Ace of the Diamond: Episodes 73-75 FULL LENGTH Reaction!
Added 2021-11-17 14:01:02 +0000 UTCThis show has made us suffer through some pain and darkness these last several episodes, but WHAT A SEASON FINALE! Our Sunshine Boy Returns!
What a gift our Chris-senpai gives us in these final episodes for season one! I loved how this wrapped up the season; everything came full circle from the beginning...the "retirement game" was so bittersweet and beautiful...I'm SERIOUSLY going to miss our 3rd Years, but I'm SO hyped to see what season two has in store for us, now!
LINK: https://share.vidyard.com/watch/Fw4Bn8pb3cjWV2mHkW7BDo?
I needed this. Thank you for watching with me and for the support!
Comments
Hahahaha, ONLY 100 episodes to go! @.@ That’s so crazy to me, but that just means more Ace of the Diamond, so I can’t complain! 😊 And yeah, seriously – boys – those undershirts better be super breathable if you’re only stopping to wear them NOW. And Ochiai – he was ahead of his time? Maybe he’s rich and could afford one of the first smart phones? Time traveler? All of the above?! Regardless, I agree – maybe there’s a REASON he’s been an assistant coach and not the one making the executive decisions. He’s an “idea man” that offers good ideas and interesting perspectives, but in the end, doesn’t make the final call. WOW – that’s insane! That’s crazy the production times on this! @_@ I really didn’t know how much I needed that “retirement” game but it was a beautiful “full circle” moment for all these players, especially Chris-senpai! But the chaos of the Kataoka resigning coming out in the wash…these episodes were chaotic! It was interesting seeing who was trying to step up to the plate and who was still struggling; it’ll be neat to see how that carries over into season 2. But YES! There is motivation, now! Even if it doesn’t “guarantee” Kataoka will stay, they at least have a goal and a reason to move forward! I’m not happy with the Kataoka resigning subplot, but at least it’s serving as some form of motivation and not just “being there.” YES! Tojo, my boy! I support him 100% already! Don’t give up on your dream, dude! I just love the dynamic Sawamura has with his two catchers, Chris and Miyuki. Chris is like a warm hug and Miyuki can be a smack of cold water, but both can be what you need in the moment, and that definitely holds true for Sawamura. I loved seeing him get his groove back and it was SO SATISFYING to see everything from the start of the series with Chris-Sawamura-Miyuki come full circle. I’m SO HYPED for Season 2! Let’s goooooo! Thanks for the kind words and comment!
Romaniablack
2021-11-22 19:40:00 +0000 UTCSeason 1 is over; I can't believe it! And it ended on a positive and hopeful note! But there's still 100 episodes to go! ^_^ First thing first: why only now have they stopped wearing long-sleeve undershirts? Why not in June or July? Are they just trying to get heatstroke?! Also, why does Ochiai have a smartphone? This takes place in 2007... Anachronism identified. I agree with you that these (rightly) feel like a season, or even series, finale. Interestingly, the actual time between Season 1 ending and Season 2 starting was two weeks, with the recaps making it a de facto one month pause in the series. That makes me think that it was just the production committee deciding late to continue the series for the studios to have new episodes ready without a lag. I love that we get to see the third-years stepping-up to the plate (both literally and metaphorically) one last time, even if it's because even they are burdened with their loss. If there's anything we've learned these past few weeks, it's that all these kids haven't learned to temper their sense of responsibility: sometimes bad things happen that are no one's fault. But they do feel that way, and see Kataoka resigning 'because of their failure'. But at least we get this game out of it, which is a much better ending for the third-years than walking off in defeat. And of course, they could see how poorly they new first-string has performed. Almost everyone has been in a funk since the end of the summer and the third-years retiring. Funnily enough, even with all of his own problems, Sawamura has a better attitude than many of the others. And Maezono again demonstrated that he can lay down the law and motivate people, proving that he might have been the best choice as captain, even if he can't lead with his play like Miyuki is starting to do (I think we saw the first time Miyuki hit without a runner on base here; he'll be pretty dependable if he can do that regularly!). I'm glad that, by the end of it, the whole team is fired up to win the Fall Tournament, although it's sad that they needed to find an external motivation in keeping Kataoka from resigning. I mean, there's no guarantee that winning will keep Kataoka at Seido; he might decide that handing over a winning team to Ochiai will help to smooth the transition. And are they going to give up if that's the case? To be honest, the entire sub-plot of Kataoka resigning is one of the weakest parts of the series for me. In the interim, I think we'll get the different styles of Ochiai and Kataoka: coaching to coach vs. coaching to mentor. I really like what you compared him to Sensen's coach, Ugai. It's really odd to work in an environment where competitiveness and willpower matter, and then to say that you don't like students with strong wills. Maybe he means stubborn rather than determined, but either way, I'm starting to see why he's been an -assistant- coach for 20 years... My favorite moment of the game (after Sawamura's) is Tojo sending the ball back like a laser beam. I really want to see him as a pitcher again. And as for Sawamura, I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again: the series lives and breathes when he's on the mound. The highest highs and the lowest lows are there and nowhere else. In this case, he has a new weapon thanks to Chris (I'll admit, that he's grown on me as I've rewatched the series, even if, like with Kataoka resigning, I think his subplot is weak and melodramatic; no one that knowledgeable and dependable would have allowed an injury to worsen until they couldn't play; but as a knowledgeable and dependable mentor, he's without equal) and is fired up by Miyuki. It's always Miyuki that Sawamura responds to with his best; when everyone else thinks "how can Miyuki be that cold?", Sawamura sees a challenge. Because Miyuki doesn't mean it coldly; when he asks whether Sawamura can be useful, I know he's thinking 'I know you can do it. But do you know you can do it?'. They're practically a fated pair; or maybe not practically. ^_^ I'm looking forward to Season 2!
zeroantizero
2021-11-22 11:17:35 +0000 UTCYesss! I forgot when I uploaded that it was Miyuki’s Birthday! :D And haaaaa, yes, Kataoka is a member of the #daddyclub for sure; Rei, get your man! I agree, though, Kataoka may be a little biased towards Sawamura, but he wouldn’t sacrifice anyone for one sole individual. SERIOUSLY, the third years hold a special place in my heart! I will SO dearly miss them! The retirement game was something I had no clue I really needed, but it’s just SO PERFECT how it works out – the stakes of doing it for Kataoka…the montages…the FEELS. It’s such a great way to round out the season. That’s interesting to note that only Chris is privy to Sawamura possibly having the yips. Speaking of which, Chris-senpaiiiiii – how I’m going to MISS HIM! Clearly, if you want Sawamura to light up, put Chris near him. The way it all came full circle with them, I loved it so much! What a callback to the start of this show! YES! Miyuki was great this episode – taking Yuki’s words to heart; that conversation was SO good between them! I love him starting to walk into the Captain’s role! And yesss, the parallels of Miyuki and Yuki holding back tears like good captains! I love them! Yeah, I feel like Sawamura often gets the short end of the stick; he’s definitely one of the most picked on main characters in terms of having to “work” for everything in this series; it’s kind of amazing, actually, but I hope it makes his “highs” as he gets better impact even harder, because we’ve been rooting for him this whole time. Ochiai….ahhh…I’m trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, but he’s really pushing my buttons by being so negative with our Sunshine boy…he’s TRYING! >.< Awwww, I really hope that Kataoka does stay with them if they win the fall tournament! I’m not ready for him to leave and Ochiai take over, especially if they go into nationals with Ochiai instead of Kataoka. I hope they win the tournament and that he chooses to stay… *crosses fingers* And thank you for the information about the pull hitter! I like the Jun and Zono are opposites – I really am looking forward to seeing more of him in season 2! That does help! Thank you for the comment! I’m so excited to see the start of season 2 and for the OVA’s Saturday!
Romaniablack
2021-11-18 21:36:16 +0000 UTCI just love this season finale! That "don't lose....like we did" CRUSHED me, but it sets up the stakes and hype for season 2! Yeah, definitely it and Haikyuu are my favorite sports anime so far, but I haven't watched a sports anime I've disliked, so it's hard to choose! And thank you so much for the kind words and comment! I'm excited to have the OVA's on Saturday -- they were SO MUCH fun! :) Cheers and see you all then!
Romaniablack
2021-11-17 20:57:04 +0000 UTCI just....I loved this season finale -- it was so satisfying and with just enough hype to get me excited for Season 2! Thank you so much for the kind words and YES! I plan to watch the first three episodes on my own time and review them along with the next set to start season 2! :)
Romaniablack
2021-11-17 20:55:50 +0000 UTCOh man you uploaded this on Miyukis birthday 🎉🎉 what a great treat that i didn't even realize until I saw you upload haha. Anyway, these episodes did nothing to slow my Kataoka crush down that man looks so good all the time 😅 The thing that really got me was Jun saying to Mochi "if you guys need the help we'll gladly come to practice to help". Best senpais I swear. I love it so much. You said something about Kataoka with Sawamura being similar to Ochiai with Furuya and that's pretty correct other than Kataoka wouldn't sacrifice anyone else for Sawamuras benefit. I think that's a major problem with Ochiais strategy of coaching. I loved seeing Miyuki these episodes. You could tell that the conversation he had with Tetsu on first base really hit him hard. It really resonated deep down with him and I think we witnessed the spark of him fully accepting the captain role in that moment. He was a captain at the end of that conversation. He flipped completely and said exactly what he needed to motivate and lead the team properly. Captain Miyuki supremacy 👏🏼👏🏼 The way these spectators talk about Sawamura pisses me off everytime lol. I know they don't know he has the yips but them saying he wrecked the Yakushi game really got my blood boiling. Speaking of which, the other third years don't know Sawamura has the yips. I think that's that's Jun commented on him throwing outside so much. They've never seen him throw outside quite so often so it's probably pretty weird for them. Only Chris knows. I also just really love how all of them understand how important it is for them to have Chris and Sawamura against eachother. They all know how special their relationship is and how much it means to both of them to play against eachother. Ugh. My heart 🥺 There's a moment in this game, while Sawamura is facing Chris, when he smiles and brings his glove up and his hair floofs out and I always think he looks like an elf lol. So adorable. God it's infuriating to see Ochiai continue to be so negative while Sawamura is doing really well and getting ahold of himself. Everyone's smiling looking proud, it's the best feel good moment and he has to come in talking about how if he can't throw inside that only leaves the outside so what good does that do. No one asked old man shut it 😒 The feels in this retirement game are just out of control tbh lol. You just leave season 1 with such a love and appreciation for the third years. I love them. The ending montages also just gives all the feels and emotions. I tear up watching it and I loved getting a quick glimpse to Raichi and Mei as well. Such a good finale. Something I think is interesting that you pointed out is that Yuki didn't cry at the end of the Inashiro game and did everything possible to be a good captain and role model for the team to not show weakness. Miyuki also didn't cry or show weakness 😏 good captains. Miyuki naturally has the poker face and doesn't like showing vulnerability anyway so him carrying that into his captaincy is gonna work well. Also, while the team plans to keep Kataoka by winning the fall tournament, there isn't any guarantee. They're just hoping they can prove they're worth staying for because they want to take Kataoka to nationals. Kataoka very well could finish the fall tournament and hand nationals over to Ochiai but I think they just want to prove themselves so much so he'll stay. They also don't know if the school chose his resignation or if he did and if the school did, them winning the fall tournament could prove to the school that he deserves to stay. Oh and a pull hitter is basically a hitter who hits to the field that matches with the side they bat on. So Jun and Zono are both right handed batters who stand in the right hand batter box (from the pitchers POV) but Jun hits the opposite way his bat is pulling the ball and often hits to right field (behind second base) and Zono naturally pulls the ball with his bat to left field (behind short stop). It just follows his bat around instead of going the opposite way. Hitting into right field, if you can do it, helps runners get home or to third easier because the distance between right field and third base or home is greater than it is from left field but Zono thinks too much and tries too hard to be Jun and hit to right instead of just swinging freely and openly. I hope that helps and makes sense. So glad to see you enjoyed this season. Season 2 is my favourite personally and I'm excited to see you watch the OVAs 😊😊
Kelsey
2021-11-17 20:55:06 +0000 UTCThe season finale killed me back then and it killed me now too. The third years passing the torch was an experience, not too mellow not too subtle, just in the sweet spot. Can't wait for your future reactions!! By the way, the first 3 episodes of the second season are recaps.
Irenaeus
2021-11-17 19:29:18 +0000 UTCI LOVE this season finale, one of my favorites. Even though that moment of “don’t lose like we did” always breaks my heart into a million pieces. I adore how they highlight the third years and send them off with their head held high. I am SO glad you enjoyed this anime so much, it and Haikyuu are also tied for best sport anime for me. They are just so good. I can’t wait to see your next reactions and watch you fall even more in love with this anime. See u on Saturday! 💕💕
Melanie Marie
2021-11-17 16:11:52 +0000 UTC
