Ace of the Diamond Season 2: Episodes 7-9 FULL LENGTH Reaction!
Added 2021-12-01 14:00:11 +0000 UTC**HEADPHONE WARNING**
I've wanted Zono and Sawamura to slap Ochiai in the face with their skills after he dismissed them, and show...it's like you heard my pleas and answered in kind!
ZONO -- Zono, my dude; I love him. I am of course on the Sunshine Sawamura train, but now I'm a fully fledged Tojo and Zono fan as well with these episodes! The rain was a great factor in this game, but our Seidou boys clearly shine in the sun! What a fantastic game to start us off in Season 2...and it's only the beginning, right?
LINK: https://share.vidyard.com/watch/id9gzPj5MVhGBWiD3stYqx?
Thank you for watching with me and for the support!
Comments
I understand what you mean about him calling himself crippled but he does unfortunately have the yips. It's not one of those things where they're just kind of guessing, he does have them. That's why they're all referring to him as crippled. His body is physically and mentally rejecting the inside course. Also I think with the Miyuki/Nabe conversation, Nabe I'm sure did want some comfort and someone to talk to but for Miyuki to listen Nabe has to talk and he really wasn't talking. That's how I see it at least. He wasn't telling him to quit but he's not wrong in saying if someone wants to quit, he has no right to force them to stay. I wish Nabe would've spoken up and said "no I don't want to quit" to Miyuki instead of just thinking it.
Kelsey
2021-12-04 23:22:22 +0000 UTCI'm not as strong as you, so I went and binged the next ten episodes! XD And of course, after my firm stand last week, Furuya starts to treat seriously the rivalry between him and Sawamura! Double XD! It's good to see him humbled a bit; he was getting a little too comfortable as the ace, and I think he was thinking there was no one who could challenge him. (But Sawamura's not going to let go that easily!) But I also think that was an opening exploited by the weather to pull him down and make him "space-out". I'd also say, when it comes to Furuya, while he may not be the most expressive verbally, I think he can be pretty readable in non-verbal methods (and his comment bubbles are especially communicative :D). Speaking of players who are humbled, Mukai certainly was. Even before that lethal pitch to Maezono, he seemed to start getting frustrated. Part of me thinks it started with Tojo, with whom we now know was something of a middle school rival. Maybe it came off as snide, but I thought there was a bit of disappointment on Mukai's part that he thought Tojo had given up on pitching, and it would probably hurt to have someone you see as a rival "give up". But he was definitely looking down on Maezono; although, to be honest, he had every justification to until that point. Interestingly, I don't think losing hurt him nearly as much as it did Mei (although maybe that's because this wasn't the Summer Koshien), so he won't have as high a mountain to climb in recovering himself. Of course, Teito's whole plan to "get the guaranteed strike" backfired on them by loading the bases beforehand, and I think that the game was over when they made that decision (despite the stress Kawakami put me through at the end). There's just not enough margin for error if things don't turn out how you expect. I could never do that as a coach; of course, that's only one of the many, many reasons I'm not one! On the other hand, even though he's only been in high school as long as them, he already has a much better rapport with Inui than either Sawamura or Furuya have with Miyuki. Of course, Mukai seems to have been the star pitcher (I can't remember whether or not he was Teito's ace) even in his first summer, while the others weren't. He also has much better control, as Miyuki states, although that just makes them more predictable for him. Good to lead, and good to go up against. (Although it's ironically funny that Miyuki and many of the other catchers in the series are so good at batting as to be clean-ups; in real life, they are usually below average, and just above the pitcher as #8 in the line-up). But it could be worse, at least Miyuki is spared Mei's reign of terror, poor Tadano! I'm glad Haruichi put into words my feelings about watching Sawamura pitch. I know that I've said it multiple times, and he's definitely raised Miyuki's eyebrows more than once, but I don't think it's been put into words in the series itself up to this point. And it was hilarious when Sawamura responded "thank you!" to Kuramochi for the Sun coming out. He truly is the man who defeats the rain! ^_^ Honestly, I don't know who deserves MVP for that game, him or Maezono. Either way, Ochiai surely got shown-up! And Sawamura (and Furuya or Kawakami?) impressed Koshu enough that he wants to go to Seido! Of course, it's been just about a year canonically since the first episode, so that may be a while! :D But seriously, to make life decisions like that... And now we'll get to see Sawamura start! This upcoming game will be the first time that Sawamura starts, and I can't wait for it. (Unlike Ochiai, who seems thoroughly displeased his favorite is being "punished". Really, Ochiai, after what you've said and done to Sawamura and Maezono?). I hope it pays-off everything he's been through since the game with Inashiro and erase the pain of hearing him refer to himself as crippled (and to be honest, the yips -are- crippling; that's why I don't think he has them, as I explained in detail a few weeks back). And then he can get back to reading "Your Lie In April" with Yoshikawa and Kanemaru, LOL! Before that, we got to see Miyuki be Miyuki again with Nabe. I get where both of them are coming from. Nabe is unsure of his place in a team of such motivated people and Miyuki can't empathize with people who aren't willing to give their all to baseball. But while Miyuki isn't speaking over him, he's not listening either. To me, Nabe wants reassurance from Miyuki, and what he gets is "quit". Stuff like this is why a hard-working "regular person" like Maezono (and like Yuki) is a vice-captain. Lastly, Kuramochi, just get Wakana's email address already! Save her from unrequited love for a guy who won't even return her emails! -_- Oh yeah, that reminds me. There are things that date the show, and blatant anachronisms that -annoy me- can confuse. The manga specifies that the Summer Koshien that just ended was the 89th, which took place in 2007 - a year before the iPhone arrived in Japan. So Sawamura's flip phone is definitely not out of place. Yet, many characters (e.g. Ochiai) can be seen with smartphones that are commonplace when the anime aired. It could be worse though, like adaptations of 90s manga with 10s/20s tech. *FUMING*
zeroantizero
2021-12-04 07:53:48 +0000 UTCYeah, Zono really got insulted at the start of this game, which makes his hit all the more satisfying as it shuts Ochiai up about him being useless. I agree the bases loaded strategy is pretty insulting when you think about it! But yeah, Zono just let his instincts take the lead and became a hero. I love it! :) That is a good point about Zono wanting revenge – I guess even in the stands, he wants revenge for what happened with the third years, though ironically, losing to Inashiro let him play, soooooo….. hahaha, I see what you mean! Poor Sawamura, though! 😊 I definitely think that Furuya needs competition to get better – Sawamura can feed off of the team’s energy and can improve for “himself,” because he knows he has a ways to go, but I can see Furuya hitting a plateau a lot quicker than Sawamura because he doesn’t have the same things to work on. So Kataoka isn’t wrong to say that they can spurn each other on…reminds me a lot of Rukawa and Sakuragi from Slam Dunk in that sense. Miyuki, my boy…I talked with Melanie about this, too. He IS softer in speaking with Nabe, like he arguably is with Nori, I agree with that! I do think that Miyuki maybe isn’t completely ‘getting’ what Nabe wants of him in that moment, but the episode ends rather abruptly, so I’m HOPING that this isn’t the end of that conversation and Nabe is able to articulate his feelings with Miyuki a bit more in future episodes. Communication and teenage boys, am I right?! I hate that Sawamura has the yips, but I agree, “crippled” is such a harsh term…and it implies that he isn’t able to do anything, which we’ve seen Sawamura CAN do something! It’s just so sad because I want to see him pitch both inside and outside…I guess this season’s just going to torture us with that, eh? But yes, he’s had the “spirit of the ace” from way back to the start of the series; he’s just having to grow and learn what all comes with that role, as Furuya is now. But I’d argue Sawamura definitely has the “spirit of the ace” moreso than Furuya at this point, too. He just needs the pitching to back up that spirit. That is an EXCELLENT point about Mukai already being an ace in Jr. High – that does make a big difference! That car metaphor is SPOT ON and I agree 100% -- Furuya just doesn’t have the same experience and confidence, yet. And that’s a neat comparison with Mukai and Sawamura – Sawamura WANTING to evolve and Mukai being satisfied where he’s at. And ahhhh, that’s true – no more 3rd years. Interesting!! That does have me excited, though! Ohhh, yeah, I knew there had to be SOME reason Ryo couldn’t pretend to be Haruichi. That’s a dead wringer for sure. And HA! “the other ones” – sad days. XD Good to know he’s Itsuki – Mei’s catcher – poor boy…I feel for him! And the show trying to retcon Zono’s attitude towards Sawamura is hilarious – maybe he’s just a big secret tsundere?! :P Thanks for the comment! I’m loving season 2 so far and definitely hyped for the next round!
Romaniablack
2021-12-02 16:55:05 +0000 UTCI actually hate the base loading strategy lol. I understand it and I get why it makes sense sometimes but even with patterns it doesn't take much to break out of it so Zono not hitting in the at bats before this doesn't mean he won't hit ever lol. To purposefully walk a good batter to set up for the next batter (WHO IS STILL PART OF THE CLEAN UP) is such a disrespectful thing lol. I'd be offended 😂 I think Zonos major problem with batting is that he thinks too much and it was shown in his second at bat when he popped that pitch up. He was thinking too much about "Above my waist. Anything above my waist" and he got baited into going for a ball. He just needs to trust his swing and hit what he can hit. The idea that "subs don't need to get better" is idiotic lol. Zono isn't a sub but even if he was of course subs need to improve. If your starting short stop gets injured for example and needs to come out, you're gonna replace your level 10 short stop with a level 3 sub? No. You need all your players to improve and be read for anything. Ochiais an idiot sometimes lol. Besides the fact that no sub joined the team to be a sub. They all want to be starters so none of them are satisfied just sitting on the bench and waiting. If they can improve, they can take a starting spot. The Furuya/Sawamura rivalry continues to excite me. Kataokas not wrong by saying you can only improve so much on your own and we see first hand how it affects Furuya to see Sawamura playing well. He gets motivated and starts working it off by running immediately after the game into the evening. Always trying to improve the stamina. I doubt he would be so motivated to improve his stamina without Sawamura there. And Sawamura, although supportive of Furuya, also gets worked up and frustrated by Furuya pitching well. Even during the Teitou game when he was practicing during the break in the rain because he "can't just do nothing". He wants to improve and he's gonna take every chance possible. I always find that shot of the Seidou players in those triangles really funny. Not just because Sawamura was the tiniest sliver but because they were talking about the players who want revenge for the summer... yet they include Zono lol. He didn't play Inashiro in the summer but he wants revenge? It's so weird to me 😂 no one else who was in the stands during that game was part of that collage so why was Zono 😂 Miyuki talking to Nabe is so soft honestly. He's such a troll to people but I love seeing his soft side when he recognizes that Nabe wanted to talk to him but maybe was uncomfortable in the classroom environment so he seeks him out on his own to talk to him and make sure that he has that 1 on 1 with Nabe. I think its really important. I dont think Miyuki was wrong in that conversation. Nothing that he said was wrong and tbh he came to a conclusion that makes sense. I dont understand why Nabe wouldn't tell him outloud "no I don't want to quit". Miyuki wasn't talking over him, Nabe wasn't talking at all. He said 3 times in his head "no that's not what it is" but Miyuki isn't a mind reader. He's going off your cues AND he specified already "I'm not good at this" so why is Nabe not verbalized that Miyuki came to the wrong conclusion. If you come to a conclusion and the person doesn't correct you then that kind of indicates that you're right in your assumption. I dont know. I dont think Miyuki did anything wrong in that situation. He's right that if you want to quit then he has no right to tell you not to. Nabe needed to be more upfront that he was wrong. I like that you hate the term "crippled" in reference to Sawamura right now lol. He does actually have the yips but I still wouldn't call him crippled. It's such a specific term to say crippled and I don't think his mental state supports it in this case. But he does have the yips lol its not just something they're throwing around with this. He does have it unfortunately. Sawamuras "spirit of an ace" can be traced back to really early on in this show honestly. Rei saw it in his middle school game and called him "seidous future ace" when she dropped him off at the dorms, Kataoka said he has the heart of an ace in the baths, and even Miyuki in that Sensen game said Sawamura was born to be a pitcher. He's got this larger than life spirit and heart and leadership ability he just has to catch up with the skills and talent. I think the main difference that I see with Ochiais "raising an ace" strategy between Ochiai himself and Okamoto is that Mukai has been an ace before with a team. He was the ace on his Jr high team too so he knows the pressure and the expectation of that role. Furuya has never been the ace and has never actually been part of a team before so really the expectation that Mukai can work around a rough patch vs Furuya working around a rough patch have different consequences. Furuya, as we've seen, doesn't really have the confidence yet to make come backs mid inning or mid game after a rocky inning or a rocky throw. Furuya will fold under stuff like that whereas Mukai can straighten himself out. Leaving Furuya in to work it out would be like kicking a table leg out from under itself. It'll collapse. Leaving Mukai in to work it out is like your car slipping on ice on the road so you let go of the pedals and just steer it until it stabilizes. Very different consequences. I also think there's quite a big difference on changing the styles between Mukai and Sawamura. Mukais style is dancing around the strike zone and forcing batters to swing at balls. Sawamuras style right now is just outside pitches but Sawamura wants more. Obviously he wants to throw inside again whereas Mukai doesn't want to change anything. He wants to throw in his style even if it works against him. And he has every right to continue that style it's just that continuing it that way will cause problems later. He could have it so much easier if he threw to contact more or threw more strikes, that's just not what's he finds fun lol so hey. I respect it. Also everyone you see in these games are now only first and second years. Every teams 3rd years have retired so none of these players will be gone any time soon lol. I also love the downtime episodes between games. It gives such good perspective and sets up a lot of things cuz really when you think about it, these games that take like 6 episodes to watch, are actually only like an hour and a half long in their time so it's nice to see what else is happening and who's thinking what and what people worry about and want to improve on. Ryousuke and Haruichi switching would be almost perfect if it weren't for the fact that Ryousuke bats left and Haruichi bats right 😂 dead giveaway You saying "Ennoshita and the other ones" is exactly why no one remembers "the other ones" names 😂😂 Oh also, Tadano, the Inashiro catcher, they usually call him Itsuki. That's his first name. Tadano is his last name and barely anyone actually uses it. So don't get confused lol. Mei calls him Itsuki. I always find it really funny the scene from late at night where Sawamura is practicing and Zono and Haruichi come up. Haruichi says Zono has always acknowledged him but when we first meet Zono back in season 1 where they were all on second string, Zono shit talked him all the time 😂 in the game against Zaizen when Chris came in Zono was yelling to replace him and even said to Chris that Sawamura needed to be replaced and that the switching of catchers wasn't meaningful when the pitcher can't throw strikes lol. I see the show trying to convince the viewers of something but I remember very well lol. Although since that game Zonos been supportive so that's fine with me 😊 You get to see one of my favourite teams soon so I'm excited lol. Can't wait for next week
Kelsey
2021-12-01 23:20:04 +0000 UTCI will admit that Zono wouldn't normally be one of my favorites, either, but I was SO satisfied that he got to be the "hero" of the game! Especially to prove Ochiai wrong! YES, I love your paragraph about Kataoka and Ochiai could be a great pair of coaches if they worked together -- bouncing ideas off one another -- that's a great concept and it would help them take the best of their personalities and balance out the weaker aspects, and yeah, I love Rei, but you're so right -- she really won't challenge any of Kataoka's decisions. I guess we can root for the teamwork to happen, eh? I am already missing our third years, too. I am hoping that Kanemaru, Zono, and Tojo will help fill the hole in my heart (nothing will replace Chris-senpai, though). And yeah, now that you mention it, Miyuki realllly wasn't listening to Nabe. It felt like this episode didn't conclude the Nabe storyline, so I'm waiting to see what the end result of all this becomes, but Miyuki definitely cannot relate -- I wonder if Zono or Kuramochi can step in to talk to them, with Miyuki present so he can hear how one SHOULD respond to such a situation. And Mei's poor catcher...I feel for him SO BADLY! He deserves all the cookies and awards. Ooh! I don't know yet with your last line, but I'm intrigued, haha! Definitely on the same wavelength with a lot of your thoughts this set of episodes! :)
Romaniablack
2021-12-01 21:03:49 +0000 UTCI tend to favor smart/strategist characters over those that rely on brute strength, so Zono is not one of my favorites. BUT it was so damn satisfying seeing him shut up Ochiai, who I HATE with a passion 😈 However, even though I hate him, I have to admit that he does have some good ideas. Kataoka relies way too much on feelings, while Ochiai is way too rational. So I think that if they work AS A TEAM, they could get better results than as independent coaches. There are definitively things that they could learn from each other. And, let’s face it, the Club President is kind of useless, so Kataoka kind of needed more support than Rei who kind of idolizes him and never questions his decisions…I still hate him though! 😤 I miss our third years SO much! Jun & Ryo wanting to sneak into the game was just hilarious ❤️ Haruichi also killed me when he teased Sawamura with “Go easy on me, Eijun” 😂 And I loved that Sawamura perceived it as the challenge it was and was like “You wanna fight!” 😂😂 Miyuki made me so mad in that last episode. He didn’t let poor Nabe talk! You can be insecure about whether you deserve to be on a team that’s so much more motivated than you and not want to quit! But of course Miyuki who has been part of the first line since he set foot in Seido, does not understand someone being insecure & questioning whether they deserve to be in the team or not. 😭😭 IMO, if Nabe & the others were set on quitting, they wouldn’t have even bothered to go to Miyuki. The fact that they approached their Captain, shows that they still love the sport and just need to express their worries in the hopes to get a little support. And Miyuki failed horribly at actually LISTENING to what Nabe had to say. And Miyuki is not the only one putting his foot in his mouth in these episodes, because Mei’s poor new catcher is under TORTURE! 😂😭😭 He fcked up catching ONE change up and now Mei won’t let him forget it 😅 Also, 🐺🐺! If you know, you know! 😇✨
Melanie Marie
2021-12-01 17:23:47 +0000 UTC
