Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we\u2019re checking back in on the boys from Nishiura, and seeing if they can finally fuckin\u2019 relax in the wake of that nail-biter of a first round. Having found themselves matched against the summer tournament\u2019s first-seeded reigning champions, Abe and his companions had to pull out every possible trick just to stay alive, much less eke out a victory. But between their opponents\u2019 initial underestimation of their abilities, their own clever management of their opponents\u2019 weaknesses, and the whimsical will of the heavens themselves, Nishiura somehow managed to <\/span>just<\/span><\/i> pull through.<\/span><\/p>\n That season-long match served as one of the most impressively grounded sports spectacles I\u2019ve ever witnessed. Rather than relying on flashy animation or melodramatic personal turns, every single twist in fortune was here founded on sturdy, coherent tactical dynamics: the difficulty of mastering Mihashi\u2019s pitches, the strategic fundamentals of managing the bases, the impact of rain on both the field and players. Tosei\u2019s team was presented as less of a mountain to climb than a fiendish puzzle to solve, and with every step of that journey cleanly articulated, Nishiura\u2019s victory felt like the natural culmination of their training, tactics, and mutual trust. There is a clear art to mechanically grounded conflict, and Big Windup! is an exemplar of the form. Now let\u2019s see how our boys handle their newfound fame!<\/span><\/p>\n Episode 25<\/strong><\/p>\n Man, even I\u2019m feeling a visceral sense of relief at that match\u2019s conclusion. In the wake of all those incredibly tense episodes, this opening sequence of players taking the field offers a unique and deeply satisfying sensation: the feeling of having already played your part in a group sporting event, and now being able to relax and watch some <\/span>other<\/span><\/i> players do all the work<\/span><\/p>\n Of course, fully relaxing after one victory is a kind of trap in its own right. I imagine learning to manage that instinct is one reason Tomoe insisted on having a team practice right after the game \u2013 we must learn to psychologically manage victory <\/span>and<\/span><\/i> defeat<\/span><\/p>\n We then jump back to a snowy day the previous winter, when Mihashi revealed to Shu-chan his plans to change schools for high school, but keep playing baseball<\/span><\/p>\n Strong compositions convey Mihashi\u2019s sense of isolation and entrapment, varying between partial closeups that echo his attempts to conceal his feelings and mid-distance shots emphasizing the walls both in front and behind him<\/span><\/p>\n Also smartly subdued color design, which both emphasizes the chill of the scene and presents it as far away, a memory sapped of vitality by distance<\/span><\/p>\n Nice fluid character animation as he drags himself into bed back in the present<\/span><\/p>\n Also some excellent character art as we cut to the next afternoon, with a strong sense of personality and weight in even the still shots of various athletes lounging beside the field. If you\u2019re careful with conveying posture and the way clothes hang on bodies, you don\u2019t even really need motion to imply a sense of vitality in background characters<\/span><\/p>\n Apparently it\u2019s their school\u2019s Sports Day. All these collective school events really help Japanese high school classes feel like genuine communities, rather than collections of friend groups stranded among near-strangers. That in turn helps facilitate high school-focused anime\u2019s sense of both pressure and nostalgia<\/span><\/p>\n Yeah, the character art in general seems particularly impressive this episode. Lots of expertly drawn stills that inherently convey a sense of personality in how the boys hold themselves and inhabit their outfits<\/span><\/p>\n The team is apparently planning to stop by Mihashi\u2019s place for lunch, and all mooch off his curry<\/span><\/p>\n Nice dynamic low-angle composition as we check in on a basketball game. I particularly like the use of one player essentially standing around the frame with his fist hanging into it; his leftward motion contrasted against the rightward movement of the basketball creates a nice sense of swirling momentum<\/span><\/p>\n Kinda funny that some of the most fluid animation of the show so far is being dedicated to cheer section leader Hamada\u2019s basketball game<\/span><\/p>\n Abe is fretting about Mihashi\u2019s mental state as usual. His briefly entertained question of \u201cdoes Mihashi hate me?\u201d demonstrates that in spite of his general confidence, he still suffers the same irrational high school fears as anyone<\/span><\/p>\n And Mihashi\u2019s still actually in bed. No surprise there; high school baseball is just preposterously overtaxing for pitchers, and with the second half of the game taking place in the rain, it\u2019s a miracle he didn\u2019t come down with anything<\/span><\/p>\n Strong gag of Abe\u2019s text message being accompanied by him grimly announcing his own name<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s coming to yell at me, and bringing the captain!\u201d Goddamnit Mihashi<\/span><\/p>\n More delightfully noodly character acting from Mihashi as he greets the team. Again, pretty wild that the post-game episode is perhaps the most fluid of the season, but I\u2019m certainly not complaining<\/span><\/p>\n Apparently Tajima stressed his hand during his last at-bat. Unsurprisingly, switching his grip mid-swing meant he put more pressure on his wrist and fingers than he intended<\/span><\/p>\n With immediate on-field concerns behind us, we return to Abe attempting to moderate his inherently brusque, accusatory sensibilities, and thereby build a greater sense of trust between himself and Mihashi. A natural progression there \u2013 Abe was too stressed to really manage his temper by the end of that game, and thus must now actively reassert a gentler tone<\/span><\/p>\n Fortunately, they have something far more impactful to unite them: eating a big pile of curry. Often it\u2019s the simple things that actually bring us together<\/span><\/p>\n Nice to see the guys just hanging out and shooting the shit about other teams. No surprise for a show like Big Windup!, which has always prioritized player psychology, but it\u2019s nonetheless important to illustrate their bonds as individuals off the field, which will naturally inform their synchronization and trust on the field<\/span><\/p>\n In the wake of Mihashi\u2019s heroic efforts during their first game, it seems clear the players have more sympathy towards him than towards Abe\u2019s short temper<\/span><\/p>\n Hanai reflects on his own frustrations regarding Mihashi, including how Mihashi always seems surprised when his teammates encourage him. Though that\u2019s obviously just a reflection of his own insecurities, to an outsider it just seems like he\u2019s rejecting what they presumed to be a mutual trust, like his own fielding team members are strangers to him<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf I met him in middle school, I would have been one of the bullies for sure. It\u2019s a good thing I met him in high school!\u201d An excellent quality in a leader, being able to recognize your own biases and weaknesses<\/span><\/p>\n Mihashi reveals he attended Nishiura for practical reasons \u2013 uniforms and bikes would be provided, and it was actually his mother\u2019s school. His words emphasize that baseball glory wasn\u2019t even on his mind at that point<\/span><\/p>\n Nishiura was basically his only hope for escaping Mihoshi, so he studied like mad in order to get in<\/span><\/p>\n Tajima chose Nishiura to stay close to his elderly family. Nice humanizing beats for each of them here<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cEveryone seems to be having fun. I\u2019ll stay as quiet as possible.\u201d Mihashi still certain that if things are going well, it must be in spite of his presence<\/span><\/p>\n Mihashi\u2019s pitching being explicitly called out on the news only heightens his sense of shame. Any praise he receives must be undeserved, and likely to spark the resentment of his teammates<\/span><\/p>\n Jeez, that is some intense pressure, though. I knew the high school summer tournament was a big deal, but not \u201cnews announcements for every game\u201d big<\/span><\/p>\n Abe at last demonstrates some emotional growth of his own, leading Mihashi gently away from his feelings of self-hatred by first validating them, and then saying his actions were reasonable. You can\u2019t just replace Mihashi\u2019s felt reaction with a more \u201clogical\u201d series of feelings, you have to guide him from where he is to where he ought to be<\/span><\/p>\n The ever-sensitive Izumi then bolsters Mihashi\u2019s spirits by offering him the exceedingly complimentary post-game team reflections<\/span><\/p>\n Unsurprisingly, Abe\u2019s comment is the only neutral one, merely expressing his desire not to repeat such a close game<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNone of us are especially nice people or anything.\u201d A lovely sentiment \u2013 we\u2019re all just normal people, and it\u2019s normal to expect this much support from each other. Mihashi has been affixing the middle school resentment borne of years of frustration to everyone he meets, and that\u2019s just not a sustainable way to live<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIs it normal to be this happy?\u201d Aw jeez, Mihashi<\/span><\/p>\n We thus ultimately come full circle, with Mihashi now possessing the confidence to renew contact with his old teammate<\/span><\/p>\n And Done<\/strong><\/p>\n That was delightful! With so little time to decompress after their victory last episode, I\u2019m very glad this one went all-in on exploring the team\u2019s varying responses, and even offering some fresh context regarding their various routes towards Nishiura. Having done so much to impress his teammates during the match with Tosei, it was interesting seeing the team reconsider its prior dynamic, and actually challenge Abe\u2019s attitude towards Mihashi. It was initially only Abe\u2019s ruthless tactical mind that saw something of value in Mihashi, but with their team now established, Mihashi is finally learning that friendship need not be either exceptional or conditional \u2013 it\u2019s just the natural result of decent people coming together. It doesn\u2019t cost much to be kind.<\/span><\/p>\n This\u00a0article\u00a0was\u00a0mad<\/a><\/em>e possible by reader support<\/a>. Thank you all for\u00a0all that you do.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we\u2019re checking back in on the boys from Nishiura, and seeing if they can finally fuckin\u2019 relax in the wake of that nail-biter of a first round. Having found themselves matched against the summer tournament\u2019s first-seeded reigning champions, Abe and his companions had to pull […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7062015,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12036],"tags":[1022,13211,55776],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-7062014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anime","tag-big","tag-episode","tag-windup"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wrongeverytime.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/June10120358.jpg?resize=584%2C329&ssl=1\")
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<\/p>\nRelated<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"