Ace of Diamond  

• Genre : Sports!, Comedy
• Episodes: 126
• Studio: Madhouse, Production I.G

Eijun Sawamura, a young man struggling with undiagnosed hyperactivity disorder, is offered a scholarship at a prestigious baseball high school (?) where he joins the team with the boundless ambition of becoming an Ace pitcher.

A lot of you may be surprised to learn that I actually quite enjoy sports anime. I have in fact watched quite a few and tend to gravitate towards them as they come out every season. As such, I’ve gotten pretty familiar with the trappings of the genre and this series…follows them pretty much to a T (wait wrong sport…) The fact is, Ace of Diamond is pretty much the epitome of “Sports Anime” right down to standard arc progression structure and tried and true character archetypes. The narrative and characterizations don’t take any chances and the show rarely, if at all, deviates from the established formula.

However, it should be noted that while the show sticks to the basics it does so very very well. It’s not so much mediocre as classic, and for us fans, this pleasantly familiar fair is sometimes the only thing you truly want in a show. It’s like getting the **perfect** grilled cheese sandwich for dinner. It may just be a grilled cheese sandwich but dude! Perfect Grilled Cheese!!! I guess it doesn’t hurt that the character designs are right up my alley

Now although the importance of teamwork is another one of those standard pillars of sports anime, this show it the one that has probably illustrated it the best in my opinion. Although certain players are remarkable and uniquely talented, it becomes very obvious that no one could carry the team on their own. Even at their peak, the most talented players are shown to support and motivate their teammates rather than to overshadow them. This can be somewhat inferred from the importance given to the catcher position, which the show repeatedly tells us is pivotal even though when acting as catcher, a player can neither score nor defend. This is also one of the rare series that really emphasises teamwork over friendship. Some players are friends but most of the time the relationships between the teammates seems more akin to coworkers than close buddies, with some not socializing outside baseball in any way.

Finally, as this show tends to keep its focus much more tightly on the actual sport than some series, it also doesn’t get bogged down in melodrama or meandering side stories. Sure, you’ll see your share of manly man tears after a loss but these are very quickly shrugged off as everybody picks themselves up and starts practicing again. This makes the overall tone of the series mirror its main character as both energetic and boundlessly optimistic.

Favorite character: Miyuki!, runner-up Furuya, Miss congeniality Haruichi and also Jun and the Nao and Mei…this could take a while…

What this anime taught me about myself: Apparently, there IS a way to make me sit through a baseball game.

“Drinking after work is fine, but if you really want to enjoy working then drink before work.”

Suggested drink: Home run shots

• Every time someone has an aura – sip your shot
  • if it’s Furuya – gulp your shot
    • if someone mentions it – down your shot
• Every time a new pitch is named – take a shot
• Every time someone says nice ball or don’t mind – take a shot
• Every time we see a close up of someone’s eyes – take a shot
  • if it’s Haruichi’s – don’t forget to breathe
• Every time you hear “Yes Yes Yes” – Cheer
• Every time Eijun calls coach “boss” – take a shot
• Every time Eijun gives someone a random nickname – take a shot
• Every time someone is running laps – do some half-hearted sit ups
  • if hey are tied to a tire – put some heart into it
• Every time someone is reminded that baseball is a team sport – call a friend
• Every time someone bunts – take a shot
• Every time someone is called a monster – take a shot