May 5, 2018
Being a silent user on mal who just updates my list, I am writing my first review to give this anime some justice. I doubt people will read it (due to its low popularity and the already present bad reviews here) but hey it's worth a shot.
First of all, I believe one’s expectations is the most important thing before consuming any medium. As many reviewers here have already said, do not expect it to be a typical baseball anime. Go watch Diamond no Ace or One Outs, the latter you are into the psychological aspect.
In essence, Battery is a character-focused driven drama. However, I believe
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it’s so much more than that. Battery can be subtle with its actual themes, a reddit user posted a whole analysis (fortunately it has been deleted, if there’s a repost please send the link) For instance, there was an incident when the baseball coach, Makoto urged Harada to cut his long hair. It actually depicts society’s disapproval on males being too feminine. The dialogue between characters can be interpreted as either friendship-like or something more, which I think that’s exactly what Asano Atsuko was going for, the ambiguity between the fine line of friendship and romance. As supported by an interesting forum post by Chiggy who translated a quote from her "I would like to continue to write works that express the deep and particular feeling which arises specifically because of an inability to distinguish between friendship and romance." (https://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=304974&show=100#post116) Also, Battery certainly does show how cruel society treats others who are so called “different”. The scenes depicting that isn't pretty, so I understand why some people find it hard to watch.
Next, I would like to talk about it's characters. Which almost everyone despises.
Mild Spoilers >>>>> Makoto initial authoritative and indifferent attitude towards Harada can make him be seen as a prick, however we find out that he actually wants to support him by bringing him to nationals. The only reason why he was so authoritative was because his own baseball team believed following the coach’s orders would get them to nationals. This gives us insight on his behaviour and thought process. Therefore, there’s so much more to his character than what meets the eye. The same goes for the other characters <<<<< End of mild spoilers
Especially for the 4 main cast: Harada, Gou, Shuugo and Shunji. Whom are quite complex and multi-layered characters. Being heavily flawed characters without much redeeming qualities shown, they may come across as angsty little teens. So, I can understand why they garner so much hate. My advice would be not to only focus on their dialogue (though simple, I feel it’s a realistic portrayal of our daily conversations in real life) but also their actions. For an example, in the end of the second episode, when Harada slips and fall into the lake, he immediately grabs hold of his arm to protect it. This simple action is just the beginning that tells us how much he values pitching. Therefore, try to examine their thought process and motives in order to get a full-experience out of Battery.
Keep in mind, that they are only kids, that’s why some of their actions may be seen as immature or childish. These characters do not exactly speak out their minds, instead deny their feelings at times. Therefore, it can be hard to understand why they act a certain way. That’s when the supporting cast comes in, to help us comprehend the complexity of those characters. For an example, Seiha, Harada’s younger brother, he understands Harada more than Harada knows himself. He is a very smart and bright boy, who I honestly will watch if he has his own detective spin-off show, not like it will ever happen haha. Battery does have its own share of flaws, it throws characters drama here and there over and over again, without giving much of a breathing space. It’s animation also falls flat with its lackluster animated walking scenes.
The opening and ending (especially the lyrics) compliments the heart and soul of Battery. Not to mention, how beautifully coloured they are.
All in all, it’s only 11 episodes give it a shot if you are open-minded and don’t mind seeing negative emotions being portrayed. If u appreciate subtlety in things, especially social commentary on views of homosexuality, this shouldn’t be one to miss!
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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