Whereas Maison Ikkoku awkwardly-but-beautifully portrayed the process of joining the adult world, Touch does a similar thing for the pangs of adolescence.  I had occasionally heard excellent things about Touch for the past few years, but only finally sat down to watch it after learning that it holds the record for highest ratings ever achieved by an anime on Japanese television.  This naturally made me very curious.  This is a series that is almost completely unknown in the anglosphere – even more obscure than its contemporaries, Maison Ikkoku and Kimagure Orange Road.  Yet, at the height of its run, Touch claimed over 30% in ratings in Japan – for comparison, the highest rated anime show in July 2009 was national favourite Sazae-san at 15%.  The well known show ‘Bleach’ was around 3%.  A multi-age, national poll for the greatest anime by TV Asahi in Japan found Touch ranked 9th – 20 years after its release.  While there are many series that are more popular in Japan than in the English-speaking world or vice-versa (and, naturally, the times have changed, so directly comparing ratings might not be completely meaningful), I don’t know of many other anime that have such a sharp disparity.

Touch went on to become relatively popular in Europe as well, localized in several different countries there and sprouting a decent fanbase.  But it never took off in North America.  In fact, there are no official translations of either the manga or the anime.  But fans have, of course, translated both.  Central Anime has done a wonderful job releasing every piece of the Touch story – all 101 episodes and the additional movies.  I don’t know why Touch never found an audience over here, despite shows like Maison Ikkoku getting, at the very least, decent exposure and official translations.  Perhaps any mention of baseball in anime drives the companies away.  But I think it is obvious to anyone who has seen the show why Touch became so popular in other parts of the world.

Let’s begin with the basic premise of the show.  Tatsuya and Kazuya are twin brothers, and they have grown up with their next door neighbor, Minami.  Both Minami and Kazuya are popular and well-liked (and often assumed to be a future couple, even by their own parents).  Kazuya is the ace pitcher for his school team, admired by his teammates and adored by his schoolmates (particularly the girls). But Tatsuya, the older twin, is called his “idiot older brother” – the “worse half”, living constantly in the shadow of his older brother.  Only a few, including Minami, are aware of Tatsuya’s other side – his tendency to put others happiness above his own, his unwillingness to compete with (and perhaps defeat) his brother (whether for Minami or in other endeavors), and his reluctant acceptance of his position as the “lesser brother”.  The introduction that Tatsuya gives in the first episode goes something like this: “The three of us grew up together as best friends.  Eventually, we noticed that one of us was a girl.  It was around that time….” – Tatsuya trails off here, but the presumed ending to the sentence is, “..that things began to change”.  These final words are overlaid over a shot of Tatsuya outside, looking through the window at Kazuya and Minami studying together.

It’s difficult to ascribe a genre to Touch because it is a story which spans many years in the characters lives, and the tone of the show changes along with the major events they go through.  In the beginning, the show is very much a high school romance/comedy with a somewhat bittersweet love triangle element.  As the show goes on, and Tatsuya begins to strive to make something of himself and step into the spotlight, it becomes more about his drive to succeed and fulfill his ambitions – and episodes centered on baseball drama appear more frequently.  But you don’t have to be a baseball fan to enjoy this series (I certainly wasn’t, though this show may have turned me into one).  Anyone who is uninterested in the sports aspect will find just as much reward in the portrayals of friendship, rivalry, love (whether romantic or familial) and the familiar sentiments of accomplishing your dreams and being recognized.

The biggest strength of Touch, like most successful shows which cover this genre, are the characters.  Their attitudes are believable, their personalities are likable, their interactions are sincere, and not once do you ever tire of following them for a hundred episodes.  Take this scenario, for instance: a male lead is dragged off unwillingly to a date with a pesky admirer.  He tries to hide this from the female lead so she won’t worry about it, but she finds out indirectly.  The typical anime reaction would be for the female lead to erupt in jealousy and act cold until we arrive at an eventual resolution.  But in Touch, our characters are allowed to think like human beings would and come to their own (correct) conclusions off-screen – and it becomes a mere subject of humour between them in the very next episode.  It is these sort of convincing interactions that really make Touch what it is.  Despite the fact that the three main characters form something of a “love triangle”, they all care very much for each other as childhood friends would, and even when our main character is Tatsuya, his more admired twin Kazuya is never shown as anything less than a kind and equally likable person. And then we have Minami, the object of their affections, a wonderfully realistic character who is sweet but with her own strong personality and a very endearing sister-like relationship with both brothers.

Apart from the leads, there are many other characters who are given important roles in the series.  Harada is the unlikely friend – a tall, menacing schoolmate who turns out to be one of the more thoughtful characters – recognizing Tatsuya’s personal sacrifices and urging him to take his place in the spotlight.  There’s Koutarou, Kazuya’s catcher who begins the series thinking very little of his no-good brother Tatsuya, eventually coming to respect him equally and forming a friendship.  Akio Nitta is the rival of the series, a star player of one of the strongest high school teams in the region.  Like Kazuya, Nitta’s role as a rival to our main character does not preclude his portrayal as a sympathetic and likable figure (the “Friendly Enemy”, according to TV Tropes).  There aren’t really any characters to hate or think of as villains, though an unfriendly coach in the latter makes a strong case for the role.  My only disappointment with the series on this front is that the initial episodes made us bear the presence of the stereotypical “perverted friends”, who appear in different shapes and sizes in many anime of this genre, unfortunately.  But, to our luck, their roles are minimal and forgotten once the show really takes off.

Now for the comparisons.  Maison Ikkoku is probably the best match up, as they are both very long series with characters who are developed slowly.  Their length and realistic pace both make us become very attached with the characters and invested in their stories.  At the same time, I think Touch might be a little bit better than Maison Ikkoku due primarily to its avoidance of the “misunderstanding™”, a plot device which was maybe used one or two too many times in Maison Ikkoku, as much as I love that series.  The other 80s giant, Kimagure Orange Road, is no comparison.  The love triangle which makes up KOR has far less depth than that of Touch, and the fact that Touch has so many other aspects to the story propels it to far greater heights.  As for more modern anime, well, the truth is that they hardly make series like this anymore.  I would recommend it, if anything, as a window into a gentler and slower-paced time before everyone was glued to their cellphones texting each other.  Thankfully, Adachi’s (the mangaka) newest work, Cross Game, feels much the same way and is currently airing, so any Touch fan would be crazy not to check it out as well.

The technical aspects are what you’d expect from a series of this age.  The animation is visibly dated, particularly with Adachi’s somewhat…unusual style.  I can’t say that I noticed after a few episodes, but others may find it jarring.  The voice acting is phenomenal, with the main cast delivering wonderful performances, particularly Minami’s.  The music, again, is clearly dated.  The show makes use of insert songs quite a bit, with a few songs representing individual characters which are played quite frequently throughout the series.  I thought this was an interesting choice and I personally found it effective.  The background music is nothing to write home about, but it serves its purpose and has some nice melodies, though it is certainly not on par with Cross Game.  The OP and ED songs are a mixed bag.  Using Kanashimi yo Konnichiwa as my example of a perfect theme song, there was really nothing in Touch which matched it (most were just typical love ballads), but the songs were nice enough.  My personal favourite was the final ED song as well as the second OP song (Ai ga hitori bocchi).  My biggest disappointment was the third OP song, “Che! Che! Che!” which begins with a pleasant instrumental but I can’t say I’m a big fan of the “Che! Che!” chorus which opens the vocals.

I could discuss Touch for a lot longer but it’s about time that I got to the point.  Touch has become one of my favourite series and though I put it off for years due to its length (and the knowledge that it involved baseball), after watching it all I can do is give it my highest recommendation.  This is anime that simply tells us a story and allows that believable and endearing story to affect us on its own terms.  Just as in life, there are moments of humour, moments of tragedy as well as those of triumph and success.  Like Maison Ikkoku, it can be a bit rough around the edges at times, yet the final product is so memorable that it’s a disappointment that it is so poorly known in the English-speaking anime community.  The very least that I can do is attempt to spread the word.  Anyone who has the slightest interest in stories revolving around coming of age, first love, and accomplishing your dreams should give it a chance.

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]]> http://omohide.com/1010/touch-tv-review-highly-reccomended/feed/ 3 http://omohide.com/775/touch-30-54/ http://omohide.com/775/touch-30-54/#comments Sun, 26 Jul 2009 21:04:34 +0000 Theowne http://omohide.com/?p=775

Many spoilers for these episodes ahead.

Many spoilers for these episodes ahead.

After the major event ending part 1, most of the characters have begun to move on with their lives, though their memories are very important to them, similar to the analogous character in Cross Game.  The bulk of Touch is about Tatsuya growing and proving himself, and the first 20 or so episodes were clearly a prelude to this main part of the story.  We see Tatsuya traded to the baseball team and begin to hone the talent that he’s suppressed and ignored for so long.  Since childhood he didn’t like to compete with his brother, but with Kazuya’s loss, he’s the only one that has the potential to fulfill that dream in the place of his brother.

It’s difficult to really describe the “plot” of the series or this batch of episodes because we don’t watch each episode to get a new plot twist or development.  This series, despite being called a “baseball series”, is really a look into the lives of these characters through this long part of their lives.  And just like in real life, people enter and exit their lives and different intervals.  I was sad to see Kuroki, the former Captain, manager leave the show (as he had completed high school, and thus his last chance at the Koshien).  Hopefully he may make a cameo in future episodes because I really did like his character (and his voice).  There was something very welcoming and friendly about him.

The earlier part of these episodes spent some time on the relationship between Koutaro and Tatsuya.  Koutaro was Kazuya’s best friend and in his grief he says that it was Kazuya’s friendship that motivated him to continue catching and become better.  The loss of his best friend left a hole in his motivation and his spirit.  Tatsuya and Koutaro were never really the best of friends.  Unlike Minami, Koutaro never saw beneath Tatsuya’s surface and thus thought he was just Kazuya’s “Baka-aniki” or stupid brother.  Thus when everyone begins to talk about bringing Tatsuya into the team as pitcher, Koutaro is outraged.  But there are nice moments between them as their negative disposition slowly turns into some kind of friendship, different from that with Kazuya, but friendship all the same.  I imagine that by the end of the series where some inevitable climax at the Koushien will probably occur, we’ll see them and wonder how they ever could have been enemies.

Every main character needs a rival, and two are introduced in the scope of these episodes, one more interesting than the other.  The first is Nishimura, a loud and conceited pitcher who is given a somewhat unpleasant attitude.  He overestimates himself, but he isn’t a bad pitcher.  Regardless, he isn’t the ultimate rival for Tatsuya and is downplayed as the series goes on.  He still appears but his role is to pester Minami into spending time with him.

The next character introduced is Akio Nitta, and it is clear that he is going to play a much bigger role than Nishimura.  Even though he is brought on as a possibly “enemy” for Tatsuya to defeat, both in baseball and elsewhere, some of the first scenes involve a friendly Nitta bringing Tatsuya into his home.  We aren’t meant to hate Nitta, we actually grow to like him as a member of the cast, and writing that sort of rivalry is a lot more interesting than the traditional kind.  In a way it reminds me of the relationship early on between Kazuya and Tatsuya with regards to Minami.  They “rivals” in some sort of way, but they all genuinely cared for each other.

There are plenty of highlights here but I really liked the ending of episode 42 pictured above, where Tatsuya ponders the question of what the two of them “are” to each other.  Now how often do you have a character in these kind of high school love stories just sit down and let loose a – yes, somewhat convoluted and vague – but honest description of their thoughts?  Not often, because it’s much easier to be “dramatic” when you have characters who try to hide their own thoughts and are afraid to voice their own affections (I’m looking squarely at Love Hina) and thus have endless misunderstandings and other artificial tension devices.  So I have to give it to Adachi for writing this sort of scene in this kind of an anime.

As for what I think of Touch as a whole so far, I think it’s safe to say that you can expect a review similar to my review of Maison Ikkoku.  I gave that series five stars despite having some imperfections because of the strength of the attachment you develop for the characters which in some (very few) anime is so strong that it makes you ignore the faults it may possess.  Barring any slips the series could potentially take later on, I think I’m looking at a new entry into my top 10 (which I still have to write, by the way).

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This post will contain spoilers for episodes 5 through 30.  I really do not suggest reading it unless you’ve seen these episodes too, as they cover a major event that should be left for viewers to see on their own first.

So, it turns out that Touch doesn’t follow the exact path that I had presumed it would after the first few episodes.  In a way, I’m disappointed.  The storyline I thought it would match was one that I’ve actually had in my head for a long time as a potential manga plot – but of course, I have no talent in drawing and I could never bring that to fruition  I was actually a bit excited at the concept that my idea had actually been brought to “life” already.  But there are some differences in Touch from my own idea, and they are interesting differences.  In my vision, the “second best” brother slacked off because he felt he could never live up to his innately more talented brother.  But it’s a bit different in Touch.

Tatsuya is clearly gifted, even though at the beginning, hardly anyone else realizes it.  But it’s his altruistic nature which makes him ignore the talents he may possess and give the limelight to his brother.  Despite his careless exterior, he desires for others, including his brother and Minami, to be happy and this trumps his own interests.  Even when his parents are busy setting up plans for the future marriage of “Best Couple” Kazuya and Minami, he suppresses whatever emotions he may have and goes along with it because this is the one path that won’t leave anyone unhappy (except himself).  But even while everyone was pairing the “Best Couple” together, it was very clear that Minami herself had a clue of what Tatsuya was doing and was drawn to him more than she let on.

Near the end of this batch of episodes, Kazuya’s death is covered in around 2 episodes.  Unfortunately, people do not provide adequate spoilers when discussing this anime, so a brief skimming of some DVD reviews immediately spoiled me to the event.  Thus, I can’t decide how effective the scenes were.  Some were quite powerful but some weren’t (I think musical montages reduce the emotion and make things too cinematic).  I do think that the grieving and gradual return to normalcy could have been done better.  But I can understand why Adachi didn’t want to give melodramatic scenes of grieving – it is too expected, too familiar.  How do youth (which is what these characters are) deal with the death of someone close to them?  It isn’t the way that adults do, and it isn’t the cinematic way either.

And so “Part 1″ ends with the death of Kazuya, and the characters try to move on as the new year begins.  I want to mention at least once that I very much like Harada.  His first appearance make him look like the stereotypical empty-headed bully character but as the series progresses, he became a much more important part of the show and more significantly, a much more important acquaintance to Tatsuya.  Like Minami, Harada can see that Tatsuya has talent to accomplish what he wants do, but is sacrificing it for the sake of the happiness of his brother.  Several times throughout the series, he utters his signature phrase, “naruhodo” (“I see” or “Now I understand”) and we know that there is significance to the scene that we may not have noticed the first time around.
And what don’t I like about the show?  The perverted friends.  I’ve never liked this trope regardless of where they show up.  They appeared in Kimagure Orange Road as well.  It seems every young male in anime must have two perverted friends who are obsessed with peeping on women.  I just wish screen time wouldn’t be cluttered by this sort of thing, Touch is better than that.  But I guess it can’t be helped.