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\n\t\t<\/div>\nBallpark de Tsukamaete! (The Catcher in the Ballpark!) \u2013 09<\/strong><\/p>\n
For the record, the localization of this title is very odd. \u201cThe Catcher in the Ballpark\u201d makes no sense \u2013 whereas \u201cCatch Me At the Ballpark\u201d (which seems to be the unlicensed manga\u2019s translated title) does, both as a literal translation and a substantive one. Those sorts of things drive me crazy way more than they should\u2026<\/p>\n
I\u2019m a nekozuki<\/em>, as most of you know. But when it comes to mutts, I\u2019d take huskies over any of \u2018em. My aunt and uncle had five and they\u2019re fascinating and odd beasts. \u201cBaseball dogs\u201d are one of those trendy baseball gimmicks, which to me is whatever, but harmless. I don\u2019t quite get why Ruriko was so scared of Tommy<\/a>, but it was cute for what it was. Ruriko being late for work is the sort of thing I\u2019m surprised we haven\u2019t seen before to be honest.<\/p>\n
Next up we get some nice Rurikoutarou interaction, as her \u201cShow Your Suns\u201d towel prompts a soliloquy from Makoto about his \u201cEasy Suns\u201d glove leather wallet. Important? Yeah, since she knows his name now. And him searching all over the stadium to give her the hundred Yen she over-changed him (without even realizing he\u2019d lost the wallet, which had Ruriko searching for him<\/i>) definitely plucked her heartstrings a little. This is an odd couple to be sure, but there\u2019s definitely chemistry there. I\u2019m guessing Ruriko probably hasn\u2019t dated a lot of nice guys in her life.<\/p>\n
Finally, a bit about phones and pennant chases. It\u2019s true \u2013 in the age of LINE and DMs, when the phone rings it does set off a panic reaction. In this case it was good news \u2013 Yuki trying to tell Kojiro she was preggers<\/a>. The MotorSuns being in the midst of the playoff race is certainly the likely dramatic driver of the third act \u2013 especially since it would be their first postseason appearance ever. A tense time for any such team, both on the field and in the stands.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Uchuujin MuuMuu (Me and the Alien MuMu) \u2013 08<\/strong><\/p>\n
To be honest, I probably could have given Uchuujin MuuMuu<\/em> it\u2019s own slot as it turns out. Nothing wrong with digest posts, and I\u2019ll stick with this format since we\u2019ve only got four eps left. But most weeks I probably would have had enough to say about it to justify a dedicated entry. No disrespect to Ballpark<\/em>, which is a very likeable piece of work, but MuuMuu<\/em> is definitely the more interesting show.<\/p>\n
A lot of that comes down to Tenkubashi, who\u2019s kind of emerged as the breakout character of the series. Wataru is just such a difficult guy that he can\u2019t help but be really interesting. He\u2019s insanely smart and knowledgeable (and those two are not the same thing), but has absolutely no common sense whatsoever. I suppose it would never occur to Wataru that Sonoko is reciprocating his crush (the crush cat<\/a> proves it). The water thing was almost logical, but then the follow up \u2013 smelling the cardigan<\/a> \u2013 betrays just how ignorant Tenkubashi is of how others see him.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a lot of appealing silliness accompanying all that. Like the Regeneration Society\u2019s guerilla laundromat (stealing water and power), with its moaning \u201csign girl\u201d. And MuuMuu\u2019s spooked cat reaction<\/a> when he connected it to his home world, and Akihiro putting his wet phone in the microwave (he\u2019s quite the ditz). Eventually this all builds to Sakurako suggesting a takopa<\/em> (takoyaki party) using the electric maker she found in the shop. Which leads to a discourse on outlets and Japanese manufacturing from Wataru, a debate on \u201cMade in China\u201d and homemade vs. frozen, and finally a takopa battle between Sakurako and Samezu-san, who she\u2019s insisted on inviting (Sakurako wins).<\/p>\n
Uchuujin MuuMuu<\/em> is definitely not the sort of series a production committee would design from scratch (I\u2019m surprised an editor did, frankly) but its weird alchemy absolutely works. Some shows are weird as an affectation, trying to make an impact, but you can always tell it\u2019s all a front. This one is weird for its own sake, committed and unapologetic to and about it, and I\u2019m very glad it exists because I\u2019m not getting what it delivers anywhere else.<\/p>\n
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