Ace of the Diamond: Episodes 44-46 FULL LENGTH Reaction!
Added 2021-09-15 13:01:02 +0000 UTCI was NOT prepared for how intense Inashiro's coach is, or how much of an arrogant gremlin Mei is! I loved Sakurazawa, but those young men were not prepared for the "Destroyer of Hopes and Dreams," Inashiro ace, Mei! Holy smokes, they are going to be an INTENSE opponent, aren't they?
So many amazing one-liners, new pitches, SHIPS BEING FORMED?! In this sports anime!? But seriously, Mei and Miyuki have history...and I am more than curious!
LINK: https://share.vidyard.com/watch/q2pE1BsZuwMQa1s2rgkpgd?
Thanks for watching with me and for all the support!
Comments
Its interesting to me that you don't like Mei lol. I understand people's gripes with him I just don't see many people who don't like him that much 😂 also Maki is a second year so he's not done with high school baseball yet. That's part of why he was apologizing so much at the end of the game there. He felt like his inability to focus on being the ace of Sensen was what caused them to lose and it means that their third years don't get another chance.
Kelsey
2021-09-16 21:23:54 +0000 UTCWell, you figured it out. DnA isn't a sports shonen, but a romance drama. Miyuki broke up with Mei after the latter threw off his game calling, and is moulding Sawamura into a batterymate able to take down Mei to prove that a battery is a relationship of equals. But he didn't mean to like Sawamura. It just happened. No need to watch anymore. It's been fun! ;) Now that would be an interesting fanfic. :D Apparently, I'm among the minority of those who don't like Mei. I don't hate him either; it's just that his brattiness is grating. (Which is weird, because there's another blond animanga character who is definitely a brat, but his brattiness comes off as humorous. I guess there's no accounting for taste.) But it's enough that he's not on my "list" of shippable characters. I won't deny, however, that as viewers, he's everything we want in an opponent, equal to or above Raichi: the menacing presence he gives off during the game against Sakurazawa is chilling. And for Sawamura, he's everything a rival should be. Mei has all those things that Miyuki told Sawamura he was lacking - speed, control and experience. He's the pinnacle that must be overcome, which is one of the reasons I don't rate Furuya. Regardless, he's no red-herring like Manaka, or the rivalry that wasn't between Chris and Zaizen. Mei dealt with Sakurazawa like the also-rans (not under-dogs) that they really were. (Not that I didn't like Akira and his friends, but just as the title said, it was a fantasy; and it's especially sad because this was their last chance as 3rd-years). That can't be said for Sensen, who are more like second-raters - good, but just not good enough. That being said, Maki's stature (195cm=6'3.75") and strength alone would probably have done him well at Seido if he had taken Furuya's path and tested in. And it's not like Seido rejected him outright; I like to think that it was just chance that Rei never saw him play, just as it was chance that she did see Sawamura. What really destroyed his chances was not having confidence in himself, and without that he wouldn't have succeeded at Seido anyway. It's nice that he realizes as much at the end, and that he should have been playing for his team. Now, about the "best" crossfire pitch. There's a reason Miyuki is -lovestruck- awestruck by it: I'm not sure it's physically possible. Without going into too much detail, there are three delivery methods for a pitcher: overhand(arm), sidearm and submarine. Everything I've ever read about crossfire pitches all say that only pitchers with sidearm delivery have the reach to cross the plate like that, because they throw with their arm extended and parallel to the ground. Sawamura, however, is an overhand pitcher, and he shouldn't be able to do it - at least that has to be what Miyuki's thinking before the ball hit his mitt. But Sawamura does, and he might be literally the only pitcher in the world who can. It's almost a deus ex machina, except we're told from the very beginning that Sawamura has flexible joints and performs differently (better): greater wind-up, delayed release time, and now greater reach. If he adds Mei's skill and experience to that... And after that, Sensen is done. From three weeks for one game, to two games in one week. Like Akira, I think Maki is done with high school baseball, but I hope Coach Ugai learned some lessons for his remaining and future players; mainly coaching can't just be done by the book. It's their instincts as former players that allow Kataoka and Todoroki to do so well. The after-game with Sawamura's friends is heartwarming. Kuramochi's reaction to Wakana is hilarious. And here's a tip, Kuramochi; when your flirting with someone, don't do it while manhandling their friend. (You wait until they're not looking, obviously...:D). Oh, and "Some are super-cool", "Uh, a few I don't like". You're not fooling anyone, Sawamura; you don't even have to ship them to know that was a total cover. Lastly, the moment with Kawakami and Kuramochi asking for special bentos - particularly Kawakami wanting fried chicken - reminded me that Koshien (the stadium, not the tournament) and fried chicken share a connection. Just look up "the curse of the colonel" on Youtube; I promise you won't be disappointed! Happy 25% completion!
zeroantizero
2021-09-16 21:10:50 +0000 UTCOh my gosh, YES! "Wakana Ka!" Is so epic -- I was waiting for Kuromochi's reaction to her, and I was not let down! XD And that makes me SO SAD! I was a little unsure the timeline watching, but that hurts they were 3rd years! I really liked Akira! :( Man...and he was such an intriguing character with his knuckleball pitch! Ahhhh, I have to go back and re-watch now to hear Eren and Todoroki! :D :D I think Kenma always has a unique voice compared to the other two, but that's hilarious it's the same VA! I REALLY like Mei's character so far -- it's not unhinged-chaotic-gremlin energy like Raichi; it's arrogant, cheesy swagger -- like comparing Sawamura to Miyuki, only on the opponent teams! I have a feeling he's going to be VERY interesting to watch and I can't wait to see what happens with his character -- I loved Yurio in Yuri on Ice (a punk with unrivaled intensity), and I get that same vibe from Mei! :) And the soundtrack was SO ON POINT this set of episodes! Yesss! Sakurazawa had these great moments of inspiration and the record scratched and Mei destroyed it all. Dang. @_@ Thanks for the comment! :D
Romaniablack
2021-09-16 13:55:56 +0000 UTCFirst I have to say that the way Kuramochi says Wakanas name lives in my head rent free lol. Any time i read her name now I hear "WAKANA KA" in my head. It's so good lol. Also, Akira and his 2 friends, the core of Sakurazawa are actually all 3rd years. They're done high school baseball now unfortunately. That flashback was from their first year but he practiced the knuckleball his entire first and second year and in his third year really got a mastery of it. That's why it hurts so much to see them lose since he had that dream since his first year, tried so hard to make it possible and unfortunately it just wasn't enough to have a really good, unique pitch. I hope you can hear Meis VA now and recognize Todoroki from MHA, Eren from AOT and Kenma from Haikyuu now lol. Sometimes Mei gets the best lines and their so intense that you can hear his more serious roles but when he's screaming and being a goof and a troll it's like he's unrecognizable 😂 The soundtrack for this show is honestly unlike any other. It's so good at building you up and tearing you down. The way they'll cut a track in the middle of a bar just to devastate you is crazy. Makes everything seem so much more life or death. I can't watch the Sakurazawa game anymore without dying over how hopeful every inning is for them. They have this big speech every inning and it gets cut INSTANTLY. It's so hard lol. I also love that most fans of this show universally love Narumiya. He'd be an easy character to dislike with how cocky he is but he's just so good and so funny and so intense, how could you hate him. He's fascinating to watch. That line he said at the end I think could be taken so many ways but for as cocky as Narumiya is, he still is quite respectful to teams he beats. What he said made me wanna flick him in the forehead but I think what he was getting at more was for them to keep their heads high because even though they lost, they went even for 3 innings with "the best team in the country". I dont think it was really a jab at them or an intended insult but when you lose to someone, sometimes it feels better to know you lost to someone who's just that amazing. He's a punk but I love him and his intensity is unrivaled honestly. Can't wait for the next set of episodes. These weeks feel so long waiting for your reactions 😂
Kelsey
2021-09-15 21:01:49 +0000 UTCAhhh, y'all have me so hyped up for the next episodes!! :D :D I won't get to watch them until probably this weekend, but I am SO excited! Thank you for the kind words! I have a feeling with the introduction of Mei, this is about to get GOOD!
Romaniablack
2021-09-15 19:55:55 +0000 UTComg what would I do for you to post the next episodes reactions this week, they’re just too good! PLEASE 😂
Isa
2021-09-15 19:35:01 +0000 UTCMei came through the screen and slapped me with how intense he is! The music was SO on point this episode(s), too! Being dreamy and inspiring, and then hard-cutting to dramatic and intense! That's Mei and Inashiro, though, eh? I like that Mei represents an Ushijima like presence with his team! I compared him personality-wise more to Hoshiumi (who's arrogant AND can back it up) but maybe Kamomedai will be like a team in the future that Seidou encounters, haha! I can instantly see the appeal of Mei, though. I feel he's going to be a REALLY tough opponent with the personality to bounce back against our Seidou boys...and Miyuki! I've got my eyes on them! Hahaha! And that's SO exciting about the next set of episodes! These went by SO FAST watching this week; I'm hyped for the next! Thanks!!
Romaniablack
2021-09-15 15:33:34 +0000 UTCAkira: “If I master this pitch, I’ll be able to dream” Crusher of dreams Mei: NOPE I ADORE MEI! 😍❤️ He is definitively in my top favorite characters AND my favorite character from another team. The contrasting aspects of his personality: the conceited child & monstrous adversary, make him such an enjoyable character to watch. I think I love him so much despite his arrogance because he has the talent to back up said arrogance. He believes he is the best pitcher in Kanto because he is 😅 He’s definitively the Ushiwaka of DNA imo. Not in terms of personality but definitively in terms of adversaries. The pressure he exerted from the mount reminded me of the Haikyuu scene where Karasuno feels like Ushiwaka is crushing them and have to join in order to battle out of his grip. That ability to apply that kind of pressure on the other team is what makes them the ace of their respective all star teams. I can’t wait for NEXT episode! It’s one of my favorites of the series & I am 100% sure you’ll love it too! Next week is gonna be such a good batch 💕💕
Melanie Marie
2021-09-15 14:49:44 +0000 UTC
