Ballpark de Tsukamaete! (The Catcher in the Ballpark!) – 09
For the record, the localization of this title is very odd. “The Catcher in the Ballpark” makes no sense – whereas “Catch Me At the Ballpark” (which seems to be the unlicensed manga’s translated title) does, both as a literal translation and a substantive one. Those sorts of things drive me crazy way more than they should…
I’m a nekozuki, as most of you know. But when it comes to mutts, I’d take huskies over any of ‘em. My aunt and uncle had five and they’re fascinating and odd beasts. “Baseball dogs” are one of those trendy baseball gimmicks, which to me is whatever, but harmless. I don’t quite get why Ruriko was so scared of Tommy, but it was cute for what it was. Ruriko being late for work is the sort of thing I’m surprised we haven’t seen before to be honest.
Next up we get some nice Rurikoutarou interaction, as her “Show Your Suns” towel prompts a soliloquy from Makoto about his “Easy Suns” glove leather wallet. Important? Yeah, since she knows his name now. And him searching all over the stadium to give her the hundred Yen she over-changed him (without even realizing he’d lost the wallet, which had Ruriko searching for him) definitely plucked her heartstrings a little. This is an odd couple to be sure, but there’s definitely chemistry there. I’m guessing Ruriko probably hasn’t dated a lot of nice guys in her life.
Finally, a bit about phones and pennant chases. It’s true – in the age of LINE and DMs, when the phone rings it does set off a panic reaction. In this case it was good news – Yuki trying to tell Kojiro she was preggers. The MotorSuns being in the midst of the playoff race is certainly the likely dramatic driver of the third act – especially since it would be their first postseason appearance ever. A tense time for any such team, both on the field and in the stands.
Uchuujin MuuMuu (Me and the Alien MuMu) – 08
To be honest, I probably could have given Uchuujin MuuMuu it’s own slot as it turns out. Nothing wrong with digest posts, and I’ll stick with this format since we’ve only got four eps left. But most weeks I probably would have had enough to say about it to justify a dedicated entry. No disrespect to Ballpark, which is a very likeable piece of work, but MuuMuu is definitely the more interesting show.
A lot of that comes down to Tenkubashi, who’s kind of emerged as the breakout character of the series. Wataru is just such a difficult guy that he can’t help but be really interesting. He’s insanely smart and knowledgeable (and those two are not the same thing), but has absolutely no common sense whatsoever. I suppose it would never occur to Wataru that Sonoko is reciprocating his crush (the crush cat proves it). The water thing was almost logical, but then the follow up – smelling the cardigan – betrays just how ignorant Tenkubashi is of how others see him.
There’s a lot of appealing silliness accompanying all that. Like the Regeneration Society’s guerilla laundromat (stealing water and power), with its moaning “sign girl”. And MuuMuu’s spooked cat reaction when he connected it to his home world, and Akihiro putting his wet phone in the microwave (he’s quite the ditz). Eventually this all builds to Sakurako suggesting a takopa (takoyaki party) using the electric maker she found in the shop. Which leads to a discourse on outlets and Japanese manufacturing from Wataru, a debate on “Made in China” and homemade vs. frozen, and finally a takopa battle between Sakurako and Samezu-san, who she’s insisted on inviting (Sakurako wins).
Uchuujin MuuMuu is definitely not the sort of series a production committee would design from scratch (I’m surprised an editor did, frankly) but its weird alchemy absolutely works. Some shows are weird as an affectation, trying to make an impact, but you can always tell it’s all a front. This one is weird for its own sake, committed and unapologetic to and about it, and I’m very glad it exists because I’m not getting what it delivers anywhere else.
The post Weekly Digest 05/29/25 – Ballpark de Tsukamaete! (The Catcher in the Ballpark!), Uchuujin MuuMuu (Me and the Alien MuMu) appeared first on Lost in Anime.
