Ace of the Diamond: Second Season

Pfew. Second season... sure.

It's not like it ended it's first season on the sunday before this week at all....
 
Episode 1

A recap of the first season, of course. Seems like we might get another recap next week. Joy.
 
I guess no one told these guys about starting with a bang. Starting with a recap episode is pretty much the opposite of that.
 
So glad they needed to rush right into the new season without even taking a break to do three recap episodes in a row. I'm sure this is just what everyone wanted.

Although, I think the art in the framing sections looks a bit better. Maybe this season will have a bigger budget.
 
Episode 4:

It took far too long to get to new material and then when we do it is a set up episode. It was a good set up episode though so I'll give it credit.
I like the way things are moving along the world isn't stopping Sawamura while he's having confidence problems. He's having his issue while the team moves on to get ready for the new tournament.

I'm not all that interested in Sawamura though. His confidence is shot and he agrees to something he doesn't fully understand this episode, but it ends up getting nipped in the bud as the coach is having none of his replacements attempts to manipulate the team. I find the coach quitting and his replacement being brought in to observe has given the coach a chance to show his personality more and I like the way he leads the team. The replacement is interesting too and I think his ends justify the means approach has its merits when it comes to winning, but it is not what's best for the individual players. He basically asks Sawamura to give up his chance at ever becoming to ace or really even pitching in games. Sawamura is a player that takes a lot of time to manage and might not end up being worth it in the end if he can't start throwing inside pitches. The coach wants to nurture Sawamura's talent and do his best to get him back into form, but the new guy would rather get the utility out of Sawamura and then cast him aside. It obviously makes the new guy a lot less likable.

I liked the way they used the Teito coaches interview to talk about motivating his players as that's what Seido's coach does. His replacement is too cold to really get the players excited. It'll be interesting to see what happens if the coach really does leave. The interview bits were also a good way to introduce the new coach for the next game.

In general I like the new focus on coaching which is something that got ignored in the first season. The coach plays an integral role in bringing up new talent since this isn't like professional baseball where the core team can stay together for a long time, instead it creating a new team every few years. We came into this show at the tail end of one core team and now the coach has to build a new one from what he's got. It's an interesting dynamic and it makes it feel a bit strange he's leaving especially since we don't know the reason why.

Then we get the new opponent and a new cocky pitcher that brings his own style to the game along with some fun new pitches. Seido doesn't have the offensive punch they once had so they have to play smarter and this guy should provide a pretty good challenge.

I'd say the worst thing about the episode was Sawamura's smile gag because it was overused. It was funny the first time, but it quickly lost its charm after that. Yeah, yeah, his smile is creepy move the fuck on.

Anyway a pretty good set up episode for what will hopefully be a good game.
 
Episode 5:

I always though the purpose of anime was to animate things, but judging from the amount of still frames used this episode Ace of Diamond's production team is having some trouble with that concept.

Not that it matters much because this episode was a snoozefest. Furuya's pitching style is boring and the one time something interesting started to happen the game ends up delayed due to the rain. On the other side the new pitcher doesn't get much screen time and we don't see much beyond what was already shown in last week's set up episode.

Boring episode.
 
ZetsubouKaiji said:
Episode 5:

I always though the purpose of anime was to animate things, but judging from the amount of still frames used this episode Ace of Diamond's production team is having some trouble with that concept.

Not that it matters much because this episode was a snoozefest. Furuya's pitching style is boring and the one time something interesting started to happen the game ends up delayed due to the rain. On the other side the new pitcher doesn't get much screen time and we don't see much beyond what was already shown in last week's set up episode.

Boring episode.
Click to expand...

Animating costs money. The are making money airing 3 recaps in a row for a second season, so this is kapitalism at it's finest. :

Just kidding, they probably are saving budget for something ... stupid.
 
Episode 6:

The catcher to Teito looks way to damn old. I think he looks to be about the same age as the coach. I get what is being done with the character design but it's been overdone and seems like a weird choice. I don't like the stupid pony tail either.

I'm pretty bored with this game. The new pitcher hasn't has the chance to do anything interesting other than sticking his tongue out. The coach making tiger chomping noises is a little funny though.

On the other side Furuya totally checks out after the rain delay showing his inexperience just as expected. With Furuya unable to keep his game face on Sawamura finally gets his big chance and it is the best part of the episode. Due to not being able to throw inside Sawamura has been forced to hone his skills and his pitch is sharper than ever. It was a nice triumphant moment for him when he's able to get those last two outs without allowing any runs. In doing so he's keeping the door open for him to still be the team's ace since Furuya isn't ready yet.

This season is also making a pretty big deal out of what's best for the player's vs what's best for the team. There's the question there if coaches should be focusing on nurturing their most promising talents while letting everyone else fall to the wayside and even sacrificing the team's well being for that year vs Seido's coach's approach of doing what's best for the team and the health of all his players. The anime makes it pretty clear that Seido's coach's methods are unorthodox and most of the opposing coaches don't understand his way of thinking.

I don't find very much compelling about this episode. Everything is going along very predictable lines at the moment and the game lacks in tension.
 
Episode 8:

I thought this was a strong close to an otherwise lackluster game.
Teito's pitcher was pretty far superior to anything Seido had, but his cocky attitude lead to his downfall. Instead of pitching to win, he wanted to gratify himself by getting his opponent to swing at bad pitches. It lead to an inflated pitch count for him and when the chips were down he threw a bad pitch that cost his team the game. He lost concentration and was thinking of his next pitch which caused him to throw a meatball. Unfortunately, this just put the cap on the already low opinion I had of this pitcher. He's been pretty boring throughout the game being cocky without really fleshing out his pitching style beyond he had really good control.

This means Whathisface is out of his slump which is another thing I don't particularly care for. Maezono never did leave much of an impression and his hitting woes never really clicked with me. I guess this does show being tenacious and not giving up mean a lot because it only takes on pitch to completely turn a game around.

I also found it to be pretty cheesy when the sun came out just as Nori was getting nervous and about to blow the game. This show always does go with the over emotional route at the silliest time. It's not like there was much drama after Seido scored those three runs. Everyone made it clear that was the moment that changed the game. There was no tension that Nori could ever blow the game.

Once again we see the benefits of the coach's unorthodox style. He nurtures his players without playing favorites. It fosters an atmosphere of hard work and cooperation because as long as a player is ready and hasn't given up then they still will get their chance. It doesn't mean the coach is going to throw away a game to play nice and let everyone get a turn, but it does mean that underdog players like Sawamura and Maezono will get their chance as long as they don't give up. It seems baffling to everyone else in the series, but I think the series is doing a good job of portraying the coaches ideals without being overly sentimental about it.
 
Huh, never thought I see an anime plug-in in this series and Your Lie in April no less. Is, is this a sign? Sent by the great Sawamura to watch that series? Nah.
 
Episode 11:

I thought this was all around the best episode of the new season. After being disappointed with the first game I thought both games featured in this episode were good. There are the usual flaws here and there, but I can overlook those if the games are good enough. However, I did find this episode strange for a different reason.

It seems like an awkward time to introduce a new team that's obvious more than fodder. I really like the new pitcher with his unorthodox style and aggressive play style, but it seems weird to really introduce him and his team halfway through a game against the main antagonist from last season. Unless Inashiro gets upset here I'm going to feel like a great new antagonist has been wasted. On the other hand if Inashiro loses this early in the tournament it'll be a little disappointing because it will be god knows how long before Seido gets their rematch.

Whichever way it goes I'm looking forward to seeing the new team's backstory. We all know it is coming when the episode makes a point of showing the team manager in a wheelchair. All we know at the moment is he has given the team a grueling unorthodox training schedule that compliments their aggressive style.

I think it's also pretty interesting that Inahsiro is struggling this early on, but the coach nails it. The team is complacent and has taken this game for granted. They've got the lead, but they've been half assing it on offense thinking they could take the other team at any time they wanted because the new pitcher is a one trick pony. It's not until Mei really tries at bat that he realizes the pitcher has more than just that slow curve.I'm also glad the coach chewed them out then a brutal assessment of the situation.

However it was always a part of the new team's plan to lull Inahsiro. Going back to last episode the pitcher pretty much just went "aww shucks" when he gave up the run in the first inning and said something about "well they're a good time and one run isn't that bad." The laid back attitude was a complete set up and now he's showing what he's really made of. His aggressive base running style was great even if the umpire blew the call and said he was out. He made a big statement with that move and the catcher knows he failed. He's definitely got a little bit psychological manipulation going on.

I always enjoy the games with pitchers that have interesting styles. Sawamura will always be more interesting than a fastball only pitcher like Furuya to me. More importantly Sawamura has finally put himself back in the running to be Seido's ace even if he still has a hell of a mountain to climb before he can come close to the monster that is Furuya. Even if I find Furuya's style less interesting he still gives Sawamura someone to compete with and a reason for him to always get better.

However, Sawamura had to overcome his own problems this game and if I give this series credit for one thing then it is how well Sawamura's arc has been handled with regard to the yips. I think it did a great job of showing his struggles and how much hard word went into him trying to overcome the problem. It wasn't something that could be fixed with a couple of pep talks or a few practice sessions. I'm also glad the world didn't stop just because he was having problems, but that's something I've mentioned before. I really thought the first half of the episode was great.
 
Fair enough point. The introduction is fairly dynamic and does away with the need for a long setup. I just really like the new guy and would be sad if he doesn't stick around in some capacity.
 
Episode 13:

I've got to agree with brad the removal of the third years has done a lot to add drama to this series. Now Seido has to deal with inexperienced leadership and learning how to come together as a team without a few supermen players to guide them along. Miyuki is great as a catcher and he's a clever guy, but he still has a lot to learn when it comes to leading others. He has to consider his words more careful because a single thoughtless remark can suddenly have a much bigger impact.

Inashiro is going through the same thing but to a much more extreme degree. Mei is really immature and needs a firm hand to guide him. He's got boatloads of talent, but he's arrogant and makes shitty decisions on his own. Their new catcher has talent, but he's got no idea how to deal with Mei. The rest of the team has talent, but doesn't have anything to draw them together now that the third years are gone. I'm sure we'll be checking in on their road to improvement and eventually meeting back up with Seido since they've been established as the end goal for Seido to defeat.

It was a nice set up episode because it also dealt with some existing tension within Seido. They've got to get their shit together quickly because this new time will pounce on any weakness they can find.
 
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