A dog walks and hits an anime. The more you like baseball, the more you will enjoy "A of Diamonds," a high school baseball ensemble anime.

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The new team's battle for the Spring Sembatsu has begun!

A of Diamonds " is a high school baseball anime based on the comic of the same name serialized in "Weekly Shonen Magazine. It has been a year and a half since it started broadcasting, and the anime will begin a new series in April. The story will start after the 28th volume of the original comic, which is the fall tournament for the new team of first- and second-year students.

The main character is Eijun Sawamura, a first-year pitcher. He is a southpaw, and his weapon is a peculiar pitch that comes out of his unique form. He is a charming guy with a dedicated personality and a bit of a silly streak. He is somewhat annoying, but is well accepted by his teammates. His courage at the last minute is unparalleled.

Aomichi High School, where the story takes place, is a prestigious school that has participated in the Koshien National High School Championships in the past, and is one of the three best schools in the West Tokyo area. The setting is similar to that of a real-life powerhouse school, as the main players are pulled from other prefectures and multiple pitchers are used in a pitching strategy. This makes the players' circumstances and emotions realistic enough to convince even professional baseball players and experienced high school baseball players.

Naturally, there is more than one pitcher on the team. There are rivals competing for the same position on the same team. One of them is a strong competitor.

Another freshman pitcher, Furuya Satoru, is a true "ace in the hole" with his thundering fastball as his weapon of choice. His junior high school experience has made him a bit of a social dilettante, but he has gained confidence and trust in his teammates at Aomichi High School. He is a natural character with a cute, goofy sense of humor.

With the retirement of the third-year students who embodied the strength of the prestigious Aomichi High School, the Aomichi baseball team is left with only first- and second-year students, and the fall tournament qualifying rounds have just begun, but the team has a mountain of problems. The sophomores, the new core of the team, still lack a sense of unity. Sawamura also faces an unprecedented crisis when a dead ball he threw in the final game of the summer prefectural tournament triggers the "yips," a condition that prevents him from throwing as hard as he would like.

Furthermore, coach Tesshin Kataoka, who is trusted by the club members, decides to resign as coach of Aodo High School at the fall tournament, perhaps to take responsibility for the summer tournament. The club members are shocked to learn this.

The third-year students, thinking of "what they can do now," hold a retirement game in an attempt to encourage the current team of first- and second-year students. The current team is inspired by the passion of the seniors, and the one-and-a-half-year series comes to a close. The next new series will begin with the Fall Tournament.

The focus here is on the sophomore members, who are the heart and soul of the team!

The retired third-year students have been the key players in the games so far. They were strong. They were unique. They were cool!

To be honest, it is sad to see them go. However, the new sophomores who will be the core of the team are also very talented and full of flavor, so let me introduce some of their highlights.

The first one is Kazuya Miyuki, a prodigious catcher who has been a regular on the team since his freshman year. After the third-year players retired, he was chosen as the new team captain and was assigned to bat fourth, which is quite a pressure for the genius Miyuki. He is now in a position where he must control three pitchers with different characteristics, watch over the team as a whole, and bat as the No. 4 hitter, a task that he himself is struggling with and going through trial and error.

He is a sarcastic person who dares to speak harshly to his teammates, and he is not the type of captain who is admired by his peers even if he keeps his mouth shut. When he first became captain, it was difficult for him. One of the things to look forward to is how Miyuki, who is more eager than anyone else for the team's victory, will become a captain in the future.

Next is Yoichi Kuramochi, the second-year short assistant captain and senior roommate of the main character Sawamura. He is an older brother type with a foul mouth. He and Miyuki, who is in the same grade, are bad friends. Despite appearances, he is sensitive to the subtleties of human relationships, and calmly watches and tries to support his friends, whose feelings are at odds with each other in the new team, which is having difficulty coming together.

Kuramochi's mature side has come to the fore since his generation took center stage, although he is still as hateful as ever. He has become even more dependable, stirring up the game with his agile footwork, and I look forward to seeing his showmanship during games being portrayed in a cool way in the anime.

The other vice captain, Kenta Maenzono, is a second-year first baseman who has become a regular on the new team. He is a power hitter with a rugged appearance, but his personality is kind, hot, and clumsy. Since he has been in the second team until now, he understands the feelings of his fellow teammates who have not been able to play much and are struggling to grow, so he clashes with Miyuki, who refuses to compromise for victory. He is a hard-working and honest player, so you can expect some great lines that will touch your heart.

Kenjiro Shirasu, a taciturn sophomore light, is also making his presence felt. He is a behind-the-scenes force who never neglects his training. His well-trained body looks thin, but in fact he is amazing when he takes off his clothes!

Compared to the retired third-year students, the hearts of the second-year students are still scattered and not completely united. Cracks can widen at a moment's notice. It is quite a thrill to watch, but it is interesting to notice that this has become a characteristic of the new team.

Sawamura and Furuya, the team's ace contenders, move on to the next stage.

The first match of the Fall Tournament will be against Teito High School.

Teito's ace, Taiyo Mukai, is a first-year pitcher like Sawamura and Furuya. He has a lot of pride, and is competitive with players who are not from Tokyo.

The first major vertical axis of the story is how Sawamura will face and overcome the yips that he is currently suffering from. Without clearing it, Sawamura cannot serve as the team's ace. Even he is lagging behind Furuya's presence!

In contrast, Furuya, who has been given the number one position on the new team, is rapidly developing as the ace. The gap between him and Sawamura is already widening. The protagonist is in a pretty bad way.

Originally, this work was an "ensemble drama," and that tendency is expected to become even stronger from the new series. The opposing teams have their own reasons for not being able to lose. Watching this series makes you want to root for both teams. This feeling is also close to reality.

In this realistic depiction of baseball, no matter how much the players grow, miraculous special magic pitches are not created. No matter how much passion the players put into their game, when they are hit by a pitch, they are hit miserably.

Hot, bitter, and exciting, "A of Diamonds" conveys the charm of high school baseball as it is. There is still a long way to go in the original story, so I am very happy to see the start of a new series.

Until now, it was broadcast on Sunday mornings, but the broadcast time slot has moved to Monday evenings. I would like to take this opportunity to recommend that those who have not yet heard of this work to give it a look.


(Text by YAMAYU)