Speaking of baseball comics, the first impression of most people in China should be Anda Chong's "Touch". I am no exception because Touch is exposed to baseball and learns the rules and knowledge of baseball. Learn about the words of strikeout, four bad balls, stolen bases, hit short hits, home runs, etc., and then feel the real fun of baseball. Of course, it is based on imagination. For example, when I go back to my hometown, I will pick up dirt blocks and smash them towards the big tree at the door, smash three times and shout "Strike out". It seemed that at that moment I was Uesugi Tatsuya on the pitcher mound of Jiaziyuan . Therefore, many of us comic fans have an inexplicable yearning for Jiaziyuan.
What I didn't expect was that the protagonist of a baseball comic didn't know the significance of "Kasukoyuan" to high school baseball... This fool is the protagonist of " Diamond Ace " - Eijun Sawamura.
Because of the style, I saw the cover of "Diamond Ace" and always thought it was a superpower sports comic such as "Prince of Tennis". After reading it quickly, I found out that this is " Slam Dunk " in a baseball comic.
Sawamura Eijun is a "team" ace pitcher . Quotes are added because his team hasn't won a single game in junior high school for three years. The fielders make all kinds of low-level mistakes, and Sawamura, as the ace, can only throw one ball: the sweetest straight shot for the batsman (I thought to myself when I saw this, I thought to myself, I was like God, is such a person the protagonist?). It was such a single-cell pitcher who was attracted by Seido High School, a famous baseball school in Tokyo, and started his own ace path.
The reason why "Diamond Ace" is the SD in baseball comics is because of some patterned elements. The single-cell passionate male protagonist Sawamura is a genius of the same level, who is both enemies and friends, the team's pillars Tetsuya Yuki and Kazuya Miyuki, the realistic game progress, the real use of the game skills and tactics, and the growth of the character, etc. There is no cool move name, nor is there any movement that shocks the world and makes ghosts surpass physics. The author Yuji Terashima portrays a real high school baseball world based on realistic game scenes, psychological descriptions of players, etc.
What is the charm of baseball? You never know what will happen if the last person is out in the ninth game. What I want to talk about next is also the most shocking part of what I saw when I looked at the ace pitcher. In the first year's Youth Road final against Inama, they still led by two points when they were eliminated in the second half of the nine innings with their strong strike line in the third grade. In this case, as long as you get out of Qingdao, you can go to Jiaziyuan. However, Sawamura threw an touch ball . The next pitcher Kawakami, who came on the court, ran four times in a row under huge pressure. Qingdao was directly defeated by Inama. Let’s give an example that everyone understands, which is equivalent to the McGrady moment and Miller moment in the NBA. One thought is heaven, one thought is hell. Our protagonist, Sawamura, was directly shocked by Inama's momentum and kept asking himself: What is Jiaziyuan. Putting aside Sawamura's confusion, I think this plot is too unreal after seeing this. I was overtaken by two points in the second half of the nine games? Until I learned about the "Holy Infant Curse".
Baseball God Babe Ruth Cursed Red Sox would not win the World Series Championship when it was traded to Yankees in New York by Boston Red Sox. What’s amazing is that after New York Yankees got Babe Ruth, it seemed that he had received the blessing of this baseball god from then on. He won 26 World Championships from 1920 to 2000. The Red Sox won nothing during this period and missed the World Championships for more than 80 years. The experience of several World Championships has been a great situation. It is also because of this that Red Sox fans explained the misfortune of this period by Babe Ruth's curse, which is the well-known Holy Infant Curse. Game 6 of the 1986 World Series was the eternal nightmare for Red Sox fans. They led by two points in the playoffs and could win the World Series championship by winning one number of games.It was then that I realized that Yuji Terashima was paying tribute to this miracle with his own comics, which also gave me a new understanding of the comic "Diamond Ace". As for the confused Sawamura, after the third-year seniors retired, they grew up quickly through the competition and gradually understood the true meaning of the three words "Kasuyuan" to high school baseball players.
In addition to the advantage of "reality", the character portrayal in "Diamond Ace" is also very successful. In a Japanese high school baseball team, there are usually about twenty people. This tests the author's skills. In addition to the protagonist, you must distribute the pen and ink to different characters, and at the same time ensure the smoothness of the plot so as not to be recorded. Yuji Terajima portrays characters through various descriptions: Captain Yuki, Izo, Chris, etc., second-year players Miyuki, Kurashi, Kawakami, etc., and finally the first-year protagonists Sawamura, Seiya, Konaga, etc. These characters have their own personalities. During the growth of Sawamura, Yuji Terashima occasionally mixed the past of some characters, such as Chris; in a few dialogues, the character of the characters is revealed, such as Miyuki. Through these techniques, the Seidou High School baseball team can be fully displayed in front of readers, making readers believe that these teenagers are real characters. In contrast, Anda Chong's baseball comics pale in comparison at this point. Many of his players in his comics are just stereotyped characters, only focusing on the protagonist and important supporting roles.
I personally think that the most successful character portrayal in "Diamond Ace" is the coaching film Gang Tiexin of Seido High School Baseball Club. Sawamura, who had just joined the club, was once called by Coach Takaoka to run the lap because of his poor foundation and was unable to participate in training for a long time. Sawamura was always indignant. Moreover, Kataoka has very strict requirements on players, just like a devil. It was this devil who was unable to enter Jiaziyuan because the team lost to Inama, so he blamed himself so much that he submitted his resignation to the school. Kataoka felt guilty in his heart, but he didn't show it. It was not until the Spring Trials Seido won the final and was able to participate in the Spring Jiaziyuan that he shed tears in front of all the third-year players in the audience.
"Summer regret... and... the attitude of keeping moving forward that you have always let the younger generation see... This is the victory you have achieved in the third grade... Thank you." An uncle in his forties spoke his heartfelt words in front of his students. This is one of the most touching scenes I have ever seen.
is more than that. In terms of training players, Kataoka is different from the famous coach of Kokoto. Coach Luohe will use the players very utilitarianly, regardless of the players' own development and physical health. However, while ensuring the team's performance, Kataoka strictly requires pitchers, not to make pitchers willful and care more about the players' personal growth. Maybe a coach like Coach Luohe will succeed, but Coach Kataoka is the kind of adult that players and readers like the most.
Every summer, Hyogo Prefecture Nishimiya City , hot blood cells from all over Japan gather here to release their youth. Every year I also watch the Jiaziyuan competition programs. Maybe Anda Chong's "Touch" is a bitter taste of youth, but after watching "Diamond Ace", you can truly feel the weight of the three words "Jiaziyuan".
text: will lian
