confinedmadness

[confinedmadness]

Ace of Diamond: Growth

Every year in the summer, around the time Koshien is held, I inevitably come across a lot of baseball-related media. It doesn't matter if it's about baseball games, baseball anime, or actual baseball players, the baseball news in this time of the year always, without fail, leads me back to rewatching the Ace of Diamond anime or rereading its manga.

This year's reread is still ongoing, but after going through some of my favorite moments in both Act I and Act II, I just want to talk about one of the things I love about this series: how it tackles and portrays growth.

The most obvious growth that both we the readers and the characters in the story get to witness is, of course, physical growth. Their running becomes faster, their batting more accurate, their pitching more stable, their form cleaner, their muscles stronger, their stamina better.

I love that training is something that is not only shown but also talked about in the series. A lot of the characters give snippets of information here and there about each other's training habits. How this group tends to train at a certain place, or how that group tends to train late at night, or how they never see certain people do certain exercises. It's the little details that give these characters more life and depth. I enjoy the brutal training because we get to see how much effort they put into something. But I also enjoy when they talk about training that they did outside of the animated frames or drawn pages, because we get to realize just how small the part of their life that we see actually is.

But what I enjoy the most is the character growth that we get to see. I just feel like Ace of Diamond does it so well. And even better, we get to see this to varying degrees for a lot of characters, even the opponents or the more minor ones.

The most obvious change is obviously Sawamura's. As the main character, a lot of the series is catered to showing his development and how he transforms into someone worthy of becoming an ace. One of his biggest changes happens in his yips arc. He overcomes this career-ending condition very gradually: first by physically training to be able to do something new (throwing outside instead of in), and later on slowly becoming able to throw inside as he becomes mentally stronger and able to confront the trauma. And while this was very satisfying to witness, I have two other Sawamura growth moments that I particularly love.

The first one is him learning about the importance of learning. At the very beginning, Sawamura didn't know much about baseball history or teams or players or even techniques within the game itself. He didn't see the need for it as he thought he just needed to get better at actually playing it instead of watching the game or knowing lingo. It was initially through Chris' mentorship that Sawamura slowly comes to see the value of information-- that it is needed for his training, that it helps him get better, and that the technical terms aren't just there to sound fancy but to help him identify patterns and types and respond accordingly. Sawamura never becomes the type to write down or organize information, it just isn't in his personality, but he never lets go of this learning. We see this when he asks to see the score sheet to check his opponents' stats (even if he needed help deciphering the sheet). We see this when he watches his games over and over to figure out where he made mistakes and what went wrong. We see this when he asks Miyuki about game calling so that he can start to think for himself instead of just following orders.

The second growth moment, or should I say moments, I love from Sawamura is when he learns to get along with people of different personalities or values. The earliest example of this is with Miyuki and Chris. Initially, Sawamura was not too happy about Chris' moody vibe and unfairly judged him because of what he perceived was a half-hearted attitude towards baseball. Sawamura looking down on Chris in turn soured his relationship with Miyuki whose personality actually got along well with Sawamura's but who valued Chris' contributions and admired him greatly and did not take Sawamura's disrespect too well. Sawamura did apologize after some time and he ended up becoming good friends with both. Close enough with Miyuki, in fact, that when Sawamura later got into a conflict with Okumura and their old fight was brought up as an example of how you can unknowingly step on something that is important to another person, they were both able to laugh about it (Sawamura was more embarrassed but Miyuki was happy to laugh enough for both of them).

Aside from Sawamura, there are many other characters we get to witness changing. Two of my favorites are Nori's and Narumiya's growth. I've said this in a previous post but Nori is my favorite character in the whole series so I've probably talked too much about him already but let me touch on this topic a bit again. Nori's inner battle with his confidence was there for almost the whole series. And seeing the development from the scared freshman, to the determined but meek second year, and finally the dependable third year was so satisfying. His personality remains mostly the same so he never becomes a loud presence, but he definitely becomes a comforting one. He comes to represent stability in their school's amazing pitcher pool and finds a self-assurance amidst the overwhelming talent of his juniors.

As for Narumiya, his is definitely one of the best character arcs in the series. When he is first introduced he just seemed like the stereotypical arrogant player who just happens to have the talent to back up his confidence. But even if he was immature, you could tell that he was serious about baseball and his goals, and he was willing to work for it. However, most of his previous year went well in large part because of their captain Harada who was able to bring the team together and handle Narumiya's childish antics remarkably well. So when the third years left, Narumiya started to crumble. He was so used to the team accommodating him, but without the third years, the team is not skilled enough to just let Narumiya do whatever he wanted. Narumiya needed to learn how to work with his new catcher instead of blaming him for not knowing the pitch he should ask for. He needed to learn how to mesh with the rest of his teammates, how to trust them to do their own roles while being prepared to support them if needed. And he did learn. We see only parts of the journey, and by the end of Act I, we don't even know how the change affected the team. But in Act II we see the results of it. I cannot tell you just how emotional I was in the first Yakushi vs. Inashiro match in Act II when I saw that panel of Narumiya declaring "I am King" for the first time. (I remember this moment vividly. I was on break, in my cubicle at work.) He's still as bratty as ever, but he's now bringing his team together as its ace. He's now actually partners with Itsuki instead of just dismissing him. He's shouldering responsibility without losing sight of his goals.

There's so many more examples of character growth sprinkled throughout the series. Most of it is gradual (as it should be), playing out in the background after the obstacle is presented such as Sanada's recovery and return as ace, or Miyuki's road to being a captain and team player. Some of it is small but impactful like Amahisa working hard to be accepted by his team, or Takatsu and Yui slowly becoming open to playing other positions. Even just something as simple as Haruichi growing into himself both as a player and as a person. Or Nabe finding his place in the team. It's such a joy to watch.

I do not have the ability to explain properly just why this series is so well done, especially in showing the growth of its characters. I wish I was more articulate. But if nothing else, I hope this crude attempt at putting it into words can at least give you an idea of why these characters are so dear to me.

[confinedmadness]

Time | SB19

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:(

I'm getting so annoyed at this one character that just seeing his face is making me shake with anger. I know a lot of people love him and even if he gets better I just really don't wanna hear about that right now so I never searched online.

But another super frustrating thing happened in the last episode I watched and I couldn't help it so I started typing in google "supernatural I hate" and the first suggestion was that character's name. I felt so relieved and so validated that I continued with the search and read some threads.

Then I found out that the people complaining were in farther seasons than I currently am. So now I am torn between feeling happy I am not alone and feeling hopeless because I thought he was gonna get better earlier than that.

[confinedmadness]

Season 3

Gordon is like the only character I really hate in this series so far. The actor did so well portraying him. Gosh, I really hate Gordon.

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Season 3 Episode 1

I'm not even halfway the first episode for this season, but I am so pissed off????

Why are they blaming the Winchesters & co for the opening of the gate??? They didn't open it??? They happened to figure out what the demons were planning and were the ONLY ones there to even try to stop it????? More would have gone out if it wasn't for them???? Like WTF??? Talk about wrongly blaming others. GUUUUH I am pissed off.

[confinedmadness]

Season 2 Episode 2

Dean: I know what you're thinking Sam. "Why did it have to be clowns?" Sam: Oh, give me a break. Dean: You didn't think I remembered, did you? Come on, you still bust out crying whenever you see Ronald McDonald on the television. Sam: At least I'm not afraid of flying. Dean: Planes crash! Sam: And apparently clowns kill!

[confinedmadness]

Supernatural Season 1

I recently decided to tackle this giant series and finally finished season 1 last night. So far, having lots of fun. But gosh, is John Winchester gonna stay this bad? He's a horrible father.

[confinedmadness]

ILAW - SB19

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I wanna enjoy Harry Potter fanfiction but a whole story gets destroyed for me when the author says Loyalty is a Gryffindor trait. No, it's not. It's a Hufflepuff trait. Guuuuuuuuuuhhhh People in Gryffindor can definitely be loyal but it is NOT a house trait. Pls stop. I don't even know how many times this makes it. I've definitely read this in at least 15 different fics from reading the past 4 days. Why is this such a common mistake????

[confinedmadness]

Sasaki and Miyano

I started this without expectations and I even planned on playing puzzles while watching it, but this ended up being a good surprise. I enjoyed the show a lot. It's very relaxed, as expected of a slice of life anime, and there's really no big dramatic problem or villain. It is, however, filled with interesting characters, each of whom offer a different perspective of their own.

I loved how the relationship of the main characters evolved. I especially loved the points brought up while Miyano pondered on Sasaki's confession. I like that Miyano took things seriously but also enjoyed himself in his self discovery. I like that they both took the time to know each other's interests before saying they have feelings for the other. I like that Sasaki is aware of his boundaries, and genuinely apologizes when he crosses those boundaries even when Miyano offers up an excuse for him. (Like when he interrupted Miyano's conversation with an old classmate but grabbing his wrist and pulling him roughly.)

The supportive friends they both have are such treasures. And I really appreciate that each friend handles Sasaki and Miyano's relationship differently in a way unique to their own personalities.

Hirano is the helpful, supportive friend. He helps Sasaki by taking over his shift 10 mins early to give him more time with Miyano, or by calling Sasaki or Miyano when the other needs to because they still have not exchanged contact information.

Ogasawara is the clueless, supportive friend. He doesn't know much about what's going on, but as long as you're happy, he's happy. He has biases, but he's willing to discuss them and listen to other views, and he actually works towards understanding them properly. I actually wanted more of his and his girlfriend's relationship. I also wanted more of his girlfriend herself since she seemed an interesting person.

Hanzawa is the practical, supportive friend. He helps the people around him with whatever they need, but he's also worried about them when he feels they might be going towards a difficult path. I like that his perspective is not of someone in a same-sex relationship, but rather from the point of view of the family of one. He has witnessed the hardships that come with something that isn't always socially accepted and therefore worries for that, while wishing wholeheartedly for their happiness.

Kuresawa is the loyal, supportive friend. He wants his friends to be happy, but will not force his opinion. He will do things to help but won't unnecessarily do more. He'll keep secrets to keep his friends comfortable but will also encourage them to say things they need to.

Tashiro is the happy-go-lucky, supportive friend. He takes things as they are. If he's told he's wrong, he accepts it without question. If he's right, he doesn't gloat. If he's given information, he just rolls with it, no questions asked.

[confinedmadness]

Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso

Rewatching the series now, knowing what the characters truly think and how it all ends, I find myself tearing up even from the first episode. Maybe I'm getting soft....

[confinedmadness]

Studying linguistics is actually so wonderful because when you explain youth slang to older professors, instead of complaining about how "your generation can't speak right/ you're butchering the language" they light up and go “really? That’s so wonderful! What an innovative construction! Isn't language wonderful?"

[confinedmadness]

The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002) Dir. Peter Jackson

[confinedmadness]

I would have you smile again, not grieve for those whose time has come.

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How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on, when in your heart you begin to understand there is no going back?

[confinedmadness]

Favorite* Kanae Clips

This is a list of some of my favorite clips from Kanae (Nijisanji)'s streams. It's just a random collection of moments that I go back to time and time again. Also includes clips from other people's streams when Kanae did not stream his POV.

*The same Kanae clips get shared over and over. And while I love the popular clips too, there are some not-so-popular ones that I really enjoy. So I'm using this as a compilation of sorts so I don't have to keep digging for those videos. As such, this list will not include a lot of very well-known clips/moments.

There's also probably a lot more I forgot right now, especially the older ones.

2022 February 05 Valorant with Uruca & Arisaka

Original Stream

Clip Part 1

Clip Part 2

2023 June 15 Street Fighter 6 with Shinji-san

Original stream in Shinji-san's twitch channel is no longer available

Clip

2023 April 23 Streamer Server RUST

Original stream in Kanae's twitch channel is no longer available

Clip (with Ebio & Ichinose)

2023 November 29 Streamer Grand Theft Auto

Original Stream

Clip (with ALLIN members)

2022 January 09 Solo Valorant

Original Stream

Clip

2022 February 8-13 CR Cup Valorant #2

Multiple streams across the whole scrim/tournament period

Compilation Clip

After Party Clip

2021 November 22 Solo Valorant

Original stream in Kanae's twitch channel no longer available

Clip

2021 March 22 APEX with Soraru and Kuzuha

Original Stream

Clip

2021 June 18 Solo APEX

Original Stream

Clip

2021 September 22 Yokosawa APEX with Vodka & Alelu

Original Stream

Clip ver 1

Clip ver 2

Clip ver 3

2023 July 12 Sea of Thieves with Shinji, Kenki, Yoichi

Original Stream in Shinji's twitch channel is no longer available

Clip

2021 September 27 Valorant with Shaka & Robin

Original Stream

Clip

2022 February 06 Valorant with YY

Original Stream

YY's Original Stream (VC can be heard in this stream)

Clip

2021 April 25 Valorant with Kuzuha

Original Stream

Clip

2021 January 12 Escape from Tarkov with Kuzuha

Original Stream

Clip

2022 January 30 Pummel Party with Ichinose, Met, Reid, Arisaka, Wokka

Original Stream

Clip Part 1

Clip Part 2

2022 March 04 Valorant with Shinomiya, Hinano, Reid, Uruca

Original stream in Kanae's twitch channel is no longer available

Clip 1

Clip 2

Related Clip

2021 October 16 Blazing Sails with Hima, Akina, Warabeda

Original Stream

Clip

Compilation Clips

Kanae and his very disciplined listeners

Kanae 2021 scream/yell/loud voice

Kanae sniper (APEX)