Feb 5, 2016
Ace of the Diamond. Truly a series that I've always been wanting to see. Baseball? After watching Oofuri and Major, I was entranced by this wonderful strategic and systematic sport. Both an individual and a team sport, if focuses on the actual game play and all positions are very important. As of now, baseball has become my favorite sport and for good reason. I like Shounen for its wonderful idea and world building concepts but characters are what makes a show for me. Their interactions and their aspiring motivations can be very well be the life of any series for me and that is why
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I am not big on romance, or forcing romantic interests in any given show which should be focusing on the promised concept. And that's where DnA caught me at first, it's the fact that it is as pure as baseball manga/anime gets. I've always been wanting to see a show like this, granted Oofuri was very very good in this but the slowness of the updates is not enough to quench my thirst.
When I first came across of this series, I was skeptical at the first two episodes. As I am not big on romance, I am not big on underdog stories as well. Sometimes, you just want to see a battle with only truly good players present. (my fave in KnB are the miracles and their matches). So when the plot moves on to say that Eijun will be going to a powerhouse school, I was excited because finally, an elite team. This should be good.
And it did not disappoint. The plot may have been simplistic to all but what can you expect, it is a series focus on High School baseball. There are only so many routes to choose from and yet DnA can make one wonder where the story might take us. It's like knowing the destination but not sure how to get there. This is the charm of DnA because it's cliche, but it's a better cliche.
Now, I wanna talk about the characters. Oh, such a large and loveable cast from both the home team and the adversaries. My favorite has got to be the MC, Eijun Sawamura as he is a character that can make anyone like him. Yes, he's cheerful and has a never give up attitude very common in Shonen but this also where a cliche is good and taken a little step further. He's the perfect MC, a mixture of raw talent and the touch of an underdog because he's a diamond in the rough. We get to follow his worries, aspirations and his struggles as he tries to acquire that coveted number. He's literally the sunshine this series has and the fans are never wrong about him on this. Aside from Eijun, we get the whole Seidou team and they are literally the best team for me. Senpais and kouhais, coaches and managers, everyone is doing their job so profoundly than any other sports series I've watched. (it's a lot, actually. my other fave sport other than baseball is soccer and Captain Tsubasa is really good for me, the same level as Major). The team play combined with the character dynamics makes this series very enjoyable.
For the art, I personally think manga is better but the OP/ED can make one think that the animators made a good deal out of this. The music score/OST are full of feels and suspense, oh so very good. The overall enjoyment of the show is consistent, I love it more and more.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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