This is typical. In the four episodes that I’ve seen so far, Cross Game has had some proper dramatic high points, yet none have left as deep an impression as this one scene in episode four.
While playing catch with Akaishi, Kou notices that his friend looks “kind of happy”. It’s strange because big Akaishi isn’t the smiling type, he’s totally serious all the time. Apparently he fights a lot, too, but they share something important; they were both friends with Tsukishima Wakaba.
Akaishi is remembering their chance meeting from years ago, when Wakaba told him that she had a dream in which he was a catcher and Kou was a pitcher. They were playing on such a lush green field and everyone was smiling; even her sister looked happy. It was perfect. They were playing baseball.
And so, from that moment on, Akaishi has tried to be a catcher. It’s wonderful how the direction of his life was changed by that one moment, so random and fleeting, his chat with Wakaba was no more than a minute long, yet he remembers every second of it.
“Of course, I knew that I wasn’t the main character in her dream…” “but I was content just to be in Tsukishima’s dream.”
It’s the way the music rises with this tiny exchange. It’s so slow, yet so sweet, and really captures a polarising sense of aimlessness and hopefulness, that we can go through our lives believing that we may never be noticed, yet with two words and a smile later, everything seems so different, so vibrant. It’s such a simple moment, yet so heartfelt.
Tags: baseball, cross game, love, romance, sports
What with the way the setting suddenly got pretty and the general excellence of Akaishi, this bit kind of reminded me of the end of episode one. At least, it reminded me what I was watching this show for. I think it’s the sense of nobility (without hyperbole) that makes scenes like this work so well.
Yeah, I think it might have something to do with the soundtrack, too. The music seems to be perfectly timed, so it rises and falls with the scene. It really seems to capture a certain, specific mixture of nostalgia and poignancy. I’ve gone back and watched this scene a good few times now, and each time I’ve particularly loved the way the music rises when the camera spots Wakaba in the crowd. It’s lovely.