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| THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE. ---------------------------------------- Episode felt kinda slow with the aftermath of the match... Cute to see Maruo and Natsu hanging out too!  A good way for the two to catch up. Also some nice bromance moments between him and Yukichi :D |
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| Well we did get him through round 3 in one episode but his opponent was a no name. I also thought that was some pretty nice interaction between Ei-chan and Natsu, they're obviously not pushing the romance too fast, but this has been pretty steady progress. It also looks like Kojirou is going to try to scoop Himeko on the rebound. |
rodacAug 9, 2015 3:43 AM
Please don't feed the trolls! In my next life I want to collide at the corner with the cute transfer student carrying a piece of toast in her mouth...rodac |
Couldn't help but think about KnB every time they brought up ''the zone.'' LOL XD  Another missed opportunity to deepen his relationship with Natsu. Maruo thinks too much sometimes. When it comes to romance, he should just go with the flow.  |
SchwingBonerAug 9, 2015 4:22 AM
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| Nacchan is way too cute <3 Zone has finally been introduced in the anime :3 for anyone who's worried about this going KnB supernatural route then don't be. It stays really realistic This upcoming match is one of my least fav but hopefully they breeze through it in the anime |
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| Good ep imo, really don't like the new guy Maruo is gonna face next ep. Way to stuck up |
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| pretty chill episode, i liked it |
| :3 |
| hahah the zone like kuroko no basuke maruo enter the zone :) that next player is rude let´s see how maruo plays touch the hand of nat chan..huhuhu how cute they are  |
| Nacchan is so cute how she was laughing at his mock interview. I don't like this Takagi Sakuya guy... He seems to be a player who uses petty tricks and mind games to give him a psychological advantage. Not really cheating but it's not considered good sportsmanship either. And the toss for who serves first is just about the only thing you can cheat on but it's very petty and childish to do so. Maruo should have called him on it. I would have ignored it and spun my own racket fairly then asked him to pick instead. I have no respect for players like that even if they are one of the top seeds. But Maruo should be good against a player like this. He should keep his calm and not let himself get affected by it. |
| Takagi's the type to some petty tricks I reckon. Not the type to have enough skill to defeat Maruo though, just throw him off with random things. He's a newly introduced character anyway, he's not important. |
 Tip : listen to what's writing on your shirt, Ei-chan :) |
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| Good episode, Takaki sure is a rude asshole, kinda reminds me of Ryoma from POT. Yukichi was really annoying in this episode, give this guy his medicine to calm the hell down. First Initial D, then KNB and now Baby Steps. These Zone stuff is kinda meh, but is suprisingly actually a real life term. Hope it doesnt turn into something like this: |
| Great episode, even if it was mostly a transition. The date will have to wait till after this tournament. |
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Kryptiq said: Tip : listen to what's writing on your shirt, Ei-chan :) Nice one! |
Kryptiq said: Tip : listen to what's writing on your shirt, Ei-chan :) He shouldn't ask himself , and just go with the flow , or do what his T-shirt says xD |
| "Slowly but surely."-Me Hey Pals Let's Be Unique! |
Kryptiq said: Tip : listen to what's writing on your shirt, Ei-chan :) Beat me to the punch! =P I laughed at that part. Anyway, good episode. New guy is rude. I hope Maruo teaches him a lesson. |
| A good episode, definitely. Highlight was Natsu and Maruo's meeting. It was cute. I just hope they kiss by the end of this season. |
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| Even if I already read what happened with the scans , I don't remember what they actually do or not... So , I'd like to see it for myself *u* |
| "Slowly but surely."-Me Hey Pals Let's Be Unique! |
| Dead Parent Syndrome. Will they ever care enough about their child to go see him play? For an anime trying to be somewhat realistic they are missing some obvious steps. |
| He was in the ZONE EPIC!!! Ehh Takagi Poor Yukichi T__T |
| mostly talking |
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| Huh! Introducing the zone concept in baby steps! Not cool :( |
| My Anime List | |
Hakaya said: Huh! Introducing the zone concept in baby steps! Not cool :( Not really , I'm just concerned about the fact that it seems less "powerful" than in KnB , and that he don't do a fuss over that... |
| "Slowly but surely."-Me Hey Pals Let's Be Unique! |
Hakaya said: Huh! Introducing the zone concept in baby steps! Not cool :( You're talking as if it's something they made up. All it is, is a certain state of mind. It's not that surprising. |
rasenshiruken973 said: Hakaya said: Huh! Introducing the zone concept in baby steps! Not cool :( You're talking as if it's something they made up. All it is, is a certain state of mind. It's not that surprising. Since it's more of a psychological concept than a physical one, it fits Maruo pretty nicely. But it also accentuates the unrealistic growth of Maruo. I swear, it seems like he's the only character ever improving in this show. |
| Lol the zone is KnB is much more exaggerated and more epic obviously. The zone in Baby Steps is totally more realistic. Haha the zone is just a reference to the best mental also involving physical state. It obviously can be found in any sports. Idk why some people are agitated over this. Lol and you will always find jerks in any sports. |
| No victory sex? It was a nice transition to the next match covering the "zone" term as well Kind of sad Yukichi lost his match, but his comedy made it up |
| They had people stalking them ?? Ei-chan should learn to go into the zone for his relationship too lol. Just follow your instincts and pounce onto her. XD But eww what's with this lousy opponent.. |
| Good introduction of the zone, it's not something unrealistic, a lot of players already said that when they are very focused on the match, they enter in a different state and play better. Cute date, Maruo do not hesitate ! |
| Maruo definitely willed himself into the zone. That's a big accomplishment, especially if you don't realize you're doing it. I had only realized at the end of the zone discussion that Kageyama's totally going to get with Sasaki as the anime/manga goes on. His line about her hiding her tears with cheers breaking his heart was adorable. Wheelchair-kid has a role model now. Even when losing Ide is an amazing person, telling him to go for it and telling him that one day they'll have to play if that's the case. Ide later shows he's just as spontaneous as that kid by deciding then and there he's going abroad and that he'll find out how it'll go once he's there. The scene where Maruo wanted to hold Natsu's hand was the hardest I've laughed at Baby Steps to date. Him giving that thought out magazine tier answer to Natsu's cute interview question was the most Maruo thing possible. And then his battle over questioning just what do you when you're dating, and whether stuff like holding hands occurs naturally was too relatable. His reason wasn't so harmonized with his instinct this time. Takagi seems like he'll be a different kind of pressure. Rather than the pressure of the your situation and losing and the crowd, it seems Takagi is all about bad manners and getting in his opponents head. Keeping composure against an opponent who's biggest goal is to drive you insane may be a different kind of lesson all together. He's also somewhat remincent to how Araya is towards Takuma, he grew up always in Nabae's shadow. I bet learning how he beat Nabae will have to do with winning this match. |
| Steady episode as a whole, another transition one from the lengthy Ide match to the Takagi one (fourth round matchup). Maruo has already qualified for the All-Japan Junior but he still needs to win the matches in these qualifiers to get better seedings for the main tournament and have better odds of making it to the end. Takagi does look devious as a player. Not getting positive vibes from him as a player, especially considering he beat Nabae in the past and has a suspicious personality too given what he did to Yukichi whilst winning anyway. The relationship with Natsu and Maruo is going slow but steady. Natsu obviously cheering for Maruo during the Ide match helped him out mentally too, so it's nice seeing them have good moments together already, despite not even progressing far enough for hand holding and other stuff (although Natsu did hold Maruo's hand to calm him down after the Ide match). Maruo's improv speech while Natsu was flirting with him was pretty fun to see though. Impressive that he thought up all of that on the fly, but it is the guy who overthinks everything in the first place, so not really a shocker. |
| this new guy seems like a prick |
If you don't like me, acquire some taste |
| They did my boy Yukichi dirty! A match between him and Eiichirou sounded far more engaging than having MC going against a supposed top player we didn't know anything about until this same episode. |
| I have no experience in dating so this episode feels empty to me |
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