Impression
This is definitely going to be a long and intense match (it makes me wonder if this will be Ei-Chan’s last one given there are only three episodes left), but I’m not complaining because it’s about time we see a serious one like this. There’s no telling who’s going to win (though let’s be honest: it’s probably going to be Nabae). Either way, win or lose, having the opportunity to have played against Nabae who shares a similar strategy and way of playing the tennis in general will be a vital lesson that will allow Ei-Chan to gain a ton of experience despite having only played for what, a year now??? As Naebae have pointed out today, the reason why he can read and predict Ei-Chan’s plays so well is because he is very much his ‘old self’. And when you put it that way, it kind of shows of what Ei-Chan can potentially be after seeing how strong and dangerous Nabae is as an opponent. However due to being so alike, Nabae exploited what Ei-Chan has been relying on the most, his fundamentals, and turning them into a double-edge sword. But this is a good thing because Ei-Chan needed to experience that and understand that fundamentals can be exploited into weaknesses when you least expect it. This also forced him into thinking more about what is his trump card. Throughout the series we have seen him struggle about that, and for a while now he considered his Return as his ace, but today Nabae forced him into trying something new, risky, and of course a bit reckless. Ei-Chan had decided that he will go along with the difficult and risky Hundred Square Control strategy. It’s a risk because it is something that he has not perfected yet, so his accuracies depends on how well he can return/counter Nabae’s seemingly hard hitting attacks.
As for Nabae, it surprise me how the observers remarked that it is unusual for Nabae play hard and strong like he is now (of course that’s what makes him so scary). The way I see it is that Nabae considers Ei-Chan as a considerable threat, regardless of how well he can adapt to Ei-Chan spontaneous plays. There have also been indications that the Volley Contest and how Nabae had reacted to it reveals that is not a category where he has a perfect A (perhaps a B or B+ not that I know shit about alphabetical gradings). Another thing we learned from the observers is that Nabae deliberately lets his opponents have a free goal when he finds himself surprised/caught off guard so that he can pull himself together. It’s a genius strategy really, but it requires the player to have absolute confidence in their abilities to ensure that the reigns of the game won’t be taken from their hands.
With only three episodes left, I already know I am going to miss Baby Steps (and will certainly run off the read the manga afterwards), but I am keeping my fingers crossed that there will be an announcement by the end of this indicating a second season!
