Ongoing Investigations: Case #082

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hisuiconMitsuru Adachi once again proves he wants to be writing shonen romance manga but keeps being forced to throw in a sports angle due to his perceived image as a sport manga guy. Cross Game has an ending that while different than Touch left me with that same feeling that the baseball and the trip to Koshien Stadium to just window dressing to the relationship. I enjoyed the series overall especially since I was braced for this sort of ending after Touch. I could tell you how I would have ended Cross Game but I am saving that for next month’s Final Denouement. Overall I think the series was well done and you should not let any criticism I give discourage you from watching the show. It ends well and is a very satisfying if you realize that the romance is the real heart of the series no matter how much the baseball might seem to be the key.

Cross Game started off incredibly strong then dipped in the middle as baseball appeared less and less even going for a stretch of 10+ episodes without the sport mentioned more than in passing. But throughout it all the characters were engaging and admittedly though I complained a lot, I did not give up on the show. Kou and Aoba are an interesting pair because they don’t change so much as realize what has been there all along, and that in itself is a change, but who they are is solid and established right from the beginning. I was equally happy to learn who each of the side characters were like Azuma (who quickly became my favorite) and Akaishi who both show how strong the bonds of friendship are. And within all of this the baseball really delivers, when it is in the story, with real tension and energy. The real problem for Adachi as I see it is that he can write really gripping baseball moments even if he doesn’t want to and therefore I wanted to see more of it. And believe me the ending hits all the right spots between a great last game and the wrap up of the romances I truly felt chills and emotion. The only hiccup with the ending is one piece of unfinished business that’s outcome is never disclosed. Much to my surprise I ended up being happier with Cross Game than I thought I was going to be.

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POLL: How did you first find out about Reverse Thieves?

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The reason we are doing a poll? Because WordPress.com has this cool polls feature! But beyond that initial excitement, we realize we want to know more about our readers. These polls will come around somewhat frequently like when we have some extra space or perhaps it will be related to an article that week. This one is just a warm-up in a long string of ideas we have. Thanks for the feedback!

Otaku Diaries Part 10: Miss Cellaneous and the Otaku Diaries Round Up!

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This is the last bit part of the Otaku Diaries with no major rhyme or reason to this post. This is just interesting tidbits or odd patterns that were not solid enough for their own post but fascinating none the less. There were also odd facts that came up in some people’s surveys that were awesome but really only related to them but we wanted to mention them anyway. These pieces aren’t leftovers as much as diamonds in the rough.

  • 8 people mentioned Gurren Lagann or characters from it as inspirations, characters they admire or are like. It was the most mentioned show by name. 1 has a Gurren Lagann tattoo.
  • 1 person is a twin.
  • 3 people work in libraries.
  • 1 man noted that he can have multiple orgasms and has had as many as 8.
  • Many people didn’t know the term “shipper.”
  • 1 person suffers from cluster headaches.
  • The most mentioned anime directors in order of most popular are: Satoshi Kon, Hayao Miyazaki, and Akiyuki Shinbo.
  • 1 girl said she had a huge crush on Dave Riley (from Fast Karate for the Gentlemen). Likewise 1 guy said he had a man-crush on Daryl Surat (from AWO).
  • 1 person takes their lunch to work in an Neon Genesis Evangelion tin.
  • 3 people named AMV Hell 0 as something they had watched in a group for laughs or otherwise.
  • 1 person ended up breaking up with his girlfriend after he canceled a date to watch Yu Yu Hakusho.
  • 3 people mentioned owning anime character body pillows.
  • 1 person’s mother said she was “too older for cartoons,” but watches Pixar movies.
  • 1 man’s fiance broke off the engagement because he wouldn’t have sex with her before the marriage.
  • 2 people were army brats.
  • 1 girl has a great love for Germany and plans to move there.
  • 2 people mentioned they are most like Madarame (from Genshiken).
  • 1 person’s father is bi-sexual, married but has a long-term boyfriend in another state.
  • 2 people describe themselves as weeaboo.
  • 1 person is home-schooled.
  • 2 people are in open-relationships.
  • 13 were/are officers in an anime club.

We hope everyone enjoyed the unique flavor of this post. Next month will be the last post in the Otaku Diaries. We will be looking our of experiences and feelings on the project as a whole. What did we learn? What preconceived notions did we have that were validated and which were overturned? What would we do differently and what would we expand upon in another similar experiment? Also expect requisite thank yous to everyone who made this possible and maybe even some insight into future plans. See you then.