In this week’s episode, we meet the fifth member of the team, Waka. She knows a lot about baseball having played a bit of it herself when she was younger, and supported her brother and the team when she decided she wasn’t cut out for it. She’s quite cute, and I like that she ended up helping out the girls even though she initially didn’t really want to get involved. She is also exactly what the team needs, as while Tsubasa is experienced, explaining things to the inexperienced members isn’t her forte.
Although we didn’t get to see a whole lot of it, I already love the bond Waka and her brother share. He was the one who encourage her to give baseball a shot, and after all these years, he knows she still loves it and encourages her to get involved with helping out the girls’ baseball team. It was super sweet of him to give her his glove to use for the time being until she has a new one to use (since she has long outgrown her old one).
Following up from how things ended last week with Tsubasa arguing with the Student Council President, it doesn’t look like the baseball club and the Student Council are going to be on friendly terms anytime soon. Unfortunately, their request for space to practice was rejected, but luckily for them, the teacher (who is also going to serve as their club advisor, was able was able to get permission from the owner of an old and un-used baseball field for them to use that is off campus. As it turns out, it was the field Waka used to play at with her team and brother when she was younger. So being at the field brought back a lot of memories and how much she loved the sport even though she didn’t feel like she was suitable for it.
We also got to learn more about Tsubasa’s intent with the club. It isn’t about gathering the most talented players, but rather anyone who has any interest or passion for the sport. That’s why it’s the perfect place for Akane, Yuuki and Waka, all three sharing the same problem of being unable to withstand the pressure of expectations. Being able to just simply play for fun (at least for the start) is a great way to overcome that fear and become more confident in their abilities as they improve at their own pace. Akane in particular has been shown to be working hard on getting better. A little more than a week has passed since she has joined the club, and thanks to Tsubasa staying overtime to help her practice some more, she has already made significant improvements with her throws! Good job Akane! I’m proud of you!
Considering I pretty much never watch or read any baseball series, I was quite happy to see they teach us more about the sport itself. I hadn’t realized about the variations of the gloves, with the exception of the catcher’s glove. The only baseball glove I ever known was the all-rounder ones, ahaha! I find myself looking forward to learning more as we go along.
I’m going to give myself one more episode to see whether or not I really want to blog this or not. It’s a very cute show, and while it’s clear the series’ budget is tight, and the animation quality gets wonky from time to time, still find myself enjoying what we have been given so far. It’s definitely the type of show to watch if you’re just want to relax and watch something sweet! Better yet, I think the biggest surprise to me is that we haven’t seen any fanservice, which is a great bonus for anyone who wants to watch a sports anime with a female cast. While they aren’t a competitive team (yet), it’s still endearing and fun enough to watch to see how the team will form and what kind of goals they will aim for in the future!
