Often times, when viewing any piece of media, it’s easy for a viewer to judge a show by its past and form expectations of what they’d like to see. This can lead to feelings of dismay when a show does not live up to expectations. Cross Game is a shounen which demonstrates that even an easy story of love and baseball can have a an amazing ending.
The main characters of the show are each memorable from the four street sisters to Ko’s best pal Daiki. This small group of characters is what makes the show so unique. They are able to bring an element of personality and atmosphere to every scene. Their characterization also allows them to tackle the themes of death and love effortlessly and give them a more profound feel than what you would expect from a shonen.
Cross Game is unique in that it knows how to pay attention. While the characters are well-developed, there is little drama or twists that occur throughout each episode. This lets the viewers truly enjoy the development of the relationships without being overpowered by the need for more emotional tension or a plot that is constantly trying to shock the reader with new turns and endings that leave a cliffhanger. Cross Game is a wonderful film since it avoids all of these pitfalls. The genre could benefit from more of this.
