I’ve fallen in love with something called Big Windup.
Or Ookiku Furikabutte. Or even Oofuri, I don’t care what you call it. Big Windup is easier to pronounce. It’s about sports. I hate sports, but I love this show.
When I say I love this show, I mean it. I LOVE THIS SHOW. (The line where Abe says, “Don’t get me wrong, I think you’re a bit of a douche” had me sold. I’m sorry, I watched the dub, and I’ll explain why in my next post.) I haven’t raved about any anime this much since Ouran, probably. I also haven’t written about one since Kodocha, and that was a while ago. Usually, I never watch an anime again, unless it’s really good. This one has a lot of rewatch value.
This is a baseball anime that centers around Ren Mihashi. He is the most annoying, spineless, whiny little crybaby you’ll ever have the pleasure of meeting. And yet…he’s one of my favorite characters. There’s just something about him that’s really endearing and absolutely adorable. It’s hard to believe that he’s the pitcher, because Abe (his catcher) calls the shots.
Anyway, before I get in too deep into the plot, here is what I think about the show. If you’re into action and explosions every second, then Oofuri may not be the show for you. It’s actually a nice, slow-paced, “cool-down” kind of anime. And even though it’s slow (one of the games spans for 10 episodes!) it has a way of keeping you on the edge of your seat. The suspense keeps you in the moment, and it’s nice to hear the players’ thoughts (from both sides) and their plans of attack. I watched this entire series in two days just because I had to know what happens next.
Not only that, but what I love most about this anime is the psychology behind it. I tell you, once I heard that kid say, “Like Pavlov’s dog?” I squealed with delight, because I knew exactly what that was. The players also employed classical conditioning (“Runner on third!”) to help them play better, and I think that’s ingenious. I guess that was the selling point for me, only because I’m taking a psychology class right now. That may not be the reason why YOU would watch it, but it made me feel connected.
Besides allowing me to identify what I already learned at school, this show also taught me a lot of things. I didn’t know much about baseball, but once I started watching, I began to learn signs, terms, and even strategies for gameplay. I didn’t know that there were so many mechanics behind all the players’ movements, from pitching to throwing and batting. It’s admirable. I almost like baseball now…to a certain extent, of course.
Something worth commenting on is the sound. I love both the openings (Dramatic by Base Ball Bear and Seishun Line by Ikimono-gakari), and that doesn’t happen often. The English dub is not that bad, really (it was what was available on YouTube) and the Japanese seiyuus were also pretty top-notch.
People keep saying Oofuri has yaoi undertones in it (yes, yes, I know. THAT infamous scene). But, I think it isn’t trying to become a shounen-ai sort of anime, it’s just trying to demonstrate the camaraderie and bonds needed to form a strong, winning team. Eh, you always find what you’re trying to look for, and if you find any sort of shounen-ai sort of relationships in this show, that’s your business. However, not everything has to have a sexual connotation to it. I don’t really mind, because all of that has nothing to do with me, but it’s just one of those times where I just want to sit back and enjoy a show the way it is, and not try to sort out love triangles, squares, and even hexagons.
So, all in all, despite the speed of the anime, the suspense always kills me. It gets intense at times, and you feel like you’re watching a real game. There is something to love about all the characters (Tajima the most, though. TAJIMA! NUMBER ONE!) and there are those moments where you’re in stitches because of one of the jokes or Mihashi’s faces. I absolutely recommend this for baseball fans and non-fans alike.
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