Episode Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (3/5)
Oh, wait. This is Kami-sama no Memo-chou. Now why did I think I was watching another anime...
Anyways, sarcasm aside, this was a pure filler episode where the character participated in a game of baseball. There were no plot twists or character development throughout the whole episode. However, I, for some strange reason, found it quite entertaining, despite already knowing that the outcome of the game was not going to be surprising. Maybe it's because I'm a bit of a baseball fan myself, or maybe I was just really bored before watching this and tried my best to enjoy it no matter how lame it was. Who knows? Apart from the uneventful episode, the end provide an epic cliffhanger - hinting the appearance of Ayaka's brother - which may cause things to get more interesting in the next episode. J.C. Staff, I am slowly losing the little amount of hope I have for your adaption of this show. Please prove me wrong...
The pressure's on as this final pitch can be the deciding factor in the outcome of the game. After the pitcher checks the runner at third, he prepares for the most important pitch of his life. Tightening his grip on the ball, he hurls it towards the catcher, hoping to get it past the batter. Unfortunately, the distinct sound of the bat colliding cleanly with the ball was all that the pitcher needed to realize that he blew it.
Back to the real story at hand, Narumi and Hitoshi have just completed another game of Power Play Ball, a virtual baseball game in a local arcade. Narumi then explains that he got addicted to this game and started playing it non-stop over the summer, resulting in him spending away a lot of his cash. He attributes his addiction to the game's massive online player database which is a pretty weak excuse if you ask me. But on this day, his peaceful gaming days were about to be interrupted by a familiar face. Upon starting another game, Nemo (from Episode 2) and two of his minions show up, announcing that the arcade will now be closed. It turns out that the rent for the arcade was to be increased by 25%, something that Hitoshi didn't like. In the end, Nemo suggested that they make a bet - if Hitoshi and the NEETs win, the rent stays the same; if he and his Yakuza win, the NEETs will be evicted. Liking the idea of a bet, Tetsu immediately accepts. Then, Nemo decides that they will play a game to determine the winner, suggesting that they play baseball by pointing at the PPB machine. Confident of skills at PPB, Hitoshi quickly accepts. However, it turns out that Nemo didn't mean "virtual" baseball; he meant real baseball. Obviously doing this on purpose, Nemo and his goons leave with satisfied grins on their faces while the NEETs are left puzzled. With the game now set, preparations have to begin. To play baseball, a team needs to have nine players. Unfortunately, there are currently only five capable players avaliable: Hitoshi, Hiro, Tetsu, Narumi and Min. Luckily, The Fourth and his men show up on time, filling up the missing spots on the team. With the team now compelete, Alice guarantees victory on one condition: she becomes the coach of the team. And so, the training begins. Throughout this, it is evident that the group strengthened their bonds with each other. But things are about to take a turn for the worst as Alice reveals to Narumi some discouraging news: Nemo's team consists of many skilled players, including himself - a former ace pitcher for his high school team. When Narumi confirms this with him, Nemo starts to rage as he reveals that he is disgusted with people who treat baseball as just a game. Also, he feels that players are treated as nobodies once the summer ends. And so, with this rage fueling him, Nemo looks to be one tough opponent for Narumi and the NEETs.
Now, the real game begins. I'll summarize by the innings that they show:
Top of 1st: Nemo hits a solo home run. Neptunes 1 - 0 NEET Teddy Bears (the name was obviously Alice's idea)
Bottom of the 1st:Tetsu brings in run using a bunt, with the help of an error by third baseman, who was too captivated by a running Min's bouncing breasts. Neptunes 1 - 1 NEET Teddy Bears
Top of 5th: Neptunes 2 - 1 NEET Teddy Bears
Bottom of 7th: Tetsu hits a solo home run to tie the game. Neptunes 2 - 2 NEET Teddy Bears
Because The Fourth was not even supposed to be playing baseball, he is now quickly losing energy. Knowing this, Nemo is confident that victory for his team is just around the corner as he finally decides to pitch. With the game still tied, things aren't looking too good for the NEET Teddy Bears - that is until Alice gives Narumi an idea about the whereabouts of Nemo's pitching data by mentioning the word "database". As Narumi travels rapidly towards the arcade, the NEET Teddy Bears are starting to struggle on the field, allowing one more run to plate for the Neptunes. On top of all this, The Fourth almost collapses due to fatigue. As the game reaches the cliché situation of "the bottom of the ninth with two outs", Narumi is the team's last chance of winning. As he is the winning run, a home run here would be the best case scenario. But because of the pressure, he hesitates, allowing Alice to declare that she will pinch hit. On the surface, the NEET Teddy Bears are essentially throwing away the game here by having Alice bat. She ends up striking out, but since the catcher dropped the ball, she would have to be tagged to be counted out. Knowing this, Alice starts trash talking them as a distraction and ends up making it all the way to second base safely. And now, the pressure's all on Narumi as he comes up to bat. On his first pitch, Nemo is impressed with Narumi's ability to even hit the ball. Nineteen more fouls later, Nemo delcares that he will end it with pitch number 21. With slow motion added, the tension increases as the ball flies out of Nemo's hand. And just like in the first scene of the episode, the sound of bat colliding with ball was all that was needed for the NEET Teddy Bears to win. What looked to be a home run ended up being a two-run, walk-off single for Narumi, who passes out momentarily upon reaching first base. Surprised by the result, Nemo confronts him, wanting to know how he knew what the last pitch was going to be. Ironically enough, Narumi reveals that he got the data from PPB, the game which Nemo claimed to hate, because someone who remembered that summer day thirty years ago inputted Nemo's stats into the game. Not wanting to show his joy after knowing that he was remembered, Nemo simply brushes off what Narumi said and leaves without troubling the arcade anymore, just like he promised.
With everything now back to normal, Hitoshi resumes his dominance in PPB, or so he thought. It turns out that a new player has just defeated him ten times in a row. Judging by the uniform the player is a girl and, to almost nobody's surprise, this girl turned out to be Alice. But the fun times end there as we are about to get a nice cliffhanger, courtesy of the manager of the arcade. After approaching the group, he informs them, specifically Ayaka, that Toshi, her brother, is here at this very moment. Judging by the preview, drugs will be involved and I'm assuming that they have something to do with Toshi. Looking forward to it.
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