Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re checking back in on the boys from Nishiura, and seeing if they can finally fuckin’ relax in the wake of that nail-biter of a first round. Having found themselves matched against the summer tournament’s first-seeded reigning champions, Abe and his companions had to pull out every possible trick just to stay alive, much less eke out a victory. But between their opponents’ initial underestimation of their abilities, their own clever management of their opponents’ weaknesses, and the whimsical will of the heavens themselves, Nishiura somehow managed to just pull through.
That season-long match served as one of the most impressively grounded sports spectacles I’ve ever witnessed. Rather than relying on flashy animation or melodramatic personal turns, every single twist in fortune was here founded on sturdy, coherent tactical dynamics: the difficulty of mastering Mihashi’s pitches, the strategic fundamentals of managing the bases, the impact of rain on both the field and players. Tosei’s team was presented as less of a mountain to climb than a fiendish puzzle to solve, and with every step of that journey cleanly articulated, Nishiura’s victory felt like the natural culmination of their training, tactics, and mutual trust. There is a clear art to mechanically grounded conflict, and Big Windup! is an exemplar of the form. Now let’s see how our boys handle their newfound fame!
Episode 25
Man, even I’m feeling a visceral sense of relief at that match’s conclusion. In the wake of all those incredibly tense episodes, this opening sequence of players taking the field offers a unique and deeply satisfying sensation: the feeling of having already played your part in a group sporting event, and now being able to relax and watch some other players do all the work
Of course, fully relaxing after one victory is a kind of trap in its own right. I imagine learning to manage that instinct is one reason Tomoe insisted on having a team practice right after the game – we must learn to psychologically manage victory and defeat
We then jump back to a snowy day the previous winter, when Mihashi revealed to Shu-chan his plans to change schools for high school, but keep playing baseball
Strong compositions convey Mihashi’s sense of isolation and entrapment, varying between partial closeups that echo his attempts to conceal his feelings and mid-distance shots emphasizing the walls both in front and behind him
Also smartly subdued color design, which both emphasizes the chill of the scene and presents it as far away, a memory sapped of vitality by distance
Nice fluid character animation as he drags himself into bed back in the present
Also some excellent character art as we cut to the next afternoon, with a strong sense of personality and weight in even the still shots of various athletes lounging beside the field. If you’re careful with conveying posture and the way clothes hang on bodies, you don’t even really need motion to imply a sense of vitality in background characters
Apparently it’s their school’s Sports Day. All these collective school events really help Japanese high school classes feel like genuine communities, rather than collections of friend groups stranded among near-strangers. That in turn helps facilitate high school-focused anime’s sense of both pressure and nostalgia
Yeah, the character art in general seems particularly impressive this episode. Lots of expertly drawn stills that inherently convey a sense of personality in how the boys hold themselves and inhabit their outfits
The team is apparently planning to stop by Mihashi’s place for lunch, and all mooch off his curry
Nice dynamic low-angle composition as we check in on a basketball game. I particularly like the use of one player essentially standing around the frame with his fist hanging into it; his leftward motion contrasted against the rightward movement of the basketball creates a nice sense of swirling momentum
Kinda funny that some of the most fluid animation of the show so far is being dedicated to cheer section leader Hamada’s basketball game
Abe is fretting about Mihashi’s mental state as usual. His briefly entertained question of “does Mihashi hate me?” demonstrates that in spite of his general confidence, he still suffers the same irrational high school fears as anyone
And Mihashi’s still actually in bed. No surprise there; high school baseball is just preposterously overtaxing for pitchers, and with the second half of the game taking place in the rain, it’s a miracle he didn’t come down with anything
Strong gag of Abe’s text message being accompanied by him grimly announcing his own name
“He’s coming to yell at me, and bringing the captain!” Goddamnit Mihashi
More delightfully noodly character acting from Mihashi as he greets the team. Again, pretty wild that the post-game episode is perhaps the most fluid of the season, but I’m certainly not complaining
Apparently Tajima stressed his hand during his last at-bat. Unsurprisingly, switching his grip mid-swing meant he put more pressure on his wrist and fingers than he intended
With immediate on-field concerns behind us, we return to Abe attempting to moderate his inherently brusque, accusatory sensibilities, and thereby build a greater sense of trust between himself and Mihashi. A natural progression there – Abe was too stressed to really manage his temper by the end of that game, and thus must now actively reassert a gentler tone
Fortunately, they have something far more impactful to unite them: eating a big pile of curry. Often it’s the simple things that actually bring us together
Nice to see the guys just hanging out and shooting the shit about other teams. No surprise for a show like Big Windup!, which has always prioritized player psychology, but it’s nonetheless important to illustrate their bonds as individuals off the field, which will naturally inform their synchronization and trust on the field
In the wake of Mihashi’s heroic efforts during their first game, it seems clear the players have more sympathy towards him than towards Abe’s short temper
Hanai reflects on his own frustrations regarding Mihashi, including how Mihashi always seems surprised when his teammates encourage him. Though that’s obviously just a reflection of his own insecurities, to an outsider it just seems like he’s rejecting what they presumed to be a mutual trust, like his own fielding team members are strangers to him
“If I met him in middle school, I would have been one of the bullies for sure. It’s a good thing I met him in high school!” An excellent quality in a leader, being able to recognize your own biases and weaknesses
Mihashi reveals he attended Nishiura for practical reasons – uniforms and bikes would be provided, and it was actually his mother’s school. His words emphasize that baseball glory wasn’t even on his mind at that point
Nishiura was basically his only hope for escaping Mihoshi, so he studied like mad in order to get in
Tajima chose Nishiura to stay close to his elderly family. Nice humanizing beats for each of them here
“Everyone seems to be having fun. I’ll stay as quiet as possible.” Mihashi still certain that if things are going well, it must be in spite of his presence
Mihashi’s pitching being explicitly called out on the news only heightens his sense of shame. Any praise he receives must be undeserved, and likely to spark the resentment of his teammates
Jeez, that is some intense pressure, though. I knew the high school summer tournament was a big deal, but not “news announcements for every game” big
Abe at last demonstrates some emotional growth of his own, leading Mihashi gently away from his feelings of self-hatred by first validating them, and then saying his actions were reasonable. You can’t just replace Mihashi’s felt reaction with a more “logical” series of feelings, you have to guide him from where he is to where he ought to be
The ever-sensitive Izumi then bolsters Mihashi’s spirits by offering him the exceedingly complimentary post-game team reflections
Unsurprisingly, Abe’s comment is the only neutral one, merely expressing his desire not to repeat such a close game
“None of us are especially nice people or anything.” A lovely sentiment – we’re all just normal people, and it’s normal to expect this much support from each other. Mihashi has been affixing the middle school resentment borne of years of frustration to everyone he meets, and that’s just not a sustainable way to live
“Is it normal to be this happy?” Aw jeez, Mihashi
We thus ultimately come full circle, with Mihashi now possessing the confidence to renew contact with his old teammate
And Done
That was delightful! With so little time to decompress after their victory last episode, I’m very glad this one went all-in on exploring the team’s varying responses, and even offering some fresh context regarding their various routes towards Nishiura. Having done so much to impress his teammates during the match with Tosei, it was interesting seeing the team reconsider its prior dynamic, and actually challenge Abe’s attitude towards Mihashi. It was initially only Abe’s ruthless tactical mind that saw something of value in Mihashi, but with their team now established, Mihashi is finally learning that friendship need not be either exceptional or conditional – it’s just the natural result of decent people coming together. It doesn’t cost much to be kind.
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