Ballpark de Tsukamaete! is the first season finale of the spring. Kind of ironic, then, that it ends on opening day – though it does offer some acknowledgement of the season’s end, too. I’m going to assume this was a make-up game (from a rainout) against a different opponent, though in the Majors they don’t bother playing those if they don’t impact the pennant races. Naturally it would be pretty hard to get psyched up for a game like that, having just had your hearts broken the night before in an elimination game. Though I suppose if Matsudo-san (the manager) had shared his news a little early, his guys would have been very motivated.
Matsudo does indeed resign, though it seems odd to do so having just led the MotorSuns to their best finish ever. By all accounts he seems to be popular with the players, and he’s certainly popular with the PR department and the press corps, as he always goes out of his way to deliver a good sound byte or reaction shot. Just about everyone who played some role in the season gets a check-in here, including the dad of the cheer squad girl who comes to the park to embarrass her the next day.
This fan appreciation game is largely a Japan-specific baseball tradition as far as I can tell. Though I think even here the dressing in costumes thing is a one-off. It’s a nice idea, given that it’s the fans who pay everyone’s salaries. The cosplay tends towards the silly side (the centerfielder dresses as a beer girl), and the game concludes with Matsudo being introduced as a ninth-inning pinch-hitter (with Koujima pitching). But only after Nagisa reads a thank-you letter (handed to him by Nokogiriyama) from the players.
Another Japan-only baseball tradition I was unaware of is this thing where the teams with the best records from three seasons ago (ROFL) get dibs on hosting opening day. Both these things are quintessentially Japanese, and this three-year gap is something only they would think makes sense (and I’m sure they could explain why). So “opening day” at MotorSuns Stadium is actually the team’s fourth game of the season – much to the disappointment of baseball neophyte Ruriko when she shows up for work.
Opening Day is one of the happiest of the year if you’re a baseball fan. On opening day everybody’s a contender and all things are possible. That’s kind of the vibe Ballpark de Tsukamaete! embraces with it, leaving pretty much all the plot threads open-ended but hopeful. That includes the back-of-the-back burner romance between Ruriko and Koutarou. She gets suspiciously peevish when he tells her he went to the real opening day in Saitama, but when he tells her that he saves his beer opening day for Ruriko, her joy is even more suspicious.
I’ve been surprised many times in the last few years, but I really have to guess that was a read the manga ending. A modestly–popular seinen sports manga seems very unlikely to get multiple cours. As is the anime only covered about 25% of the existing material (the manga is ongoing), so I’m glad the adaptation didn’t try to slap an original ending on the story. Opening Day is a good note to end on then because, again, it’s the day when all things are possible and every team is a contender. This series won’t have wowed anyone with flashy animation or battle sequences, but as a baseball slice-of-life it put up a very solid batting average, and I’m glad I picked it up.
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