Jun 30 2010 11:46 PM So this is a show I missed over this past year and I blew through in 10 days...All I can say is WHAT/HOW DID I MISS THIS?
Cross Game on the outside seems like your average sports show like Major, Touch, or Ookiku Furikabutte, but on the other side of the coin, it's a completely different world. Adding on a similar feeling like the 1985-1987 baseball anime Touch, as well as originally created by the same person, Mitsuru Adachi, Cross Game takes Touch to a whole new level. Rather than fighting to show who's more accomplished, Cross Game adds the heavy twist of drama from the get go. With an astounding, yet shocking first episode, Cross Game was an easy pick up for those who decided to give the show a chance. Those who blew it off as a typical sports anime were simply left to bite the dust of an anime that currently ranks as high as the masterpiece Evangelion 2.22 on Anidb (at the time of this post). A show that was probably unexpected to go so far in 50 episodes is truly astounding. The pacing of the series was absolutely fantastic with a mix of comedy, drama, and even plot twists. As far as I'm concerned, there was one filler episode in the series, which was episode 30 (I think) where it was essentially a recap about Wakaba. While on this matter, there were a bit too many repetitive scenes, but it wasn't bad to the extent that it got irritating though.
Having not read the Cross Game manga, I am thoroughly impressed by the anime presentation whether or not it follows the source material. The series leaps off from the get go leaving a fantastic impression for the audience, and then plays with the audience's emotions throughout the rest of the show almost like a roller coaster. I've been watching anime for quite some time and it has been an extremely long while since I've seen a masterful plot such as this, especially for a romance, let alone sports anime. The only things I wished they would finish up was the plot between Akaishi and Akane as that was an interesting aspect, showing a bit more about Wakaba's final dream, seeing if Ko ended up buying the final 2 gifts for Wakaba, and potentially what happened the year after that Koshien when Aoba is a senior.
Coming from SynergySP, this was surely shocking. The only noteworthy work I've seen from them was Hayate no Gotoku! and so the animation quality is as expected for the most part, but the character designs and details were very well done. Although it aired in half HD, this is still quite impressive as SynergySP does not seem like they have the budget to actually pull off full HD shows, especially for a show running for 50 episodes. I wasn't expecting too much out of them so this is really the best it could get as is.
The sound? I wasn't a fan of the OP, but definitely a fan of most of the ED themes. They fit the mood quite well for the most part. For 50 episodes though, you would think that they would at least change up the OP themes. Even though they changed part of the video, the amount was so insignificant... Putting that aside, the seiyuus were fantastic. Miyu Irino (Syaoran from Tsubasa Chronicle and Saji Crossroad from Gundam 00) as Ko and Haruka Tomatsu
(Corticarte from Polyphonica and Lala from To Love-Ru) as Aoba were both fantastic! Never have I seen a tsundere role come close to Kugimiya's and this was absolutely priceless at every possible moment throughout the series. The rest of the cast was solid as well, especially given the types of characters they played and how they were designed.
Character development? Absolutely solid. As mentioned in the discussion about the plot, the series was paced very well. The show covered every potential plot hole there could have been and left stuff that wouldn't really make an audience member question the validity of the event in the show. Insight about each character was also given along the way regardless of the slow pace, even up to the final episodes.
Enjoyment? What can I say? Although I'm disappointed that I personally missed the show while it was running for the past year as I would have enjoyed it much much more, it's very difficult to say as to whether or not my review for this show would have changed as I am absolutely thrilled about this show. It's rare that one comes across a valuable gem such as this these days, especially one that beats out the "supposedly" tear-jerking Clannad ~After Story~. If anything, Cross Game made me shed tears more than Clannad, especially the last three episodes of the series, and that wasn't me being sad that the series was over.
Overall, a masterpiece is a masterpiece. There is nothing more to be said about this show except that it needs to be given a chance. Sure the show is rated G by MAL, but that shouldn't discourage people to watch this show or give people the wrong impression that it's a kid's show. I mean, what were you expecting out of a baseball themed show in the first place?
Score: 10/10 This truly deserves a place as one of the best anime series of all time.