Anime, Manga & Figures Blog

AnimeNewsNetwork.com posted a news piece indicating that second season of Hajime no Ippo, titled “New Challenger,” will air on NTV starting January 6.  Personally, I was a big fan of the first season, and really enjoyed the show.  The release of the second season next year is something to look forward to.

The anti-hero baseball anime show One Outs is starting to sizzle!  In Episode 6, the amazing rookie pitcher Toua has to face down the middle of the lineup of the best team in Japanese baseball.  And this episode in particular gets down to the nitty gritty of Toua’s secrets for successful–why hitters can’t score off him.  And the explanations actually make sense!  Episode 6 is the best episode in the show so far, and I can’t wait to see what other tricks Toua has up his sleeves.

If you check the domestic anime dvd releases for this month, you may have come across Chrono Crusade Complete Collection 08 Holiday limited Edition set and Neon Genesis Evangelion Platinum Edition Collection 08 Holiday limited edition set.  I find these releases to be ridiculous, because all that’s special with the holiday edition is a different paper packaging cover artwork.  Considering that we’re in a global recession right now, who in his right mind would spend money on these releases?  To me, it’s a disgusting way for ADV Films to try to milk whatever they can from these 2 licenses.  And my already low respect for this company has dipped even further.

So far, my initial comments last month on Kemeko DX has been on the mark.  The trademark of this show is “hardcore comedy action.”  The scenarios that pop up during the show are zany and outlandish, but very funny.  Voice actress Chiwa Sato excels as Kemeko, always ready to match whatever role Kemeko swaps into on a moment’s notice. 

Considering, though, that the anime is expected to run 13 episodes, I just feel the writers took too long to introduce the villains in episode 6, halfway through the show.  The anime seems ready to delve into the mystery of the ”Unknown Girl Friend.”  And I fully expect viewers to learn more about Emuemu, the beautiful pilot of Kemeko.

The Japanese have a saying that a nail gets hammered down, or something to that effect.  It means that those who stand out are pressured to conform to society.  This maxim is relevant in the baseball anime show One Outs.  In this show, a professional gambler who gambles getting hitters out in one at-bats founds his way onto a professional baseball team.  So. . . does this outsider, Toua Tokuchi, conform to the team, and is it the other way around?

This anime show is different from what you would normally expect from a sports anime show.  Rather than the game of baseball itself, the anime focuses on the game within the game–the scheming and machinations of other parties, all with a purposeful intent to make Toua fail.  And Toua somehow finds a way to overcome the obstacles, so far.

The show is almost a reverse-Kaiji, where everything falls Toua’s way (the reverse is true in Kaiji).  I’ve seen the first 5 episodes of One Outs, and the show has been very eventful and unpredictable. 

If you watch One Outs thinking it’s an ordinary baseball anime show, you’ll be sorely disappointed.  However, if you approach the show with an open mind, you will be struck by Toua’s calmness in the face of adversity.  One Outs is really about “office politics” (where the baseball field is the office), and workers will appreciate this show.