59 replies to this topic

[Comadrin]

Since this is the most popular Adachi manga in a while, and coming out on a regular basis, I thought there should be a topic of this title. I am getting more and more curious to where this story is going. Since it is Meisei Middle School (per Touch), and also since Otomi found the Ace's jersey, I don't think they are going to end up at a different High School as Sou and Tou were talking about. The problems they will have to overcome to turn, first their middle school team, and then the high school team into a competitive baseball team seems to be totally different from any of Adachi's other baseball manga. This is the first time I've seen a coach that actively wants his team to be the worst imaginable just for one person, the son of his rich buddy. The sadistic, vengeful idiot from Touch did want to destroy the team, but this new cretin just wants a mediocre status quo. We haven't seen any of the school authorities yet, but can assume that they are either also bootlicking Nikaidou and Co, or have no interest in or knowledge of baseball. I look forward to an ingenious Adachi plot to overcome this. I am also looking forward to finding out where the ace's jersey came from.

[somanga]

I've just finished reading chapter 5 and... I was expecting so much for this chapter, especially after reading the first 2 pages. And then, it seemed like it almost didn't move forward. Why is this manga monthly? I want more of Adachi!!!!

[Comadrin]

I assume that it's monthly since Adachi Sensei is a known and valuable commodity to the manga world, so he doesn't have to work himself into an early grave by publishing weekly with some "editor" hovering over him and telling him to put bigger breasts on every page. He's at the point where he can write what he damn well pleases, which is probably every writer's dream.

As to the slow pace, I have noticed that his longer comics tend to build up the scenario fairly slowly in the earlier chapters. Adachi is more of a story teller, and less of a writer of non-stop action sequences which build up to a cliff hanger at the end of every chapter. In each chapter, so far, we have learned more about what makes the three main characters, Tou, Sou, and Otomi, tick, and learned more and more about how objectionable a jerk Nikaido is. This last chapter, we also learned more about the tubby team captain, not really such a passive sidekick as he seemed at first. If you look at H2, Cross Game, Touch, and the other sports manga he has written, none of them are non-stop action.

Edited by Comadrin, 19 February 2013 - 06:45 AM.

[somanga]

Chapter 6 is so infuriating! What's with the father's reaction???? Want to know more ... grrrrr....

[Comadrin]

Same here! This is the first Adachi manga I have read with the chapters being scanned and put out as soon as the monthly chapter comes out in Japan. All the others have been completed, or nearly so, when I started reading them. This being an Adachi baseball story, I get more anxious to see what happens next than I would for most manga.

As to the latest chapter, we see even more how objectionable the coach and Nikaido are (I am assuming the latter is pulling the coach's strings when it comes to never letting the Tachibana brothers know that scouts from high school teams are looking for them). The father's reaction was really something, though. I had wondered if Otomi's and Sou's father was Uesugi Tatsuya, but the picture doesn't look at all like him, and their monther's name is Mayumi, not Minami (who was Tatsuya's girlfriend). We have also seen the Koshien Championship plate at the school, and would assume that Sou and Otome would know their biological father's name, which would be on the plate. It would also be weird to think that none of Tatsuya's friends from high school would keep contact with him, them still being in the same town and all, from whom the kids would have heard something. The father's reaction still means something, though, and I can hardly wait to find out what it is. Come on, next chapter!!!

Edited by Comadrin, 19 February 2013 - 06:46 AM.

[usnek]

This is my guess.

1. the father's reaction is because he thought the father of Mayumi's son and daughter was the same guy. Maybe there was another guy? Maybe the 3 brother and sister aren't related by blood afterall? ( love triangle is common theme in Adachi's work.)

2. Nikaido is sick and won't be playing for long. There is usually a death early in Adachi's story, and it could be him? ( he gets tired easily, his father comes to every game including the practice ones, and his attitude in the latest game.)

Edited by usnek, 14 October 2012 - 03:02 AM.

[Comadrin]

Unsek,

I find guess No. 2 rather interesting. Might be something like that, but why would the mangaka go out of his way to make Nikaido so damned objectionable (don't even bother trying to pitch, Tachibana. Getting some stooge to smash the girls' garden). I think if he was to be a somewhat sympathetic character, the mangaka wouldn't pile so much dirtbag jerk aura about him, but make him just a cold, but not totally malicious, personality.

This, of course, is total speculation on my part, Adachi Sensei may be getting into more tortuous psychological drama in his old age. (I can feel his six shaku drawing pen about to make a beeline toward my chest right now after that insult!!)

At the same time, that could account for the team captain still considering him something of a friend. I'm looking forward to learning, but don't consider physical ill health an excuse for being an a@@#$%&e.

[Comadrin]

Well, chapter 7 is posted, and Nikaido is still as objectionable a jerk as ever. He is also pitiful, which does not excuse his behavior. If Unsek's hypothesis is correct about him, I am sorry for Nikaido, but that doesn't excuse his trying (through a third party) to destroy the girl's garden, turning players into bootlicking servants whom he later mistreats, and treating the one decent person who stands up for him as garbage. Also, his father is constantly accompanied by yes-men (read "bootlickers") and if Adachi Sensei is setting us up to do a memorial for the brave, dying Nikaido, he is setting about it in a very strange manner, unless he has totally changed his style of writing.

I'm still wondering about the number one jersey that Otomi found, and how it fits in with Touma's dad being shocked that Souichiro's father didn't play catch with him. I also think it is weird that, from the little we have seen, that the dad seems to prefer being around his wife's children than his own son (to the point of sniffing his stepdaughter's school uniform. VERY close to red flag behavior). I think this is going to be a good Adachi baseball manga. Here's hoping for a lot of chapters.

[somanga]

After reading chapter 7, I think Sou's reaction to the bet is quite interesting: is he trying to build a special relationship between his sister and Touma? Is he just trying to show how strong-willed Touma may be if he wishes to do his best?

By the way, the first theory of usnek may be somehow interesting: the idea about a third man... why not? However, I still can't imagine how this is going to be linked to Tatsuya and Minami. I can't believe Tatsuya would fool around with other girls: he loved Minami so much!

Adachi is definitely still building the background before getting into action; he brings clues, reactions but no real answers and though it may get into people's nerves, it's what makes him a wonderful mangaka! The only problem here is that we're reading the chapters as they're coming out in Japan, and it seems that we have to wait an eternety!

[Comadrin]

Sou's reaction is interesting. Looking back over the earlier chapters, it seems like he is totally protective of his sister, but pushes Touma into the role of being the active protector. Perhaps he thinks, having grown up with Touma since about age five, that he knows he can trust him with his cute little sister. Having seen the other people who have the hots for Otomi, I can see why he would be something of an anxious brother. I also notice that Sou is about the best brother to Touma that I have read about in Adachi's manga, where the usual is a brother to the MC who is pretty much a pain in the ass.

As to the idea of a third man in Mayumi's life, it's an interesting thought, but I still can't figure out how it would have happened. With the way Mayumi has to tell every chance met acquaintance that she isn't Touma's mother, I can't see Sou and Otomi not knowing that they were half siblings or step siblings. Still, if Sou's father was Tatsuya, the Dad's reaction to what Sou said would make a lot of sense. If so, I still want to know what happened to Minami. I guess only time (and more chapters) will tell.

You're right about building the background. I read Cross Game after it had been fully scanlated, and I already knew from the description that Wakaba was going to die early on. Had I read it at a chapter a month, or two chapters a month, it would have been a total surprise to me, and the anxiety and suspense would have lasted for months of waiting for chapters, rather than the six or eight hours it took me to read the whole manga. For an otaku, eternity is waiting for the next chapter!

[marchingtwinkie3]

I have a theory that I'm trying not to grow terribly fond of because it's such a longshot. Everybody's talking about Tatsuya possibly being Sou's real father, but for the past few chapters all I can think is that he resembles the Nittas much more than the Uesugis, particularly in the eyes. My theory is that Sou is the son of Yuka and Sasaki (the first-year with a crush on Yuka) and that something happened to her or she left him. Sasaki later married Mayumi and they had Otomi. He could have become the starting pitcher after Tatsuya graduated (the number 1 jersey), and I can definitely see him saying that he sucked at baseball.

As I said, a longshot that comes from being too obsessed with Touch. In reality, I expect Adachi is just teasing us and none of the characters from Touch will be related to anyone in the story. I also suspect that Touma will stay at Meisei, but Sou will become a pitcher and transfer to another school and they'll be rivals.

Of course, all speculation on my part. I really look forward to seeing where this story goes.

[Comadrin]

marchingtwinkie3 - now you've done it! You got my speculation persona going, and I'm going to have to go back and read all of Touch again, which is a pain, because I'll want to kill the "coach" for most of the manga! Oh well, there's definitely worse manga to spend my time re-reading.

By the way, seeing as you joined the forums 2 days ago, "Welcome Aboard!"

Edited by Comadrin, 25 November 2012 - 11:01 PM.

[Comadrin]

Well, I did go back and read the entire Touch, and marchingtwinkie3 has a definite point, that Sou looks more like Nitta Akio than anyone else in all the Touch chapters. I also didn't see anyone named Mayumi there, either. Time, and our tireless scanlators, will doubtless give us the answers. I am certainly enjoying the manga!

[Comadrin]

Nice new chapter! And now, we have our first real character connection to Touch, as though anyone could fail to recognize Nishimura from Seinan High (I think it was Seinan). I wonder if he married his childhood friend, who was their team manager and she had the present Nishimura. Things are definitely starting to get interesting.

With all of Nikaido's absences, I'm beginning to think that there's some substance to usnek's second theory. It still doesn't make up for him being a vindictive a**h**e or for the coach and school administration ruining their baseball team, but it does make a lot of sense with what's going on. Really looking forward to more of Mix.

[Nugester]

I doubt there will be a love triangle between our main characters even if if Sou wasn't related to Otomi. Adachi has pretty much pushed a Otomi x Tou pairing. Even with a revelation, I doubt Sou would develop any kind of feelings for Otomi that way. I haven't read Touch (only Cross Game and Q & A), but I believe some different heroine will show up to spice things up between Otomi and Tou. For some reason, it does look like Nikadou is sick; if that is the case, why build him up as a jerk? I suppose it will teach our main characters not to judge!

Edited by Nugester, 12 December 2012 - 12:09 AM.

[Comadrin]

Good point, Nugester. In Adachi Sensei's manga, there's usually a girl that tries to come between the male and female mc's whether by design (Nitta's sister in Touch), or accident (Akane in Cross Game). Of course, there are always plenty of guys trying to hit on the female mc in nearly all of his manga. I'm sure that Otomi and Tou won't have a 200+ chapter slow romance with no outside interference. That would be really unlike any of his other works.

There has to be more to Nikaido, other than just being a total jerk. I am just wondering if he is going to be a character that is disposed of early in the story, or if he will be a protagonist for the whole manga. Sick or not, he's still a jerk, and the main characters have to judge that about him, or they would end up like his "servant," who Nikaido deliberately trips after the guy made an error.

[Comadrin]

I like Nishimura's character (I also liked the original Nishimura from Touch, although his main purpose was comedy relief). So far, he has come across as a great ballplayer and a pretty decent fellow as well. I am kind of wondering if he is going to be a main rival to Touma or if they are going to be allies (both being pitchers would make the latter kind of difficult). I think it would be best if they are rivals who are friendly with one another. I really loved the way he put the total smackdown on Nikaido, hitting the long ball as the first batter to face Meisei's mighty "ace."

I was also wondering if the Nikaido cheering section is stooges paid by his father. I can't imagine any other reason for him to be cheered. If Nikaido loses the game that his "backup" was winning, I wonder how the coach will keep the myth going in front of the school that they really have a team and not a tame stage for a rich punk to act out his fantasies. I see this manga getting more interesting as time goes on and more chapters come along.

Anyone want to take bets on whether Nishimura is going to fall in love with Otomi, the way the Nishimura from Touch fell for Minami?

Edited by Comadrin, 19 February 2013 - 06:51 AM.

[Comadrin]

So now we have some more names from the old Meisei team: Tachibana Eisuke (Tou's dad), Ooyama Gorou (dad's friend/former team captain), and Sawai (Otomi's and Sou's father). I don't remember any of those names from Touch, but they may be there (I'm not going to read the whole thing through again right away just to find out).

Aaaand... Nikaido lived up to everyone's expectations by losing the game spectacularly. Whether he is sick and dying or not, there is no reason to let him destroy the team and the hard work all the other players put in. The poor excuse for a coach even tells the team captain (in a roundabout way) to shut up when Nikaido disappears before the end of the game. And good for Otomi, sticking her tongue out at Nidaido senior when he glares at her.

[somanga]

Just like you, the moment I read the dialogue between Tou's dad and his friend, I tried to remember if the names they were giving meant anything to me but they definitely didn't ring a bell... and it keeps bugging me even more because I can't help believing that they have to be linked to Touch... or not...

[Comadrin]

Maybe Adachi San is playing the old game of pulling our leg! As a #1 mangaka, he can do it. It also keeps us clueless readers/fans guessing and staying interested. If that's the case, it is working according to his evil plan. I am anxiously awaiting the next chapter.