This week we’re re-introduced to one of Ei-chan’s first rivals in the tennis scene – Miyagawa Takuya – a lanky boy who specializes in his baseline strokes and defensive play style. He was one of the players whose match set the tone of Baby Steps – that of continuous improvement through acknowledging one’s own faults, and often these faults are brought to light because of Ei-chan and the way he always searches for loopholes within his opponents’ play. Seeing Miyagawa isn’t just a blast from a past – but it reminds us how far Ei-chan has come, as well as how others have improved, sometimes because of matches played with Ei-chan. Learning, as Baby Steps has shown, is often a two-way process, your rivals are not necessarily only obstacles, but also friends that will help you up your game.
The first half of the episode is more or less setup for the eventual match-up between Ei-chan and Miyagawa, easily given away during one of the earlier moments of the episode where Araya unknowingly gives Nishimura (Ei-chan’s first opponent) outdated info about Ei-chan’s ‘weak serve’ (remember Florida?) and his ‘defensive play’. Still, even when Baby Steps cranks down the suspense, it’s nothing but satisfying to see how Ei-chan completely destroys his first round opponent. It really is because he took those baby steps that those great strides seem that much more amazing, and Baby Steps of course proves itself as truth in advertising.
The second half, or rather, the last third of the episode is where the suspense really cranks up to eleven – flashbacks of an irritated, dejected Miyagawa about to give up contrast with the more mature (he even did his hair!), confident Miyagawa of the present and it’s clear things have changed. Ei-chan literally cannot afford to lose – just like many other players (Miyagawa probably included) his future of going pro is on the line. It’s clear he wouldn’t be losing – it just wouldn’t really make sense on a narrative level given how we’ve had basically 7 episodes of an extended training montage for Ei-chan, but it’s an exciting game nonetheless. How will Ei-chan be able to worm his way out of Miyagawa’s new and improved tennis weapons? The stakes are even higher considering how it’s only a one-set match….
A short post this week since this was mostly build-up (again) with only the second half really progressing the narrative, so hopefully things get even more happening from here on out (and pray that my heart can handle the suspense).
