aired MLB instituted universal designated hitter (a batter who permanently substitutes for the pitcher in the batting lineup). This, on top of testing video umpiring on calling balls and strikes, really makes me question my continuing interest in MLB. I guess I'll just have to indulge AotD all the more! And the last part of the Seiko/Seido game certainly helped in that regard. Seeing Sawamura turning his anxiety into determination, having the first extra-innings game (I would have sworn it was the final with Inashiro before I watched it again), witnessing Miyuki's marvelous walk-off home run were all pure indulgence and thrilling to watch (and the latter might be the most hype moment in the anime up to this point). Even Ogawa's tackling Miyuki ultimately made these episodes some of the most engaging (that tackle, by the way, was totally an offense worthy of ejection; and the only reason Ogawa didn't get ejected was to give Miyuki the chance to make that home run, as I don't think another pitcher could have held back Seido in the next inning). I think that it's in this set of episodes that Miyuki elevates from being the most important secondary character into being a true deuteragonist (the opening kind of hints as such, anyway; but does that mean Furuya will become a true tritagonist at some point as well? :P). As we get close to the end of the season, we can really see that Miyuki has grown as a leader from his captaincy. He's toned down his reckless aggressiveness - which we saw fail him more than once - for cautious aggressiveness, allowing Sawamura to overcome his anxiety before forcing the next pitch, and trusting him enough to encourage Kataoka to keep him in the game. But the real moment of transformation is turning the weight of the team's aspirations into the walk-off home run at the end of Episode 110 despite being in pain. I'm still disappointed in him, though, about withholding the severity of his injury. As someone who originally got his position due to Chris' injury, Miyuki, of all people, should know better. And as is often the case recently, I'm likewise disappointed in Kataoka for not at least making Miyuki go for a check-up in the dugout afterwards. Does the man know no caution? At least Furuya isn't fooled, although it seems surprising that he'd be the one to notice and not Sawamura (who was standing at most two foot in front of Miyuki instead of at least twice that for Furuya), it does make sense that he thought "Miyuki looks like how I feel". I feel Sawamura will be upset if and when he learns of Miyuki's injury. But I will give Kataoka some credit for encouraging Sawamura after he lays out the plan for the top of the 10th, including the switch to Kawakami. It must feel like a lot like several instances in the past for Sawamura, where he hasn't been trusted to close, even when he was otherwise doing well. But from a strategic standpoint, Kataoka's timing for that switch is perfect, if it weren't for the fact that I don't have much faith in Kawakami (and even Ochiai is surprised; I don't know what to think anymore, agreeing with Ochiai so often). It works out here, but his usual apparent lack of confidence just scares me every time he's on the mound, and it's so entrenched into his character at this point that I find much of any growth on his part hard to believe. As for Seiko, I think they got their comeuppance for Ogawa's awful tackle. It's funny, up until then, I was thinking that Ogawa was starting to have a lot of positive development, but whatever good feelings were crushed -like-Miyuki's-ribs-. Still the game was winnable until the end if they had just walked Miyuki, like you said. I'll put their ultimate loss on Masu's arrogance; he kind of figured out that Miyuki was injured and decided an inside pitch was worth the risk. And in regard to the incident that led to Coach Kumakiri's suspension, not to justify his actions, but I'm pretty sure that a parent weaponized the incident to punish him for ending their son's summer; I have no doubt it would have been overlooked had Seiko won. All in all, though, between that and their actions on the field in these episodes, Seiko is the least likeable team in the series for me. But that doesn't warrant Amahisa's dig at Ogawa, even from an "airhead". Talk about almost immediate dislike for a character. I'm glad Raichi knocked -him- his pitch out of the park. At least now Amahisa realizes that Raichi's crushing of Manaka wasn't a fluke. And how apropos of Amahisa saying "I thought people like him only existed in manga." LOL But he needs to stay away from Raichi; Raichi is a baseball monk! He's got no time for crushes! :D As a technical, a catcher-pitcher switch is highly unusual. Actually, because positions are so specialized now, I can't even remember a time (at least in the pros) where a catcher or pitcher weren't just switched out of the game. That's why designated hitters, as mentioned above, exist. The idea is to let the pitchers focus all their time solely on pitching practice.
zeroantizero
2022-03-02 01:18:58 +0000 UTCI really loved this game, too, and I agree 100% about the TENSION! I love that Sawamura proved himself with that dive towards the bunt and seriously, Miyuki being all concerned…I’m here for it! 😊 Miyuki showing more emotion, that he’s blessed; it’s SUCH growth from the Miyuki of season one – becoming a captain really was a great decision on Tetsu’s part to push. But seriously! That tackle -- @_@ -- just…WHY?! At least it was Miyuki, who looks like he could take it! But STILL! >.< I hadn’t thought about that with Coach Todoroki not knowing about the yips…but…maybe it will just distract them? *shrugs* I at least love that Kataoka kept Sawamura from getting too wrapped up in his own thoughts – that consideration was so sweet and it relieved me SO much watching! That’s a very interesting point with Sawamura at bat against Ogawa – I hadn’t thought about that, but maybe our sunshine boy could shine at the plate if he figures out how to make contact! Hmmmmm…And YES, the banter in the background with the players in this series is sooo good! I love that Kuramochi has become like a big brother to the first years, especially Sawamura an Haruichi. Ahhh, that’s good to know Higasa is a first year, too. Thank you! Hahaha, I feel Nori does have that naturally scared face, which is kind of funny in a weird way, but I feel for him! And ugggggh, Miyuki was WORRYING me in this set of episodes – if HE even gets the eyebags of doom, it’s a problem! ☹ And SERIOUSLY – Amahisa not sparing any expense to rub the salt into the wound, though it seems he was projecting his own thoughts on Ogawa; STILL…he’s lucky he got out of there before Ogawa could get over his shock and to at him. That makes sense that the coach thinks he’s a “Baseball” genius in terms of pitching – that actually connects him to Raichi, who only has batting on the brain, too! I would so ship them…if the next set of episodes hadn’t happened, hahahaha! Furuya’s grandpa is so sweet and wholesome, and I’m glad that he’s gotten to see Furuya have a team and friends in high school. :3 The fact that all these players on Yakushi can just switch positions is terrifying! It’d be like if Furuya or Sawamura could be catchers…@_@ So crazy! And yessss, Sawamura and Raichi are SO similar! Both are such sunshine characters – Riachi with that fire, though! 😊 And ooh, I love Tetsu, but Raichi is just so insane with his charisma – I think NOW Tetsu might be a more monster batter, but once Raichi is a third year? That would be an interesting thing to see! :D Ochiai hasn’t made me mad the last few episodes, but he was so frustrating at the start – it’s so weird, haha, and with Miyuki’s injury, it’s so sad because he plays it off as a joke, but he’s actually injured…I hate it, haha!! Thank you for the comment!! I am SO excited to talk about next week! :D :D
Romaniablack
2022-02-04 15:33:42 +0000 UTCThe Seikou game is also one of my favourites in this series lol. The tension was at max basically the whole game. Sawamura had a great game here too. He didn't have as long as Furuya to show off but that pick off to first was great. They really thought he wasn't paying attention lol even fooled his own team. You go boy. Eijuns dive for that bunt was also great. Miyuki asking if he was okay after the softest dive in existence is cute lol he's not gonna break in half Miyuki it's okay. A continuing narrative with Coach Todoroki is him mentioning that Sawamura broke down after Raichis homerun in the summer practice game but it makes me want to scream lol. They don't know that Sawamura had the yips so they just think he randomly broke down and it kills me. Miyuki was so good and contemplative in these episodes. Him saying he's blessed to be catching for them, him saying he wants to take them to nationals. So much growth for him. Even just thinking of that fight with Zono where he said "we're not here to hold hands and play best friends" yet now you wanna take YOUR TEAM to nationals for all of them not just yourself. Methinks it was about time Mr. Captain truly proved himself as the captain lol. Its so nice to see in this game. Just sucks that he had to get NFL tackled by the biggest dude in this series lol Eijuns at bat against Ogawa always makes me convinced that kid has the actual instincts of a batter, just can't figure out how to make contact. Ogawa has a HEAVY pitch and most batters, especially on their first at bat, would not literally lean into an inside pitch to bunt the ball. He's got no fear of the ball they just need to sort out what the issue is with his connection with a full swing lol. I love listening to Mochi in the background of scenes yelling at Sawamura off screen lol. Its such a big brother/babysitter thing. Higasa is a second year also. The only first year's on the team right now are Eijun, Furuya, Haruichi, Toujou, Kanemaru and there's another pitcher who's a first year you just don't ever see named Kaneda lol. Everyone else is a second year. Honestly Ogawa picked the wrong person to tackle lol. Almost anyone else on the team and likely they wouldn't have been so sturdy to just take that hit and not immediately obvious about an injury. Miyukis stubborn, he wasn't gonna show anything lol I love how Kataoka knows exactly what to say to Eijun to get his head back in it. Like by this point he knows what fuels his fire and what's going to make him settle down and do his job while being supportive of others doing their jobs as well. Literally 1 line made all Sawamuras doubts and frustrations melt away. I love a coach that pays attention to their players motivations. I think Nori naturally has a scared or concerned face lol. Like he just always looks like he's so stresses and worried and it's easy to pick up on for other teams 😂 There's points in these episodes where you can really see how bad Miyuki is because he also gets the eyebags in a few shots lol. The eyebags of doom have overtaken Miyukis face as well. You're right in that last at bat. Miyuki didn't want to swing. I mean im sure he did want to but he was hesitating a lot because of the pain. He knew swinging would make the pain flare up so he was holding it. Usually he at least swings for a foul once or twice. Amahisa almost got his ass beat by Ogawa there lol. I die for that scene it's so funny. Imagine being so down in the dumps about losing a game and then some random kid comes in and says "how does it feel to know you lost because of you? Does it make you wanna die?" Like?? Hello? Lol anyone else would've punched him. Furuyas Grandfather is so lovely man. Ota actually said along with the practice games that he also came to watch Furuya in the summer tournament in season 1. All the way back then he was coming to see Furuya pitch and I think that's so nice. It must've been hard for him to see Furuya so lonely without an actual team, just throwing at the wall in Jr high. I'm sure it was really heartbreaking for him. The Ichidai coach I think means Amahisa is a pitching or baseball genius as opposed to being an intellectual genius (though it's not like he's dumb at all lol) he just focuses himself more in baseball than anything else in his life. That's when he dials in the most. Probably a prodigy tbh. Thats one of the scariest yet coolest things about Yakushi as a team, a ton of their players can play other positions and there's very little more surprising to an opposing team than seeing the players you've gotten used to, switching positions so heavily. You can have catchers be pitchers and vice versa. When you start a season you don't claim players as certain positions you just have to make those switches in game. Switching the battery is a little unorthodox though lol. I think because the battery needs to work so much together that switching them around can cause complications in communication but it's a good bluff to fluster your opponents lol. Akiba is a much better catcher than Mishima and Mishima is a much better pitcher than Akiba. I dunno who's out here thinking Ochiai is better with the second watch lol cuz it's not me. That man is insufferable every time I watch this series 😂 he's never getting a pass from me for trying to ruin Eijun. The funny thing is that Miyuki was actually very honest to the manager about his injury when he first got tackled lol. He asked if he was okay and where he hurt and he said "everywhere" lol. He brushed it off like a joke but initially he was honest about being hurt. I'll say this until I die but Sawamura and Raichi are the same person in different fonts. I'm sure I've said that so many times before but it really is true. They're the same person at the core: pure sunshine characters who give their all to their passion which is baseball. Raichis font just has a demonic flair to it lol I often wonder who's more of a monster batter between Raichi and Tetsu. I think its Raichi just for pure ridiculousness but Tetsu was one of the most focused and instinctual monster batters in this show. Amahisas crush on Raichi is everything I didn't know I needed until it happened. Even if it is just a baseball crush I'm here for it lol. Can't wait for next week but I really was so excited for you to see this set here and it did not disappoint lol
Kelsey
2022-02-03 00:52:19 +0000 UTCThank you for letting me know that! I'm clueless about baseball rules/regulations, so this series is where I've learned, haha! I cannot IMAGINE Sawamura or Furuya being catchers, so the concept definitely catches me by surprise. I've already watched the next set of episodes (last night), so when another reveal like this happens, I was also really surprised. And I agree; that's crazy to think that someone had to literally break their legs before a rule prohibited TACKLING the catcher. @_@ Thank you for the comment and the info!
Romaniablack
2022-02-02 19:40:36 +0000 UTCAnyone can play any position, though usually as you get older and get to higher levels of the sport you’ll usually just stick to the position you’re best at. Also in the MLB you use to be able to just tackle the catcher to make them drop the ball up until like 10 or so years ago when a catcher broke his leg (can’t believe they waited until something like that to change the rules)
John Miller
2022-02-02 14:59:10 +0000 UTC
