by Key’s work, “Angel Beats!” has many baseball episodes.
Next up is the original anime “Angel Beats!” by Key x Aniplex x PAWORKS. This is the first original anime written and scripted by Jun Maeda, who has worked on “tearjerker games” such as “AIR” and “CLANNAD.” The story is set in a school in the afterlife.
All the characters who appear in the school have come to the school after an unwanted death. The protagonist, a boy named Yuzuru Otonashi, joins the organization “Dead World Front (SSS),” led by a mysterious girl named Yuri Nakamura, and works to help his friends pass on to the afterlife. Baseball episodes are almost always included in Key anime, such as the first episode of “CLANNAD AFTER STORY” and the fourth episode of “Charlotte.”
The famous “tearjerker masterpiece” “Angel Beats!” also had a baseball episode in episode 4, “Day Game.” The protagonist of this episode is SSS member Hideki Hinata, who dies with regrets about dropping a second fly ball. Yuri suddenly orders SSS to participate in a ball game tournament.
However, most of the talented students have already been poached, and the Hinata & Otonashi team, despite their efforts in scouting, has become a team with a strong quirk. The game was not going to go smoothly either, and in the first game, a chaotic development occurred, with Otonashi’s hit being hit back by his teammates. Fearing the punishment game prepared by Yuri, the SSS team somehow manages to advance to the finals but is forced to struggle against the Angel team, which is made up of baseball club members.
With the score at 1 point and two outs, and runners on second and third, in the top of the ninth inning, Hinata regains his memory from his previous life, “I lost an important game because I couldn’t catch a fly ball to second base.” Moreover, Hinata had the painful experience of being criticized by his teammates for his mistake, being given drugs by a senior, and then dying in an accident. The game ended with the same fly ball to second base as that time. Hinata should be able to go to heaven by catching the ball and disappearing from the school, but the moment he tries to grab the ball with a smile, his teammate Yui tackles him, screaming.
The team loses as usual, and Hinata disappears. Over half of the episode is dedicated to baseball, and the fourth is packed with little details. It may seem like a comedy, but it also has some serious sports scenes and moments that make you cry, making it a worthwhile episode.
