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After a nice, long 50 episode run, we’ve come to the end of Cross Game, the anime adaptation of a manga by a relatively well known author – Mitsuru Adachi.  If you’ve read other articles on this site, this name might also be familiar as he is the author of one…

Cross Game hasn’t had a misstep yet and 17 is one of the best episodes so far. Here we return to the slice-of-life feel after the intense baseball match of the previous episode. Azuma, being the only player to remain on the team after the former coach was kicked out, has to find a place to stay. His older brother asks Kou to let him stay at his house until a permanent location can be found. Thus we have some more personal interaction between the two of them outside of a baseball scenario.

Earlier, episodic, and all posts regarding Cross Game can be found here

The fourth episode has settled it – I am following Cross Game, for sure. Particularly, the low-key, gentle but moving dialogue between Ko and Osamu at the end. Everything about this series has made me feel that I am in for another Maison Ikkoku, which I would enjoy to no end. The personable, charming characters who are familiar but not cliched, the dramatic moments which linger just long enough to be effective but not long enough to seem manipulative, and a slow but steady pace which neither forces plot twists down your throat nor stretches scenes beyond their welcome. I can usually predict anime series well by the fourth episode, and this looks like another restrained but warm, touching slice-of-life story. I can’t wait to continue this.