Impression:

Well, Eijun may still be running laps, but things are definitely getting good. Eijun showed off his hotheaded nature in the middle of class and it actually impressed a girl. Then he was caught playing catch with himself and he encountered a rival for the position of ace on the team. We are starting to meet the important characters and that bodes well for the pace of the series.

This is high school baseball.

Eijun is still out there running laps. That sucks because practice is still getting to him regardless of the fact that he hasn’t touched a ball in a while. This has led to him falling asleep in every class and the teachers constantly yell at him. After some team members bad mouth Eijun stating that he is not a real member of the team, the loud mouth tells everyone that he will become the ace of the team. The entire class laughs at Eijun except for the clumsy manager. Everyone went off to attend a game and even Eijun was allowed to come and watch. Unfortunately, Eijun’s decision to stay behind and train almost got him killed. Haruno thought that he could use a tire to help him with his running, but she ended up knocking him down with it. She apologized and talked about how she was moved by his speech even though he was a complete idiot. Eijun decided to train even harder and it finally dawned on him that he could use the other equipment while everyone was away. He ended up playing catch with another first year that stayed behind and was literally blown away by a pitch. At the actual game, a narrow victory has sparked a pitching controversy that may call for the addition of some first years into the starting lineup. Time to see what the new kids are like.

Some catchers just don’t have what it takes.

Current Opinion of the Show:

I am really enjoying this series. I was afraid that Eijun’s training would keep the series at a very slow pace, but this episode really started to take us in the right direction. We were introduced to some very important characters and a major issue with the team as a whole. The team needs pitchers and that seems to be Eijun’s greatest opportunity. Hopefully we will get a chance to see him in the upcoming game between the first years and the upperclassmen. Having said that, he may not get to truly shine even if he plays. Why is that? Well, that catcher didn’t seem to really know what he is doing. If you can’t catch powerful fastballs that actually stay on course, then there is not way that you can catch those crazy breaking balls. I mean, the coach will obviously see their potential and bring them on, but the game may not be easy to watch. However, a victory for the first years doesn’t seem to be far-fetched. Pitching is really important in baseball and it looks like they have the advantage there.

I hope that’s a compliment.

It is pretty interesting that we were also introduced to a possible love interest in this episode. Haruno is a manager that simply wants to be around baseball. Unfortunately, adjusting to the atmosphere has been difficult for her. She continues to make mistakes that force her fellow managers to scold her and she is afraid of talking to the players. That doesn’t seem like a good manager to me. Oh well, it is that very predictable anime charm that they give us in series like this. Her attitude towards Eijun shows that they will probably be close as the series progresses, but this is still a sports anime and that makes me think that nothing romantic will come from their relationship. It happened in Eyeshield 21 and Prince of Tennis. The protagonists from both of those series had a possible love interest that never really got full development. Prince of Tennis was a little more frustrating because there was actual couple focus going on, but that is something to worry about at a later date. I do think that the focus is baseball and I enjoy that. I am looking forward to some good stuff in the near future.

A rival has appeared.