「アタシが戦いたかったのは」 (Atashi ga Tatakaitakatta no Wa)
“The One I Wanted to Fight”

I’m not sure what it was, but something about this week’s episode resonated really well with me.

General Impressions

After last week’s rather lackluster episode, this week’s did a fantastic job at getting me back on board. Through a combination of fantastic action scenes and a burning sense of youth, this was exactly what I was hoping we’d see as we inched closer to the finale.

Diving straight in, can we take a moment to appreciate just how good this week’s episode looked? Because compared to the past few weeks, it was pretty apparent that there was little to no money being spent on the in-between scenes. From wonky proportions to terribly animated movements that felt stiff and lifeless, this week’s episode was a complete return to form. With lots of wide and close shots of all the players during the match, I loved how you could really feel the impact of each and every shot. Also, was I the only who appreciate that after 10 episodes we finally got to watch a proper match? With Haruka and Kanata varying up their moves (thank god Kanata finally went for something other than a pokey) to fit the situation and Claire and Emily responding in tandem, the match itself was just a blast to watch.

That said, I think what I probably enjoyed the most was watching team HaruKana show off just how much their teamwork has improved since we last saw them play a proper match — especially against a powerhouse team like Éclair. Something about them as a team has always been fun to watch, but watching them find success against some crazy odds was so enjoyable that I couldn’t write this post without at least highlighting it.

On a smaller side note, I’m glad to see that Shii-chan has finally found her own place on the team. As the newcomer who’s kind of stuck in the middle of everything, I’m glad that she’s able to view the entire team as her friends and has been able to contribute to the emotional side of things.

Overall, I thought this week’s episode was pretty awesome for setting up an awesome payout no matter who ends up winning. That said, it’s a bit of a shame that no matter what happens, there probably won’t be enough time to follow up on all the other story points that need answers. In a perfect world, we should hopefully see the end of the match next week and hopefully get a great conclusion episode afterwards. In any case, I’ll catch you guys next week!

17 Comments

  1. I quite agree, this was a good episode. The volleyball was interesting and it makes me wonder what the Haruka-Kanata pair are going to pull out for the next game. However I actually hope the match lasts another two eps. I don’t really want a character drama conclusion episode. The volleyball and comic parts are so much more fun, the character drama isn’t bad but it’s nothing any of us haven’t seen before. All those themes can be dealt with in the context of a match anyway – Haruka’s rise to become a good player, Kanata overcoming her loss of confidence and short stature, their increasing harmony as a pair, their friendship with their club mates, how they’ll pull together after one team inevitably loses, the goal of meeting Narumi and Ayasa on the sands again.

    Puffles
  2. Henrietta Brix
  3. I also am glad that they didn’t dumb down Eclair just to make the match seem more even. Eclair really shows just why they’re champion material since they took pretty much every trick and strategy Harukana had learned up to that match and smashed it right back in their face, requiring Harukana to come up with other things on the spot.

    HalfDemonInuyasha
  4. Ep 11:

    This is what i was expecting. the “Kouhei’s” evolve on their own to win against their Senpai’s

    the Senpais goes to their limits and need to use their experience to fight..

    Both sides are enjoying the match. The “Kouhei’s” that can put pressure on their own teachers
    the teacher enjoying an equal or perhaps stronger “enemy”

    That was my “they need to trow away the Book”

    Worldwidedepp
  5. Have you bowed down before the here and powerful Oz? No, I’m not referring to the fictional wizard from Dorothy’s magical land. I’m talking about mass-marketed medical guru and Oprah protégé, Dr. Oz. And while he may be powerful, the scientific community is not convinced that his recommendations are all that great.

    Andi Duferense

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *