Ace of the Diamond Season 2: Episodes 25-27 FULL LENGTH Reaction!
Added 2022-01-12 14:00:05 +0000 UTC*Headphone Warning*
I LOVED this set of episodes -- my fangirling will definitely prove it!
From Chris-senpai being so proud at our boy Sawamura FINISHING NINE INNINGS, to the surprise with Sensen vs. Seiko, to the heartwarming moment with Harada and Mei, to the VERY INTERESTING turn of events with Ochiai vs. Kataoka and a surprise scrimmage between the first and second strings happening...this episode had so much going on and I'm SO HYPED for what's to come!
LINK: https://share.vidyard.com/watch/vXkc6krE7mpygv9iA84zsc?
Thank you for watching with me and for the support!
Comments
Oh, don't feel bad -- I was always criticized by my instructors for over-using exclamation points; no worries! That's a good point about Harada -- I'll be curious if by the end of the series we see where everyone goes; that's something to look forward to, I suppose!
Romaniablack
2022-02-09 18:33:15 +0000 UTCHaha, sorry! It's something I think can only be described technically. But I never got over my pretentious college writing. It pains me how often I use parentheses! I think Harada gets what he wants in the sense he'd be happy to be drafted regardless of team, since he wants to play professionally and there's no other way in.
zeroantizero
2022-02-09 02:11:15 +0000 UTCI can’t believe I’m at 100 episodes! I think the last time I watched ANYTHING over 100 episodes it was Bleach…if that gives you any indication! @_@ Still, I’m amazed at how fresh the series still is – and thank you for the note about the ED! I’ll have to keep my eyes peeled! I definitely agree that Sawamura’s change-up is a game-changer, haha, and the fact that he pitched a FULL game (like Mei, yes!) is something I didn’t realize the significance of in the moment, but it’s definitely crazy – I love that for our sunshine boy! And yes, I have to give Ochiai credit – like you said, he didn’t HAVE to teach Sawamura the change-up to begin with, especially since he seemingly wanted to prove he was useless – but I do agree he’s on his way to respecting Sawamura’s ability. Ochiai, especially in light of recent episodes, is harder to pin – I hate when he’s slimy, but when he’s somewhat self-aware, I don’t mind him as much. He definitely wants attention, but I think that the episodes after this show that he’s not quite as accepting of credit he clearly didn’t earn. But then, yeah, we get the moments where with Hariuchi and Furuya, I’m like, “but why?” It’s complicated. Ochiai, why couldn’t you just be less slimy, hahaha!? I am SO HAPPY that Chris gets to see Sawamura succeed here! He’s definitely the foundation for Sawamura’s growth and it’s great to see it come full-circle with him in this series! And Miyuki being proud of Sawamura? Again, these characters have come so far from the start…and we’re not nearly done, yet! I can get that like you said, Miyuki is trying not to be greedy and push him too fast…that’s a great point. And yes, luckily our sunshine boy is aware of what “collapse” feels like, and doesn’t want it to happen again. 😊 And oooooooh, the Seiko game is so much hype! And getting that development? This show loves to make us question every game and who will win – it’s nervewracking, but I love it. And yeah, before then we have the intra-squad game! This was so unexpected, but I’m all about it for the character development, especially at this point in the series. That whole drafting is so complicated – I read your paragraph and it felt like legal jargon. XD I’m always amazed at the complexity of it – I’m guessing Harada got where he wanted to, then? That’s all interesting, though – I was curious about Harada and Yuki, since they’re mentioned in this episode. Thank you for the comment, as always!! :D
Romaniablack
2022-02-07 16:35:11 +0000 UTCFirst, congratulations on making 100 episodes! *fireworks* And aren't the new opening and endings great? They're among my favorites. Also, pay attention to the ending a bit, as the visuals change as the season goes on. If we're going to have cliffhangers, this one wasn't so bad, eh? And Oya put up a good effort, but Sawamura was overwhelming even when he was nervous. And it all has to do with his new change-up. Without it, I think he would have had to have been substituted by Kawakami to even have a chance at winning, because Go and Oya had Seido's number. But with it, he has the capacity to devastate Oya relentlessly by pitching the full game, which is in itself incredible. And he's the first character we see do it (I think Mei did it off-screen in the summer, but I don't remember for sure). And no matter whatever other feelings I have about him, I have to give Ochiai credit. What matters here are results, and whatever his intentions (and they were bad), Ochiai made the effort to teach Sawamura (and I think that means something; he doesn't seem the type to make an effort for someone he dismisses completely) the change-up. He still had doubts in the game, especially after Sawamura botched it the first time, but I think he's on the way to respecting Sawamura as a pitcher even if he prefers Furuya. It's really hard pin Ochiai, because he can be so slimy. But I don't think he's actually ever lied (if anything, he weaponizes his honesty). And he doesn't take credit he hasn't earned. Sawamura learning a breaking ball was indeed Kataoka's idea. But he wasn't intending on teaching one to Sawamura at all. And Ochiai did more than simply take Kataoka's idea, he didn't just have Sawamura try everything in the hopes something stuck, he focused on what he thought Sawamura was most likely to succeed in learning (he could have sabotaged him easily). Of course, that credit doesn't extend to Haruichi. While my opposition to using a metal bat is different, (as far as I'm concerned, it's not baseball if you're not using a wooden bat) for Haruichi, there's little point at this stage of his career to change what he uses. And as if to prove it, it makes that awesome home run. Ochiai also throws caution to the wind by teaching a breaking ball to Furuya, when he knows that it could easily disrupt Furuya's current form. It was one thing to teach it to Sawamura, for whom he had little faith, but teaching Furuya could really hurt him and the team now. (Although, I guess, yet again, both success and failure work to Ochiai's advantage.) I'm glad that Chris gets to see the fruit of Sawamura's effort here. To me, he's inarguably the reason Sawamura is standing where he is. It's also so heartwarming seeing how excited and proud Miyuki is in that flashback with him. I don't think you have to be a MiyuSawa shipper to think that Miyuki has the most fun playing with Sawamura; if anything, I think Miyuki holds himself back when it comes to Sawamura. He sees Sawamura's potential but doesn't want to "get greedy" and push Sawamura to a level he may not be ready for yet. Especially when they need him to win the Fall Tournament. That's why he's always worried about Sawamura being overconfident when he does move forward; he's seen the consequences of being reckless, so now he's being (maybe too) cautious. Fortunately, Sawamura is more cautious with himself because he doesn't want to collapse in the same way again. Winning the game against Oya (and Go does end up being more likeable than he first appeared), we're now to the Top 4; and oh boy, another dark horse in Seiko. Having used the same template with Yakushi almost exactly, I was sure of Seiko's victory before their game even started. There was no point in giving a throw-away team so much development otherwise. But before them, we have an intra-squad game. They're setting it up to be quite interesting: Kataoka vs Ochiai, starters vs benchwarmers, Furuya vs Sawamura; this could be intense! Also, since it's brought up here between Mei and Harada, here's a FYI regarding the NPB draft. Unlike MLB, a player can not enter the NPB without being selected in the draft (this doesn't apply to non-Japanese; NPB teams can sign as many as they like, so long as they don't go over the foreign player quota), so the teams aren't allowed to formally negotiate with players like Harada beforehand. However, they can make informal offers, and a gentlemen's agreement between the teams means that generally, if a player makes known that he wants to accept a particular offer, then the other teams won't pursue him. The draft itself is ten rounds and selects 120 players (10 x 12 teams) from high school, college and the corporate/minor leagues, with the teams selecting in the second through tenth rounds by switching between reverse order of performance and order of performance. However, the first round is a free-for-all, where teams name their #1 selection; and if two or more teams select the same player, the teams draw straws to determine which will earn the right to negotiate with that player. The losing teams then get to make a new first round selection until all of the have a player.
zeroantizero
2022-02-06 08:22:06 +0000 UTCI really like this OP and ED, so that’s exciting! 😊 And YES, seeing Miyuki giving Sawamura his due is so good…and seeing him talk him up to Chris-senpai…boyfriend things, indeed! 😊It has me excited for hopefully more in the future! And the idea of Sawamura getting “a taste of how Mei feels” – OOH, I love that; though I doubt Sawamura will EVER be the diva that Mei is, haha! It was such a satisfying moment, though! Speaking of satisfying, YES, seeing Ochiai proven wrong was sooooo good! 😊 Haruichi definitely had a good set of episodes! And yes, Ochiai’s intentions of having Sawamura prove his worthlessness was so cold-hearted…I’m glad that failed! And OH. Wow….no one else has pitched all 9 innings…Sawamura, YOU DID IT! Wow…and Sawamura having an immaculate inning….*tears up* I’m so friggin’ proud of our sunshine boy! I loved his gushing to Chris-senpai, too! I think ALL OF US would like to be praised by Chris! 😊 Yesss, Go and Atsumu having similar reactions; I loved that moment! And Maki against the doorway with Haruichi reminded me of Lev with Hinata from Haikyuu! Hahaha, I haven’t seen Tokyo Revengers (YET ;D ) but that’s funny! Baby Furuya is adorable and looks so innocent! I’m not happy about the “prodigy” talk, though…yeah, it could definitely be unhealthy and I’ve liked Furuya’s attitude in this series so far…an inflated ego is NOT something that boy needs. I cannot IMAGINE how diva-esque Mei was his first year, especially knowing what we know about him in Jr. High with Miyuki in the flashback…Harada had his work cut out for him. But I do like that we’re seeing a foundation start with Mei and Itsuki; it’s rocky, but it’s THERE. And I think Itsuki is willing to put in the work to handle Mei, which is the important part. It’ll be interesting to see how they develop as the show goes on… All this talk of Nationals! Miyuki getting hyped was great, but Kataoka’s expression when Sawamura spills they’re working hard for KATAOKA was priceless. You can definitely tell that it’s affected him and he can see that this team cares about him as the coach! Yay! That’s interesting about the translation issue; thank you for clarifying; I loved these episodes but I am REALLY excited for next week! Thank you for the comment and yessss, I appreciate the well wishes! 😊
Romaniablack
2022-01-13 19:43:24 +0000 UTCAh you got to one of my favourite openings lol. This is one I always remember with Daiya openings. Its so nice to see Miyuki properly praise Sawamura, especially to someone who he's comfortable with and who also knows and respects Sawamura. I'm sure Miyuki and Chris hadn't talked in a while and as soon as they do Miyuki wants to praise Sawamura. Just boyfriend things 😂😂 Miyuki absolutely has a pitcher preference toward Sawamura lol not only does Sawamura have a fun change up now with the potential for more based on his grip but he also has significantly better control than Furuya and mentally is stronger and able to handle more. He's also probably way easier to talk to on the mound. Their play style is more similar. Everyone's reaction to the change up finally getting out was sooooo satisfying. Everyone's just shook lol and then Oya as a whole was just so taken off guard. Sawamura got a taste of how Mei feels when he destroys dreams with his own change up. There's actually nothing more satisfying in this season than EVERY player that Ochiai talks shit about just sticking their middle fingers in his face lmao. That Haruichi homerun was so necessary and so needed and I wish Haruichi had flipped his bat in his face after 😂 and Haruichi with Mochi this game was so good. Also so satisfying to see them improve as teammates and partners on the field. Fun fact since you also noticed and brought it up, Sawamura is the ONLY Seidou pitcher to play all 9 innings in a game and win the game. Nori pitched a 9 inning game in season 1, which was a practice game but they lost. Tanba didn't pitch 9 innings, Furuya didn't pitch 9 innings but Sawamura did and they won 🥰 Something also to note is something called an Immaculate Inning. It's a term used in baseball for innings where the pitcher strikes all 3 batters out in a row with the minimum amount of pitches needed which is 9 total. Sawamura had an immaculate inning in the 7th inning of the Ouya game. It's an incredibly rare feat in baseball and he's the first to do it in this series 🎉 I'm also glad you also noticed how similar Go's reaction to applause at the end was to Atsumu in Haikyuu. Both don't think you deserve applause for a good game if you lose. Now they just needed a bald man yelling at him to shut up and take the applause to make it exactly the same lol The scene of Maki in the doorway against Haruichi is hilarious every time I see it. It looks like a scene from Tokyo Revengers or something lol some Yakuza shit where Haruichi gets his knees knocked in. Sawamura talking to Chris after the game is just so cute lol he's such a ham but he wants nothing more than to impress Chris and I find it so adorable. And also relatable because I would also like to be praised by Chris 😂 Baby Furuya doesn't look that different to current Furuya but he's still so adorable to me lol. The chubby cheeks 🥺 I love seeing how different Meis relationship is with Itsuki and Harada. Very different stages of a relationship obviously and im sure first year Mei was the bane of Haradas existence but it's like seeing a couple starting out on a mountain climb as a couple already at the top of the mountain. With Itsuki there's still a lot of unsure feelings and not completely solid trust but there's the effort to really work together. Mei willing to teach Itsuki a little bit about reading batters and Itsuki willing to work as hard as possible to catch up to Mei. And who knows if maybe Mei will prefer Itsuki to Harada by the end of it all. Episode 27 shows finally why I still don't like Ochiai regardless of him teaching Sawamura the change up. For me it's always intention over result. The result is that now Sawamura has a leg up and has a new weapon in his arsenal BUT the intention of Ochiai was to screw him over. He taught him the change up SPECIFICALLY to show Miyuki, Kataoka and the rest of the team that Sawamura couldn't do it and that he was a worthless pitcher. He didn't teach him to improve the teams chances, just to prove a cold hearted point. Thankfully this sunshine boy love to prove people wrong and he took that advice and flew with it. But I refuse to give credit to Ochiai. I love the quote from Sawamura "pitching is so fun right now" because I think it's something we don't even realize had changed a bit. When he first got to Seidou he was having so much fun taking on difficult teams and pitching against difficult batters and regardless of anything else, just throwing fastballs was really fun for him. I think with the yips he lost a bit of that reckless fun and has just been working but for him to realize that learning new breaking balls is also really fun, I'm just very happy for him finding fun again. It's no surprise he wanted to learn more right away lol The scene with Miyuki thinking about nationals and his heart beating loud was so nice. Every beat showed a different teammate and I feel like it's quite symbolic for him. Miles away from him saying they weren't there to play house and hold hands lol. I dont ever trust Ochiai with these students. Clearly he wouldn't do anything against Furuya as his star player but it still feels so dirty and underhanded. He shouldn't be filling Furuyas head with this prodigy talk and the talk of "you can be the best pitcher in japan". That's so unhealthy. Especially for a pitcher like Furuya. I think that conversation with Sawamura was the first time Kataoka had ever had a student say that THEY were going to take HIM to nationals lol. I love that whole conversation so much. You can tell it meant a lot to him as a coach and as a former player. I always wonder what Kataokas intention was with telling the team about his resignation if they hadn't found out already. Like would he have just left it until the very end of the year? Guess we'll never know lol I dunno why the translators did this but when the subtitles talk about the second string vs first string, what they actually mean is the alternate players vs starting players. So the bench warmers vs the regular starters. None of the guys playing in this intra squad are on the second string. They're all first string just half of them are backups for the other half lol. These are some great episodes and I'm excited for next week for the intra squad lol stay safe going back to work 😊
Kelsey
2022-01-13 04:11:00 +0000 UTC
