Ace of the Diamond: Episodes 51-53 FULL LENGTH Reaction!

I can't wait to see the official art for this show! That surprises me about Raichi, though, in the polls! The slice-of-life moments at the start of this were some of my favorite! I love this show's humor when it shows these teens all bonding and having fun -- it's so wholesome! :3 And YES! Sawamura and Furuya's growing friendship and looking out for one another, while still being rivals? It's so sweet and endearing! :) And yeah! That led to Sawamura looking after Furuya...I just love it! Sawamura as the "soul" of the team -- I LIKE IT!

Romaniablack

Ooohh, I'd probably watch those first three OVA's when season one is over. I'll have to research where to watch them! Thanks!! And I love when a show "subtly" ships a pairing like that, haha!

Romaniablack

Yeah, not going to lie, there's a folder of Miyuki official and fan arts of my computer. Some with Sawamura, some just by himself. He actually topped (just barely though) the character poll they did way back; poor Sawamura can't even be #1 in his own manga... (but Raichi wasn't in the top 5, so I call shenanigans anyway). I know it's a sports shonen, but I'd love to have a few more school/slice-of-life moments, whether hilarious or serious. It's just so good to see everyone interacting off the field and with baseball mode turned off. Which reminds me - that moment when Sawamura and Furuya were at the vending machines and Sawamura's complaining that Furuya is being used as a go-fer when he's starting the next day - it was endearing in its own way that Sawamura said that he'd tell the others off for making Furuya do that. And then during the game, making sure Furuya's drinking plenty of water. Sawamura is just such a good guy...he's candidate for soul of the team for me!

zeroantizero

I'm convinced the people making this show/the mangaka ship MiyuSawa but won't say it lol. Speaking off official art there's actually 5 OVAs for this show. 1 2 and 3 can be watched whenever but 4 and 5 are meant to be watched between season 2 and season 3 (act 2). Just in case you wanted to check those out

Kelsey

Oh wow...that sucks they don't get a choice! :( And Jun having two sisters! That's hilarious, too! Mei and Jun -- such personality as the younger siblings! I FORGET THAT CHRIS AND OIKAWA HAVE THE SAME VA's! Chris is so subdued compared to that seiyuu's other roles...but I knew I liked Oikawa for a reason! :D WILD! Hmmmm.....wow, official art crew, it's like you're shipping them or something! I can't wait to look up official art for this show later! :D I neeeeed it! Yeah, I feel that's going to be a moment Ryo looks back on in hindsight...I'm hoping it's not going to affect them moving forward in this game! @_@ We shall see, I guess!

Romaniablack

@Romania it is similar to Haikyuu but unlike Haikyuu, the 3rd years in baseball don't have the option to stay on the team to play in the next tournament. Once their summer is done, they're retired. Another fun sibling fact is that Jun also has 2 older sisters lol. That one seems less clear to me though 😂 The whiplash for Akaashi and Eijun is very wild haha. Other shared VA characters are Yuki and Asahi, Haruichi and Hoshiumi, Maki and Terushima, Chris and Oikawa (yes you read that right), and Shunshin and Kageyama. Those are the ones you know both characters for haha. It's wild. From memory, both Sawamura and Miyuki wear those types of shirts back and forth but in some official artwork they're definitely sharing shirts lol. A shirt only ever worn in the show by Sawamura SOMEHOW ends up on Miyuki in official artwork 😂 the fanfics write themselves in this show Yeah I think the ideal situation for Ryou with this would've been to warn the coaches to at least be ready if necessary so there could be some extra practice or some actual planning. I doubt Kataoka would've taken him out if Ryou was saying he could play and if it didn't seem to be that bad. If it's just a swollen/bruised shin it's not likely going to affect him down the road and I think Kataoka understands that.

Kelsey

Yes! I was so excited going into this game and it’s not disappointed at ALL so far! Ooooh, so it’s sort of like volleyball, then, like in Haikyuu. Gotcha. At least that gives me hope that they’ll be around for a little while longer! *sniffles* OOOHHH! I hope we get to meet his sisters! Well, being the youngest…yeah, that checks out, too! Haha! Sawamura and Akaashi sharing a VA is like whiplash – I mean, HOW?! How even!? The crossovers are so crazy, but that VA casting is the one that floors me the most! And OMG – YES, Carlos, you wild man, you! I love it. Very Bokuto vibes! I wondered that – we’ve been told that Mei CAN pitch the entire game if he needs to, so I wasn’t sure if the other 3rd year pitcher had come in this tournament or not, yet. I couldn’t remember, so that’s good to know. And he DID have a personal record. I love it. Oh no, I was thinking “boyfriend shirt” as soon as I realized it was Sawamura instead of Miyuki! “Oh no, the laundry got mixed up. Whoops.” :D Yeah, Mei playing mind games is so intriguing! He clearly has the talent and experience already, but I looove that he also can pace himself, something our 1st year boys just don’t have the experience with, yet. I loved the humor of that out at 3rd and him just on the ground like that! So cute and funny! He’s definitely a DIVA. I like that perspective on Ryo – I think my main issue is that he told Kuramochi and put pressure on him. He needed to be honest with his friend, I agree, but like you said, he probably should have told Kataoka from the start, so that the coach and managers could have had time to prep and think about the best course of action. Ahhh…fingers crossed all goes well, though! This game has been SO good so far! I’m really excited for what’s down the road! :D Thanks!!

Romaniablack

Hahaha, to be fair, it’s this one artist that just does handsome shots of Miyuki! XD It’s never really a “scene” that they draw, so I feel it’s non-spoilery. Ooohhh, interesting about the fan art! And yeah, he’s definitely grown on me over the course of this series – and 100% could model if needed. I LOVE the start of the first episode and the 3rd year shenanigans with Sawamura! HA, definitely checking out the competition, and Furuya fanning the flames any chance he can get. But yeah, I’m rooting for Kuramochi to talk to Wakana properly! :D And yeah, girl showing up to support Sawamura…no wonder Yuki thought she was his girlfriend. It’s a good strategy to use Furuya, it just sucks that he was doing so good and couldn’t continue to do so…but he’s only a first year – if he can channel that intensity and get to Mei’s level of stamina? Woo. That makes sense that he can come back in as long as he’s still a fielder; that’s an interesting thought about him competing with “Mei,” and that mental strain causing him to lose focus (coupled with the stamina…yeah, five innings is a lot). It was surprising seeing Mei lose his cool THAT early in the game; he really wants to rub it in Miyuki’s face that his decision was a bad one and that he should have “stuck with him.” Mmhmm. I wondered how their dynamic would work as a battery, thinking similar to you during the episode – but then, we don’t know because maybe Miyuki would put him in his place like Harada. Hmm…in any case, I felt a little sorry for him, all by himself brooding, when we get the contrast of Miyuki having fun with Sawamura and the others. Yeah, Inashiro was the “better” choice for Miyuki…sure, Mei. And Ryoooooo…..I just want him to stay okay. That moment in this set of episodes was hard. Thanks for the comment! :D

Romaniablack

Ahhh so it begins haha. This game is so much sometimes. The intensity still gets me hyped. The music, the high stakes, the pressure, it's so good. First I have to say that even after this tournament, Sawamura and them won't be second years until spring. They're in the summer now but they joined in the spring which is the beginning of the school year for them so they'll still be first year's in the fall and the third years will still be attending Seidou to finish their schooling they just won't be on the team anymore past the summer. They still have classes and things so fear not; you won't get rid of them that quickly regardless of any outcome here lol Its very funny that you mention Mei as an only child because he actually has 2 older sisters lol. Hes the baby of the family with 2 sisters and I think that also fits pretty well 😂 Also I don't think Sawamuras VA is in AOT but he is in Haikyuu. He's Akaashi in Haikyuu which is such a personality flip in my opinion. And honestly most VA's in daiya are also in Haikyuu. Ryous VA is Nishinoya, Miyukis VA is Tsuukis brother, Furuyas VA is Suna, etc. There's so many crossovers it's crazy. Kind of an irrelevant comment but Carlos standing butt ass naked in the window in the darkness makes me laugh every single time I see it lol Oh also, Inashiro as a team have given up runs in this tournament thus far, Narumiya as a pitcher has not. He hasn't played all of their games by himself, that other third year pitcher has also played and he's given up some runs before this game but Narumiya has had a bit of a personal record going lol. Or did before this game started. Letting my shipper brain come through, the fact that you mistook Sawamura for Miyuki in the intro because of the shirt he was wearing gives me boyfriends sharing clothes vibes OKAY IM SORRY IT HAD TO BE SAID 😬 On to a more serious note, Mei as a pitcher is pretty terrifying and fascinating at the exact same time. Obviously his pitching is out of this world and that in itself is intimidating, but the fact that he's so good strategically at playing these mind games and knowing exactly what to do to set the other team on the edge is so interesting. Same with the Sakurazawa game. He had no question that his team would eventually hit off Akira but he wanted to pressure them from the beginning. He purposefully went all out against them from the gate to mount pressure to force a crack in their defense and now he's doing something similar to Seidou. By only going all out against Yuki he sets the rest of them on fire with rage over being underestimated but he's also hanging it over them that he's not going full out and that he always has gas in the tank. The experience he's wracked up in high school thus far is such a high bar away from Furuya and Sawamura. He doesn't need to go all out, he doesn't need to throw to strike out and he trusts his team will catch what he forces the batters to hit. It's so good. I love watching him. And then to get to his starfish on the ground as he got out at third and i realize how much I adore him lol he's such a drama king but I love it. I stand by thinking Ryou put an idiotic amount of pressure on Mochi. The way he said "if you think I'm dragging the team down, tell the coach" in the last episodes, was very goading to me. Yes Ryou is the best option for second baseman right now but to me, a second baseman with his speed cut drastically from an injury, isn't going to be as helpful as a second baseman who can move at full potential. And as we can now see, it's worrying Mochi. If he didn't have enough to worry about on his own, now he's responsible for his partners health, the teams morale, and possibly playing alongside a second baseman who can't give him the plays he needs to defend the infield flawlessly. I think Ryou should've told Kataoka as soon as Mochi approached him. Anyway, I love this game, I relate to how stressed you are lol and I'm excited for you to see what's coming. 🎉

Kelsey

zeroantizero

BAHAHAHA -- I did NOT notice that! That's amazing -- Kuramochi, you have competition! I just love how Miyuki didn't even bother! XD

Romaniablack

lmao you right miyuki dont want nothing to do with taht pic but notice how furuya decided to squeeze in at the op for the pic :P

lud_genesis

“Bullying with love” – I love the dynamic of the 1st and 3rd years – it’s so precious! And yeah…maybe I have a soft spot for Mei because of that Oikawa connection? That’s a REALLY good point about Miyuki and Mei I hadn’t considered…hmmm…Harada definitely is a catcher Mei needs, but there’s that spicy “what if” of Miyuki and him, haha!! Oooooooh, so you can’t go back to the previous pitcher – GOTCHA. Yeah, so taking Furuya out is risky because now he can’t come back in. Ahhhh….*anxiety intensifies* Thanks for that info! That’s SUCH a good explanation of Furuya vs. Mei – I had similar thoughts during the reaction, but yeah, poor Furuya just doesn’t have that confidence to know that he can slack a little and it’s “okay.” He loves pitching so much he wants to always go 100% and it wears him out that much quicker…our poor dude! :3 I definitely see your point that there’s not someone as good as Ryo for that position on the team…his injury makes me soooo nervous, because I can see it becoming a crack that Inashiro notices and decides to exploit and I’m so wanting them to win, hahaha! But I get what you’re saying – there was no alternate option right before the game…it just stinks that it’s happened and that he asked Kuramochi to make the call; it’s the chicken before the egg theory: Should he have kept it to himself and told no one, or just told Kuramochi to get it out in the air, but possibly affect Kuramochi, too? There’s not really a right answer there, I guess… ahhh….and yeah, they’re all high school boys! Can’t forget that, haha!! My fingers are SO crossed that things stay okay for them both!! Ooohhh, the tension is CRAZY! I’m really excited to see what happens in the second half! And I agree 100% the pacing is just perfection! Thanks for the kind words and comment!

Romaniablack

I agree! Such Oikawa vibes from Mei in that scene. And the third years bullying the first years (with love!) was so precious 🤩💕 I think Mei & Miyuki would make a good battery because imo Mei NEEDS a catcher that stands up to him. He’s very arrogant and benefits from having Harada as a catcher who doesn’t put up with his sht. And I think that Miyuki would be able to do it too. PLUS, while Miyuki is a troll in every day life, while in a game, he’s very much the level headed strategist that knows how to give his pitchers the best signals while also making them feel at their strongest. To answer your question, in baseball, once a player is taken out of the field, they can’t come back in. That’s why, in some games, instead of taking Furuya out, the coach has switched him to the outfield so he can come back to pitch if they need him. It’s also why the pitcher relay is such a risky play, because you never know if the pitcher that will come afterwards will be in good condition and once the switch happens you can’t go back to the previous pitcher. This game makes evident the difference between having a reliable ace pitcher vs multiple good pitchers that can’t pitch a whole game. Mei trusts that even if the players hit, his team will defend well. So he doesn’t go all out except with Yuki who he knows will bat it out of the park if given the chance. On the other hand, little first year Furuya still thinks that he must go all out from the start in order to be at his best. Mei has already proven himself, but Furuya hasn’t and thus feels the need to be at his best with every single pitch. Plus, even though Furuya has learned to trust the other guys a bit, it’s hard to trust others 100%, especially when you just met 6mo ago. And, I got to disagree with your Ryo feelings 🙈 I get why you feel how you do, but from my perspective, even not at 100%, Ryo is the best player for that position. Another less capable and/or experienced player may have not been able to catch that insane hit either. The only reason Kuromochi was surprised Ryo didn’t get it is because the team is used to his miracle plays. PLUS, just after he missed that catch, he made an amazing throw that his substitute might not have been able to make and thus, a run would have been lost that time instead. The way I see it, even not at his best, Ryo is still the best player to have in second base in this game. He is also the most experienced, having played that position the whole tournament. Having a new player trying to blend with the team on the final, with that much pressure, could be catastrophic. Also, I didn’t see him asking Kuramochi to keep him in check as him putting pressure on him at all. The 2nd base & shortstop are partners within the team much like the catcher and pitcher are, so they know each other best. Therefore, Ryo asking Kuramochi to judge whether him playing is affecting the team negatively is understandable. IMO, relying on your teammates to help you see when you are wrong should not considered as putting pressure on them. That’s what teammates are for. Having said that, they are still HS boys and are likely to fall under pressure easily and make wrong decisions based on pride and friendship. So, let’s just hope both Kuramochi and Ryo manage to make the best decisions as the game continues 🤞🏼🙏🏻 I can’t wait for next week! The tension in this game is just INSANE! I still get anxious watching it, even though I’ve watched it multiple times already. The pacing is just perfection. 🤩🤩💕

Melanie Marie