This is the story of Natsunosuke Honda, a pro baseball player—a relief pitcher who has been playing pro in a team called Spiders for 8 years. The team operates as a highly-stratified society, where the player's performance determines his annual salary. Natsunosuke is one of the highest paid players in the game. He measures how good players are by how much money they make, and he intends to be on top and stay there, and as such is always looking for players to challenge and does everything to insure that he is better than they are.
(Source: MAL News)
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Comentários
Fircoal
Sports shounen is a popular genre. There are many shows that are about a team overcoming all odds in order to win the tournament. However less common is a show like Gurazeni that is less about winning and more about the lives of players in the Nippon Baseball League. There is no grand tournament, just a regular season of baseball. There is no high stakes in the matches, and while they do matter to an extent more weight is put into the characters and the experiences that they go through. The real stakes in the matches are the livelihoods of the characters who are effectedby how well they do in the game.
The main character Bonda is a LOOGY, a Lefty One-Out GuY. LOOGYs are not the most prized part of a baseball team and in fact it's usually a role that while in demand doesn't have much allure to it. However Bonda's story is not about him overcoming the LOOGY role into some more but rather about how life is working as a LOOGY. In this way it is also unique from the rest of sports shounen anime. While many of them use the humble beginnings as a way for the player to rise up in the ranks, that seems to be less of the case here. While it does seem like Bonda is getting better with time, it's not in such a extreme fashion like with most shows. Rather a gradual improvement that can often be seen in major league baseball players.
The show does a very good job at showing the lives and struggles that come with all sorts of fringe players. Whether it be a talented rookie who has yet to have their big break, a veteren who is past their prime but is still trying to hang on, or Bonda the loogy, they all have stories to tell and they all have a lot of weight on their shoulders to do well, or risk getting demoted to the minors. It goes more into the realities of playing the game, and the all of the different hiccups that can effect one's livelihood.
While Bonda himself puts a lot of focus on money, especially in the first episode, that does subside and is more of a side story to the pain point than the actual focus. It's more of a subpoint to sort of focus on the situation that these players are in and how they still need to earn their paychecks despite the somewhat alluring role that they are in.
Another thing I liked is how much focus they put into the skills of these players. Bonda may just be a loogy and be a lower role compared to most players but that doesn't mean he lacks talent, and it doesn't mean that he's not athletic. The show does well to show that despite his role, and his body shape that he does have athleticism, and is better than your average lay man. After all even the small fries are still a professional baseball player.
While the show can be a bit slow with the explainations, especially of things that most baseball fans would know, I personally didn't mind it much. Even though I knew it all I think I'm just used to it from watching a good amount of kids shows. Also the general experience of this show taught me a good amount about how the Nippon Professional League works. Since most of my experience is in watching the MLB, it's interesting to see the similarities between the true.
For those who are interested in baseball or already love the sport, I personally recommend this as a good watch. There is a lot of nuance and a lot of good tidbits that are picked up from watching these players play each game. I enjoyed the take that it has on the sport and liked it's unique flavor. For anyone who wants to see what Japanese Professional Baseball is like and the struggles that it's players go through, this is a great choice.
Karhu
Guranazi is a story about this Megane-Hitler who is a professional baseball player. Much like every living person in our society, he is also the victim of capitalism. According to his contract, he gets payed based to his performance rather than based to his name and team ownership. He really likes shekels so this obviously sucks. Fortunately for him, he has a plan: to be the best payed pitcher in the world. To achieve this, he simply has to be the best at it (at pitching). Hence the English name of this show: Money Pitch. Good for him, I guess. Apparently, the initial target audience consistsof working-class citizens who are interested in slice of life comedy centering around sports, but not really sports -- rather salary and statistics related to sports. Basically, the more time you spend on creating meaningless Excel sheets, the more likely you are able to enjoy this show.
There really isn't much else to say about the story, so let's not. The characters are great tho. Natsunosuke Bonda, the main character, is really special. His only merit is how not a single person on this website has added him to their favorite characters list. His favorite past time is studying statistic centering around other players. He has memorized everything about every player except their salary. Random characters ask him to guess how much some player earns and he guesses with almost 100% accuracy how much their income is. Amazing skills, bro. The other main character was not even introduced before the series ended. Talk about change of plans.
The art and sounds are based Deen. Not exactly as gloriously animated as the original F/sn nor as cute as Ito Junji anime, but overall passable production. Weird choices have still been made. For one, they constantly change between CGI and hand-drawn on the fly when it comes to the actual pitching scenes. Looks pretty bad and messy.
Overall this show is not especially good nor bad. It suffers from niche target audience which is the main reason for its low mean score. This series will not appeal to many. Most viewers will find it boring. Even those who became fans of it will be disappointed by how short the series end up being. One cour length despite the source material having content for 50-70 episodes. Personally I found this approach to be rather interesting and also truthful, considering how much role money has in the business. Guranazi offers variety to the sports genre and I can appreciate what it did to some extent, but that's all there is to say about it.
whibber
Gurazeni is an anime about professional baseball in Japan, and as simple as they may be, that is really the best description of the show you'll get in a single sentence. This isn't a sports anime with over-the-top shounen tropes or hype scenes, but instead this is an anime that takes a more realistic approach to sports and gives viewers a look at what goes on behind-the-scenes of Japan's largest professional sports competition, baseball, and I think this is a pretty unique and fresh take on the genre. The Story - 7 Gurazeni is a fairly episodic anime. What happened in the last episode most likely won't getmuch mention in the current episode, like how most episodic shows are. Each self-contained episode brings in a new aspect of professional baseball to expose to the viewer which keeps the series from getting stale. Each episode also brings in new characters, which I will go into more details in a bit. Something I found cool about Gurazeni is that the story isn't focused on a baseball prodigy at all, but instead a near-bottom ranked professional player just trying to get by.
The Art/Animation - 5
There isn't too much to say about this show visually. The art is nothing amazing but it's not like it's bad by any means. Same goes for the animation, it gets the job done and for the most part it. The only bad thing I can think of is the CG pitching animation that they use a few times throughout the show, which feels out of place as a lot of CG animation does in a 2D show, but admittedly it could be a lot worse.
Sound - 5
Gurazeni's sound is for the most part mediocre but I would give it credit for it's upbeat rap OP which I find pretty catchy. The rest of the soundtrack however is very forgettable.
Character - 6
Like I mentioned before, each episode brings in new characters. There are hardly any characters that get reused for episodes, with the exception of course being the main character. Most of the weekly characters aren't particularly interesting by themselves, but become interesting when they interact with Bonda, the MC. The main character doesn't have any noble or honorable goals like you would expect, but instead just wishes to pitch better in order to get a higher contract, and make more money, hence the title.
Enjoyment - 7
Gurazeni has an odd pulling factor. I can realize that there is nothing overly great about this show and yet it for some reason became one of the shows I looked forward to the most each week. I wanted to see Bonda get more money. I wanted to see what goes on in a bottom-ranked pro player's daily life. If I knew this was what I was getting myself into beforehand I probably would've turned away from this show to save myself from boredom, but somehow Gurazeni managed to keep me intrigued.
Overall - 7
If you are looking for a realistic sports anime, or just something to relax and watch every now and then, then I would definitely recommend for you to give Gurazeni a try.
BlackCicero
Gurazeni is a baseball anime with a few things that set it apart from the more regular ones that you may be accustomed to seeing. The main focus isn't so much on the playing of the sport but rather it's on the things you may see around it. This would entail the livelihood of the baseball players(ex-players and current),the staff, media etc. Most importantly however is the money that would be involved within all of those things which is where the show gets it's name from. With Gurazeni being a seinen series, it will bring with it a different vibe as opposed to the shounenones that may be more recognizable. Related to this point, Bonda, the main character of the show is a relief pitcher which is a stark contrast to the ace pitcher protagonists that are the norm.
I had expectations of good things going into the first episode but those were shattered pretty quickly as the episode had a really rough start. The main causes of this is the CGI which felt jarring and also the story which felt like it was weak. After a while the CGI becomes tolerable as it doesn't happen often and you learn that the story of the show is an episodic one and after about three or four episodes it starts to become enjoyable, so much so that in terms of enjoyment it ranks highly among the shows I've seen in the season at the point in time this review was written. Apart from the CGI, the art of Gurazeni is average at best which would make it the worse component of the anime unfortunately.
The soundtrack itself wasn't really memorable however the show does have very good, catchy tracks for it's Opening and Ending songs.
The characters are a selling point for Gurazeni as they would need to be in slice of life type of show like this one. The aforementioned Bonda, may take a while to warm up to but you eventually grow to like his character as the stories unfold. As the show is episodic, each of the mini stories within the show are tied to newly introduced characters and for the most part they are enjoyable as well and some will even appear again from time to time.
Overall I think Gurazeni is a nice niche show but it's a difficult show to recommend because of some of the issues it has. If maybe you're looking for a change of pace from the regular baseball anime then Gurazeni is one that you can consider giving a try.
PowerUpOrDie
An episodic sports anime with frankly C-grade animation shouldn't have gotten a second look from me, but I actually found myself enjoying it well enough as a once a week diversion. STORY There is no glory in being a middle relief pitcher in professional baseball. These guys are the sports equivalent of a plumber, necessary but nobody would call it glamorous work. They're typically called into bail out starting pitchers when the situation starts going south, deal with one specific batter, or simply eat up innings in lopsided games. Main character Bonda Natsunoske is a middle reliever for the Tokyo Spiders (a thinly disguised version of thereal life Tokyo Swallows) and this series is episodes in his life as he tries to claw his way up from an expendable middle reliever making $180,000 a year to a much more glamorous (and well-paying) job in the starting rotation. There isn't much continuity, few other characters stick around for more than one episode and there aren't many plot threads that affect things over the long haul. But the more self-contained nature of each episode makes it easier to put down and pick back up again.
ART & SOUND
There's no delicate way to put this: the animation just scrapes its way over the passing bar in most shots and Gurazeni loves to switch to a CGI model that nobody would confuse for the original 2D animation every time Bonda is pitching. There just isn't anything remarkable in this department at the best of times. Except perhaps for the character designs, which go outside tropey looks to give the cast some identity. Sound is also unmemorable too.
CHARACTER
As the only character who gets significant screentime across the entire series, Bonda is clearly the glue that holds everything together. And he's not a bad character: he's keenly aware of the incredibly tenuous nature of the job of a professional athlete and keenly tries to both save his money and bump up his stats so he can earn more next season. His keen awareness of where his salary ranks in comparison to other players reinforces this trait- it's a running gag that he can bulldoze batters who make less than him but tends to become intimidated when pitching to players who make more. It makes him relatable since when you strip away the baseball elements he's basically a 20-something guy trying to turn his (relatively) low paying job into a more permanent gig. Other cast members usually get one episode in the spotlight then may make one or two cameos in the rest, so there isn't much to talk about beyond their one gimmick.
ENJOYMENT
I enjoyed this as a weekly diversion, but I don't see this as a very binge-able show or the kind of series where you get hooked and just HAVE to keep up.
OVERALL
It's basic, and just OK at best. But for some reason I didn't get bored or start to hate it and actually want to see the upcoming season.
Jiggly_333
Gurazeni is not an underdog story. It's not about high stakes or becoming the best that anyone ever was. Bonda is just a baseball player. A middle relief pitcher, one of the most forgotten positions in the game. This story is about the day to day life of an athlete, hoping that he can just survive after the game. It's a side that many of us don't normally think about. Hell, a lot of athletes don't think about it either. It's incredibly cool to get an inside look at how he handles the stress of being a professional baseball player while also trying to handlenormal things, like relationships with friends and a crush on a girl.
It's simple, it's cool. Like any other American kid, I grew up playing Little League and I've seen my share of MLB, but I've always been more drawn towards soccer, hockey, and football. While I thought I knew quite a bit about baseball, this show taught me some neat things about pitching and batting that I'd never thought about before. See, we laugh, but we also learn.
If you want a solid and grounded anime about baseball, watch Gurazeni.
(I copied and pasted this from a review I previously wrote on Crunchyroll over a year ago. Recently rewatched it and my feelings are pretty much the same.)
ziratrugar
If you've ever watched a sports anime before, you know that they have some very unrealistic tendencies. There are plenty of non-sports fans who actually enjoy sports anime. The reason being that those shows are closer to anime than they are to the sport they are portraying in the story. Gurazeni does not follow that pattern. It's a sports anime that portrays the sport as close to real as one can in the medium. Story: The story follows a middle relief pitcher in a Japanese baseball league modeled after Japan's NPB. He plays for a team stylized after the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, with many other teams beingmodeled after other real teams in the NPB. The main point of the story is about the pitcher's pursuit of that big payday. His understanding that he must make as much money as he can playing baseball fuels his performance. This creates a very realistic story about a guy just trying to get what he can before his luck runs out. The story really caught me, as it wasn't the typical chase for glory, but the chase for stability. It mirrors how baseball works in real life, where the non-star players basically have to skate on thin ice 24/7, knowing that a few bad games can cost them their job. It's really captivating
Art:
The show isn't extremely impressive for the most part. It's mostly standard 2D animation, though they do use 3D animation during action scene on the field and with the usage of vehicles. There's nothing I would call "bad" from an art standpoint.
Sound:
The theme songs for this show are actually really catchy. The opening theme is called Merigo by Cypress Ueno to Robert Yoshino. The ending theme is called Shadow Monster by Asako Toki. Both songs can easily get stuck in your head after hearing them enough, and are not in any way annoying. The BGM wasn't super noticeable, but didn't suck either.
Character:
The main character, Natsunosuke, is a very great main character. He's not you typical anime protagonist with a hero streak. He's just a regular, everyday normal guy who just happens to play baseball. He has his insecurities in regards to his standing with his team, and is constantly thinking about the possibility that his baseball career could come to an end. This makes him very realistic and relatable. They was his friends and teammates are portrayed is also hyper-realistic. The struggles they all deal with in regards to their professional careers is what helps drive the show when it's not focused on Natsunosuke.
Enjoyment:
This show never felt overwhelming or over-dramatic. Each episode had a great story that helped you dive deeper into the lives of Natsunosuke and his teammates. The situations portrayed covered many topics of his life, and helped make the show feel diverse and alive. It's the easiest-to-watch sports anime I've ever seen.
Overall:
It's the best sports anime I've ever watched. This show does not have a single anime bone in it's body. It's all about the game. No long anime speeches. No fundamental moves with fancy names. No over-the-top reactions. Just the realistic portrayal of a middle reliever trying to get that bag before his career ends. As a big sports fan, I couldn't ask for a better show.
PixelB
This show is just so...mediocre it hurts. It's by no means a terrible show, but nothing sets it apart at all in any way shape or form. This show is about a professional relief pitcher, but as the episodes go on and on, you realize that this show basically is just an episodic anime about baseball with Bando interacting with different characters each episode. It feels like every episode is just a random episode with a random character with Bando in it. These standalone episodes are not BAD, it's just not good. It does not culminate into anything, and nor are the individual episodes good enoughto be watched by themselves. For a show about sports, its extremely fragmented and involves almost no story progression, with the main focus of the show being Bando's worries, and the worries of other players.
Plus, the CGI is just terrible. There is a lot of it, and it's very apparent that the producers of the show were very lazy. For a baseball anime, the MAIN CHARACTER's PITCH IS ALWAYS CGI. Really dude? You just CG'd the main character's pitch because you're lazy to do that? I get the outfielders being CG'd, but the main character's pitch too? Come on. There is a definite limit to what you can just badly CGI, and CGing the pitch for the main character is going way too far.
Another thing I noticed about this show is that despite the show involving a lot about Bando's thoughts, worries, and habits, a lot of his habits are only featured when it is convenient for the show. Otherwise, it is ignored and is continuing as usual. Bando's actions are kind of confusing sometimes as a result.
Lastly, I'd like to point out the female lead. You'd think that the female lead would appear very early in the anime, occupying a lot of space on the cover art, OP, and ED. But no. She appears in the very last episode of the first season, and is a weak character that's super boring. And Bando's thoughts about her are as vanilla and boring as the author could make it. Man, that was bad.
In conclusion, the entire anime is episodic, even though it is a sports anime, which is very different, unique, and definitely a risk, and it definitely did not pull off. It ended up making the episodes fragmented and of course, made it so that you were not invested in the characters or team by the end of the season like most classic sports anime end up doing. That would be fine, but the episodic episodes are also not bad, but definitely not amazing. They don't stand out very well, and as a result, you're watching through 12 episodes of kind of stale episodes, with basically no hope of it getting any better due to the fragmentary and episodic nature of the anime. Everything is CG'd to save money, even Bando's pitches are, which are very disorienting when he pitches a lot, and he is the main character. You really don't want to be CGing such an important action. Lastly, the female lead first appears in the last episode of the season, and has a weak introduction along with Bando's interactions with her.
Maybe you should wait before producing a second season of Gurazeni, instead of going right in. I'm surprised this show got a green light to get adapted in the first place. It's pretty boring, and despite me finishing this entire first season, I really don't have any intention of starting the second, because the first season explained to me that this show has no future, and any hope with the female lead died on the episode she got introduced. Stray away from this show unless you really need to waste 4 hours, because this show does not have a lot of value.
Nyamo-sama
Baseball animes's main point is typically gives u inspiring moments, lot of tears, and some knowledge of baseball. But this time Gurazeni is not that type. Main point is almost sarcasm of salary and about pro baseball player's life in Gurazeni. It made this anime little unique. Story is fine. Art is pretty suited characters and story. Sound is great. Also i loved ending theme song(btw nightcore version is best).
