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Jul 12, 2015 1:57 AM
#1

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Nov 2011
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THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE.
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Holy shit, Natsu looked really cute here:


Decent buildup episode for the bigger stuff. I think this is more like the calm before the storm. Of course, the games themselves are picking up with Marou. I hope he can do well..
Stark700Jul 12, 2015 3:06 AM
Jul 12, 2015 4:08 AM
#2

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the hypu is real
:3
Jul 12, 2015 4:11 AM
#3
Content Admin
Overkilled Red

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Once again, Maruo triumphs with his excellent skills. Yakabe's physique and playing style might've changed a bit, but it didn't take long for Maruo to get used to it and go after his weaknesses. Poor guy got owned completely.

Ei-chan X Nat-chan pair is officially made known. I like how everyone already thought they were going out way before. Too bad for Sasaki though. I secretly hope Kageyama gets a chance with her now. He's a bro and deserves some love too.

Not really fond of how the huge crowd is being only supportive towards Ide. Do they not know if it wasn't for Maruo being considerate, Ide would've lost by default? But I guess it doesn't really matter to everyone in the stadium.

Decent episode. Hopefully Maruo will find Ide's weaknesses early enough before he takes the lead from the crowd's cheering.

Jul 12, 2015 5:19 AM
#4

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Dec 2011
1887
Finally the fate match start and this will be amazing and quite long may be around 3-5 episodes.Nice reaction from everyone about Natsu and Ei-chan going out...
Jul 12, 2015 5:25 AM
#5
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Jun 2014
16
kaitonic said:
Finally the fate match start and this will be amazing and quite long may be around 3-5 episodes.Nice reaction from everyone about Natsu and Ei-chan going out...


Not a Massive Fan of Matches taking more then 2 Epsiodes. Seems to Drag on for me. Though won’t stop me Watching this Great Anime
Jul 12, 2015 5:38 AM
#6

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Oct 2014
2761
Good episode, fun to see Ide and how he acts. Or rather what his personality is like.

Will be fun to see the match next ep!
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Jul 12, 2015 5:44 AM
#7

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Aug 2013
1621
Man i hated this match in the Manga because this Yoshi guy is so fucking annoying with his Friends and the whole crowd cheering for him
Jul 12, 2015 5:57 AM
#8

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10989
I always thought it was a pretty stupid plot device to have Ide accompany the kid. There were already other people who could've taken the kid to the hospital. They just wanted to make him seem like a shounen MC to sympathize with XD

But well it led to an epic match so whatever :P I remember sitting on the edge of my seat during the last exchange of this match when I read the manga. Hopefully they'll animate the intensity as well :3

Lol'd at Yukichi's jelly from Maruo XD
Jul 12, 2015 7:11 AM
#9
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Jul 2014
118
This angle kinda makes it look like the kid lost a leg in the accident



Yea, I felt like the hospital / accident stuff was a little weak(in japan doctors can administer surgery on children without parental consent?) but I can overlook it.

I also find it hard to believe that literally no one but his two friends and his coach are here to cheer for Maruo after his past performances. I know he isn't seeded but cmon.

It's really gonna show how good Maruo really is to be able to overcome this obstacle when the whole crowd is completely against him as well.
Jul 12, 2015 8:28 AM

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Nov 2010
1694
Oh man, seems like beating Ide will be hard.

i was expecting better scene from the romance aspect. anyway ...
Jul 12, 2015 9:14 AM

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Feb 2012
301
GSupernova said:
I also find it hard to believe that literally no one but his two friends and his coach are here to cheer for Maruo after his past performances. I know he isn't seeded but cmon.

Well, he is almost a nobody right now.

Eiichiro took second place in a prefectural tournament. If any tennis fan from Kanegawa went to Kanto, he would be watching Araya's match.
Jul 12, 2015 9:15 AM

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Jun 2013
4853
the aniki dud is just being jelly
Jul 12, 2015 12:26 PM

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Apr 2013
7998
the melodrama with the kid being hit by a car was so random lol, still won't make me like Ide and his douchey friends.
Jul 12, 2015 2:16 PM
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Jul 2018
559028
Natsu looked cute with that smile when she made a V sign.
Jul 12, 2015 3:38 PM
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Jul 2013
1539
if ei chan wins will natsu suck him????? thats the real question
Jul 12, 2015 5:34 PM

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Damn I hope Ei-chan can win against Ide and his fans

The secret is out. Ei-chan x Natsu

I felt bad for her. Well she has his friend
Jul 12, 2015 6:13 PM

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1917
Hmmm, though I agree that the accident with the kid was sort of meh, I still like how it sets up Ide at his best against Ei-chan for such a huge match. This match has the makings to be a blockbuster match. Sooo hyped to see how Ei-chan weathers the crowd now! This is a match he needs.
Jul 12, 2015 7:47 PM

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Jul 2012
100
Anyways, I never like episodes like this where the crowd is completely on one side... Hope Maruo can pull through.

Mod Edit: Removed reaction to deleted (false) spoiler.
rodacJul 12, 2015 11:54 PM
Jul 12, 2015 8:13 PM

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May 2013
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I laughed so hard during Maruo's flashback when Ide hit a jumping overhead from the service line. He's such a ridiculously gaudy player that I can't help but like him.
Jul 12, 2015 8:24 PM

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atsumu said:
Anyways, I never like episodes like this where the crowd is completely on one side... Hope Maruo can pull through.
I mean... you really believe Ei-chan is gonna lose here and not follow on his dreams of going pro? C'mon, I don't read the manga and know Ei-chan will find a way to win this match.

Mod Edit: removed quote of reaction to removed (false) spoiler.
rodacJul 12, 2015 11:55 PM
Jul 12, 2015 11:59 PM

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Mod Note: Removed false spoiler. Deliberately posting spoilers, whether true or false, can be considered trolling. Please don't do it. I also removed some quotes and comments on the spoiler.

This is one of the more interesting matches from the manga. If he beats Ide it will be like beating the hero of a typical shounen sports show. Ei-chan is the villain!
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

Jul 13, 2015 9:20 AM

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Sep 2014
2454
Okay, this is gonna be a good match from what I can see. Let's see!
Jul 13, 2015 3:41 PM

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Jan 2013
11047
Great episode, this match will be difficult for Eii-chan, but it's a good experience to have, he'll definitely grow from it.
Jul 14, 2015 12:02 AM

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Nov 2014
616
Maraou is overwhelmed with the crowd. Eidi performs better when people support him, I bet Maraou is going to play one of the hardest matches.
Jul 14, 2015 12:47 AM

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Anmoly97 said:
if ei chan wins will natsu suck him????? thats the real question


It's too early for that! Baby steps, as they say.


Poor Himeko. I feel bad for her. Did Maruo ever realize that she liked him? He can be pretty dense sometimes, despite how analytical he is.

Anyway, looking forward to this match. This looks like it's going to be a big one. And as people have posted above, it's almost Maruo is the villain here, and Ide is the hero. Interesting.
Jul 14, 2015 8:23 AM

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Oct 2013
2433
Well it's never good to feel opposed by a crowd. If Maruo wins though, he'll possibly get the crowd to support him
Jul 22, 2015 8:00 AM

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Sep 2011
240
alpha_shadow said:
the hypu is real


The upcoming sex is real
Jul 30, 2015 5:27 AM

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Ike seems to clutch his matches like Mcnroe
Jul 30, 2015 6:59 AM

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Jan 2015
1308
Playing in front of a crowd, supportive or not, is so damn annoying, I can totally relate.
That was also a stupid build-up. Why would you accompany an unknwown child to the hospital... Call the ambulance, maybe wait for it to arrive but that's it. Plus there were what, twenty other people around the incident.

I just hope that Maruo doesn't lose, even if it seems really unlikely plotwise.
Oct 2, 2015 7:13 PM

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Jul 2012
48259
ide is literally the shounen sports protag lol
they even say "don't let him get a close match"
Feb 15, 2016 5:40 PM

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Jun 2014
1668
unmoving plastic backgrounds. Because animating an audience is too difficult. Pierrot at their finest.
Mar 3, 2016 6:24 PM

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4150
I really can't get used to those mob characters at the background.
The accident drama was a little over the top but oh well.. this is going to be an awesome match.
Glasses girl had no chance from the start.. hahaha I wonder how will Aki-chan react. xD
May 23, 2016 3:48 AM

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Dec 2012
3006
Maruo get used to Yakabe very quickly. He is so strong now :).
The hype is real, this match will be awesome !
Mar 17, 2018 10:16 AM

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Jun 2016
3391
My prediction last episode has been proven wrong. Yakabe did play Maruo and it showcased just how much he's improved. The ability to use the data that was still applicable and drop what isn't and pick up on his mistakes in the moment to find out how to deal with them was good. Adaptation off the charts.

To set up Ide as the hero, as the peoples champ, as the charismatic protagonist of his own anime who saves cats and kids, who values others more than himself, has a team of friends who care about him, has fans everywhere, and who must win this match or never go pro is unfair for Maruo. This is messed up. How is Maruo going to fight against a feels plot device where the agreement was the kid would try his best in surgery if Ide won his match!!!! As overly cheesy and dramatic as everything is here I love it, this set up has made one of the most anticipated matches in the series for me. Toning it down would probably be a better decision but it's not bad as it is now.

It's times like me the weak side of me wishes Maruo was a generic overpowered protagonist and would Takumi(from Initial D) his opponent no matter what like it's his job. Deep down I don't want this as the unpredictability in how Maruo wins and how he loses is one of the greatest narrative strengths of Baby Steps, but the weak side of me which is already getting anxiety wants this so bad. I'm excited to see how this match goes. The obvious prediction is that Maruo will win just barely, but I don't know how necessarily.
Jul 30, 2019 3:58 PM
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13028
Honestly Ide looks more like the main character here than Ei-chan, but that's only because Ei-chan is a really unique one-of-a-kind character. Ide is a really nice guy however, helping a child under those circumstances, he's got some balls for sure. A lot of people are cheering for him, hopefully that doesn't get into Ei-chan's head.
Nov 28, 2020 6:26 AM

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Jul 2017
6941
Good episode overall. Featured the aftermath of Natsu's confession to Maruo as they both reveal they're going out together to their STC comrades in the tournament as well as Kageyama and Sasaki too (poor Sasaki though, but it was expected).

But the main meat of the story surrounded Maruo's match with Ide after easily cruising past the first round 6-3, 6-0. Ide helped a kid from an accident and got delayed because of that, but was allowed to play against Maruo regardless at the end. And due to his deeds, there's a raucous crowd for this match and it's all in support for Ide. Feels like an away game for Maruo and I'm interested to see how he handles the match when the crowd is supporting and motivating the opponent massively in comparison.

I've played cricket, football/soccer and basketball matches when I was in school and had to deal with rowdy crowds booing my team, so I can feel what the atmosphere is like being on both the face and the heel side of things according to the crowd. Whenever our team was booed, we would use that energy to shut them up by trying to beat them as convincingly as possible from the getgo. Obviously it's not like Maruo is being antagonized in this game, just that Ide's being portrayed as the hero and Maruo is guilty by association in their eyes by being the competitor that could stop him in his path. Should be interesting to see how the crowd and mindgames play out in the next episode.
Jul 30, 2021 1:27 PM

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Jul 2016
9571
What a forced and stupid way to make us, the audience, feel sympathy towards Ide's re-introduced character...

Also, what serious tennis authority makes one of the players take the decision of waiting or not for his opponent? Ide should have been disqualified. Plain and simple.
Mar 23, 2022 12:12 AM

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Jul 2021
9350
Maruo is more tough looking here ;-; who knows he'll won the next match

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It’s time to ditch the text file.
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