DESCRIPTION

CAST

MANGA SportsDiamond no Ace
OVA ComedyDiamond no Ace OVA
ANIME SportsDiamond no Ace: Second Season

REVIEWS

• 

  tom99

  95/100
  Un anime de sport génial avec du suspense, de la pression et un peu de comédie

  __Bonjour à tous__

  On se retrouve aujourd'hui pour faire le point sur cette anime : Diamond no Ace.

  

  Pour commencer, Diamond no Ace est un anime shonen de sport qui est assez réputer. Quand je l'ai commencé, j'avais quelques a priori contenu de l'âge de l'oeuvre, mais finalement, je ne me suis à peine rendu compte que l'anime datait de 2013. Les graphismes sont très bien et on voit au fur et à mesure qu'ils s'améliorent aux cours des 75 épisodes.
  Je voulais également parler des ost qui sont, d'oreilles, peu nombreuses mais le travail qui a été fait pour que les ost soit exactement en accord avec le rythme de l'anime et de la situation traversée par les personnages, c'est juste génial et ça permet à tout le monde de se faire aspirer dans cette anime avec une force incroyable.
  Ensuite, il y a les gros plans sur les émotions des personnages, qui pour moi, est bien utilisé. C'est d'ailleurs grâce à ça que l'on voit que la qualité graphique augment au fil des épisodes. Cependant, je trouve également qu'ils sont beaucoup trop utilisé dans les moments de tension en match où on peut avoir des fois sur un lancer 3 fois les tours des équipes en gros plan (j'exagère, mais bon, c'est un peu chiant à la fin même si je sais que ça participe à la construction d'une tension et du suspense).
  Ce que j'ai aussi bien-aimé c'est comment l'on passe, au début, d'une histoire centré autour de Sawamura à celle de toute l'équipe. Le seul point qui me chiffonne un peu, c'est que Sawamura n'est pas vraiment le personnage principal de l’équipe, mais bon. J'aurais également voulu que les anciens amis de Sawamura soit un peu plus présent dans l'histoire, même si je sais que c'est un anime de sport je trouve quand même qu'il est exclusivement centré là-dessus, alors qu'une petite romance avec Wakana n'aurait pas fait de mal, car là, ils ne font que s'échanger des mails, donc je ne vois pas trop l’intérêt.
  Sinon, il y a aussi la fin qui est une fin de saison et non d'anime, mais je trouve que ça va un peu vite et que les terminals partent un peu vite .
  
  Bon, sinon pour le nombre d'épisodes, c'est vrai que 75, c'est un peu beaucoup mais franchement, je me suis tellement retrouver dans l'anime que je les ai finis en 6 jours, donc c'est pour vous dire que ça va très vite. Je suis déjà un train de regarder la saison 2 tellement c'est prenant.
  Ce que j'ai bien aimé, c'est qu'il y a un vrai "Combat" entre les lanceurs et les batteurs, mais je trouve quand même que les défenseurs sont un peu mis de côté.
  Ce que j'ai bien aimé, c'est qu'il y a un vrai "Combat" entre les lanceurs et les batteurs, mais je trouve quand même que les défenseurs sont un peu mis de côté.
  L'anime est bien, ce n'est pas un cliché qui nous dit que la force de l'amitié et des efforts suffisent. J'ai trouvé ça surprenant, surtout dans un anime de sport, mais je ne m'attendais pas à ce que l'équipe principale perde 2 fois et de ne soit pas sacrée championne. Il fallait oser !!

  

  Conclusion :

  Diamond no Ace est vraiment un bon anime qui est un shonen de sport qui nous montre que pour réussir, il faut faire des efforts, mais également que la chance est également de mise.
  Je sais que le nombre d'épisodes peu rebuter, mais franchement ça passe tout seul, et même des fois, on ne se rends pas compte que l'on a vu plein d'épisode et que des heures sont passées.
  C'était mon premier anime de Baseball et je ne suis absolument pas dessus par ce sport. De toute façon, avec les japonnais, même un anime de curling ou de pétanque serait intéressant.
  De plus, on voit bien le cheminement de tous les personnages au fil de l'avancement du temps, il y a également des focus de temps en temps sur les émotions des personnages et je trouve ça vraiment bien, ça rajoute de la consistance à l'anime.

  TRES VIVEMENT CONSEILLÉ.

  PS : ceci n'est que mon avis personnel. Je ne vous empêche pas d'avoir un point de vue différent du mien. Je pense que tous les points de vue sont à prendre en compte tant qu'ils sont argumenté.

  
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• 

  tsukisyama

  89/100
  watch this if you’re willing to put the time into a long sports series. it's incredible, and well worth it.

  

  Spoilers ahead! Apologies for the length, I’m a university student coming off of a semester filled with grueling written assignments, and I’ve been looking for something fun to distract myself with. In brief: watch this series if you’re willing to put the time into a long (nearly 200 episodes over 3 seasons + OVAs and extras) sports series. It’s incredible, and well worth it.

  I’ve divided my review into parts, but my rating for each category isn’t weighted the same in the final score. I might sound a little pretentious because, again, I’m mostly used to writing essays for people I really have to suck up to, so please take everything I say with a grain of salt.
  ``
  
  

  Plot - 9/10

  

  At its core, Ace of the Diamond is about competition — both between teams and within them. Sawamura Eijun, the series’ protagonist, fights tirelessly to become Seidou’s ace, and he’s confident that he wants it more than anyone else. On a competitive team like Seidou, however, this is no easy feat — especially with Furuya Satoru, a pitcher made of “pure baseball talent” in his year, blossoming right before the team’s eyes.

  The story revolves around Eijun as he moves to West Tokyo to attend Seidou, makes his way up to the first-string team, and pitches in tournaments. It explores the nature of competition, companionship between teammates, and, in a very general sense, overcoming obstacles. All of these components are pretty standard for sports anime, but I think Ace of the Diamond hammers them down in a really effective, if long-winded manner. Part of this is due to the dormitory setting, giving lots of time for team bonding between games and practices, in addition to the overall likability of Sawamura Eijun as a protagonist.
  ``
  
  

  Characters - 8/10

  

  A boisterous first-year who exceeds expectations, respects his seniors, and puts his all into everything he does, Sawamura Eijun is an excellent protagonist. You’ll feel good when he succeeds, you’ll cheer for him when he’s down, and maybe you’ll cringe a little when he does something embarrassing. He’ll grab you by the heart and pull you into his corner once you’ve known him for about ten minutes, just like he did to Miyuki Kazuya and the rest of Seidou. I prefer him to a lot of protagonists in similar series because of his goofiness and kindness, but it’s his single-minded conviction that’s most inspiring.

  

  I almost don’t possess the words to describe Miyuki Kazuya. As Seidou’s catcher and the series’ deuteragonist, he takes up his fair share of screen time. At the same time, he’s also kind of elusive. With an endearingly shitty personality, an affinity for provoking his allies, and an unbridled love for baseball, he simultaneously embodies the series’ themes and provides great comic relief. You can’t help but want more from Miyuki, just as Eijun does every day during practice.

  

  If you love Eijun as much as I do, chances are, Furuya Satoru will frustrate you. Furuya, the tritagonist, seemingly always succeeds when Eijun struggles, which causes a lot of narrative tension in the earlier arcs. This tension can be frustrating to watch, particularly since Furuya does not have a very dynamic personality. His backstory, though sad, does not help his lack of discernible traits beyond liking polar bears and muttering “stamina roll” to himself. He’s definitely not the worst this series has to offer, but you’ll almost always root for Eijun when they go head-to-head. If you like him, though, more power to you!

  

  This series has so many characters. A lot of the great ones are on Seidou’s starting roster, like Kuramochi Youichi, Kominato Ryousuke, Yuuki Tetsuya, Isashiki Jun, etc.. Chris and Kataoka, one of the team’s managers and coaches respectively, are also vivid and dynamic within the plot. Most of the backup players really aren’t anything to write home about, though, and it can be a bit awkward when the narrative seemingly focuses on them out of nowhere.

  As for characters on opposing teams, Narumiya Mei and the rest of Inashiro Industrial really stand out, as well as a handful of characters from Yakushi, but the series definitely focuses most on Seidou. Occasionally, the Seidou-focus will result in antagonists being reduced to one or two personality traits (i.e.: Tachi from Kiryu’s creepy smile, Todoroki Raichi’s strength and hunger). This in and of itself is not bad writing, but if you’re expecting something like KnB, this element might require a bit of an adjustment.

  I only viscerally hate three characters: Ochiai, the coach that’s brought in about three quarters of the way through the season, and the two reporters who spectate nearly every single one of Seidou’s official games. Unfortunately, those three have a lot of screen time between the three of them, which can make for some really frustrating episodes.
  ``
  
  

  #__Music - 10/10__

  The underscore is fantastic, by far the best execution I’ve witnessed in a sports anime. Between the catchy melodies, intense rhythms, and dynamic swells that fit corresponding scenes perfectly, it does not get much better than Daiya, period. As someone who usually hates the sound of guitars, this series made me love guitar. Normally, I’d recommend listening to the OST before watching the series to see if you like the style, but I actually think you’re missing out if you don’t hear the songs for the first time while watching the show.

  The composer also works well with leitmotifs. Their skill is particularly apparent with Eijun’s theme, Grow Stronger Day by Day — you’ll hear this tune/chord progression overlay in a number of other tracks in varying degrees of subtlety. The soundtrack does well to reinforce the series’ themes of hard work, determination, companionship, and defeat.

  The openings and endings, too, are very thoughtful and fitting for this series. For the first season, my favorite opening is the third one, Hashire! Mirai, but all of them are excellent. While the second and third endings are a tad brash volume-wise, the visuals are adorable. Endings 4-6 feature some of the voice actors singing in their characters’ voices — always fun to listen to — making for a really relaxing break from some of the tense matches.
  ``
  
  

  Representation of Women - 6/10

  

  I wasn’t expecting much, and the result was unsurprising. There aren’t any notable women in the entire story. At the start, we meet Wakana (one of Eijun’s middle school teammates), Takashima Rei (the assistant coach who scouts Eijun), and Eijun’s mother. Of the three, Takashima definitely has the most presence in the story, but she’s mostly sidelined during practices in favor of Kataoka and, later in the season, Ochiai (Though she does seem to have more presence than Oota, the club president who’s obsessed with Kawakami). Wakana, Takashima, and Eijun’s mother are all understandably tied closely to Eijun’s arc early in the first season, resulting in them having no significant influence over the storyline.

  Aside from those three characters, I can only recall four girls: Seidou’s managers. I enjoy their dynamic with the team, but they all seem very stereotypical and one-note. The only significant screen time they get is during the endings, and even then, Eijun always steals the show.

  That being said, it’s very refreshing to watch a male-dominated sports anime where the women aren’t sexualized at all. I found this to be a huge problem in Kuroko no Basuke and parts of Haikyuu, so in that regard, I was actually pleasantly surprised.
  ``
  
  

  Enjoyment - 9/10

  

  The only things that ever got in the way of my enjoyment of Ace of the Diamond were a handful of characters, drawn-out recap sequences, and occasional moments of secondhand embarrassment on Eijun’s behalf. The pacing can be a bit tiring at times, particularly with so many suspenseful scenes placed back-to-back, but taking breaks or watching at 2x speed can be helpful for some of those episodes.

  In case it was not apparent by my walls of text, I adore this series. Please watch it if you like baseball or sports anime even the slightest amount. I know that 175+ episodes over three seasons sounds daunting, but it’s a ride well worth taking.

  Thank you for taking the time to read, and I hope you have a nice day :)

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• 

  Yujeong

  90/100
  A sports anime like any other...or so it seems.

  At first glance, Diamond no Ace seems like any other sports anime. It has all the ingredients necessary in order to recreate the sports-anime recipe every (sports) anime fan is already aware of. A loud and overconfident protagonist, a quiet but powerful rival, a main team full of players that encapsulate certain quirks, opponents of similar nature, matches full of hype and so on. Let me tell you though, this series is so much more than that. While it certainly has all the aforementioned elements to its story and characters, it manages to stand out as one of the best (sports) anime I've ever watched, earning its rightful place at my Top 5 favorite anime of all time.

  First, I want to start this review by talking about the protagonist of Diamond no Ace, ___Sawamura Eijun___, because he is one of the main reasons why I love this series so much.

  Sawamura Eijun, as a character, is very simple. We can see, from the very beginning, that he is passionate, loud, optimistic, values his friends and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Your typical shounen (sports) anime protagonist, I would say. However, while all of that is true, the writing of the show truly makes his character shine. During the 1st season, he gets treated like a nuisance by almost everyone on the team, nobody believes in him and all the focus is given to his rival, Furuya Satoru, the 'monster rookie' that has managed to attract all of the attention due to his raw talent as a pitcher.
  Nevertheless, Sawamura keeps trying. He practices without rest for the goal of becoming the team's ace, not caring about his chances of actually becoming one. He makes mistakes but he apologizes for them, he fails many times but he tries again and again without giving up. His journey to becoming the ace is an intriguing one and will keep you interested in its entirety.

  The other characters are also quite interesting. Besides Sawamura, I can't really choose which characters are my favorite because the series makes sure to give everyone something special so it's really difficult to choose between them.

  However, I can't continue without at least mentioning the team's coach, ___Kataoka Tesshin___.

  Coach Kataoka is one of the best, if not the best, coach figures in any sports anime I've seen. His coaching methods are very strict but he treats all of the players fairly and with respect. He pushes everyone to their limit so that they manage to become an even better version of themselves. As a result, every member of Seido's team acknowledges him and follows his instructions. Plus, he is one of the few people on the team that actually values Sawamura so, as a big Sawamura fan, I couldn't ignore that.

  Regarding the plot of the show, it isn't that extraordinary or something you haven't seen before. We have a school that wants to go to nationals. Simple stuff.

  There are some key _differences_, though, that ought to be mentioned.

  First and foremost, our main team isn't just beginning its journey as a baseball team, like in Ookiku Furikabutte for example (another amazing baseball anime series you should definitely watch). It's a well established powerhouse of a school that is well known for its strong players in all of Japan. This of course, raises the stakes even higher since all of the opponents the team faces are also powerhouse schools. Essentially, you end up having matches between baseball giants and that makes the show even more enjoyable to watch, as the hype levels can rise at an enormous level, depending on the matchup.
  Another key difference is its unpredictability. Many things you wouldn't expect happen in this show. Certain decisions, injuries, wins, losses, all is possible when we're talking about Diamond no Ace. This makes you unsure of what will happen next, and while certainly, a sports anime being predictable isn't a bad thing (Kuroko no Basket is also one of my favorites of the genre), you appreciate when a show of this genre can take you by surprise sometimes.

  Lastly, I want to talk briefly about some things in regards to the _technical aspect_ of the show.

  Production I.G. together with Madhouse did everything they could to bring this to the small screen, and while animation wise, it can't be called that great a production, it's pretty decent for its length. I personally also love the music, as repetitive as it seems most of the time.
  As for the voice acting, it's one of the main reasons why I adore the anime adaptation. Ryouta Oosaka gives life to the character of Sawamura in a way that I appreciate to no end, truly the perfect casting for the role. That goes to Takahiro Sakurai, as well, for his impersonation of Miyuki Kazuya. Those two were born to play those characters. The rest of the cast is phenomenal, too, as one may expect.

  I don't have anything else I would like to add. Diamond no Ace is the pinnacle of the sports anime formula that offers a bunch of memorable and fun characters, exciting matches and is generally an experience worth having. Give it a chance, I'm sure you won't regret it!

  Tip: Since baseball as a sport is very famous in Japan, this series acts as if you know at least the basics of it. I would suggest you search it up a little bit before watching.

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