Baby Steps 2

episode 1- picked up pretty much right where season 1 ended. good set up episode with a bunch of new characters.

Also, was it just me or did the animation take a step up compared to season 1? I hope so because it will make things even more intense with these matches.
 
Bradalee said:
Oh, and the animation is almost the same poor level. So i'd disagree with your view of it being improved by any great degree! :laugh:
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Well i didn't mean that it turned amazing or anything. I guess it just looked, i don't know, more polished? the still frames and whatnot were still present but it seemed like there was a conscious effort to add more animation to the rallies? at any rate it was a solid episode.:smile:
 
Episode 01

When that opening started, I don't think I ever became as pumped to see the return of an anime before. At first I thought, "YES! It's the same opening - no wait, I bet it's just the beginning that's similar. ...No way! It's the same incredible opening with new animation!" This song was basically opening of the year for me. My favorite part is when everyone is serving - just incredible, so much hype to continue with the episode, yet you still have another minute left of the opener to sit through/enjoy! I didn't catch it until after a second viewing, but the touch of encouragement from the people he meets in the Florida training camp in his notes (#43) was nicely added. Believe in Yourself! >D It would seem Eiichirou will end up learning a lot during his training if he fills 3 more notes between now and the competition.

I read a few chapters of the manga where the first season left off, so it's going to be a few episodes until it's caught up, but I'm eagerly awaiting the day everything becomes new to me again because watching tennis is loads more fun than "reading" it... It also seemed much easier to understand when animated since I knew the bare minimum about the sport until this anime.
 
I was late to this anime when it originally aired because one sports anime is about all I can take per season, and at the time it was Yowamushi Pedal. Now that it's over, this will be my sports fix.

*was too busy rewatching the amazing opening to catch your last part*
 
Yea i feel like this show's first season was a bit under the radar because Haikyuu and Yowamushi aired at the same time and overshadowed it in the sports genre.

I'm really hoping for a heavy focus on the matches this season since the rules explanation and the like were covered in the first season. I expect a little bit of recap over the rules/terminology because it's shounen but i hope it's subdued
 
I binge-watched the first season sometime during the winter months and have been looking forward to this continuation. Ep 1 did not disappoint. :)
 
I watch this flick too, but I have nothing to comment on. It seems that the points I have in mind has already served.
 
Bradalee said:
Psh, comment anyway, this thread won't see a lot of traffic i think :laugh:
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The previous season discussion about this series was not popular whatsoever, thus the risk that this season will be the same is predictable.

If one doesn't have anything worth mentioning, then posting would be unnecessary. It would just be viewed as fishing. However, posting something unnecessary ought to kill time. It's actually something we could see happen, just for that sole reason. Source; me.
 
Episode 2:

The pacing seems pretty good. I was afraid they might drag out the america arc even though Maruo is only supposed to be there for 2 weeks. Seems we'll be getting back to the main tournaments sooner rather than later, which is good IMO.

I really like...
How they portrayed the mental struggle of athletes. Most anime keep with a "work hard" theme and ignore the little nuances like the mental struggle you can have with yourself. Even though people view things like routines/rituals as superstitious i think it does have an effect on someone's mental condition, at least it did for me.

Also i like how the facility and coaches take a scientific/rational approach to the training and solution to Eiichiro's "losing habit". By that i mean how they analyze his play to determine that he's trying too hard at the key moments in the match leading to mistakes that make him lose.

Overall things seem to be progressing nicely, I can't wait to see how things go if Eiichiro plays Ike. I expect he'd lose miserably but it would still prove interesting.
 
I hope we'll get a few more episodes set in Florida, I'm enjoying the change and would like a little more backstory on the characters there. But agreed that they seem to be getting the pacing right, they don't need to stay there for a whole cour or anything!

(ep 2)
Besides, watching Ei-chan lose matches for several episodes in a row would have been uninspiring viewing. I'm glad we got to wrap this week on a positive note. I'm really pulling for the kid. :smile:
 
I too felt that the animation this season is a bit more polished. But it could be a bit psychological. When you watch a first season it takes time to get accustomed to the artwork. When it's a second season you know what to expect and look more for detail.

It is a pity if people dismiss this anime without giving it a try. Personally I never had any interest in tennis, but this anime practically brainwashed me into it. This and the fact that I feel kinda unhappy an episode is over is a clear marker of how good I find it to be.

It is a sport anime after all so it makes sense that it is all about new opponents, new challenges, new mountains to climb. If they do not get the pace right, it could easily get boring cause it is more of the same, The feeling is so far they got the right balance and yes I like it that it always ends on a cliffhanger or positive note. That is the right message ... baby steps to reach your goals.
 
Episodes 5&6:

so we finally get back to japan and end up progressing the romance a bit. It seems that Maruo/Natsu is pretty much a done deal at this point and the only thing left is for them to actually get together. I'm actually really liking the progression of the romance and am glad that they didn't bring unnecessary drama into the show with a love triangle confrontation(although maybe that's coming?).

I also like how they used Maruo's rivalry with Takuma as a way for both characters to grow. Maruo has been pretty focused on making his control the central part of his game and this match kind of opens his eyes to the fact that he needs to do more than that to beat top level players.

I'd like to point out that i really like how this show approaches training. I feel too many sports anime end up going with the "Old school" guts and determination method. Too often we get the main character dragging around a tire with the coach sitting on it. It's nice to see someone actually spend time in a gym with a training menu. Episode 6 has pretty much been a set up episode for the matches to come so i'm excited to finally be getting back to Maruo in tournament play.

Overall i've really liked the past few episodes and hope they continue along at this pace.
 
Episode 08

This was a great episode. Maybe the best one this season.

When Miyagawa gained some inspiration from his senpai Oobayashi, I was worried the match would get dragged out into the next episode. I also felt that if the match suddenly became close through him catching up, the progress we've seen Maruo gain during all of his training would appear to be less than it actually was. But that's not what happened. Miyagawa tried his best with his future on the line, and Maruo met his efforts using his full ability. Maruo now has the strength to affect the futures of other players, even if just a little, and I think that speaks more about his ever-increasing capabilities than any normal victory could have ever managed to accomplish. So yeah, I'm really content with how this match was handled.

I'm also setting high expectations for the next episode because it's finally going to give insight into a certain character's tennis mastery who's been neglected up until now - Natsu. To be honest, I hate her. The only real role she's been filling right now is as an empty romantic interest, and every attempt so far has made me just wish they'd return to the whole tennis thing. At the very least, I was wishing they could be shown practicing together, even though until recently, Maruo wouldn't be truly capable of this. She's clearly the main heroine, but even minor characters have gotten more development than her. I've been dying to see more of her matches, or at least one in depth, to get a feel for her character as a tennis player who shares a mutual goal with the protagonist. Next episode I really hope I get to see this.
 
ep 9

Oh COME ONNNN, let them kiss already, stop teasing me!!! :love:

That aside... One thing I really appreciate about this series is that no matter who wins the match in the next episode, it'll be believable. I do think Ei-chan is in store for a loss, but this show's writers can certainly pull off a story of him winning that won't feel cheap or dishonest. It's genuinely hard to figure out which way they're going, and THAT makes Baby Steps stand out.
 
ep 12
Technicalleigh said:
I do think Ei-chan is in store for a loss, but this show's writers can certainly pull off a story of him winning that won't feel cheap or dishonest. It's genuinely hard to figure out which way they're going, and THAT makes Baby Steps stand out.
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...but I didn't think he'd hang in there that long and strong. And until the 3rd set was 6-6, I still thought Maruo might pull out the win, but I didn't feel "cheated" when he didn't. I love the writing on this show so much. :love:
 
Ep. 13

Natsu and Eiichiro will have an awesome relationship. Can't wait to see how it develops.....huh? Who's that?.......................
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:laugh::laugh::laugh:
 
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