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metalandmagi · 4 years ago

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Winter 2021 Anime Worth Watching!

Since 2020 basically sacrificed itself to give us the most stacked anime season of all time, I’m currently buried under the weight of almost 20 shows airing per week. So for anyone who’s looking for some anime to watch this winter, here’s some first impressions! I’m speed running my list this time by only talking about the new shows...because otherwise this would be my great American novel.

If anyone’s interested, I have master lists for both 2020 anime and 2019 anime, because there’s no shortage of fun things to find.

New Shows!

And before anyone asks, So I’m A Spider, So What? isn’t on here, because CG spiders freak me out.

Cells At Work Code Black: This...less comedic spin off of Cells At Work (made by a different studio) takes the wholesome concept of Osmosis Jones meets cute anime girls and turns it on its head. In this much more depressing version, we follow a rookie red blood cell who works in the body of an overly stressed, alcoholic smoker who puts every strain on the body imaginable. I love Red Blood Cell AA2153 and his co-workers, but man am I glad we get the regular Cells At Work airing this season too, because I need something fun and uplifting after seeing my sweet son go through hell every episode.

*Heaven’s Design Team: Have you ever wondered how God came up with some of the weird ass animals that live on this planet? Like, what’s the deal with giraffes? And why can’t we have dragons and flying horses? Well this is a comedy about the engineers and designers in heaven creating the new animals that are going to inhabit the Earth. That’s it, that’s the show. It’s kind of in the same vein as Cells At Work, having comedy blend with a surprising amount of educational information. If you want something light and funny, this is the show for you (though I don’t think it needs to have full length episodes). I’m just hoping there’s an episode about how the hell the platypus was created. Also it’s the only new one available on Crunchyroll.

Horimiya: A romantic comedy about a girl named Hori who fits the image of a perfect queen bee and a quiet bespectacled boy named Miyamura who never makes an impression at school. When the two meet by chance outside of the classroom, we see that Hori is practically raising a younger brother by herself, and Miyamura is actually a sweet guy who happens to be covered in tattoos and piercings. This show is an exercise in breaking down the images people have of others in their minds, and it’s a concept that really hits home in a fun and meaningful way. Honestly, this has become one of my immediate favorites. The characters have great chemistry, and I can’t wait to see more of them!

Monster Incidents (Kemono Jihen): When big shot Tokyo detective Inugami is called to a rural town to investigate a series of strange animal deaths, he finds a mysterious boy with the nickname Dorotabo who has been shunned by the other children in town. As the detective gets closer to Dorotabo, he discovers that there may be more...inhuman secrets to the boy than he realizes...and Dorotabo discovers that Inugami has some secrets of his own. This is a hard show to sell without spoiling the first episode, but it had twists and turns that kept me engaged from start to finish. I’m really interested to see where the plot goes, because I thought this was going to be something totally different just from the PV and series summary. If it plays its cards right, this could be a great paranormal detective show!

Wonder Egg Priority: A psychological drama about a girl named Ai who starts having dreams about a mysterious egg that promises to give her what she wants most in the world...a true friend. Before long, she begins to see how the dream world and reality are tied together, and trippy antics ensue. It’s hard to say more without spoiling anything, but I had to go back and add this one in because I made the mistake of thinking it was an OVA when it’s actually a full series. And what a series it’s starting out to be. This anime has all the psychological discomfort of a Satoshi Kon product with the beauty and style of something from Kyoani (even though it’s made by Clover Works). It’s really one of those anime you just have to see to understand.

Sk8-∞ (Skate the infinity): An original skateboarding anime from Bones, featuring a typical sports anime protagonist who takes a new transfer student who has never skateboarded in his life under his wing. Together they compete in dangerous races and take the skating community by storm. The character designs rival Appare Ranman’s in outlandish creativity, and I can smell the main characters’ ship dynamic a mile away (considering they’re exactly the same as the protagonists from Robihachi). If you’re looking for some wild and crazy fun with top notch skateboarding animation, don’t skip this!

2.43: Seiin Koukou Danshi Volley-bu (Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Club): Yes, it’s another volleyball anime. And no, it’s not just a clone of Haikyu. This story follows Yuni Kuroba, a physically built but emotionally weak teenager who finds out his childhood friend Hajime is moving back to their hometown for high school. Yuni discovers Hajime has become an exceptional volleyball player and they join their school’s volleyball club hoping to turn the unknown team into a rising star. If anything, this anime is much more like Stars Align or Free, where the sport is a backdrop for letting the characters explore their personal problems. Or at least it seems that way after the first episode. I went into this show ready to throw it in the trash because how could anything compete against my beloved Haikyu, but I found myself really enjoying the dynamics of the main duo and I’m curious to see what the rest of the team is like.

And speaking of sports anime rip-offs…..I can’t believe I’m including this but…

Skate Leading Stars: The show where the animators clearly wanted to design another throw away idol anime but saw how popular Yuri On Ice was so they decided to make whatever the hell this show is instead. It revolves around a fictional team sport called skate leading, and we follow the world’s most insufferable main character, a former figure skater named Kensei who wants to return to the ice and join his school’s skate leading team after he finds out his childhood rival is going to compete in the sport. Look, this show is just trashy enough to get a certain type of audience hooked, and it mainly has to do with the best boy of the winter season, Hayato Sasugai, the aspiring team “coach” who pulled most of us into watching this show with his punk appearance, snide comments and smug personality. He’s basically the lovechild of Izaya Orihara and Shizuo Heiwajima in a high school sports anime setting. The show treats itself with the perfect amount of sincerity to get away with being absolutely ridiculous most of the time without making you feel like you’re watching it from a dumpster...like Try Knights. You will know after one episode whether this show is for you. All I can say is, Hayato is worth the watch, and I haven’t seen any 3D animation used for the skating scenes (yet) so that’s a win for me.

Honorable mention:

Jobless Reincarnation ( Mushoku Tensei): Yet another isekai where the main character is hit by a car (big surprise) and gets reincarnated into a fantasy world...but he happens to remember his previous life and narrates himself growing up as a jaded adult. I’m only including this because it looked amazing animation wise, and I love the opening where getting hit by a car and dying is actually traumatic. And I love the protagonist’s parents (who are retired adventurers who just want to bang all the time). But honestly...the main character is the fucking worst, and I don’t know if I want to keep watching it because of how creepy and weird he is. Like...he’s the hit on your fantasy mom as a baby kind of creepy and weird. But for anyone who wants a cool looking isekai that had an amazing PV, it’s worth checking out.

Continuing Series!

Because the real gold of the season is in all the established anime getting their next seasons, I’m just going to list some of the things that are also amazing and definitely worth checking out if you haven’t already (because I’ve already talked about most of them at some point and don’t know what else to say).

Attack On Titan season 4

The Promised Neverland season 2

Beastars season 2

Log Horizon season 3

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime season 2

Re: Zero season 2 (second cour)

Dr. Stone season 2

Cells at Work season 2

Osomatsu-san season 3 (second cour)

Higurashi New (second cour)

Jujutsu Kaisen (second cour)

Not to mention all the shows I don’t watch that everyone else loves...like World Trigger (which I have seen quite a bit of, but long shounen shows are too much for me now) Quintessential Quintuplets, and Non Non Biyori.

So there’s just some of all the anime airing this season. Hopefully, someone can find something they like. Here’s to a great year...well, of anime at least...

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loveai2 · 3 years ago

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KnB ver.

Prefectures:

Miyagi: Karasuno, Seijoh, Date Tech, Shiratorizawa (and others)

Tokyo: Nekoma, Fukurōdani, Itachiyama, Nohebi

Saitama: Shinzen

Kanagawa: Ubugawa

Nagano: Kamomedai

(Fukui: Seiin from 2.43)

(Aichi: Suna's hometown)

Hyogo: Inarizaki

Ōita: Mujinazaka

https://www.wattpad.com/story/241948776?utm_source=ios&utm_medium=link&utm_content=share_writing&wp_page=create_story_details&wp_uname=LoveAi2&wp_originator=f34yHcmyfHEI%2FKUlGRcnuRfIdai5AmBzEY2iS6m3BdyYSCncfTZK5akFRv07bbVxWSUwErHmkZmDwl4bfM2oPFtnJzBvBkoGF%2FOCFIfogiSGIEXVnmYh6BLqAZJ1xas1

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itachis · 4 years ago

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YUNI & CHIKA ✰ 2.43 ep 1.

#2.43: seiin koukou danshi volley bu #2.43: seiin high school boys volleyball club #2.43 anime #2.43 #dailyanime #anisource #fysportsanime #sportsanimedaily #fymanganime #kuroba yuni #haijima kimichika #*

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rosieanime · 4 years ago

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Ranking Every Sports Anime I've Ever Seen!

3...2...1.... GO!!

This post of mine is a long time coming because I have thought and thought and thought about making it forever. I am a HUGE fan of sports anime, for the bromance, passion, sports action, and the excitement in every single episode!!! I have seen a lot so here I will be ranking them and trying to convince you to see them, if you haven’t <3

1. Free!

I could never forget to put this gem as my #1 sports anime. Regardless if you're a fan of swimming, this show will make you want to get WET! ... pun intended. The fan-service is off the charts, I am still shocked at how bold they were sometimes, but beyond that, you will be genuinely, truly, and extremely excited about their races. You will be cheering them on and feeling that jolt of adrenaline right along with the racers. I can never watch Olympics swimming the same away again.

Every character has a unique personality and they stand out. "I only swim Free" Haru has my entire heart and his bonds with everyone just scream cute. I also wouldn't say this show is catered towards females only; it has something for everyone.

I'm not an athlete at all, but this show made me want to go swim a lap and feel accomplished. The team-building is realistic and their struggles are raw. From the beginning to the end, you will be anxious for their victories and understanding of their failures.

Truly a diamond in the sports anime world.

2. Tsurune

An entire show about ARCHERY. Can you believe it? I was mesmerized. It was GORGEOUS. At first I thought it would be so boring but wow was I wrong.... this show is unlike anything I have ever seen before and the only reason it doesn't take #1 was it was TOO. SHORT. It deserves several more seasons to really flesh it all out, and I can never get enough of watching their archery traditional rituals. This isn't normal archery, no no no. The music, the build-up, the way they lined up, the shots, the expressions, the vibe. This show was insanely good, and I am gearing for a re-watch.

Also, if you need anymore convincing....

WHAT. EVEN. They were so attractive. There were DEFINITE ships but there were also actual confrontations and drama that felt resolved and genuine. The friendship between some of the main characters killed me. The rivalry was also INTENSE.

The animation was seriously stunning. I wish I could watch this for the first time without knowing anything, but do me a huge favor and do that for me??? <3

3. Yuri! on Ice

AHHH!! This show is everything to me. To be fair, I came into this already a huge fan of figure skating so I was excited beyond belief to see animated programs, but even if you aren’t a fan (aka my best friend I watched this with) you will be OBSESSED.

I’ve seen this show three times, no regrets, and each time feels like a treat. There is a beautiful, yet low-key, romantic vibe between the coach and skater which labels this as a BL in my eyes, but you could still watch without any of that and enjoy every moment.

I think one of my favorite parts of this show was all the reactions to the skating. When Yuri, our main character, would perform, his coach always was shown to be reacting in some way, and it just built the hype further. There were also several other skaters you’d actually get to learn about and watch, so that adds deeper layers to the show.

This show is a blast. It’s fun, hilarious, romantic, sweet, exciting, and intense. There is a perfect balance of serious and comedy, and every character is just an adorable cinnamon roll. What are you waiting for?!??! This is the perfect show before the Winter Olympics.

4. Sk8 the Infinity

AHHH! This is a relatively new show, just released this year, but wow it had my heart racing... and not just for the bromance between our main boys. The entire premise was an illegal skateboarding track and everyone had an alternate persona at midnight when they competitively skated each other. I live and die for the relationships between the characters and there was not a single boring episode!

I literally think this is the single most entertaining show I’ve ever seen about a sport as unique as skateboarding, and I binged it all in one night. This is a show you’d want to re-watch! There is a literal plot, with a villain, and you will be rooting for so many and also wanting to see down-falls. It streams on Funimation and you don’t want to miss it!!! (PS: The dub is great, seriously. Especially Joe’s voice!)

5. number24

I waited a long time for the dub to drop on Funimation and it was WELL WORTH the wait. I had an amazing time watching this anime dedicated to RUGBY! Note, I have never seen a real-life rugby game and actually didn’t know much about it at all. You’ll find yourself learning a lot.

I have to be honest... this show is more focused on the relationships than the actual sport, so that might seem like a con to some. To me, though, I was soaking it up. The bonds and character development are amazing. I loved the trope of an injured player coming back as a coach. It was heart-warming, motivating, and inspiring!

I’m posting that gif because I know what I’m doing here ;)

6. Run with the Wind

Some might say this should be ranked higher, and I agree that it is a wonderful show, but looking back, it didn't stick out to me as much as others did. However, what a gem! I sincerely believe everyone should see this show. Only gripe I had... where was the relationship and character development? I would have loved to see more. Ironic considering it is the only anime on this list that is more than 20 episodes for a single season.

It’s hard to imagine a show dedicated to running could be fascinating, but it really was. The animation was pretty amazing and the beginning of the show was hilarious, with everyone resisting being part of this running team and practically experiencing fear tactics just to join. All in good fun, though. They came around, of course. The bromance and the pain and the struggles every day as they achieved their dreams were relatable.

That being said, the ending was a knife to the heart. It was raw, painful, and glorious all at once. I encourage everyone to watch this. You’ll seriously want to grab your running shoes and feel the wind in your face. I’ll never look at running the same way again!

7. Prince of Stride: Alternative

I’ve come to realize this is a most unheard of anime, and I’m so sad about that. It’s seriously phenomenal! Crazy that this sport doesn’t even actually exist, which is double sad. I was seriously impressed with this show, though! Stride is a sport that involves running + parkour through real city streets as a team, and relaying to one another. I have never been more invested in watching a sport; I was on the edge of my seat when they were racing, and I am so appreciative that this show actually dedicated full episodes to the races.

You will be intensely watching all the races, no doubt. The show grips you from the very start. I am amazed more people haven’t seen this.

There is definite fan-service. Cue the gif below.

It’s honestly super canon that one of the characters is gay, and I love watching those relationships develop. There is also an emphasis on some sibling relationships, which were some of my favorite in the show. All about that rivalry, living in an older sibling’s shadow, becoming your own person -- all that good stuff.

Turn the tide and watch this underrated gem!!!

8. Gymnastics Samurai

Recent and decent. That’s how I’d describe this show. Aside from Bakuten, this was the gymnastics show of the year, and I had a great time seeing it. Disclaimer, there is virtually zero fan-service or bromance here, aside from a middle aged man bonding with a teenager, in a TOTALLY healthy and fatherly way. He has a literal daughter, so everything in the show was normal. It was about a previously slated champion of gymnastics wanting to make his debut return, and struggling with his health and fitness, but going through with it all the same. I can’t lie and say it was the most exciting show, but I binged in a day because I was genuinely invested.

The father-daughter dynamic was adorable. I was also inspired by the tenacity and perseverance layered deep within this show. I think if you want to feel motivated to continue your dreams or start something new, this is the show to look towards.

9. Bakuten!

With that, I come to the second gymnastics-style show. This one’s all about rhythmic gymnastics! There is that typical trope, of a kid who is barely any good but wanting to make it work, and then the start athlete who comes off as a tsundere. Sprinkle in some senpei characters, and you have yourself a team that will bond and struggle throughout the episodes, until their glorious finish.

There were laugh-out-loud moments, and also tear-jerking episodes. I was already feeling emotional at the opening song, because it was the same band that sang the opening for Given. Instant hook! I would label this a fun show that you would enjoy, but it’s not a can’t-miss.

10. 2.43 Seiin High Volleyball

Fun fact: This was my first subbed anime, ever.

I was intrigued by this anime because it was about volleyball. I, for some reason, never got into Haikyuu (cue the shocked gasps), so I thought I’d give this a try. I’m happy to say I DID enjoy this one and finished it within a day. I really liked the mystery atmosphere of character backstories and I was invested in their journey. Not to mention... cutest bromance!!

There was a little too much of the overt blushing, but at the time, I found it adorable. Looking back... could they have been more obvious? Even as friends, they had a lot to tension and arguments to overcome before becoming close, and it was all so REAL.

11. Skate Leading Stars!

After Yuri on Ice, I saw this show had ice skating and did not even hesitate. Glad for that, because it was seriously entertaining!!!! I LOVED the idea of the rival’s brother helping the main character.... what a unique twist???? And I loved the tumblr jokes about them low-key being into each other. Imagine how the rival must have felt honestly. The vibes were THERE. That’s all I’m going to say on that.

I still don’t quite understand what skate leading is... but let’s be real, this show was not made to showcase the sport.

LOOK AT THEM! They were so hilarious together. Some of the most comedic moments I’ve experienced in anime.

All in all, wonderful show <3

12. Dive!!

You saw my number one show, right? How could anyone even TRY to emulate that... no way. This was an obvious attempt at Free, but with a younger cast and variation on the sport. But all the vibes were there: being shirtless around your friends 24/7, being obsessed with your rival to an unhealthy degree, ignoring your best friends for your rival, female coach/manager, fascination with the water.... you name it. I wish this show was better but it got good the last episode and then it was over.

I think it’s funny that I can’t even find a gif for this because Free keeps showing up.

13. Cheer Boys!

This was a show I really wanted to like more, but it got stale after the first half. I dragged myself to finish the second half more than a month later.... and I’m glad I did because the ending was exciting. I still wouldn’t put this near the top by any means. The animation could have been better and the bonds between characters could have been explored further. I still don’t know the point of half the individuals on their cheer team. Also, what happened with their futures? So many questions. Not enough answers.

There was about... 0.5 fan-service. The relationship between the main friends was the only thing that had any depth to it. They had a strong bond, that much was clear, but sometimes they never talked things out and then it was forgotten. That FRUSTRATES me.

However, I appreciate the effort at an anime centered around boys being cheerleaders. That’s not something you see everyday!

14. Big Windup!

Ah, so I did see a baseball anime after all. This is one of many out there (I’m looking at you Diamond of Ace... on my watchlist forever) but it was a good choice I think. I only saw the first season because I wasn’t interested enough to keep going.

Listen... we need to talk about the main character. There are a few, so I don’t want to spoil. But there is this one character... you’ll know right away... who is so so so annoying. I can’t tell if it’s his voice, personality, face, or just overall existence. I tried hard to get past it. I read posts everywhere about people saying it gets better. It didn’t get better. I have no clue how I managed to finish the season but I got through... cringing the entire time.

Trust me, you’ll know.

That’s why I can’t say much about this show. I did really like the NOT ANNOYING characters, and I did focus on them mostly. The vibes were cute, with everyone helping out the weaker players, but yeah... that one character. He was not it.

Here’s a cute gif because there are cute moments!!! If you like baseball, you’ll love this because they dedicated like 16 episodes to one game. Not exaggerating lol

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There you have it! Those are all the sports anime I have seen so far, ranked! I hope you enjoyed this :)

I want to hear your thoughts! <3

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seiin-translations · 3 years ago

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2.43 S2 Chapter 1.5 - The Laughing King and Crybaby Jack (Part 5)

5. SCOUTING

Previous || Index || Next

It was now Wednesday of the following week. After school, as the team members gathered in the gym after changing into their practice clothes without waiting for cleaning time to end, a first-year told Ochi that Tokura was feeling ill and wanted to take the day off.

“He got diarrhea? Did he eat something weird?”

“I-I guess so.”

They couldn’t afford for him to lose his strength at this critical time. As he was thinking about texting him later, Saruwatari passed by and said, “Kohei? I saw him eating a lot of bread when he was cleaning. I thought he was just eating before practice.”

“What did you say?”

Saruwatari flinched when Ochi unconsciously widened his eyes in anger.

“You want me to go look for him?”

“No…I’ll go. Can you tell Sensei for me? I’ll leave the rest of the preparations to you.”

“Oh, Ochi-senpai. What should we say to Subaru-senpai?”

Just as he was about to run out after putting on his outdoor shoes, the first-year called after him. He thought it would be easier to have Mimura go look for him than to go himself, but he couldn’t use their ace for such an errand.

“Don’t tell Mimura any more than you have to. Kohei is sick. I have to go out to run an errand.”

It wasn’t so much as having an idea, but something he intuitively knew.

Athletic club members in tracksuits and uniforms shuffled along the path between the back of the school and the sports ground. Beyond it, he could see the bike parking area under a sheet iron roof.

Tokura was pulling out his beloved bike from a cluttered group of bikes parked in what looked like an oversized garbage dump. “Geh,” he reacted in an obvious way when he spotted Ochi.

“You look good for a guy who’s got diarrhea.”

Ochi went around to the front of his bike and grabbed the basket.

“If you can’t manage your physical condition before the tournament, then I can’t entrust the position of Subaru’s diagonal to you. Sensei also said that it was about time we start using the first-years in the starting lineup.”

He leaned over the basket and let his voice lower an octave. Tokura’s brows furrowed in a pitiful expression.

“I-I thought I’d go see Seiin’s practice…”

He hung his head and confessed the truth.

“The tournament is next week. If you want to see Seiin in person, you can see them then.”

In the qualifiers, which would be held next weekend on September 27 and 28, the twenty-two competing schools would be divided into two groups of eleven schools and play in a tournament to sift down to the last two schools. These two schools would then compete in the representative play-offs in November to determine the representative school that would be sent to Tokyo.

Fukuho, who was the number one seed, would not participate in the tournament draw. The matchup would be up to Seiin’s luck in the lottery, but as luck would have it, Seiin drew the group where Fukuho was not. In other words, the two schools would not meet in the qualifiers. Only if the two schools reached the top of their respective groups without losing a single game, they would finally face off in November.

“Rather than caring about other teams that we don’t even know if we’re going to play, we have other things to do right now. If we get caught in the qualifiers, we’ll be too miserable to look at.”

“Y-yes, but…”

Tokura mumbled, his shoulders slumping. Ochi sighed.

“I’ll go with him.”

“What?” Tokura raised his eyes when Ochi said that without much hesitation.

“I don’t want you to worry about the court next to you at the qualifiers. If you go see them now and be satisfied, you can focus on what is in front of you, right?”

---

The train service wasn’t very frequent, so they had to wait a long time for the train bound for Nanafu, and it was a twenty-minute walk from Nanafu Station to Seiin High School. They came there as quickly as they could, but they probably arrived at the latter half of the volleyball team’s practice time.

Seiin High School was located on a mountain slope that was exposed to the western sun. Ochi and Tokura rode their bikes up the slope, passing Seiin students who were riding down the slope nimbly on their bikes. Although the sun’s rays were less intense than in midsummer, the heat from the ground rushed up to meet their faces when they leaned forward.

However, more than the sunlight and temperature, there was something that both of them felt painfully in their skins.

“Kuh…Seiin has a lot of girls…so chatty, they should put their studies first since they’re students.”

Tokura said hatefully as they passed by mixed-gender groups and groups made up of girls on their way to the school building. He was whispering, though.

“They have a much higher university acceptance rate than our school.”

Ochi, who was plunging in with his eyes half-closed, was also whispering.

Well, there were only two things to envy: the male-to-female ratio and the standard test scores (though that alone was a decisive factor), but in any case, they were both public schools. The school building was not as impressive as Fukuho’s, and the uniforms for both boys and girls were simple black blazers, not particularly stylish. Fukuho had gakurans, but they were currently wearing their summer uniforms, so the only difference at a glance was the presence or absence of a tie.

Tokura was in his uniform, and Ochi was in a T-shirt and sweatpants. The Seiin students looked curiously at the mismatched pair from another school.

“Excuse me, do you know where the boys’ volleyball team practices?”

Instead of the big-boned but shy-out-in-public Tokura, Ochi was the one who grabbed the nearest Seiin students and asked them. Ochi too used to be quite shy, but his position, which required him to negotiate within the school and to interact with the volleyball teams from other schools, forced him to improve a great deal. This surprisingly might be his most universally useful development after becoming a manager.

“We have a boy’s volleyball team?”

“I think we probably do, don’t we?”

The two Seiin students looked at each other and had an incredibly uncertain exchange.

“They’ll probably be in the gym or outside court…Go around to the left of that entrance there, then go through the woods and you’ll see the clubroom building, go to the right and you’ll see the gym, go left and keep going up the slope next to the first and second sports grounds if you want to go to the outside court.”

They indicated the directions with their fingers.

“Well, it isn’t like this is a middle school gym class, so they must be on the outside court, right?”

Tokura whispered into his ear.

“Well, let’s go there and see. I’ll go check out the gym, and you go to the outside court.”

He split up with Tokura from there, deciding to text each other when one of them found the practice location.

---

In the gym, two clubs were practicing on either side of a partition net hung up in the middle. The girls’ volleyball team was in the front half of the gym, and the badminton team could be seen in the back half where the stage was located. Since they were practicing with the badminton team, the windows were all closed. It seemed to be the case for all schools that the gym became a sauna when that happened. The air seemed to be distorted by the steam rising from the bodies of the team members. He could feel sweat beading on his forehead just from standing on the doorway.

In the middle of all this, he asked a team member in a long-sleeved and long-pants tracksuit who was near the doorway where the boys’ volleyball team practiced.

“The boys’ team is outside today. Oh, but I think they’ll be coming back in a little. After the badminton team ends practice at six, they’ll let them use the other side.”

The member answered, looking at the clock on the wall. Behind the metal barrier, the clock hands indicated 5:40.

“Six? That’s early… You can’t use the gym every day?”

It wasn’t like he was doing reconnaissance or anything, but he couldn’t help but probe deeper. The Fukuho volleyball team had access to the gym every day after class ended from 3:30 until 7:30 (although some days of the week had longer classes), and in some cases, it was extended.

“Tournaments are coming up for both the boys’ and girls’ volleyball teams, so we’re allowed to use the gym until 7:30 after other clubs leave. Normally, we have to be out by six.”

“The Spring High preliminaries, huh. It’s on the twenty-seventh.”

Ochi immediately said, and the boy tilted his head with an expression that said, Who are you? Ochi was also wondering who this boy was just now. He was a boy who looked just over 180 with long limbs and a lanky body that were the clear marks of a volleyball player, but it was the girls’ volleyball team who was practicing in front of him.

“Um, are you the manager for the girls’ volleyball team?”

He continued with the rude questions, but this male member didn’t seem offended, and he answered with a smile that seemed gentle in character, but showed the strength at his core.

“No, I’m a member of the boys’ volleyball team. I can’t show you around right now, but if you want to go to the outside court, I can show you.”

——That was Kanno, a second-year.

It was only after Ochi thanked him and left the gym that he matched the face to the name (he’s a year below me, isn’t he? I didn’t have to use polite speech with him).

The fact that club activities ended at six here was insane to him. Was that the case for schools that weren’t particularly focused on club activities? Practicing until six, and not being able to use the gym…it might be rude to think this, but what were they doing, worrying about a school that was doing club activities as their leisure time? He couldn’t help but feel like they were being made fun of, and it made him gloomy.

A dirt slope stretched between the bike parking lot and the sports grounds. There were two sports grounds and an outdoor court above them.

What a hilly school…I had to climb a lot from the station just to get to the school, and now I have to go up another hill…

Fukuho was located on a piece of flat land in the city, so it was quite a surprise for Ochi to see such a difference in elevation within the school.

What’s Tokura doing anyways? He should have sent me a text when he finds them practicing on the outside court.

He was about to check his phone to see if he received any messages when a voice saying “Excuse me” came down from the top of the hill.

“Excuse me! Please stop!”

He looked up from his phone to see a ball cage approaching him before his eyes.

“Whoa!”

The ball cage rumbled down the slope, nearly crushing Ochi’s toes as he dodged it. A boy in sportswear running after it jumped at the edge of the cage and, dragged a few steps by the weight, slammed on the brakes. A cloud of sand flew up.

“Cough…w-what was that…?”

It was a steel mesh ball cage like those used in gym class, with sand-covered volleyballs piled up high. The boy gripping the cage had the same volleyball-team height as Kanno from earlier, but his features, which were a little more mature than that of a middle schooler, indicated that he was probably a first-year.

Seiin only had eight members. Of those, only two were first-years. Was this the setter Haijima, or the left ace Kuroba…?

Without giving him a chance to talk to him, the first-year hurriedly push the ball cage up the slope with a “thank you!” and ran as fast as he could.

“What an energetic guy…” He had only dodged it, so he didn’t think he would get thanked.

This was no time to stand idly by. From the top of the slope, he heard Tokura yelling. “That idiot, what is he…!” Ochi started to run after the first-year.

Tokura was arguing with a big guy and it seemed like they might grab each other at any moment. The first-year, holding the ball cage, was panicking and saying, “Okuma-senpai, you can’t!” Okuma was the second-year middle blocker who everyone exclaimed “Who’s that!?” when they saw him. Even in the video, it could be seen that he was unusually stout for a high school volleyball player.

“Kohei! What are you doing!”

He was out of breath before he knew it, but even so he still ran as fast as he could and shouted at him. That was when Tokura swung his fist at Okuma.

With a dull gah, Okuma plunged butt-first into the bushes by the side of the road.

“Wha…”

He couldn’t believe what had happened in front of his eyes.

“Senpai!” The first year rushed to help Okuma up after shoving the ball cage into the bushes. Ochi returned to himself and intervened by holding back Tokura, who was standing there with a reddened face.

“Kohei!!” Half-screaming, his voice cracked. “You!!”

“O-Ochi-senpai…t-this guy said Fukuho must not be such a big deal since we were sneaking around and scouting them…”

Tokura himself was dumbfounded, but he pointed at Okuma and exposed his anger once again.

Okuma, who had been pulled out of the bush, stood and said “Owww…” as he pressed his cheek. “Fukuho sure has no manners, sneaking into someone else’s territory. I didn’t say you weren’t a big deal. I just said that Fukuho must have fallen to the bottom of the heap if they’re sneaking in here to spy on us.” Matching the impression of his outward appearance, he spoke rudely and arrogantly. “Stop, what are you doing by stirring them up!” the first-year frantically pulled on Okuma’s back.

He wanted to grind his teeth at Tokura’s rashness. However, one didn’t have to be Tokura to feel offended by that way of speaking. It wasn’t something those who carried Fukuho’s pride on their backs could overlook.

While holding back Tokura, he turned to Okuma.

“You’re the one with no manners here.”

“Aah? Who the hell are you?”

“Ochi, third-year. I’m Fukuho’s manager.”

“Manager? For boys’ volleyball? Is it fun for a guy to be the manager of the boys’ volleyball team?”

He could clearly feel his own eyebrows twitch. “You’re going too far!” His hand that was holding back the enraged Tokura from behind was trembling. Right when he unconsciously clenched his fist on Tokura’s shirt…

“Okay, let’s just leave it at that.”

A calm voice cut in.

A new figure had appeared further up the hill. A tall and lanky shadow stood there as though a tree had suddenly sprouted in the middle of the road, backlit by the orange setting sun shining through the gaps between the bushes.

“…Aoki?”

Recognizing Seiin’s vice-captain, Ochi called his name.

He was a member of the Seiin volleyball team who he had known somewhat because they were in the same grade. He was the tallest on the Seiin team at 193cm. Since he was on top of a hill, he looked so excessively tall that he could poke the sky.

“Well look who it is. So it was you, Ochi.”

Aoki also recognized Ochi. He was tall, but unlike Okuma, he didn’t have an overbearing air about him. Ochi had the impression of him as a rational and gentle person.

Aoki was pointing his cell phone camera at them. He checked the screen and was fiddling with something.

“This rude guy from your school is laying his hands on our guy, so I was just able to get it on camera.”

“What…you recorded it!? Why would you…!?”

“It’ll make a great piece of evidence that a member of Fukuho came to another school and started a fight there.”

Just when he thought he had finally met a member of the team with whom he could talk calmly, the person who appeared wasn’t a mediator to settle the matter. Behind him, Tokura gasped and began to shake.

Rational and gentle impression? Who was!?

“Ah…that’s low! It was your member who stirred things up!”

“The number one school in the prefecture doesn’t need to be offended by a little bit of foul language from a weak school like us.” Okuma jumped on the opportunity Aoki gave him and got fired up. Ochi ground his teeth and glared at him.

“You guys don’t seem to know your manners. Where would this kind of talk…”

He lost the rest of his words when someone entered the edge of his vision.

He turned his head so quickly that he swore he could hear a creak, and saw a bike parked a little lower down the hill. Not only had he seen it before, it was an extremely familiar bike that he had ridden to and from school countless times over the past three years. In the front basket was an enamel bag with “Fukuho Tech” printed on it in hard typeface.

“Suba…ru…why…”

Mimura, who had taken one foot off the pedals to support the bike, was breathing hard. He must have left practice, as he was wearing a sweaty T-shirt. He paused in his shallow, repetitive breathing to take a deep breath in, then exhaled with his whole upper body and plopped down over the handlebars with his arms resting on his bag.

“Ow…I died on that slope back there.”

It was unthinkable that he could have ridden his bike all the way here from Fukuho before he went up the hill and so on. He couldn’t have possibly caught up if he had to wait for the next train, but it should have taken an hour if he rode as hard as he could.

“…What’s going on, with you here…”

Muttering that, Mimura’s fingers twitched on the bag. He raised his head slightly from his arms and looked farther upwards, past Ochi and Tokura who were rooted to the spot.

He could see the rest of the team, three or four members in all, coming down from the top of the hill. The short boy at the front of the group stopped in his tracks when he noticed Ochi, the other four people, and Mimura on his bike.

The first-year, who had simply been flustered and unable to interject, suddenly shouted, “You’ve got it all wrong! It isn’t me this time!”

---

It seemed that the Seiin team members were about to clean up the outdoor court and intermittently withdraw into the gym. They all moved together for the time being to a flat area at the bottom of the hill. The circumstances were explained to the two captains, with arguments from both schools.

Seiin’s captain, Oda, was a wing spiker of only 163cm. The height difference between Oda and Mimura, who played the same position but was taller at 189cm, was so great that it was almost comical when they faced each other.

At that point, Ochi didn’t think that something fatal was happening to Fukuho. There was no question that Seiin’s rudeness was the spark that lit the fuse. What’s more, taking a video and threatening us…is that something a high schooler would come up with? Even if Seiin submitted the video to a suitable place such as their school or Koutairen, Seiin’s unscrupulous technique would be more problematic.

However, Mimura said…

“Sorry.”

He then bent his tall body and bowed his head to Oda, which was both surprising and hard to accept.

“Can’t you keep this between us? I can’t let anything scandalous happen to us. I deeply apologize for any careless actions done by our members. Can’t you do that for me, for the sake of my honor?”

“Subaru, stop…”

Ochi whispered and pulled on Mimura’s arm.

Fukuho was the king of the prefecture. He wasn’t saying that out of arrogance, but objectively speaking, they had contributed more to high school volleyball in the prefecture than any other school, and even the credibility of the people involved were different. It was Seiin who insulted them at the beginning of the encounter without the least bit respect.

There was no way the captain of Fukuho was going to bow down to a bunch of guys who just happened to stand out this year and didn’t know manners. It felt pathetic. It was like an unconditional surrender.

“The people involved in this are me and Kohei. If anyone’s going to apologize, it should be us.”

“Be quiet. It doesn’t matter if you bow your heads or not. It’s something I have to do.”

Without wavering in his posture, Mimura spoke crisply and clearly. His heavy and powerful voice, which was usually light, pierced through his body and reverberated down his spine.

“Please, Oda. It would be a shame for us if we were suspended for such a trivial matter. If Fukuho’s history is cut short like this with us, we won’t be able to face our senpais.”

He didn’t even put his head on the ground, but for Ochi it was as good as getting down on his knees. He was horrified as he finally realized the gravity of what they had done. They were in a situation where they had no choice but to depend on the mercy of Seiin’s captain.

The only one standing on the precipice was Fukuho. Even if Seiin’s modus operandi was called into question, they could just say it was a one-time thing.

The magnitude of what they would lose was as different as heaven and earth.

“Um…I’m really sorry for everything!” Tokura jumped out from next to him and collapsed onto his knees in front of Oda. “I’m the only one to blame! If this will be solved by me quitting the team, then…”

“H-Hold on a minute. I didn’t mean to talk so big. Please stand up. This is making me look bad.”

Oda stepped back disconcertedly from Tokura, who looked like he was about to start rubbing his forehead against his shoes. He took Tokura’s arm and stood him up as he turned towards Mimura.

“Mimura, I don’t care about it either. It’ll only be a loss for us if it becomes a problem. We said some stupid stuff too, so we’re sorry. ——Okuma!”

With a stern voice, Oda called out to Okuma.

“It’s not worth it if I’m the only one who’s punched.”

Okuma complained.

“Both of you are bad! First Kuroba, now you, I’m sick of this!”

A threatening angry voice exploded from his small frame. Okuma flinched from Oda’s scolding, who was twice as big as he looked if you crossed him.

“I’m so sorry, Fukuho-san—.”

Okuma apologized sulkily.

“Aoki,” Oda then turned to the vice-captain of the same year as him, and Aoki shrugged his shoulders casually. “Enough with the bad jokes. Delete it right now.”

Joke? Is he talking about that threat? Even if that’s the case…it’s in too bad taste.

Aoki sighed and turned his phone screen towards them. At the end of several thumbnails in a row was a video showing Tokura and Okuma. The fact that evidence really had been obtained sent a chill down his back. Aoki deleted the video so that those present could see it clearly.

In the end, no one except Oda seemed apologetic. Ochi’s indignation didn’t abate, but when he thought of Mimura’s position, he stifled any further protests.

Mimura finally raised his head. The fact that his gaze had once again settled in a spot higher than Oda proved that Fukuho was out of the dilemma.

Oda, too, had subsided in his anger towards his own team members, and a smile appeared on his masculine face.

“I heard you came all the way out here to watch us practice. It’s an honor to be marked by Fukuho.”

It was as if they had returned to their original goal after going through all that unnecessary trouble. Still, although he and Okuma were saying the same things, it didn’t sound sarcastic coming from Oda’s mouth.

“It’ll only be for an hour from now, but you can watch if you want.”

“No, we don’t need to watch you practice.”

Oda closed his mouth in surprise at Mimura’s flat response. Ochi and Tokura looked at Mimura, both wanting to say something. It was natural to feel that they might as well watch since they came all this way.

It was hard to believe that Mimura had prostrated himself with such a serious face just a few minutes ago, but now he was back to his usual Mimura self.

“I’m gonna throw some cold water on everything today, grab these guys by the scruff of their necks and go back. In exchange, how about a practice match?”

He said. In a sense, he was in a good mood when he made the offer right after this situation.

That determination was who Mimura was. Finally able to see the true Mimura, Ochi felt quite relieved.

The lack of information about Seiin made them seem needlessly creepy. On the other hand, Fukuho, who had always won regular matches, might as well as be stark naked. Fukuho’s videos were lying around the prefecture like rocks along the side of the road.

He thought that there was no reason for Oda, who seemed to be a chivalrous and manly man as well as respected by his teammates, not to make a quick decision. However, surprisingly, Oda avoided making a snap judgement and turned around, asking, “What do you guys think? They’re the one who asked us, and I want to practice with a higher-skilled team, but…” He was asking the opinion of a certain member of the team who hadn’t spoken a word until then.

That was——Haijima.

For some reason, he knew it was him right away, even though he could only recognize it from a distance in the video.

Unlike Mimura, he didn’t have a sharp and distinct face. He had a slender face with narrow eyes, a face that didn’t stand out at all. He was tall and skinny as fitting a volleyball player and wore thin-framed glasses, which he didn’t have in the video. At first glance, he didn’t seem like a sports person, and if he hadn’t been here in a practice uniform, one might not have thought he was part of a sports team.

And yet, his appearance suddenly drew his attention. It was as though there was only a thin air of tension where he was, and although it was completely different from Mimura, there was something that changed the air around him into an atmosphere of his own color.

Aah, so this guy is also “special”——

“There’s another genius right now in Fukui.”

One of the Best Six of Tokyo middle schools, as Hata put it, turned his narrow eyes on Mimura as though he was appraising Fukui’s absolute ace. The first words he uttered were in standard Japanese without a local accent.

“It’s fine, isn’t it? You don’t have to be so reluctant. It looks like they’re awfully interested in us.”

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#2.43 #2.43 seiin koukou danshi volley bu #2.43: Seiin Koukou Danshi Volley-bu #2.43: Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Club #2.43 translation #2.43 book 2 #fyeahsportsanime #sports anime

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