"I used to think Maruo was the insecure type who isn't capable of having big dreams. But that's not right. He's the type to have countless smaller dreams that he can achieve perfectly, one by one. They may be small individually, but as they keep coming true, they quickly become one huge dream."
Baby Steps is a realistic, mentally engaging sports anime. It's well paced and subtle in its delivery of drama and romance, preferring to focus on the physical and mental aspects of playing tennis. The show has a good use of inner-monologues to display realistic and intriguing thought processes of each character throughout the
...
matches.
This second season of Baby Steps introduces slightly older and more mature characters. They start to think about their futures more seriously, whether that be going to University or pursuing tennis as a career. Consequently, the outcomes of the matches carry a greater sense of risk which makes them even more exciting to watch.
Baby Steps is very good at making us empathise with Maruo's feelings of excitement and determination; especially in those matches when his future depends on whether he wins or loses. Even when we already know what the outcome should be for the story to continue, the tension is kept high as in the past, Maruo has not been an automatic "plot-armour" type of character. He has lost many times, but he learns from each failure.
The pacing of the story is arguably a little on the slower side, but I feel this reflects Maruo's patient, strategic playing style. Of course, his skills have improved quite a bit since season 1 (he even learns some new shots) and he's getting one step closer to playing at the professional level.
One might think his progression is too fast to be realistic, but there do exist prodigies who are natural at their sport, even becoming pro after starting relatively late. And when you consider Maruo's rare work ethic and unusually good eyesight, it's certainly not impossible. Baby Steps does an excellent job of balancing a fun, exciting story with enough realistic elements to keep fans of the sport happy.
My favorite thing about this show, which I feel is unique compared to other sports anime I've seen, is the way the psychological aspects of the sport are explored in a surprising amount of depth. Anyone who's played tennis competitively or recreationally will recognise how your mental state plays a big part in how well you perform. With the margin for error so small in tennis, a slight shift in your mindset even on a subconscious level can make the difference between your shots going in or out.
This season also explores a concept called "the zone". I believe the author of the manga has thoroughly researched tennis psychology to describe this as accurately as possible, because it matches surprisingly well with my own experiences as a racket sports player. The zone is an ultimate state of mind where one is so focused that they are completely unaware of anything else. They are focused only on the present moment without worrying about what will happen, or has happened in the past. The result being, the player's best physical and mental performance is achieved.
Of course the show also deals with the physical and technical ability of our main character, which improves even more from the first season. One of the only things I was disappointed with in the first season was a lack of focus on the serve; considered one of the most important shots in the game, but very difficult to master. This season does address it, as Maruo tries to strengthen his body and improve the efficiency of his movement to improve his serve drastically.
One minor criticism I have of this season was the lack of general training scenes compared with season 1.
And if I'm being ultra-critical, I noticed one or two technical errors such as players serving to the wrong service box at the start of a game. It's a minor thing that would hardly be noticeable, but it does bring into question the lack of attention to detail by the animators/director.
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Production values:
Art - Much fewer mistakes compared with season 1, for the character designs, though there are still a few derp faces present on a few frames.
Animation - Improved over season 1, though it could be a lot smoother and fewer still frames. However, during important matches the animation quality is significantly boosted which really adds to the entertainment value.
Sound - A few new OSTs are added since season 1 which sometimes adds a some more excitement to the matches.
However, most of the time we have the same video-game-bgm type of soundtrack which isn't very noticeable. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as it does it's job well of being "background" music.
The opening song is the same catchy tune from season 1 ("Believe in yourself" by Mao Abe) but now the song is timed perfectly to more dynamic visuals that really gets you pumped to watch the show.
For the ED, I didn't care much for the song, but has nice visuals.
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Finally, the romance that was hinted at towards the end of the first season has more development in this season. It's still not enough to distract from the main story line but it manages to be more satisfying than even a lot of romance-genre shows.
A big difference between this show and other sports anime it has no "drama" in the genres. This actually is part of why I love this show. There are no over exaggerated reactions, crying, etc. The emotions of the characters are subtly portrayed which helps you empathise with them better and keep a sense of realism.
In conclusion, I fully recommend Baby Steps to anyone, even if you're not a fan of sports anime in general. It has intelligent strategies, realistic development, like-able characters and even a touch of romance so there's something for everyone to enjoy.
Side note: You don't need to have any prior knowledge of tennis to enjoy this anime. (Just remember to start from season 1)
Story: 10/10
Art: 8/10
Sound: 9/10
Character: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Overall rating: 10/10.
Oct 17, 2015
Baby Steps 2nd Season
(Anime)
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"I used to think Maruo was the insecure type who isn't capable of having big dreams. But that's not right. He's the type to have countless smaller dreams that he can achieve perfectly, one by one. They may be small individually, but as they keep coming true, they quickly become one huge dream."
Baby Steps is a realistic, mentally engaging sports anime. It's well paced and subtle in its delivery of drama and romance, preferring to focus on the physical and mental aspects of playing tennis. The show has a good use of inner-monologues to display realistic and intriguing thought processes of each character throughout the ... |
