Oofuri 23 END — A Paean to Hope
Hope is the order of the day, and our heroes need a lot of it. They’ve managed another point, but they’re still behind. Can they pull it off?
Like I said before, I have my doubts. Though one of the more realistic examples so far, if Nishiura’s streak continues for too much longer my suspension of disbelief will just about shatter. Which is why I don’t think it will. But more on that later.
There’s this running sense of hope throughout this chapter, a scenario no uncommon in manga or anime in general, but it’s one of the more subdued examples. By subdued, I mean there aren’t any annoying cheerleader types giving idiotic speeches. That is a Good Thing. Thus the focus remains on the players, and their own struggles.
Which leads me to the most interesting thing about this chapter, when coupled with the next-volume preview at the end. Mihashi and Abe have always been the focus, but it seems we’ll be seeing some sort of conflict in the near future. Hinted at back in chapter 21, it looks like Momoe’s going to confront Abe about how he’s treating Mihashi. Cannot wait!
And we’re back to why I don’t think they’ll win. From the looks of it, whatever revelation is in store for Abe will be pretty big; that is to say, he has not yet grown enough as a character for his relationship with Mihashi to actually be healthy, or anywhere near where it should end up. When you consider how important the characters are in a manga like this, and how much it concerns their growth and development as people as well as baseball players, then losing makes perfect sense. Abe–and he probably isn’t alone their–is not yet in the proper frame of mind to win. To be blunt: he doesn’t deserve it.
Now, I’ve said it before, but I’ll reiterate: I do not know much about baseball. So I can’t really judge how effective a unit they are, because I have no basis for comparison. But my guess is it isn’t normal for a catcher to have a sign for the pitcher to shake his head. That just reeks of, well, bullying, for lack of a better word. Abe says “trust,” but I imagine it’s more akin to “submission” than anything else. And those aren’t quite the same thing.
