Just what is it about sports anime?
I mean, I'm not particularly into sports; I don't go out of my way to watch any games. If there's a sport that I like watching, baseball would probably be it. Still, I don't go out of my way to watch it. But I tend really like sports anime anyways when I tune into it. It's probably because we get to see inside the characters' heads as they play their game and that the author (usually) structures the games to be exciting or have a definitive narrative purpose. There are three sports anime airing this season that I'm looking forward to: the second season of Kuroko's Basketball (basketball), Ace of the Diamond (baseball), and Yowapeda (cycling). But to be honest, I might not be as excited as I am if I didn't recently rewatch probably my favorite sports anime: Ookiku Furikabutte. (And yes, I've written posts about this series before. Humor me yet again, friends list.)
There are lots of things that I love about Oofuri. I love that the sports is grounded in the real world; the sports isn't physics-defying like Prince of Tennis or Kuroko's Basketball or Eyeshield 21. The majority of the players are average players, with a couple of standouts on most of the teams. Their level of play feels plausible, although I'm definitely not an expert on high school baseball. I love that the focus isn't just on playing harder, there's a psychological aspect in the training as well. I really, really love that the team isn't the only focus with regards to characters. Oofuri is one of those rare series where we actually see the support of the parents for the players. Parental support is so important in a lot of ways and I'm glad Oofuri included it.
But I'm a character-driven person. While I can love a plot, I'm always more interested in character development than plot development. I'm usually very willing to forgive a plot for being thing if the characters are stand-out; it's harder for me to forgive a story if the plot is stand-out but the characters are so-so. And I happen to think that the development of the characters in Oofuri is superbly done.
Take the scene that I crappily screen-capped above. When the series starts, Mihashi has no confidence. Abe has a lot of confidence, so much that he pretty much steamrolls Mihashi. He says that he will make Mihashi a star if Mihashi always throws the pitch that he asks him to throw. Abe wants that control and Mihashi is so desperate for anyone to acknowledge him that he allows that control. In fact, as the story goes on, Abe likes it that he has all the control. But in the above screencap, Abe has just gotten hurt. He can't go out and catch Mihashi's pitches at that point and he can't tell Mihashi what to throw. In that moment, you can see how Abe realizes what a mistake it was to demand all the control. If Abe is not there to construct the plays, just what is Mihashi supposed to do? Especially with a substitute pitcher? Even more importantly, I think Abe also realizes that it's not only that Mihashi is dependent on him. HE is also dependent on Mihashi. He wants to catch Mihashi's pitches, he wants Mihashi to acknowledge him too. It's not a one-way street anymore and I don't think Abe wants to "use" Mihashi in this manner anymore.
Even more amazingly, Mihashi realizes that allowing Abe to take all the control for constructing the plays wasn't fair to Abe. The pitcher and the catcher are a team; no matter what experience imbalance there may be, the pitcher sees things from a different perspective that the catcher can't. The pitcher also is the only one who truly knows his/hers own condition and what they can throw. That Mihashi allowed Abe to make all the decisions was unfair because Mihashi never gave Abe all the information that Abe would need. Even if that wasn't true, it's also unfair to make someone else take the brunt of the strategizing. Team sports are team sports, which means that everyone participates. While Abe was in the wrong with regards to the promise he made Mihashi agree to, Mihashi was also in the wrong for agreeing. And he realizes this and resolves to change it.
Boom. Character development.
I actually caught up on the manga after doing my rewatch and the series just gets better. I'm sad that it's probably unlikely that another anime season will come from the manga. I'll just have to follow the manga more closely than I was. And watch the sports series that are coming out!
I mean, I'm not particularly into sports; I don't go out of my way to watch any games. If there's a sport that I like watching, baseball would probably be it. Still, I don't go out of my way to watch it. But I tend really like sports anime anyways when I tune into it. It's probably because we get to see inside the characters' heads as they play their game and that the author (usually) structures the games to be exciting or have a definitive narrative purpose. There are three sports anime airing this season that I'm looking forward to: the second season of Kuroko's Basketball (basketball), Ace of the Diamond (baseball), and Yowapeda (cycling). But to be honest, I might not be as excited as I am if I didn't recently rewatch probably my favorite sports anime: Ookiku Furikabutte. (And yes, I've written posts about this series before. Humor me yet again, friends list.)
There are lots of things that I love about Oofuri. I love that the sports is grounded in the real world; the sports isn't physics-defying like Prince of Tennis or Kuroko's Basketball or Eyeshield 21. The majority of the players are average players, with a couple of standouts on most of the teams. Their level of play feels plausible, although I'm definitely not an expert on high school baseball. I love that the focus isn't just on playing harder, there's a psychological aspect in the training as well. I really, really love that the team isn't the only focus with regards to characters. Oofuri is one of those rare series where we actually see the support of the parents for the players. Parental support is so important in a lot of ways and I'm glad Oofuri included it.
But I'm a character-driven person. While I can love a plot, I'm always more interested in character development than plot development. I'm usually very willing to forgive a plot for being thing if the characters are stand-out; it's harder for me to forgive a story if the plot is stand-out but the characters are so-so. And I happen to think that the development of the characters in Oofuri is superbly done.
Take the scene that I crappily screen-capped above. When the series starts, Mihashi has no confidence. Abe has a lot of confidence, so much that he pretty much steamrolls Mihashi. He says that he will make Mihashi a star if Mihashi always throws the pitch that he asks him to throw. Abe wants that control and Mihashi is so desperate for anyone to acknowledge him that he allows that control. In fact, as the story goes on, Abe likes it that he has all the control. But in the above screencap, Abe has just gotten hurt. He can't go out and catch Mihashi's pitches at that point and he can't tell Mihashi what to throw. In that moment, you can see how Abe realizes what a mistake it was to demand all the control. If Abe is not there to construct the plays, just what is Mihashi supposed to do? Especially with a substitute pitcher? Even more importantly, I think Abe also realizes that it's not only that Mihashi is dependent on him. HE is also dependent on Mihashi. He wants to catch Mihashi's pitches, he wants Mihashi to acknowledge him too. It's not a one-way street anymore and I don't think Abe wants to "use" Mihashi in this manner anymore.
Even more amazingly, Mihashi realizes that allowing Abe to take all the control for constructing the plays wasn't fair to Abe. The pitcher and the catcher are a team; no matter what experience imbalance there may be, the pitcher sees things from a different perspective that the catcher can't. The pitcher also is the only one who truly knows his/hers own condition and what they can throw. That Mihashi allowed Abe to make all the decisions was unfair because Mihashi never gave Abe all the information that Abe would need. Even if that wasn't true, it's also unfair to make someone else take the brunt of the strategizing. Team sports are team sports, which means that everyone participates. While Abe was in the wrong with regards to the promise he made Mihashi agree to, Mihashi was also in the wrong for agreeing. And he realizes this and resolves to change it.
Boom. Character development.
I actually caught up on the manga after doing my rewatch and the series just gets better. I'm sad that it's probably unlikely that another anime season will come from the manga. I'll just have to follow the manga more closely than I was. And watch the sports series that are coming out!