Wednesday
Jul082009
Taishou Yakyuu Musume Ep1 - A Leauge of Their Own
Wednesday, July 8, 2009 at 08:00AM
(and yes, every review of this is going to have that title)
Next in line for the Summer season sampler is Taishou Yakyuu Musume, which I really need a translation for since it's too long to type every time. So let's call it the baseball anime. As a rule, I avoid sports anime. They pretty much all follow the same plot, and while that can be said of almost all "genres" of anime, it's a plot line I tend not to like. That is, plucky underdogs go through hell only to win out in the end against the odds. Worked for Bad News Bears, that was about it. This one throws two twists into the mix - the first was done by Princess Nine, and that is chicks. It's the second that may keep me watching.
I don't think we're in modern day Tokyo anymore, Toto-san
Taishou Yakyuu Musume takes place in 1925 Tokyo, when, as the above mixing of kimonos and sailor uniforms shows, Japan was still incorporating western styles with traditional culture. Japanese history is a weak spot in my Otaku education, mostly because history in anime tends to be, let's say, inaccurate (you mean the Meiji did NOT employ steam powered mecha in the defense of Tokyo?). They try to suggest this one is more concerned with accuracy, but how would I know?
I'm going to pretend I know what that means without Wikipedia
The show also seems to enjoy pointing out that it's 1925, with many references to old buildings, styles, even trains.
I think there's one of these in a museum in Shinjuku
The story is as you expect. One girl convinces her best friend to try out baseball, and they start trying to find 7 other suckers, er, players. And equipment. And a place to play. Any anyone who knows what baseball is. So they take in a game, and baseball in 1925 Japan is a bit different than it is, well, anywhere or at any time.
Baseball related deaths peaked in 1925, apparently
The next element a sports anime needs is a reason to play. We get a pretty predictable one here.
Even in 1925, this twit's a jerk
We finish the episode with some more typical sports cliche' events. First, the nerdy girl no one expected joins the team. Then the prim and proper girl shows up with equipment, suggesting she knows more than she is letting on. I personally think they whole class would play if she just explained why they are forming a team, but there you go.
We're going to run out stereotypes by then
I have to assume they'll have to deal with conservative parents, more naysayers, and that one girl with real talent no one knew about. But the twist of mixing this with historical elements might make this worth watching. I'll let you know.
Next in line for the Summer season sampler is Taishou Yakyuu Musume, which I really need a translation for since it's too long to type every time. So let's call it the baseball anime. As a rule, I avoid sports anime. They pretty much all follow the same plot, and while that can be said of almost all "genres" of anime, it's a plot line I tend not to like. That is, plucky underdogs go through hell only to win out in the end against the odds. Worked for Bad News Bears, that was about it. This one throws two twists into the mix - the first was done by Princess Nine, and that is chicks. It's the second that may keep me watching.
I don't think we're in modern day Tokyo anymore, Toto-san
Taishou Yakyuu Musume takes place in 1925 Tokyo, when, as the above mixing of kimonos and sailor uniforms shows, Japan was still incorporating western styles with traditional culture. Japanese history is a weak spot in my Otaku education, mostly because history in anime tends to be, let's say, inaccurate (you mean the Meiji did NOT employ steam powered mecha in the defense of Tokyo?). They try to suggest this one is more concerned with accuracy, but how would I know?
I'm going to pretend I know what that means without Wikipedia
The show also seems to enjoy pointing out that it's 1925, with many references to old buildings, styles, even trains.
I think there's one of these in a museum in Shinjuku
The story is as you expect. One girl convinces her best friend to try out baseball, and they start trying to find 7 other suckers, er, players. And equipment. And a place to play. Any anyone who knows what baseball is. So they take in a game, and baseball in 1925 Japan is a bit different than it is, well, anywhere or at any time.
Baseball related deaths peaked in 1925, apparently
The next element a sports anime needs is a reason to play. We get a pretty predictable one here.
Even in 1925, this twit's a jerk
We finish the episode with some more typical sports cliche' events. First, the nerdy girl no one expected joins the team. Then the prim and proper girl shows up with equipment, suggesting she knows more than she is letting on. I personally think they whole class would play if she just explained why they are forming a team, but there you go.
We're going to run out stereotypes by then
I have to assume they'll have to deal with conservative parents, more naysayers, and that one girl with real talent no one knew about. But the twist of mixing this with historical elements might make this worth watching. I'll let you know.
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