Baby Steps Episode 25 (Final Impressions & Overall Review)

Sidekick’s Final Impression

Ah damn, just when I was about to give up hope of Baby Steps ever getting the adaptation it truly deserves, season 2 gets announced! I cannot be happier. The America arc is one of my favourites in the series, and is where the series really begins to go full steam into awesomeness, so I really cannot wait for Spring right now.

Anyways, this was another solid episode of Baby Steps. There’s a lot of teasing regarding the relationship between Nat-chan and Ei-chan but I’m glad they didn’t try to force their relationship to progress here. Things are good as they are, and Ei-chan needs to focus on tennis right now.

Aside from that there isn’t much else to talk about this final episode – it was more of a teaser of what’s to come than a conclusion at all (and boy am I glad), bringing us the introduction of the next chapter of Ei-chan’s foray into the tennis world.

Overall though I do have to admit Baby Steps could’ve been a better adaptation. I have no qualms with the way the story was handled (with source material like this I’m happy the anime is as faithful to it as humanely possible), but honestly I was bummed that the series /looks/ as boring as it is. As much as we’re dealing with a very realistic portrayal of tennis this IS still the animated medium we’re talking about – so much more could have been done to make the series look more dynamic, more alive (of course, I’m not expecting Haikyuu levels of god-tier animation but still). I did like how the tennis matches were rotoscoped and looked decent for the most part, but I definitely wish there was more eye-candy. The music too, was underwhelming…frankly speaking as inspired as the source material this adaptation was anything but. I’m still happy we’re getting a continuation and I’ll definitely be watching, but it’s more of a case of me doing so because of how much I adore the manga, not the anime.

Unless you’re a stickler for needing to see your stories animated I suggest you stick with reading the manga, frankly speaking. The art’s cleaner, the story is essentially a carbon copy of what you’re getting with the anime here, and there’s much more already released so you won’t have to wait as long either :p

Still, as much as I hoped they’d have done more with the manga I’m still eternally grateful for the anime.

No scores here; but I do recommend you read the manga instead unless you need your stories to be presented on screen.

Eva’s Final Impression

This entire episode was just utterly adorable. From the dates, to the Coach teasing Ei-Chan to Ei-Chan attempting to follow his instinct for an exchange, it was so much fun to watch. That moment when Ei-Chan went to see Natsu before he left was just priceless. Everyone, including Natsu was anticipating a confession (not gonna lie, I would have liked to have seen it happen), but Ei-Chan only reveals that he will be cheering for her tournament on the plane. Poor Natsu just WAITING so patiently for that confession, SAY IT ALREADY EI-CHAN!!!!!

I am so happy that Baby Steps will be having a second season, coming out for the Spring 2015 Season. I can promise you that I will be back to cover this show once again, with Sidekick of course if she is back from her hiatus by then. Baby Steps is a breath of fresh air when it comes to adding it to the roaster of sports animes. Anyone who are familiar with Sports based animes would know that the majority of the series end up focusing more on the snark and speeches amongst the teams and the players than the plays taking place on the court or field. Baby Steps focused more on the technical aspect of the game, which allowed the audience who is unfamiliar with Tennis become knowledgeable about the rules, techniques and the way the game works. Another thing that I appreciated with Baby Steps was that not once did we see some ridiculous Super Saiyan technique that lit up like a ball of fire or lightning bolt- or whatever that DOESN’T actually happen when we play tennis.

The characters were all loveable, interesting and fun. I look forward to see them all again, as well as new characters in the coming season. In the mean time I will have to see if I can hold of the temptation to jump onto the Manga. MUST. RESIST. I hate spoiling myself heheheheh.

Overall Score: 9/10

Story/Plot: 9/10
Characters & Development: 9/10
Animation Quality: 8/10
Original Soundtrack: 7/10

Recommendation: Absolutely
If you enjoy watching Sports Animes that doesn’t revolve around exaggerated speeches and characters, Baby Steps is one of the few for you.