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Jul 30, 2019 9:10 AM
Offline
Apr 2016
13025
Honestly, I didn't expect Ei-chan to lose against him a second time. The match was really great however, it was a real spectacle to watch.
Sep 10, 2019 1:55 PM
Offline
Sep 2009
645
Glad he lost.Talented or not, they are really forcing Eich-chan's "talent" sometimes. He is no match to Takuma and yet Takuma is the only person to whom Araya lost. And he is a power house who was training for years, no way Marua's body could keep up with him and I'm glad it was his losing factor.
Feb 25, 2020 3:52 PM
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Jul 2018
562329
This might be the greatest damn episode of the series as a whole. This episode encapsulated everything that has been building up over season one and two. The match they played is what the anime is all about, and Maruo's constant strategizing is what makes him such a distinguishable protagonist. Not to mention when he cried over the drawing... I felt that. ;)

I think most of us knew that Maruo would end up losing the match, regardless of how well he played or how close the score was. Simply because this anime does a stellar job at realism. But I don't even think our expectations or what happened really matters. Maruo losing after everything he did packs a bigger punch than the alternative of him winning. I feel like Maruo winning would be too typical for an anime, but now that Maruo's lost, we can truly appreciate the fight that was put forth. So I'm satisfied with Maruo's loss.

I just have to wonder what happens now. Right!? He was banking his entire future on this match, not to mention the deal he made with his parents.

Wtf is gonna happen next!? There's still like 12 episodes left!!!

Man I'm on the edge of my seat. How's my guy Eich gonna make it to the finals now?
Nov 26, 2020 7:27 AM

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Mar 2016
3134
Anyone thinking Maruo would actually pull a comeback has to be delusional. The sheer difference in physical capacity was just too big a gap for Maruo to hurdle. Sadly too predictable, but at least Maruo got something out of it, and Arata, despite being the winner, recognized that. Too bad the match had literally minimal intensity visual-wise, as with practically every other match from this series.
Nov 27, 2020 7:09 PM

Offline
Jul 2017
6819
Such an awesome episode, and the end to an awesome match. With no tiebreakers followed in this tournament's final, going for a 2-game differential for the winner, the match was a classic as a whole. Maruo caught up to Araya a lot with his much improved serve, returns and overall quality of his game but Araya's endurance in the end survived against Maruo to end the match at 6-3, 3-6, 9-7 in Araya's victory.

The match felt exhausting to watch, in a good way, I could feel the pain Maruo went through as he looked to find desperate ways to victory, even relying on his instincts for a little bit that looked like it could help him reach the finish line, but Araya's just that damn good and trained for that long to overcome everything in the end. Great match put by the both of them, worthy of the final of a proper tournament in front of a big crowd.

And while this match was a long one, nothing compared to the 11 hour classic that happened 10 years ago between Nicolas Mahut and John Isner at Wimbledon in the very first round. 9-7 really does feel like nothing compared to 70-68. How those men survived after those games, I will never be able to figure that out. Still, competitive as hell between Maruo and Araya regardless.

And also, at least Maruo's now established his name in the scene as someone everyone should watch out for, being the unseeded player who took out the second seed, third seed and took the first seed to the brink and nearly pulled off the ultimate upset without any flukes whatsoever. Excited to see what's going to happen next!
animejasNov 27, 2020 7:15 PM
Mar 23, 2022 12:09 AM

Offline
Jul 2021
9190
Maruo is losing his cool ;'(
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It’s time to ditch the text file.
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