Major: Episode 21

Robot-boy turns into mush. True enough, the inevitable father-son meltdown occurs in this particular match. When Goro witnesses firsthand the abusive treatment to Usami, he can’t help but voice his opinion on the matter. A few select words were all it takes to snap back Usami to reason, which resulted into win-win situation for everyone. Err… Sort-of. Mifune wins the game but Usami wins another kind of battle.

Initially, Usami leaves a somewhat creepy impression to audience members. In a course of a couple of short episodes with the carefully (and manipulatively) crafted flashbacks, he earns sympathy from viewers. This blogger simultaneously rooted for Usami and Mifune, leaving a rather confused feeling. Not to be mistaken, I am very thankful for the game’s result. But the emotionally charged atmosphere enables feelings of compassion for the affection-starved kid. And how can you not like chibi-Usami? He seems too adorable at that age.

If I were asked to nitpick, my complaint would be the utter simplicity of the mini-arc’s resolution. I understand compared to other sports anime, this chapter is remarkably superior to most. However, I am somewhat miffed at the immediate change in Usami. The instant metamorphosis is almost improbable, if not impossible. Yes, I ask for character movement but it has to be within a reasonable time frame.

BTW, kudos to our resident soccer-dude for finding a feasible way to bunt Usami’s forkballs. (I think I may have used the ‘technical’ terms incorrectly.)