Ace of the Diamond: Episodes 54-56 FULL LENGTH Reaction!
Added 2021-10-06 13:01:03 +0000 UTCShould I include headphone warnings in this series? I do get a little loud at times in these episodes, so I'll include a "soft warning," haha!
MAN, this game is GOOD. I feel SO badly for Tanba, who has all the bad luck in this game, despite his darn inspirational hat (see thumbnail). Neither team is giving an INCH in this game!
This episode had me feeling emotional with Tanba, cheering Kuramochi (MVP!), questioning Carlos's relationship status, and FINALLY getting the fated meeting of Mei vs. Sawamura...it was EVERYTHING I could have wanted, and we still have TWO INNINGS TO GO...
LINK: https://share.vidyard.com/watch/4tQ1TYUaovtp3myYFZxPkY?
Thank you all for watching with me and for the support!
Comments
I agree! I maintain my ship of her and Kataoka! #powercouple
Romaniablack
2021-10-08 20:59:51 +0000 UTCEspecially if it gets her recruits to come to Seido. She really wanted Sawamura there, after all. I really wish she got more screen time.
zeroantizero
2021-10-08 19:32:20 +0000 UTCEpisode 56 is a major emotional coaster, for sure! Ahhh, man, I didn't realize at the time what a rebel Rei was/is! Hmm, that's interesting! It's neat to see how this sport directly ties into the professional industry! Thanks for that info!
Romaniablack
2021-10-08 19:20:28 +0000 UTCYeah, I don't even like going over raised railroad crossings in real life. But roller coasters can be okay in stories. And Episode 56's ending was certainly a good high point! I agree with you about the third-years. But high school baseball in Japan is regulated like a semi-professional sport. Even in the first episode, technically Rei letting Sawamura pitch was against the rules and would have gotten the school in trouble if reported. But there is a discussion in Japan about changing the school year to September to August; they'd have to rethink the rules if that happened...
zeroantizero
2021-10-08 18:01:40 +0000 UTCI'm not a roller coaster person either in real life -- story-wise, though, BRING IT ON! Yeah, it's almost like fate is trying to tell Tanba, "Your time on the mound is over," which is sad. The fist bump from Miyuki and Sawamura on fire was EVERYTHING to end these episodes! And Yesss, Mei should learn not to underestimate his opponents! That's a good point about Furuya -- Sawamura hasn't stapled down that consistency that Furuya has -- Furuya just needs to learn to control his "going all out" so he can last longer than the innings he does. I guess we'll see, eh? But yeah, not Kawakami for sure. That's kind of sad that those 3rd years trying to get drafted still practice with the team -- I mean, great, because they're still around, but sad because they can't participate in an actual game. I'm not ready for that point, yet! That's a really good point about Ryo, Tanba, and Kataoka -- yeah, it's insane that because players have pushed themselves too hard at a young age, it's ruined their chances to play professionally. It's definitely something I worry about for Chris in this series, but I guess we'll see where it goes for him, huh? And yeah, Shirakawa is so devilish!! I really like his character in comparison/contrast to others on Inashiro like Harada, Carlos, and Mei!
Romaniablack
2021-10-08 11:56:10 +0000 UTCOkay, so I'm going to try to manage this without deleting my comment this time! I agree with you that these episodes have been such a roller coaster (I don't enjoy those - I had to ride one once in high school for Physics Day, but that's my lifetime limit fulfilled). High moments, low moments, funny moments, serious moments; they're all there. I think we all can agree that Tanba has the worst luck of any character in this series. First the injury from last season, then the pitch to the face; and now, when he's demonstrating his leadership and overcoming his hang-ups, a leg cramp pulls him from the game. It's almost as if fate is conspiring to get him off the mound. But it allows Sawamura to come on, and this series doesn't get any better than when it allows him to be him in his element. And whether you like them only as bash brothers or as a couple (*raises hand*), there's really nothing better than Miyuki's and Sawamura's battery. (And we get the fist bump to the heart again... I'm pretty sure that Miyuki only does that with Sawamura - get jealous Mei!). Only Sawamura matches Miyuki's aggressiveness (and he's aggressive; consistenly asking for inside pitches is only asking for home runs - indeed, it has or has almost happened in every game since Yakushi, which was only four days ago in anime time), and it's so great that he strikes out Mei in three pitches. I'm so looking forward to Mei's response next week! Will he learn not to underestimate his opponents? That being said, I think Furuya still has the upper-hand on being the ace when the third-years retire. With Sawamura, when he's good, he's excellent. But there are times where he can't get started or where he comes apart, making him inconsistent. On the other hand, Furuya is consistent in his own way: he always starts at 100%, strikes batters out for three innings, and then he's done... (Regretfully, I still have the same opinion of Furuya - I just don't find him interesting, so I wish Sawamura were more consistent). And sorry, Kawakami just isn't a contender. By the way, in regards to the third-years retiring that you mentioned. While it is true that they can't participate in matches after Koshien, they can still practice with the club. And it's practically a requirement for those who are drafted directly out of high school. They need to maintain their condition until they leave for spring training with their teams. For those that aren't drafted, particularly the ones who won't continue playing in college, it's study time, so that's why the don't participate. I think I've said it before, but I agree with you about not liking the position Ryosuke put Kuramochi (the cinnamon roll) in, and that Ryosuke should have told Kataoka. Both for himself and for the team. The best person for the position or not, treating anyone as indispensable is just asking for failure. The team has been so lucky, but it feels like it's only a matter of time until a near-miss is an actual miss. But because - like you say - they're teenagers, any failure is ultimately Kataoka's responsibility. You said that Kataoka is the polar opposite of Coach Ugai, and I agree completely; but I'll take it a step further and say that he trusts his players too much. He should have taken Tanba out immediately, as well as Ryosuke as soon as he realized Ryosuke had a problem. That he didn't makes him just as bad as those coaches who actively push their players to the breaking point, at least in my book. (And it's an anime trope because it's real to life. In particular with baseball, there have been instances where pitchers have ruined their arms in Koshien and been unable to play professionally afterwards. And similarly with the Hakone Ekiden from "Run With the Wind", where participants have ended their running careers). I just can't accept the irresponsibility. My one final thought: while Mei is intense and menacing, Shirakawa is downright evil. That grin of his was absolutely demonic.
zeroantizero
2021-10-07 22:01:46 +0000 UTCI agree, not only on the sunshine boy status, but that they shouldn't underestimate Sawamura -- at least, not at this point! And hahaha, you're so right -- Sawamura is desperate for approval from Miyuki (he's gotten it from Chris, so why not?!) that he'll eat up what Miyuki tells him. And yeah, Miyuki doesn't really "lie," so much as he finds...creative ways to say what he needs to, haha! I'm all for this discourse! It's just great that we've kept this going -- I love it! That's a fair call with Kataoka -- I like the idea that he is "desperate to win his first nationals," even regardless of the Ryo situation -- he is still green and that makes a lot of sense, especially going back to the dugout when he said he'd take the win even if it was on luck alone. Interesting. I don't think Kataoka would have pulled him either, at least not until something serious happened. And UGH, YES, when he ran to Tanba?! That melted my heart -- he does care about them! Ahhhh, yes, our silly high school boys!
Romaniablack
2021-10-07 20:32:06 +0000 UTC@Romania the Sunshine Boys are just too pure to not adore with everything you have lol. Underestimating Sawamura comes so second nature to these guys lol. Its infuriating. Miyuki is usually pretty good at figuring out what pitchers really need to hear (whether it's true or not lol). And Sawamura wants to impress Miyuki so badly that he just eats it up. I dont think Miyuki often lies to Sawamura in these cases though. He's usually pretty on the nose. I didn't realize so many people had such differing opinions about Ryousukes injury lol but I'm all for it. I never realized how much it bothered me until watching you reacting to it haha. 100% agree about it putting unnecessary pressure on Mochi. It's a shitty thing to do to your teammate who's already worried about a million other things. I just dont want Kataoka to come across so heartless and callous about it all. He very clearly loves his players. I always think of the way he sprinted on the field when Tanba got his cramp. He does care about them a lot and wouldn't ignore a players injury for his own gain. He absolutely should have told Kataoka in advance. I dont think Kataoka would've pulled him. He might've had someone check him out but he also mightve just kept an eye on him and made sure he iced it and tried to do what he could to help him play through it if Ryou thought he could and he was adamant enough on it (which he very clearly is lol) Silly high school boys đ
Kelsey
2021-10-07 15:31:20 +0000 UTCTanba has my heart in these episodes, because you know he just wants to be the ace for his team, but yeah, luck is just not on his side. And YES! The Inarizaki match is a great comparison to Sawamura telling his team it's not over yet! Oh, our sunshine boys and their powers of motivation! :) That is awesome about Carlos -- the guy's got it going on, hahaha, maybe he and Miyuki can still be friends off the field! ^^ And yeah, while I appreciated Shunshin shutting the other guy down for talking up Carlos based only on his ethnicity, I'm also like, "You all played against Sawamura...don't underestimate him!" haha! Mei's pouty face indeed never gets old! I really like him and Harada together -- your points about how they benefit each other are so on the nose! That's a great interpretation of Miyuki's line, too; I was curious about that, but it makes good sense! I love how it just completely flustered Mei -- it was the reaction I'd been hoping for! I love how Ryo is our most contested topic with this show so far, haha, but it makes sense...it's a sticky situation. That is a really good point about them all "having a back seat to Chris's injury" -- which makes the situation all the more tragic; even if it's just bruised, it's still affecting him in the game -- the stress and intensity of this matchhhhh! >.< I can see how Ryo's hid the injury well enough that Kataoka wouldn't know about it until this match and it's just tragic that it's all come to a head during the most important match of the qualifier. I still maintain Ryo should have told Kataoka beforehand and not placed the burden of whether to tell him or not on Kuramochi's shoulders, since I think it's added some stress and confusion into this part of the match. But, then again, they're high school kids and hindsight is 20/20 -- if it's not a serious injury, you probably think that it won't be a big deal to keep it quiet...it just sucks that it's proving to be more of a problem than it started out seeming. Ahhh, this game is insanity! And we still have two innings left! @_@
Romaniablack
2021-10-07 11:40:33 +0000 UTCYeah, it's a bad situation either way -- I hate that all of this happened in the final of the qualifier! :( Thank goodness Kuramochi was there!
Romaniablack
2021-10-07 03:40:28 +0000 UTCI'm glad that Jozenji joke landed! And mannn, yeah, Tanba has developed so much over the course of this series! I love how far he's come from being irritated with Miyuki to now, supporting his underclassmen! And Mei....he's such a diva, but I love him! And I did NOT realize Meliodas was also voiced by the same VA! I knew Todoroki, Kenma, and Eren were (I can hear a little Eren in him), but had no idea about Melodias! Wow! I'll have to go back and listen to SDS to see if I can hear him, too.
Romaniablack
2021-10-07 03:33:21 +0000 UTCGod I still love where that last episode leaves off lol. Such a good spot. Such a feel good moment. Such an angry lil blonde pitcher đ Something I always find adorable and funny is that I think Tanba is the only pitcher in this series (that I remember) that makes a noise when pitching lol. He makes like a "WOOSH" every time and it cracks me up. His luck however is horrendous and I need him to get an exorcism immediately to remove all the bad karma he's accumulated. His inner monologue about not wanting to be a burden to the team breaks my heart. It would be very easy to feel like that when your third year you really haven't done very much and you're the ace of the team. He's got such a good mentality for an ace it's just like you said, snowballing of bad situations. Sawamura being the mood maker of Seidou makes me emotional every time lol. The team acts like he's just this annoying little brat but he keeps their moods as high as possible and breaks them out of all these dark spots. Very much gives me Hinata from Haikyuu vibes in the Inarazaki game at the end. Just take a breath and let's relax. It's not over. I love it. Even if he wasn't a first year who plays quite often he would still be such a help to have on the bench. Fun fact about Carlos, since I also love him dearly, he's actually half Japanese, half Brazilian and his Dad owns a Brazilian food restaurant in Tokyo. And when he's not standing naked in windows or scaling baseball fences or strutting seductively, he also likes soccer and basketball lol. He's such a good addition to Inashiro and I think him and Miyuki could be pretty good friends if they weren't on rival teams lol. The fact that Shunshin wasn't even considering Sawamura coming in as an option is such an annoying little non importance to me đ I know it was to build suspense of what was gonna happen but it happens too often in this show that people don't consider him as a player or an option to help the games. He's played in every game this tournament thus far (if I remember correctly) and has been the one to come out in all difficult situations. Give my boy some respect please Shunshin lol. This set of episodes was also a gold mine for pouty Mei faces and im here for it lol. Its so funny every time. He's such a little kid. That youngest child syndrome coming through strong đđ Speaking of Mei, his battery with Harada is actually one of my favourites. They both know how good they are, they both like playing aggressive, and they both bring something to the other to balance them out. Mei pushes Harada to be less in his head and Harada pushes Mei to reel it in a little bit. Harada grounds him so well and still pushes him to be aggressive and they know each other well enough now to where Harada knows what Mei wants to pitch and what he's comfortable throwing in situations. Its a great pairing in my opinion. "Is he good or not" being a universal question of this series so far is so true lol. It always seems to waver depending on the opponent. Some teams his pitching style matches up better with than others and you can't really claim talent off raw potential so while he has indisputable talent, it's so raw and unharvested that it's hard to say he's a great talent as a pitcher when he's still so unstable. That's why I think its so important that Miyuki keeps reminding him "we don't need amazing pitches. Just need your heart and spirit and energy" because his moving fastballs will trick the batters regardless and jam them naturally. As long as you're confident and trying your best and not throwing wide or high, it's possible. Now, I have to disagree with the comment above but I want to put it in my own comment. I dont think Kataoka had any inkling of Ryou being injured before this game started. I think what set off Kataokas sus meter with it was Ryousuke falling while running to first. The only reason Mochi knew he was injured was because he saw him limping when Kataoka wasn't even around. If he's not limping, and during the warm up he was playing completely normal, he's not going to know anything is wrong. And even then seeing Ryousuke miss a play or 2, wouldn't even necessarily signal that he's injured. Sometimes plays get by the players no matter how good they are. Sometimes players nerves get to them too. Assuming things are injuries just because they're playing differently isn't usually how coaches work. I would also assume my players are nervous and that some mistakes would happen. But when he fell running to first I think that would've been an indicator that either he was hurt or that something was going on that he needed to pay more attention to. That's half way through the game, and as you said Kataoka trusts his players to talk to him if something is going on. He trusts them to know their limits, especially since they all had a front row seat to Chris' injury. They all were affected by Chris being taken off the first string. Ryou wouldn't just hold back information about a serious injury if he himself knew it could be serious. Seemingly, since it's really just a bruise, he knows it won't affect his career if he pushes himself it's just frustrating not being able to move as you normally can. I dont agree that Kataoka could've taken him to a doctor before the game nor do I agree that he was purposefully not talking to Ryou so as to feign ignorance about the issue. He wants his kids to go to nationals but he also still feels guilt about Chris. He wouldn't sacrifice Ryousukes career for the team to go to nationals. There's also no real rules about injured players. It's up to the coach/the player to decide if a player should or can play. If he was told about it, he wouldn't have had an obligation to bench him, it would've been up to his discretion. The only reason Kuramochi even knew he was injured was from that limp when the coach wasn't there. He likely wouldn't have known himself if he didn't see it so I don't think it's fair to expect Kataoka to know. Always comes back to what people see, what they're shown and what's hidden behind. If you see a cow, you know it's a cow. If there's a criminal behind the cow, how can you get in trouble for not seeing it? You know? Lol. Anyways, I think Kataoka now is keeping an eye on it and will proceed accordingly based on how Ryou seems. As he should. đ
Kelsey
2021-10-06 23:06:11 +0000 UTCabout the ryo thing and his injury the coach is just sus about it but he doesnt really know until he fell while running to first base, also for the coach he should be prioritizing the kids health over getting a win reguardless of how good he is. you do have to think this is a school and as an adult he is technically supposed to take ryo out due to the injury altho as you said he is good at hiding it and honestly he's a beast for actually playing with said injury
lud_genesis
2021-10-06 22:41:37 +0000 UTCKominato is one of my favs not only bc of his trollish ways but also because he brings up so many interesting plot points like what to do in case of an injured teammate and how to be an older brother + rival + teammate + insipiration to your baby sibling. So I am glad that others seem to enjoy his character & what he brings to the anime too!!! âThis isnât Jozenji!â OMG I DIED! đđ And yes! Tanba has also grown a lot this season. At the start he seemed kind of egocentric not wanting second year Miyuki ordering him around and now he has supported our baby first years sm! So proud of him and all of our boys! And Mei is such an interesting character bc heâs somehow so intimidating and ridiculous at the same time. A gremlin child đ Btw Idk if Iâve said this before but his voice kinda takes me out of it sometimes bc itâs SO similar to Meliodas in 7ds who is also voiced by the same VAâŠthankfully I dont get any mha Todoroki vibes đ
Melanie Marie
2021-10-06 21:22:32 +0000 UTCI love how in our Patreon discussions for AOD (with pretty much everyone on here), Ryo has come up so much! Who knew this pink-haired kid would be getting the spotlight! Hahahaha! I totally think that Kataoka at this point knows somethingâs up. Your reasoning on him not saying anything â I agree with you on whatâs going on, and I TOTALLY agree with you on why it doesnât sit right. He should know from Chrisâs experience how seriously an injury can damage a player. Either Kataoka doesnât know the full extent of the injury and has a hunch about it, or he does know and isnât saying anything â the latter not sitting well because it could damage Ryo. I think you bring up the big point, though: Kataoka is DESPERATE for his first championship â that desperation isnât bad on the surface â the dugout chat with the manager and Rei was really nice and showâs heâs young and doesnât just want the win for himself but for his kids, too. But, being green and desperate, heâs turning a blind eye to what could be something serious. It would be interesting to see how Konitomo would handle the same situation⊠Kuramochi is definitely MVP for that play off Ryoâs glove, there. And probably down the road, Haruichi will be a good replacement for Ryoâs position, but like you said, nowâs not the time to experiment in the finals! This isnât Jozenji! Hahaha! Kuramochi and Ryo are so in sync, Iâm sure that helped pull the play off; if itâd been Haruichi in the same spot, Iâm no sure it would have worked as well. But yeah, moving on, haha! Tanba â I feel so badly for him. Heâs had rotten luck and it sucks that the final match, he only lasted three inningsâŠmy heart breaks for him, especially when he passed off the ball with such gusto and named Sawamura the Ace in his stead. :3 But ooooh, SAWAMURA, INDEED. I LOVED that he didnât fumble, didnât mess, up â went straight in and did what he had to do! I was wanting that so badly, especially against MEI of all people, and we got it! :D His growth in 6 months is crazy â and I do love him off the mound as much as on â his little words of encouragement to Furuya especially in the previous episodes were so cute! And Miyauchi (whom I forget his name everytime) â just huffing at himâŠlove it! Carlos definitely rose on my character list with these episodes; that line from Mei is golden! The humor is just great; and those three from Inashiro along with Harada are a riot indeed! Our poor gremlin MeiâŠhim getting flustered was priceless this set of episodes! No worries about the huge comment! Thank you SO much for the kind words â I love hearing everyoneâs thoughts too on this game! Have a great week, too, and YES! BSD and more DNA! Yay!
Romaniablack
2021-10-06 20:55:05 +0000 UTCOk, letâs talk about Ryo again đđ Even though the boys didnât tell the Coach about the injury, I am pretty sure the coach noticed in either, practice before this game or during its earlier innings. Thereâs no way that Kuramochi noticed & an experienced player like Kataoka didnât. And since he hasnât taken Ryo out yet, I think itâs evident that, like Kuramochi, he feels that Ryo playing is the best option for the team. The question is, if he knows why wouldnât he say anything? IMO, the Coach would have felt obligated to keep him on the bench had he been directly told because thatâs whatâs best for Ryo as a player and as their coach thatâs his job. And thatâs why he decides to pretend he doesnât know about the injury unless Ryo becomes a greater liability for the team as well as himself. I also think that the boys know that the Coach would have been obligated to take Ryo out even if he didnât want to and thatâs why theyâve also decided not to say anything and keep it to themselves. The Coachâs decision to not say anything, no matter the reason behind it doesnât sit right with me. I think itâs selfish on his part to be putting the tournament above a playerâs health. And while I can somewhat understand his reasoning to letting Ryo play, I will never agree with his decision to not acknowledge that one of his playerâs is hurt. Itâs kind of iffy how heâs faking being ignorant of the situation which would also allow him to not face any consequences if Ryo does get badly hurt. And, even if Ryoâs injury doesnât seem grave enough to result in permanent damage, since they never went to a doctor, they have no idea if thatâs really the case. IMO, the Coach should have spoken to Ryo, taken him to a hospital and then, based on the doctorâs diagnosis, make a decision. If that decision was to let Ryo play, then they would have both face the consequences, whether good or bad, together. Plus, the situation makes me wonder if he also noticed when Chris was hurt and didnât say anything because he needed him to win, which would make it even more horrible that heâs turning a blind eye again when he knows how dire the consequences were last time he did. However, even if I donât like his decision to not say anything, I think it makes for great story telling. Itâs a great way to show that Kataoka is still a little green and also desperate to win his first championship. A more experienced Coach would have probably put the playerâs career above the tournament which gives room for future growth of our main teamâs Coach along with the players. And again, on that catch Ryo partially missed and Kuramochi saved? I am pretty sure that other players would have missed it too. Ryoâs experience and reaction time is what makes his miracle plays possible, but now heâs speed is not up to par with his reflexes. Other players would have lacked that reflex in the first place even if they had the speed. Kuramochi can compensate for the lack of speed like he did here but he wouldnât have been able to do anything if the ball wasnât bumped and that was all thanks to Ryoâs reflexes. An argument could be made that Haruichi (who plays the same position as Ryo) could also have the same reflexes but we havenât seen him play much besides pinch hitting so thereâs no obvious way we can determine whether that play would have been better with or without an injured Ryo playing the second base. IF Haruichi had gotten the experience that Sawamura and Furuya have gotten, then I would be 100% in favor of having him replace Ryo. But I understand the players and Coachâs doubt. The Final is NOT the game to be experimenting with inexperienced players, especially a first year that has not have the opportunity to blend well with the rest of the team. Teamwork is just as important as individual plays. Itâs the teamwork that theyâve cultivated that made Ryo trust that Kuramochi would be there to catch his bumped ball, Furuya trust that Miyuki would be able to catch that ball from the outfield without bouncing it first and Sawamura trust that 3 inside pitches would be the right call if Miyuki said so. And, sadly, Haruichi has not cultivated that trust with the rest of the team yet. MOVING ON! đđ Itâs so sad how ready Tanba was to be the ace before the start of the tournament and how he has been kind of the âweak linkâ in the final game. Even Ryo that has a current injury is doing so much better than him. I would be devastated in his placeđ SAWAMURA! My shock when he was put in with loaded bases and Mei up to pitch! But he made me SO proud! And, while I love seeing Sawamura play, I think I may love just as much or even more to watch him cheer his teammates from the bench. Especially since at the start of the series he didnât want to go to the games unless he played. He didnât even watch baseball games before coming to Seidou! He has grown so much in just 6 months. Plus, heâs commentary is hilarious. It kills me how much he frustrates Miyauchi by not actually warming up. Always funny đđ I have to mention: âYou are up there with God & Buddaâ What an amazing line. I laugh every single time đđ This anime has AMAZING lighthearted funny moments within such intense games and I love it. I just love Mei, Carlos & Shirakawa so much! đđ They are a riot and so talented too! Sorry for the HUGE comment, I just love your insights so much and canât help sharing mine to see what you think đ đ Have an amazing rest of the week!!!! Canât wait for BSD and the next DNA!!!
Melanie Marie
2021-10-06 18:10:11 +0000 UTC
