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Jun 28, 2015 1:56 AM
#1

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Nov 2011
129679
THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE.
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Aki is cute as a button :p


Glad to see this season give her more spotlight. Pacing felt kinda slow for this episode though. Also, delicious Black Coffee!
Jun 28, 2015 5:24 AM
#2

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Jun 2014
165
another good episode.. i feel the show keeps improving and getting better and better.. was a good show from the first episode in season 1 and it has just keept become better and better.
And here in season 2 they have included more chars that play tennis and you see and learn more about em, like in this episode.. and it just keep improve the show.. after my opinion.
Jun 28, 2015 5:34 AM
#3

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May 2012
66
This episode was okay. It kept me interested without looking at the time, so it surely wasn't a wasted one. Oh, and Aki is definitely a cutie :3

Yeah! Can't wait for the match with Takuma. And after that we've got a match with Ide. Not gonna lie, I want to see him in anime because he's hella cute.

Another thing, which also happened in the previous season - art is sometimes great, and sometimes it's kind of... ugly. It saddens me but oh well.
Overall, I'm positive about this show. Anyone knows whether it's going to be a 2 cour anime? Or will it have more episodes?
Jun 28, 2015 5:45 AM
#4
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Oct 2013
208
Great episode, and oh man I can't wait for what's gonna happen next episode. I've read past it in the manga and I'm hyped for it :D
Jun 28, 2015 6:15 AM
#5

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Dec 2011
1868
Another great episode and nice seeing everyone here training together.I can't wait for next episode Maruo vs Takuma and by seems preview it seems like next week will be
Jun 28, 2015 6:35 AM
#6

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Aug 2013
111
Enjoyable episode like always. It was fun to see Iwasa too! ^__^
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Jun 28, 2015 6:48 AM
#7

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Sep 2013
2720
I thought this is going to be just a 1-cour but it seem this going to be 2-cour or maybe a long-running series.
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Jun 28, 2015 7:08 AM
#8

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Aug 2010
10989
Poor Aki, her mom keeps cockblocking her XD She's cute :3
Feel bad for her, she has no chance piercing the NacchanxEichan OTP ship <3

Can't wait for Shounen MCs Ide's match. That was one of the most intense matches in the series.

And this Takuma match is gonna be fun esp seeing the reactions :3 More Nacchan nxt ep too :D
Jun 28, 2015 7:18 AM
#9

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Jun 2013
4853
i feel bad for Aki
Jun 28, 2015 7:57 AM

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Jun 2014
8
Great episode, can't wait for next week. Also, Aki is so cute.
Jun 28, 2015 10:02 AM

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Jul 2009
63
Loving Aki's character, she's awkward and cute but still believable. She also made me realize how great the dialogue and scene pacing is in this show. Maybe that's why it's one of the more enjoyable sports shows I've seen.
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Jun 28, 2015 10:19 AM

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Nov 2013
3836
Ziljun said:
She also made me realize how great the dialogue and scene pacing is in this show.

agreed yo. the pacing is spot on for not only the growth of Maruo, but what's going down in the rest of the series. haven't felt any rushing nor dragging from any of baby steps c:
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Jun 28, 2015 11:32 AM

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Jun 2014
12856
Axelucard_ said:
i feel bad for Aki


its always the damn parent's fault
All credit goes to Sacred.
Jun 28, 2015 11:35 AM

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Nov 2010
1690
Great training.

and i'm kinda interested in next episode's title, it was different from other titles of season.
Jun 28, 2015 12:43 PM
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Jul 2018
562329
Great training!

Aki really develop feelings for Maruo.
Jun 28, 2015 1:20 PM

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Jun 2014
4145
my love for this series is way too much for me to handle

<3
:3
Jun 28, 2015 4:07 PM

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Jan 2011
4266
One of the things I like best about the show is how you start cheering for some of the secondary characters as well. Of course we want Ei-chan to win, but as we see more of them you begin to hope that other characters like Araya also do well. And based on next week's title, it's going to be an epic episode.

Poor Aki, I think she's going to have to break loose a bit from her mother's control if she really wants to get a boyfriend.
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Jun 28, 2015 9:42 PM

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Nov 2014
616
Really hyped for the next episode, it should be tense and awesome.
Jun 28, 2015 11:34 PM

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Apr 2014
688
Aki is such a cute. Glad we get some time spent on her.

Ahh, getting stupidly pumped for the Ide match...which won't come for a few weeks. orz

But: Ide~ ♡

Next week looks to still be good, though. Wow! Are we already at that point in the manga?
Jun 29, 2015 1:17 AM

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Jan 2013
11047
Great episode as always. Still have a ways to go.
Jun 29, 2015 2:32 AM

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Feb 2012
1041
Aki is so cute!!! Too bad that with her pacing and her mom's constant interference, she can't win Maruo over. She's a good contender though if nothing happens with Natsu and Maruo.
You can just be yourself. Do things your own way, one step at a time. You'll get there. Just be yourself, you'll be fine."
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Jun 29, 2015 7:52 AM

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Sep 2014
2454
Good episode! Aki's clumy and stuff, cute. Let's see how Maruo fairs against Ide.
Jun 29, 2015 1:48 PM

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Apr 2014
359
waiting for the next episode ....beach....moon natsu <3

and the match with takuma...very interesting

Jun 29, 2015 8:50 PM

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Jul 2011
4449
Not a fan of Aki, seems like she goes with the flow. Don't care that she's cute either. She's #1 due to her skills, not looks or personality.

Anyways, we all know what will happen next episode. It's even in the opening. XD

I think they might actually adapt until the most recent match, because at the rate they're going they're burning through chapters. I'm looking forward to see his later opponents in anime form. :D
Jun 29, 2015 9:30 PM

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Oct 2011
9163
Tennis Match with everyone

Aki interested in Ei-chan OMG
Jun 29, 2015 9:33 PM

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Mar 2012
1917
Sooo hyped for the next episode (lol, I feel like I say something like this right before or during every match for Baby Steps)! Ei-chan vs Takuma with an even more ferocious serve now [plus who knows what else]. The focus on development is what truly shines for this show.
AceDvazzJun 29, 2015 9:39 PM
Jul 2, 2015 5:05 AM

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Oct 2013
2433
I ship Aki x Ei-chan lol. Honestly though Aki seems really sweet and chill. Of course Natsu x Ei-chan is undeniably great but gee...Aki made me reconsider. Anyways next episode may get romantic :D
Jul 2, 2015 10:03 AM

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Jun 2011
14150
So hyped for the upcoming match between Ei-chan and Takuma!! Ahh I want 100 more episodes for Baby Steps. I am so glad that other characters are also getting some spotlight. I've always liked Iwasa, the battle gears he has are pretty cool. Good to see players like Miyagawa getting some screen time too, not my favorite but I like him too.

If Maruo's second match is against Ide, that means that only one of them are able to get the ticket for the national tournament, hmm..

Kitoge said:
I ship Aki x Ei-chan lol. Honestly though Aki seems really sweet and chill. Of course Natsu x Ei-chan is undeniably great but gee...Aki made me reconsider. Anyways next episode may get romantic :D
Me too. XD Aki is cute.
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Jul 4, 2015 12:19 PM

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Oct 2014
2761
Good episode, maybe a bit slow. Fun to see everyone gathered together with the training and stuff.

Aki is so cute too, but I still ship Natsu x Eii-chan :p

Will be fun to see Eii-chan's matches next ep!
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Jul 6, 2015 2:17 PM

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Nov 2010
2047
The practise between the official matches has a greater appeal to me,
since more of the cast showed up to express their drive in sport

Aki was just too cute, sadly Natsu showed up more early to really root for her
Jul 6, 2015 11:06 PM

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Jan 2011
26766
Hope we get some more Aki time.
Dec 20, 2015 10:33 PM

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Dec 2014
6434
jbeat said:
Aki is so cute!!! Too bad that with her pacing and her mom's constant interference, she can't win Maruo over. She's a good contender though if nothing happens with Natsu and Maruo.



Red-haired girls. :3
Mar 3, 2016 7:24 AM

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Aug 2013
4150
DAmmit.. Ei-chan have to pick up his game with Nat-chan...
If Aki-chan had more time together I bet Nat-chan might lose out in romance too LOL.
I really want to root for Aki-chan.. she's soooo innocent and cute.
Both of them are a good match for Ei-chan in different ways.
Too bad harem route is a no-no... xD
May 13, 2016 12:11 AM

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Dec 2012
3006
Another good episode, I think I will love all the episode until the end ^.^.
Poor Aki, she even has no time to speak with Mario :/

I am looking forward to watch Takuma in action !
Mar 15, 2018 9:15 AM

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Jun 2016
3391
Some brief thoughts and some not so brief thoughts for this episode since a lot was going on:

Seeing Aoi play would have been incredible, it's a shame it skipped the match entirely.

I was not expecting Maruo to play with Iwasa again, that was a pleasant surprise.

I'm still confident Aki is an airhead with no personality apart from being awkward and shy and dumb and cute. That meaning I don't like her. But, she is bringing something into the anime I thought was much needed season 1, that being broader themes and scope. To see the perspective of someone who has played their whole life, not because they want to or have a drive to, but because they were guided to. Someone who never had to find her passion and refuse to quit alike Maruo, Natsu, Miyagawa, Araya, and Iwasa, this person would have a whole other problem when it comes to competitive play. Remember Aoi's quote about the person who wins is the person having the most fun, and how Natsu agreed as Maruo was playing Araya. She's the opposite of that. She has everything she needs to excel but it's all been given to her. She lacks drive or fun. Perhaps she may be a plot device to present us this information on some level, but it's much needed to broaden what Baby Steps stands for.
It also made me realize the problems I mentioned were due to the format. Keep in mind the problem of not having enough going on isn't inherently a problem but rather purely my opinion as I can see why it can be, and was a good thing in Baby Steps case. Baby Steps season 1 was a journey of what it means to compete, what it means to invest yourself in something you love and learn. It had no time to focus on the other avenues of competition. The growing of a competitive mindset and the learning of a game and the passion and commitment of realizing this is what s1 was about. Now that this is established we're opening up what we analyze, what we see in Miyagawa going through a slump, Aki's problem mentioned above, and such, as well as we're seeing the backgrounds of supporting characters more than ever eliminating the lack of focus on characters other than Maruo. We're even seeing the girls more this time. This may mean when rating Baby Steps as a whole I may need to take a step back and up my score.

Lastly, Ide is the peoples player. I recall him turning a whole crowd against him for him. His power comes from this and I remember thinking I couldn't wait to see a match against him. Looks like we're getting it soon!
Mar 20, 2018 10:55 AM

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Dec 2014
7046
Aki is such a cutie. <3
Jul 30, 2019 10:03 AM
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Apr 2016
13025
So that's how it goes: if tennis gets forced on a person before the person is able to choose whether one enjoys it or not, the person grows to be unsure about their commitment. Training with everyone seems like a very useful thing.
Nov 27, 2020 7:47 PM

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Jul 2017
6819
Pretty chill transition episode as a whole. Needed one after the matches we got in the Kanagawa tourney, especially the final. STC's collabed with other players from other clubs to all help each other train and get better together, helpful for Maruo as well since he gets to train against players like Araya (left-hander) and Iwasa (can change pace well), and just get more experience as a whole against strong players.

Also got to see Aki again, and looks like she's a bit struck with Maruo. She's not that great at communicating though so she struggled to get her thoughts through to him, plus she even saw him and Natsu walk off together so even if she's unclear about herself, could cause a bit of confusion for her (hell, Natsu even beat her once too because of it).

Maruo got the draw where he would have to face the fifth seed of the Kanto Juniors tournament in the second round, the round he needs to win to qualify for the All-Japan Junior tournament. Given how he took the third seed Araya to the limit in the Kamagawa tournament, he's definitely more than capable of contending against other players as well for the most part.

Takuma's also now a top 10 player in Japan, and Maruo gets to conclude the match they never got to finish due to coach Aoi stopping them (the time where Maruo figured out how to work on his fast serve). Interesting cliffhanger, although would not be shocked if it went nowhere the next episode and the match ends quickly.
Jul 29, 2021 1:43 PM

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Jul 2016
8902
No one is gonna talk about my boy Yukichi rocking those training outfits? So much drip OMFG.
Mar 23, 2022 12:10 AM

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Jul 2021
9190
The training session felt really nice and chill

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