Battery

Every so often comes along an Anime within the sports genre which gives us more fun games to explore and exciting moments to look forward to, but how often do we get a sports Anime that goes slightly beyond the standard. One that attempts to push the envelope, one that tries to introduce a thought provoking idea, all the while presenting its sport of choice by its side and using it as an enhancement to its overall storytelling. Battery… Was ‘supposed’ to be one of those shows.


Story:

One thing that I strongly feel a need of getting out before anything else is that this may or ... may not be the kind of Anime you’d expect or hope it to be. What I mean when I say that is, it’s not the standard hype-inducing kind of sports Anime that focuses most of its matter into the game being played. Battery chooses to use baseball as more of a platform, it’s a medium through which the Anime presents its story. Thus it doesn’t really focus on the game itself very much.

So what is it really about then? Well it’s actually more of a drama and focuses heavily on the interaction between its characters which also makes it rather difficult to say if it really even has much of a ‘story’ per se. It provides a general setting to which like I mentioned before; the characters are what provide most of the material. That being said, quite sadly, it doesn’t manage to carry itself all that well. The kind of situations that are presented to us and the drama that comes along with it feel… well… Pointless. It’s like a struggle that feels like it could’ve been told better but the drama just feels so empty and everything feels so bland that it’s hard to really care much about anything that goes.

It’s quite obvious that a bigger topic is trying to be discussed behind the innocent front of a baseball show but it’s just too bad that the message doesn’t properly come across unless you genuinely make an effort to really reach out for it.


Art and Animation:

The art is rather plain but it’s not dull in any way. The color pallet used adds a soothing feel to the visuals which compliments the overall look of the show quite well. As far as the animation is concerned, it’s rather ordinary. At times the quality of animation does seem to increase where needed, such as during the scenes when a baseball game is being played and there’s a need to showcase the swift movements by the players, but overall the animation stays somewhat chunky for almost the entirety of the show and never actually impresses.


Sound:

Like most of its other aspects, the soundtrack also has a pleasantly soothing touch to it and as a whole, the musical score is quite nice but unfortunately there’s only a select few tracks in total and even those are hardly used. Most of the show goes by without the use of much music, which wouldn’t be a problem if the show somehow fills in by the use of natural sound effects. Unfortunately with the type of show this is, most of those scenes just feel empty without a soundtrack. There’s not much life to them.

The opening and ending sequences were both really well done. The songs along with the visuals were very nice and did a really good job of setting the tone and atmosphere for the show itself.


Characters:

Like I mentioned earlier, Battery focuses more on its characters and the interactions between them. For the most part, we’re shown characters that slowly grow as events go by and their growth is presented in an ever so subtle manner that you really begin to appreciate it for what it is, until… when it’s all said and done, there’s no real sense of achievement. You feel like the characters came ways but never really found anything in the end. While there were some things to be had by the end, they all just feel so insignificant that you could hardly even care.

More than often, when it came to the characters, it just felt like the show left you in the dust. At times they even felt lifeless or as if they had no emotions whatsoever. It’s hard to really tell what’s going on in their heads or what exactly their stance is on numerous occasions. Like with other parts of this show, it was just unable to come across properly.


Presentation:

It was quite evident that Battery attempted to tell a deeper story than what was portrayed or perceived, but it’s exactly because of the lackluster presentation that the deeper part of the show was unable to surface properly. An attempt at making a more natural and pleasant kind of atmosphere for the show backfired and ended up making the show really bland and unengaging.

I should also mention that even though the show doesn’t focus on baseball as a game all that much, the parts where the characters are shown playing the baseball matches were possibly some of the most boring moments in the show. An entire match lasts for a few minutes and there’s absolutely no direction as to how it’s played out or what goes on in between the occasional frames with pitches and swings. There’s hardly ever even any sign of emotions by our characters during it all.


Conclusion and Verdict:

While Battery seemed to have a nice start and a fairly good idea, it was unable to carry it all the way till the end. It failed as a sports Anime and didn’t really manage to stand out much as a drama either. With a rather empty plot and difficult characters, it lacked anything for viewers to truly take away.

I wouldn’t really stop anyone from watching the show, but chances are; even if you aren’t turned off by the blandness of the show, you’ll probably just end up bored halfway through anyways.

TL;DR at the end

~Contains Spoilers~

Baseball is a great sport. It's the kind of sport that can be modified to fit the capabilities of whatever type of player is playing, something humans of all shapes and sizes can enjoy. However, when comparing it to other sports on TV, in most cases, the action is severely lacking. Summer 2016's 'Battery' takes boring to a whole new level.
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STORY: 3/10

Our protagonist, a cocky, arrogant brat who was already good at baseball before the show begins moves into a new town and joins the baseball team. He's a dick to everyone there, even his partner and brother. People don't ... like him at first and go as far as whipping him but they all eventually grow to because he's good at baseball and had already created enough needless drama. They play a good school. The end.

I told you it contains spoilers right? Jeez, you shouldn't have started reading if you didn't want the whole plot explained, iiiidiot.

In all seriousness, Battery has no development whatsoever, and ends exactly where it started. Not ideal, especially for sport anime, but it has been proven to work before. In Battery's case, it does not. The only thing happening between point A and point B is a bit of baseball and drama created between Harada and friends. But that's how it's supposed to be. Boring as it is, Battery is down-to-earth unlike many other anime, and is a refreshing change needed every once and a while. While some people may disagree with me here, I think Battery was a very levelheaded show that was nice to just sit down and watch. For most people. though, it probably won't be your cup of tea.
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ART: 5/10

The thing that pushed Battery into the realistic zone was this. The animation isn't very good and, actually, the art isn't either. That said, it fits the style of anime and achieves exactly what it could within it's limits. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
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SOUND: 5/10

Seeing as there is barely any sound in Battery anyways, I had to dig deep just to hear it play... and was it worth it? Well... not really. Though they may be pleasant to listen to, the OST, OP and ED are just there because it would be weird if they weren't. The sound affects don't help that much, contributing virtually nothing aloft the norm. The voice acting then becomes the major factor in sound, which usually backfires if you rely solely on seiyuu to get into their roles. Battery didn't have this quandary. The voice acting is great for the main characters and the protagonist's family, and while lackluster side characters drag it down quite a bit, the vocalization is still amiable.
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CHARACTER: 3/10

Just like the voice actors and animation, the characters just feel like an excuse to drive the plot in a way to create as much drama as possible without straying from it's element of realism. Takumi Harada, our protagonist, is quite the querulous guy. He has an obsession towards baseball and is just a total jerk to anyone and everyone, even his own teammates, only agreeing with them when things go his way. There really is not much more to say that hasn't already been summed up.
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TL;DR: 4/10

+Very realistic
+Realistic art style
+Decent voice acting for the main characters
-No plot or character development
-Baseball is not a good TV sport
-Art and Sound are only sufficient not good
-Main character is annoying
-Side characters are boring
-Other main characters will argue with Takumi, but he eventually wins even if he's wrong

Battery is a good anime to kick back, relax, and just enjoy. But that's not the anime most people are looking for, especially in the sports genre. Even if you DID want an anime to kick back and relax to though, there are much better choices than this. Another one bites the dust.

Baseball seems to be one of those sports where you either enjoy it like the most exciting thing in the world or finds it as boring as watching paint dry. I’ll be honest here, Battery can give off a similar feel. And it’s not just about what the show is but rather what the storytelling can really tell about itself.

First of all, the show focuses on a guy named Takumi Harada. He’s a 6th grader with a prestigious talent in pitching and had to transfer to a new school in the countryside because of his brother’s sickness. No problem right? In fact, Takumi sees this ... more as an opportunity to make his skills even more well-known to the new community. Reality kicks in hard and he realizes that his new teammates doesn’t really acknowledge his new talent. However, there is one guy named Go Nagakura who does admire him and wants to form a partnership as a way to demonstrate both of their talents. The show tells of their story in this small town and I have to be honest, it’s not the usual type of sports series you’ll expect.

Based off of the novel by Atsuko Asano, Battery embraces its cast of characters rather than the storytelling. Expecting a lot of baseball games or a tournament to chronicle their journey? Look elsewhere. With that being said, Battery shines the most when it focuses on characterization. First, there’s Takumi, the protagonist although some may see more as a form of anti-hero. After all, the guy is narcissistic and often focuses on himself rather than on others. The first few episodes establishes him as someone who wants to show off his talent without working cooperatively with his teammates. He cares more about baseball than anything else, even more at times than his own family as evidenced by some of the conversations with his mother. As such, Takumi doesn’t earn the respect of most of the team and pays hard for it later. It’s mostly his attitude that causes his teammates and even his coach to dislike him. Because in Takumi’s mind, baseball is a lot about winning than having fun.

On the other hand, Go Nagakura is an interesting anti-thesis of Takumi. Unlike him, he wants to cooperate with others as a catcher. In addition, Go is mostly obedient towards others and doesn’t act like a brat. While Takumi isn’t necessarily childish, his antics of showing off doesn’t please his teammates. He has the sort of ego that can really influence a game outcome as baseball isn’t a game about just one person. It’s about the whole team and literally impossible for a single person to carry it.

You can expect by now that character relationships is a main dynamic in the show. Takumi’s relationships with the majority of the characters has a rocky start. These include Go, his family (mother and grandfather), and even to his extend his own brother. Although there are times when Takumi shows a softer side, the majority of the show depicts him as a narcissist. Because of that, Takumi’s position on the team lands him enemies such as vice president Eiji Nobunishi. It’s also worth remembering that Takumi is the new kid in town so he hardly has any friends so it’s easy for others to gang up and bully him. The only savior that comes to help him is Go but their relationship isn’t exactly the best of friends either. It gets more complex than that actually as Eiji is jealous of Takumi for his accomplishments. And you know these days, youths like him would like to use fists to do their talking. So in essence, Takumi’s personality become his own weakness while his strength lies in his raw talent. However, is it really his strength? Even the school boards seems to side with the other teammates than himself and Go can’t stand his personality either. The relationship between him and Go gets fairly complex as it often shifts trust and distrust. In retrospect, you should expect a lot of character drama from Battery. And it doesn’t subside either when rivals enter the story from another school later on.

So yes, the main course of Battery is pretty much a drama. It’s more of a character drama as by the pacing, there isn’t much baseball games going around. In fact, an actual exhibition match takes place around mid-season, after almost 6 episodes. As a 1-cour show (the standard Noitamina 11/22 length), there’s definitely some concern about the pacing. Furthermore, I think the show puts an overwhelming amount of time into Takumi’s personality. It’s like the show continuously builds up about his skills more and more, to a point where viewers will find it about as irritating as his teammates. To me, that can be quite nerve wrecking.

Animated by Zero-G, the show is pretty good at conveying its realism. The setting is atmospheric especially with its countryside feel. However, I do have to say that some of the characters are misrepresented by their designs. They look older than middle schoolers. Still, the show’s visual quality is acceptable although not overly impressive either.

It’s interesting to note that soundtrack plays a minor factor because of the lack of OST during the majority of the show. That type of quietness further enhances the realism feel though. The OP and ED theme songs are smooth with a harmonious rhythm. However, it’s the character voice mannerism that really stands out. Takumi’s voice really makes him sound like a brat, the type you can’t stand if you’re near him. His personality is portrayed pretty well if you just hear him talk for even less than 30 seconds. Other characters are less noticeable with their voices except for their more dramatic moments.

Battery is the type of show that will test your patience. My initial expectation of the show is more of a mixture between baseball games and realistic drama. However, it’s easily recognizable that the show is more about character drama than a baseball tournament. There are actually games being played but that isn’t the main emphasis. This isn’t Ace of Diamond.

After air conditioning and how it feels to take my socks off after a long day of work, anime and baseball (In no particular order) are my two favorite things in the entire world. That being said, when I first caught wind of Battery (No, that isn't a pitch-velocity pun), I was ecstatic. The fact that a baseball anime that emphasized emotion and relationships instead of action and energy was going to come to life was like a dream come true for me. However, after completing Battery, I think it's safe to say that it wasn't a baseball anime at all. Instead, it's a melodramatic, ... character-driven drama series that uses baseball as a metaphor for growing up and accepting change. What is going to make this review different from the widespread critical reception is that I'm actually okay with this. And while much of Battery's execution in terms of its dramatic elements does wind up falling short, it still possesses a plethora of subtle beauty that many people seem to be overlooking when it comes to analyzing it.

In the beginning of the series, we're introduced to Takumi Harada -- an angsty and conceited middle-school pitcher. Takumi places himself on a pedestal much higher than that of the average middle-school baseball player and essentially sees everyone that tries to interfere with his way of doing things as nothing more than an utter nuisance. That being said, when he finally encounters Gou Nagakura (The backup catcher for Takumi's new team) the path of narcissism he's been heading down since birth begins to deviate, albeit ever so slightly. Gou, who essentially demands that Takumi throw to him, expectedly struggles to catch his pitches at first. However, being powered by determination and excitement at the budding pitcher, Gou adapts and is soon able to catch for Takumi. Boom, battery formed. Now there's the whole issue of having the rest of the team accept them as well -- something easier said than done considering Takumi's attitude toward the rest of the team.

From this point on, Battery begins to use Takumi's attitude as a roadblock for character progression. That being said, the protagonist converts into the antagonist seeing as he's the only thing halting progression for the story. Everyone is waiting for Takumi to change and, unfortunately, he never really does. This is where the series essentially starts hurling it's problems at you like an Aroldis Chapman fastball.

With Takumi never changing his outlook toward baseball and his teammates, is there really any point to Battery at all? No, not really. The themes begin to become diluted and the characters, even Gou and Takumi, begin to distance themselves from one another. And, after a few out-of-place time skips, the series comes to an unsatisfactory close with nearly everything the same exact way it was when it all began. So what was the point?

Here's the thing -- maybe the general idea that the director, Tomomi Mochizuki (Ranma 1/2, Pupa), was trying to get across is that maybe, sometimes, there doesn't need to be a lesson learned or a character changed. We've seen countless examples in films where, once the story wraps up, everything stays the same way it was to begin with. Sometimes, what writers and directors want us to see is limited purely to how different people in a given environment interact with each other which, in all honesty, is something Battery does very well. The only problem with this is that a large portion of the anime community isn't accustomed to slow, seemingly meaningless tales like this. Many anime viewers want things like instant satisfaction, character progression, and closure. But that sad truth is that many writers don't believe cinematic aspects like this are needed to convey what they truly want to. This is where the whole analytical part of reviewing this series gets tricky.

On a lot of the reviews I've read for Battery, the writer says something along the lines of, "If you want to watch a baseball anime, go watch X or Y." This misinterpretation of the general concept is just one of the driving forces that wound up culminating in Battery's under-6.00 score on Myanimelist. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of missteps in how the series played out (Nearly all of which coming in the latter half) but there's something most people are missing when it comes to giving a numeric score to this series.

Battery is well animated, well written, and beautifully scored and composed thanks to Akira Senju with OP/ED performances from anderlust. Side note: I firmly believe the Battery OP is by far the best of Summer 2016. The story, however, deviates from standards in its inconsistency and failure to follow accepted anime norms.

The X-Factor that comes into play when grading any particular series is the 'Enjoyment' element of the subject. The unfortunate truth for Battery is that it just doesn't particularly cater to the average anime fan. With this in mind, much of the subtle and silent beauty the series possesses winds up being overlooked due to its slow pace and static characters.

In Summary:
Battery is not for everyone. If you go into it expecting another shounen/action/sports series, you've come to the wrong place. Battery is an extremely slow, yet stunningly gorgeous and realistic coming-of-age story that reminds us of how things don't always get better in the end. And while we don't wind up ever finding out what the future has in store for Takumi and Gou, we have solace in experiencing the budding of their relationship and their struggles in just a small excerpt of their lives. Enjoyment for this show really boils down to how much you can empathize and relate (Or in many cases even hate) the character interactions displayed in front of you. If you're looking for a teen melodrama and want a break from the average subject matter, try this one out. It has problems, yes, but I'd say its smooth and enjoyable ride.

Being a silent user on mal who just updates my list, I am writing my first review to give this anime some justice. I doubt people will read it (due to its low popularity and the already present bad reviews here) but hey it's worth a shot.

First of all, I believe one’s expectations is the most important thing before consuming any medium. As many reviewers here have already said, do not expect it to be a typical baseball anime. Go watch Diamond no Ace or One Outs, the latter you are into the psychological aspect.

In essence, Battery is a character-focused driven drama. However, I believe ... it’s so much more than that. Battery can be subtle with its actual themes, a reddit user posted a whole analysis (fortunately it has been deleted, if there’s a repost please send the link) For instance, there was an incident when the baseball coach, Makoto urged Harada to cut his long hair. It actually depicts society’s disapproval on males being too feminine. The dialogue between characters can be interpreted as either friendship-like or something more, which I think that’s exactly what Asano Atsuko was going for, the ambiguity between the fine line of friendship and romance. As supported by an interesting forum post by Chiggy who translated a quote from her "I would like to continue to write works that express the deep and particular feeling which arises specifically because of an inability to distinguish between friendship and romance." (https://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=304974&show=100#post116) Also, Battery certainly does show how cruel society treats others who are so called “different”. The scenes depicting that isn't pretty, so I understand why some people find it hard to watch.

Next, I would like to talk about it's characters. Which almost everyone despises.

Mild Spoilers >>>>> Makoto initial authoritative and indifferent attitude towards Harada can make him be seen as a prick, however we find out that he actually wants to support him by bringing him to nationals. The only reason why he was so authoritative was because his own baseball team believed following the coach’s orders would get them to nationals. This gives us insight on his behaviour and thought process. Therefore, there’s so much more to his character than what meets the eye. The same goes for the other characters <<<<< End of mild spoilers

Especially for the 4 main cast: Harada, Gou, Shuugo and Shunji. Whom are quite complex and multi-layered characters. Being heavily flawed characters without much redeeming qualities shown, they may come across as angsty little teens. So, I can understand why they garner so much hate. My advice would be not to only focus on their dialogue (though simple, I feel it’s a realistic portrayal of our daily conversations in real life) but also their actions. For an example, in the end of the second episode, when Harada slips and fall into the lake, he immediately grabs hold of his arm to protect it. This simple action is just the beginning that tells us how much he values pitching. Therefore, try to examine their thought process and motives in order to get a full-experience out of Battery.

Keep in mind, that they are only kids, that’s why some of their actions may be seen as immature or childish. These characters do not exactly speak out their minds, instead deny their feelings at times. Therefore, it can be hard to understand why they act a certain way. That’s when the supporting cast comes in, to help us comprehend the complexity of those characters. For an example, Seiha, Harada’s younger brother, he understands Harada more than Harada knows himself. He is a very smart and bright boy, who I honestly will watch if he has his own detective spin-off show, not like it will ever happen haha. Battery does have its own share of flaws, it throws characters drama here and there over and over again, without giving much of a breathing space. It’s animation also falls flat with its lackluster animated walking scenes.

The opening and ending (especially the lyrics) compliments the heart and soul of Battery. Not to mention, how beautifully coloured they are.

All in all, it’s only 11 episodes give it a shot if you are open-minded and don’t mind seeing negative emotions being portrayed. If u appreciate subtlety in things, especially social commentary on views of homosexuality, this shouldn’t be one to miss!

Do you remember anything about your teenage years? Surely it was a bleak age where nothing exciting happened, everyone you knew was dull and thick as two short planks, and mood swings caused you to fall out with everyone over trifling matters. Wait, hang on a minute. You're telling me you actually enjoyed school and had some good friends? You're telling me that you had hobbies and enjoyed your free time? That puberty wasn't actually all that bad?

Battery, airing on the mainstream-oriented Noitamina block, advertises itself as a thoughtful reflection on youth and adolescence, but in reality it's the most mindless slice-of-life ever conceived. Takumi, ... a thick kid whose only merit is the ability to throw fastballs, meets Gou, an equally thick kid who is impressed by Takumi's 'throwing' and wants to be his 'catcher'. Unfortunately Takumi, in a rare moment of original thought, decides that shaving his hair isn't worth the effort for his backwater school's baseball club, which causes the hyper-cuck Gou to take offence. And thus they fall out and never actually play any baseball.

That hasn't sold it for you? But this show has so many great characters other than the exciting, dramatic duo of Gou and Takumi. Gou's three thick friends are just barely sentient enough to breathe and whine about Takumi being mean or Gou sulking because he has no talent. Gou's (thick) mother wants him to study because she's over-optimistic about his ability to accomplish anything. Takumi's (thick) teammates are so downtrodden they've become borderline psychopathic, to the point where in one episode they hold him down in a dark room and strike him with a belt. Yes that's an event that actually happens in this anime. Takumi's Mom is a bitch, so it's no wonder his father never appears.

If you want to get transported to a bleak hellscape where nobody accomplishes anything, everyone has an IQ below 80 and everything is decaying, stagnating and dying, Battery is quite a brilliant show. I think you'll really enjoy it. I actually bought in to Battery's pretense of realism and was rewarded with a whimper of an ending.

Noitamina is a joke, but if the best way to get people into anime is to bore them senseless, then I think it's succeeding.

This is my first review but I'll try my best \o/

Summary:

This anime is not about baseball, is about the development of the kids through sport.

Characters: 5/10

Main Character(Takumi Harada) - He is our typical main sport character, awesome abilities, prodigy etc... But his personality sucks I don't get it why people get to like him, he bad mouth them, he doesn't even respect his mother or apologieses to anyone.

Main Character(Go) - Basically, he thinks Takumi is an awesome pitcher and decides to be his catcher and get with him to the Koshien, has a lot of self esteem issues buf kind of overcome them, I ... don't know how or if he talks about it because the anime just don't show this part, really, it just rushes to the end.

Main character brother(Seiha) - All I have to tell abouth this kid is that he is weird, is like the author made him to express ALL characters feelings and make the story and interactions understandable is like he has some 6th sense or something.


Story: 4/10

13 yeard old prodigy boy go to school with bad baseball team and make everybody want to play. Boy is a mannerless kid but well, he can play. Suffers bullyng because of envious senpai, senpai quits the club, the incident increases their will to play. Boy finds a rival.

Conclusion:

The art is great, also the sound but is a pointless anime, it is not about anything, is not about baseball and I think it should be about the kids development but we don't have a conclusion to this either.

Good point: Anime is pretty realistic, Takumi is a prodigy but he doesn't throw weird with strange powers balls, just fast balls that kids his age shouldn't be able to.


I'll give it a 5/10 bacause even with all the bad things I kind of enjoyed it but I would like at least an special episode to give me more explanation.

Hope this review is helpful and I tried to not give much spoiler but I think in such small anime is kind of difficult...

I've been waiting for Battery to come out for a long time, and when it started I was really excited, but as it kept going I was so disappointed i wanted to give it a score lower than 1. Battery was the most boring sports anime, when you press play in 2 minutes it will literally make you avert your eyes from screen, take your phone in your hands and do everything else but watch the actual thing.

The main character is annoying shitty brat who is full of himself and thinks no one is better than him. He has bad attitude towards his ... family members, teammates, friends, and his partner. Just watching him makes you want to slap him and bring him down to earth.

This "sports anime" was everything but the actual sport. In every episode you will get the least baseball, and in some episodes there is no baseball at all. It is more about character interaction and development (which didn't happen) , teammates, friendship, family, drama, and everything else other than about the actual sport. It was supposed to be more complex, it was supposed to be "more than just a sport" , they wanted to show more realistic thing and what happens "behind the scenes" . But that doesnt' mean that they succeeded in trying to make that happen, and it doesn't mean that everyone will like that kind of thing.

I thought it'd be sports anime like every other sports anime, it wasn't, then I thought maybe this kind of different thing would be interesting and kind of a nice change, it wasn't.

All in all, this anime takes boring to a whole different level. I give it a score 3.

So I noticed that a few reviewers on here mentioned that if you like other baseball anime like Ace of Diamond then you won't like Battery in the slightest, but I beg to differ. Daiya is one of my top favorite anime of all time, but I really enjoyed watching Battery as well; in fact I enjoyed it enough to the point of wanting to sit down and write an actual review about it (which I don't do much because I'm extremely lazy) since I feel like the overall low score for this anime is pretty unjustified.

First things first, if you're going into this ... expecting this to be anything like Ace of Diamond or Major or even One Outs you're going to be bitterly disappointed. More than being a sports anime, Battery is, first and foremost, a slice of life/drama anime. You want to watch fast paced baseball matches? Don't watch Battery. You want to watch dramatic character development brought about by teams pitted against one another? Don't watch Battery. The only thing Battery really offers is slow-paced, character-driven drama with subtle blink-and-you-miss commentary on certain issues, and contrary to the majority of the reviews on here, I, for one, actually liked it, and thought it was pretty well made. Yes, it is possible to like Daiya AND Battery, unlike what most people on here seem to think, really.

Story: 7/10
First and foremost, Battery is NOT a competitive, hype-inducing sports anime where the main focus is on the sport being played with the protagonists serving as tools to carry the story forward. Battery is the exact opposite of that, with the focus being on the protagonist(s) who also happen to play baseball. The story mostly revolves around Takumi, the main character, and his interactions with the deuteragonist Gou, along with his family and other people at their school. Anyone who is familiar with and enjoys the laidback, slow pace that almost all slice of life anime offer will find themselves right at home while watching this.

A lot of the reviews on here mention that the story doesn't really go anywhere and yes, I partly agree with it in that the plot is not a 'plot' per se; it is more of a showcase on how a group of people in a certain environment interact with each other and with the things happening to and around them. That definitely doesn't mean that it's dull or boring or 'empty'; if you're someone who enjoys watching how inter-personal relationships develop, and how they're affected by even the tiniest of things happening around them then I promise you you will like this anime. Now what I personally feel has contributed to the low score of Battery (and many such other similar underrated anime) is that the majority of the anime-watching community looks for instant gratification and involvement and if they find something that doesn't provide them with that then they're not very willing to give it a chance (I personally have been acquainted with people like this).

The bottomline is this - I will not say that the story of Battery is spectacular or amazing or anything similar but it is good, it is solid, and it deserves a watch.


Art: 8/10
The art is nothing to write home about, it is very similar to most anime that aired 4-5 years back. It's quite pleasant to look at, but that's all there is to it. I do want to talk about the art for the OP and ED though, which is beautifully done, especially the colouring - it brings about an ethereal feeling to it which I really liked.


Sound: 9/10
Again, the soundtrack is also nothing spectacular or anything that stands out and makes you take notice, instead it blends in quite seamlessly with the story. The OP and ED both fit the theme of the show very well, and the songs along with the very pretty visuals made me not want to skip them even once.


Character: 8/10
Considering that Battery focuses the most on characterization, it goes without saying that the characters are what makes this show what it is. This is exactly why most of the reviews on here portraying the main character as one-dimensional and 'annoying' really surprised me because honestly if that is how the protagonist comes off as a person to you then I am sorry to say but you are not very good at understanding the nuances of human behaviour. Takumi, the main character that Battery gives at least 80% of its focus to (if not more), is anything BUT one-dimensional. He cares more about baseball than anything else, and is self-assured in the way that anyone who knows they're good is. His attitude towards most of the people around him stem from his stand-offish personality and while some of his behavior might be questionable, if you look closely you can actually see why he does what he does, there's a reason behind every single one of his actions/behaviors, and that is what made this show so interesting to me. A lot of people seem to be of the opinion that he is unnecessarily arrogant and cocky, but I beg to differ. There is a HUGE difference between being indifferent and being arrogant, and for every single time someone tries to tell me that something Takumi does is arrogant I will point out to them exactly how it's NOT arrogant, as well as the reasoning behind exactly why he does what he does. Then again, does that mean he is a stellar character who never makes any wrong decisions? Of course not, he's still a kid who does indeed make some questionable choices but that's the thing, you can see why he's making those choices - they're not just placed there to drive the story along, if you look close enough and try to get into his head (which will admittedly be easier for some people than others) you will see that everything he does is very much justified. And this is exactly why his character is anything but shallow/one-dimensional.

The deuteragonist, Gou, on the other hand - with a pleasing, amicable personality - is the exact opposite of Takumi. He breaks down Takumi's mile high walls and gets in and forms a battery with Takumi. Of course, their relationship isn't all smooth and perfect but it wouldn't be too wrong to say that Gou's tenacity and perseverance makes him one of the few people that Takumi somewhat seems to actually like and respect. The relationship between Takumi and Gou is one of the most interesting parts of the show; they get along like a house on fire at times while they're trying to avoid the other to the best of their abilities at times while even actually ending up fighting at times. There's a lot of shifts in their relationship from trust to mistrust to back to trust again, which is where most of the drama in the show comes from.

Another character I really liked was that of Mizugaki Shunji (who happens to be voiced by Kimuryo who I absolutely love and is one of my top favourite seiyuus of all time). Shunji's character is the most complex among the entire cast of Battery, and it's so hard to get a read on him because he switches up so fast it'll end up giving you whiplash. His personality is incredibly convoluted, and his relationship with Shuugo (his classmate/childhood friend) is very tricky as well, and quite a bit of the drama - especially in the last few episodes - is provided to us courtesy of these two.

The other supporting characters all have roles of their own to play (some of which you'll like, some you most definitely won't), but one such character I liked (and that's saying something coming from me because I don't generally like kids at all) was Takumi's younger brother Seiha. Most scenes with him feel like a breath of fresh air, and in more ways that one Seiha seems almost as mature as Takumi himself, if not more, at times.

Battery - with its cast of complicated characters with a plethora of psychological nuances - shines the most when it comes to its characterization, and if you fail to see that then you're better off watching some fast-paced competitive baseball anime; Battery is not for you.


Enjoyment: 9/10
I personally felt that Battery was very well done, very realistically presented, and if you like dramas where the focus is more on subtlety and tiny psychological nuances rather than outlandish, bombastic actions with instant gratification, then you're pretty much guaranteed to like Battery as much as I did.


Overall: 8/10
Battery attempts to tell a very realistic story with very real (and thus somewhat flawed) characters, and is, at its heart, more a character drama with baseball as a backdrop than a baseball tournament anime. Thus it goes without saying that it is not for everyone. It is not another run-of-the-mill sports/shounen/action anime so if that is what you're looking for please do not watch Battery and then proceed to complain about how much you disliked it. It is a slow, character-driven drama with a very atmospheric setting that lends to the idyllic, laidback vibe that this anime exudes. There isn't much by way of character development and you don't even get an ending spoon-fed to you, but that, I feel, adds to the realism of the show. It's not always about the end, it's the journey that really matters. Even if we don't find out exactly what the future has in store for Takumi and Gou, it's enough that we were able to be a part of their significant - albeit small - journey, in this arc of their lives that we were able to witness. I don't think I need to mention just HOW realistic this is because not everything in life has a fixed ending, just a story that ends abruptly, and that's all there is to it.

So I'm gonna reiterate. This isn't Ace of Diamond. There's no competitive matches and no team-building and practically no elements of your average sports anime. What it is is a pretty realistic, character-focused, slow, slice of life/drama show that happens to have baseball as its backdrop. If that kind of thing draws you, if you like watching human relationships develop in tandem with and in reaction to things that have happened to/are happening with and around them, then Battery is for you; go ahead and give it a watch.

It’s been years Battery was released, and its now probably forgotten by most of you, but I feel the need to write a counter-attack review since it was really harshly bashed.
I had struggled in the beginning to enjoy it, and I had to pick up the show and give it another chance, and here I am today writing what I hope can convince you to give a try to this refreshing baseball anime.
____________________________

• Story : 8/10 •
I started this series expecting another basic sporty anime, involving intensity, friendship, rivalry, energy, passionate youngster being too exited, and easy-going interactions.
Well, you can cross the last 3 terms. ...
And that’s exactly why I enjoyed this series. 
Most of the time we don’t see other side view of a team, it’s most of the time centered around how good and friendly the pitcher-catcher battery and their relationship with teammates are. 
Actually for once, we see the battery really struggling to understand each other’s feelings, we see how powerless the coach is when it comes to be confronted with a cocky boy.
It was realistic, and not that idealistic vibe we get with most of the genre.
If for most of the watchers it was the worst baseball anime, I just feel like it give a new vibe, it feels different from the others.
It felt refreshing.

• Characters : 7/10 •
Takumi our main character (MC), is also refreshing, he’s not that overly energetic joyful pitchers we saw like everywhere.
He’s cocky as hell, not submissive, and stand for what he wants and believe. I really liked him when like everyone hated him.
We don’t have a lot of defiant MC like that in that genre.
Gou, our catcher MC, is softer, calmer, and a bit more usual in sports genre. Though I feel like I will beat an anthill saying that, but his feelings for Gou with Shuugo are kind of obvious and deep, I really enjoyed seeing how they Bothe struggled over Takumi.
Shuugo is our rival supporting character, and I would have loved to see more of him.
Some people saw the homosexual vibes of this show, and I can just agree with them. It’s not obvious so no need to be a hater for that, it happens. And if it happens when you’re this young in Japan society, well it’s not easy.

• Art : 9/10 •
The art has this unique feeling vibe, the colors are soft, like watercolor and it contributes to making a deep ambiance to the whole scenario. It doesn’t have the overly clean-modern vibe we saw but not quite the retro vibe either. Really unique.

• Sound : 6/10 •
Music wasn’t something I kept in mind, and I was bothered by it.
Though I HATED pretty much Seiha’s voice, they choose to take a child for him and each time he talked I cringed. The volume of his voice wasn’t the same as other, his pitchy tone overly acting made me frown.
At first I thought all VA’s voices were overly too mature for 12/13-year-old boys, but seeing how the scenario wasn’t childish and kinda mature, I forget about them.

• Enjoyment : 7/10 •
At first I struggled to be engaged in this series, I was really bothered by voices, and it was a bit of a slow-paced beginning.
And then after an angsty scene and I see how Gou felt about Takumi I was stuck and just watched it in one go.

• Overall : 8/10 •
- Refreshing vibes for a baseball anime
- Interesting relationships, friendship or rivalry
- Beautiful scenes
- Slow paced at the beginning
- Open ending

Disclaimer: This review might contain spoilers on the anime "Battery". Please excuse me if I make a mistake or you don't understand a part, as English is not my first language. Thank you.

Now that January is about to end, I have decided to settle debts. Books, series and comics that I have yet to review and I have not done for one reason or another. The reason, in the case of Battery, is that it became one of my biggest disappointments of 2016 as anime.

And it started in an intriguing way and in those first impressions I expressed my good feelings. Which were lost in ... time. Despite being based on the novels of the award-winning Atsuko Asano, Battery is a story that fails as a sports anime and as a drama. Sport does not excite and drama does not sink.

From time to time there are sports animes that offer more than the simple emotion of the games and in this era of great sports anime, it is when we have enjoyed it the most. But how many are those who break the rules and go further and introduce ideas and situations that make you think? Few. Battery was supposed to be one of these.

A global evaluation


Battery is not an anime about baseball, despite what it may seem. In fact it uses sport more as a way to tell its story. In fact, there is little that in the end they dedicate to the sport itself. Lacking the purpose of a specific competition, such as the famous Koshien, the story focuses more on the drama between the characters and that fails.

The story of Harada Takumi ends up being insubstantial. It is more a problem of presentation and rhythm than of the story itself, but it ends up feeling empty. Unnecessary even. The obsession of our protagonist for baseball and his relationship with his teammates barely changes from beginning to end of this brief series. There is hardly development.

With respect to art, it is quite flat without becoming terrible. The color palette gives an evocative tone to the designs and is very consistent with the general appearance of the show. With respect to animation, the level is quite typical. You can see where it have saved budget and only some sequences are really worthy. Only in baseball games is more quality appreciated.

As for the soundtrack, it is really nice, but it has few tracks in total and even so, some are not very used. It is surprising that even before starting the final game, there is not a single musical note that inspires anticipation. In the case of the opening and ending, both sequences are very well done. Itsuka no Jibun by anderlust, is a good musical theme for the opening and complements well with the video.

An insipid aftertaste


If I had to compare it with food, Battery would be insipid. I feel guilty that I did not realize beforehand where it was going. Even though in three episodes it did not gather speed, I decided to give it its chance and see it whole. In the end I can not finish it until today.

In fact, I had to abandon it, but masochism could. Being a series focused on its characters, I expected it to at least leave us with a sense of progress and achievement. But the change of the characters was so subtle and the final "duel" is so lacking in purpose that in fact it leaves a feeling of emptiness.

It is clear that this anime was intended to tell a deeper story than it was, by the rhythm and tone used. However, the lack of a clear purpose took away dramatic tension. If we add that the rhythm and tone was so deliberately slow, it also failed as a simple sports anime.

In the end we are left with a story that started well and with an interesting idea, but that was unable to develop it clearly until the end. Fortunately, Battery has a live action, and in this case, it's much better than the anime.

Story (6/10)

The story follow the rules of a sport anime : a meeting (happen half of the time at least), a MC wanting to be the strongest, bullying, fight between MCs (one being less good than the other or at least thinking so), a reconciliation, rivals and everything. I don't think this a spoil because it really is "cliché" and you expect it.

With only 11 episodes, everything is rushed and you can't really appreciate the story. There is no real good thing to allow this anime to stand above the others. Every other sport anime is better at being a sport anime than this one ... in my opinion and in this point of view, it is a bad one.

What I think is different from the others is the realism (?) of certain situations. Everything is not easy, like when bad thing happens you get the result of it. Everything does not happen like you want it to.


Art (7/10)

The art is good. But not original at all. It does look like any other sport anime.


Character (6/10)

The MC is not likeable at all, too cold and stubborn to the point of being arrogant. His only quality is being stubborn enough to keep himself from following bad advices from people. And having a really lovable brother (the dose of positiveness of the anime).
The second MC (Gou) is the opposite, being the perfect wife and having a strong spirit. He just does not stand out that much sadly.
The others are pretty average.


Sound (1/10)

Wait, we had to put sound in the anime? Sorry, forgot!
The opening and ending were nice but that's all.
Like I said, don't expect music during sad moments, happy moments, during match or even at all because there will be none. I just noticed one near the end but just because it surprised me (not impressive though).


Enjoyment (6/10)

All in all, I didn't hate it. There was some nice moments. And a lot of BL subtext if you want to see it (even if you don't).
And I did like the jokes.


Overall (6/10)

I won't suggest to anyone to watch this anime for itself but if you don't have anything better to do, and you want to see BL subtext (don't expect too much though) then you can try.
It seems the ending announce more but I'm not sure there will be since I mainly saw bad reviews. But then, I don't know how it was received in Japan.

I love Sports Anime, now I don’t like participating in many sports but I enjoy watching anime made for them. Now it’s not very often I go around say that I openly dislike a sports anime, because of the ones that I actually have watched, I’ve heavily enjoyed most of them. So despite having a rather low score on MAL, I went in with an open mind, watching Battery. So after sitting through 11 episodes of it, I can completely understand why the score is 5.76 on MAL.

This was bad. Like pretty bad. There isn’t much of a positive to this anime, it’s not ... complete trash but it’s definitely close to being trash. This was definitely a disappointment, because considering the premise of the show, it had allot of potential, and it was just wasted, and we will definitely be discussing why that is on this review.


Story (2/10)

Oh dear lord. How much wasted potential, it’s such a shame. For a starters, let’s start with the story didn’t have much to do with the actual sport it was trying to represent, which is Baseball, too much time was focused on the drama, now that’s not to say that Drama is a bad thing but like everything else, the drama and conflicts that the characters go through in the series has to flow along and properly develop the story. In this situation, it didn’t. It just all felt so unnecessary. It did nothing to develop the story or neither the characters, and when they actually do focus on the sport they’re not really playing the sport, they’re either doing calisthenics, or playing ball. It gets boring seeing the same shit over and over again. They do have an exhibition match, but within the last 2-3 episodes, and when the show finally started focusing more on the sport it was trying to portray, the series ends, and I am left will allot to be desired.

Now were going to get to Harada, and Gou as characters soon but let’s talk about their “friendship” for a second. They’re “friendship” if you would even call it that, is incredibly toxic. Harada just seems like he is hanging out with Gou out of pure convenience of their liking towards baseball, he doesn’t seem to at all care much about him being around…and Gou literally assaults him whenever he feels Harada isn’t “Giving it his all” in baseball. We’ll get to Gou’s violent tendencies when we discuss his character, but their relationship is so toxic and abusive, it can’t possibly be overlooked.

Speaking of abuse. I don’t know, the creator of this story has this weird fetish for abusing Harada, I mean I know he’s a little bastard but he didn’t deserve half of the shit that has happened to him during the course of the series. He gets choked, punched, whipped with belts, and gets pinned down and all sorts of abusive shit… It’s really concerning to watch seeing someone go through so much abuse in the span of 11 episodes… I don’t like Harada, at all but he didn’t deserve half the shit he got from his “Friends” and acquaintances.

Art (6/10)

Probably the best part about the anime is the art style, and its animation, while it wasn’t amazing, it was definitely pleasant to look at, considering its trash storyline, this is probably the nicest thing about the anime, along with its soundtrack… but that’s all I’ll really give Battery in terms of positive feedback.

Sound (5/10)

Just like the animation, and art style, the music was one of the higher notes to Battery, it isn’t saying a whole lot, but I’ll give it that much. I like the OST, OP and ED, the music to those was nice, and it suited the style of the anime. Too bad it was wasted on this.

Characters (1/10)

Oh dear god, where do I even begin with the characters? It’s rare for me to hate an entire cast of characters, well in this case I don’t hate the ENTIRE cast of characters… both the grandfather of Takumi, and also Seiha were the only two likable characters on the show, and with them being there, the show was at least tolerable to watch, the other characters on the other hand…. Are all useless garbage. The biggest problem with the characters, especially the main cast is the severe lack of development. If anything they’re more like plot devices to create as much drama as they can possibly fit. Were only gonna discuss the two main characters, the supporting characters don’t really need the attention, so let’s talk about Takumi, and Gou.

Takumi Harada, our main “Protagonist” and I use that word very loosely. To sum it up, he’s an arrogant bastard, who thinks he is better than everyone. I am repeating myself, but Harada’s major problem is the lack of character development, more than anyone else he should have been receiving it, but nothing happened. He ended the series the way he started the series. The same arrogant kid, with a really terrible attitude towards his family, friends and even teachers. It baffles me how the story didn’t do anything about that, considering it has been mentioned several times throughout the 11 episode run of the show, it was mentioned both behind his back and to his face that he has an attitude, but nothing is ever done with it, no one in the story does anything about it that doesn’t involve beating the shit out of him. It’s hard to root for him as a main character because he is so unlikable, the lack of development is so severe it’s hard to like him. I don’t like him. The argument could be used that is only still a kid, but just because you’re a kid doesn’t mean you have the rights to act like an ass. Period.

Now, we move on to his “friend” and once again, using words very loosely here, Gou Nagakura. THIS. GUY. SERIOUSLY. NEEDS. SOME. ANGER. MANAGEMENT. CLASSES. PERIOD, because he is absolutely NUTS. The first couple episodes he seemed to be one of the likeable characters on the show, that nice, happy guy who wants to be friends with the new kid, and play baseball with him but he sooner or later shows his true colors, it all started when he literally got so angry he strangled Harada. It was then and there I saw Gou for who he really was. If Gou feels like you are not “giving it your all” especially in baseball, he will assault you, he will get violent with you. As if that is a normal way to motivate, or get your message across to someone. He is so intense about baseball that he would resort to violence if he gets mad about it, and receive no consequences for his violent actions. That is my main gripe with Gou, he is in desperate need of anger management classes because he is unable to react to certain situations with a measured response! He goes right to 11 on the word Go.

Enjoyment (2/10)

I don’t think I need to go into detail here, it’s clear from this review, if you have made it this far, that I absolutely did not enjoy this anime at all. The only things I actually did like had absolutely nothing to do with the story nor the characters. Such a shame.

Overall (2/10)

You know? You could give the argument that Battery tried to differentiate themselves from other sports anime, and that it brought a new take to a sports anime and the main protagonist’s story compared to other sports anime protagonists… but just because something is “different” doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a good thing. Remember it’s all about execution, how you deliver the difference your story brings compared to other stories that are associated with the same genre, and Battery did a poor job in doing so, while it did have its potential to be actually good, it was all wasted for unnecessary drama, and underdeveloped characters.
I don’t recommend this to anyone, your either gonna be bored watching it, or just angry. I ended up in both categories. Take my word for it.


Story (2/10)
Art (6/10)
Sound (5/10)
Characters (1/10)
Enjoyment (2/10)
Overall Score (2/10)

If you liked Ace of diamond, big windup and major, you will not enjoy this.
The two brothers have talent, but the older one has a bit more if I remember correctly.
The story is about the big brother not little one really. The big brother is the hot shot at a school, where the team isn't that good like most anime where they have to get the team all big and all.
Like stark said it's more character drama not the tournament. This anime does have something which could and does happen in real life. The main character got "tortured" beat up in the storage room (where ... all the equipment is). The other anime doesn't really have that, that is, like the only good thing that really happened. The battery team-up there was a lot of that mostly, which the title says battery, basically the anime, getting a battery. Do I recommend this? not really. If you are completionist or baseball fan watch it.
The ratings bellow are not all that accurate.
Story-6
Art-7
Sound-6
Character-7
Enjoyment-6
Overall-6

This anime is slice of life, not only focus on sport. The plot is good but all 11 episodes only feels like the begining of a story. The character is half good and half bad, protagonist took one of the worst ways to go through puberty: selfish, self-centered, never listen, never learn, say mean things 99% of the time, very cold and didn't consider anything, etc. Luckily all he thinks about is baseball, and there are many good people around him. What I like is the supporting characters, together with the unlikable protagonist, were able to create a 'harmony'.

Protagonist is bad, but other charcaters are ... kind, warm, supportive. Some agressive ones hate protagonist and found ways to let him know they detest him, is, you know, make your mind 'balance' while watching the show. However, character development is not much, protagonist did change slightly though.

What I love about this show enough to give it high score is the atmosphere. It gives off a very light, gentle, pure feeling, very decent. The ending theme songs are very good, too. Overall, I appreciate the effort of making this anime, it was a decent watch, 7/10

I should have written a review the first time I watched Battery for comparison purposes, but since I didn't, I'll try to put in a little text what changed in my perspective.

I followed this anime as a favorite during its respective season, and even seeing an almost zero development as the episodes progressed, I had to watch until the last second to accept how BAD this work is !!! An irritating protagonist, a static cast, a plot supported by pure conveniences and great FEAR on the part of the narrative of hurting the protagonist's ego - so that from the first to the last episode ... nothing neither nobody has changed. It failed miserably, both in sport and drama. For these reasons I gave this work a 3.

And what has changed? Maybe only three years, but also what I will call "admiration for the subtle and goodwill with the mundane" ... Knowing what (not) to expect, I re-watched it because I never managed to forget this anime, nor have I ever overcome the great disappointment it was. But exactly because of the LACK of expectations for a masterpiece, this time I was able to relax and calmly analyze the whole situation. It is still a work without beginning, middle and end (the basics for a good story), but this rawness of development could be balanced with a comparison of reality and a special interpretation for the feeling that the anime tries to convey... A promising, captivating story with no loose cables in the thin would be great, however, I could still appreciate the lack of it all. People don't change easily if they are not forced to do so, friendships may not be as beautiful as fiction likes to portray, and perhaps only the suggestion of feelings on the part of the characters' attitudes has already been enough to convey his message.

The anime becomes more palatable when seen as a portrait of the life of a pampered, hardheaded teenager beginning to face the difficulties of his choices. Takumi is a kid without any emotional intelligence, a counterpoint to his partner Gou (who accepted him as a friend precisely aware of this), and having said that it is possible to establish among all the unspoken words a perfectly mundane friendship between two boys. There is an undeniable dramatic bias appealing to shounen-ai here, and perhaps it was the author's way of working with it. It is not the best method, and neither in the least sincere, but it is still valid. His egocentric attitudes towards family, colleagues and teachers were all still forgiven (as well as punished) for the convenience of a script, but he still has time to review all of this, since being a self-centered asshole was the greatest of his sins; maybe it was never intended to make him "likeable" within this narrative in the first place, and that's fine (at least for me). I changed the score given to a 7 because of all this.

In the end I failed to make a small text, but I accept it as it is.

I recently decided to watch this anime again. It struck me when I first watched it, mostly for its particular pace and the fact it's not about players playing baseball. Indeed, this anime revolves around kids and how baseball affects them or, more accurately, their feelings in regards to it.

Battery is a series of novels written around 90's and 00' by Atsuko Asano. Therefore the anime is just "advertising" to promote the novels. I think it's important to point this out because the anime has been clearly cut. Not only in the second half we just see unresolved drama. We don't get to see a ... nicely paced character development because it's clear the anime couldn't portray it.

Indeed it's only 11 episodes- they had really close to none screentime to display everything that needed to make this anime stand out.

However, I believe this story has great potential and I was willing to read the novels (though I didn't find a proper translation so I gave up).

First of all I think that you can't talk about the story if you don't mention the characters first. As I said this story is about the characters, not baseball in itself. Therefore I think if you're looking for a classical spokon you have to look elsewhere.

It may contain minor spoilers, however, if you're unsure about this anime, please consider reading it.



The main characters are Harada and Nagakura, pitcher and catcher: the battery. The title is not a misleading, actually, it says everything that needs to be said. Cause this battery is what really is about. Harada is cheeky, defiant, but most of all is self-confident and he knows that his throws are something else. Therefore, whatever he does and how he does it it's meaningless cause anyone will want him to do pitching in a game. They will need him.

Then he meets Gou. You may think Gou is his opposite, being calm, straightforward and mostly very caring of others, but you're mistaken. They are not opposites, their personalities are, but they have the same "fierce".
That's why the click together almost immediately. Gou wants to catch Harada's ball and Harada, well he needed someone to catch his throws.

Obviously, Harada is not just an asshole. He actually favorites Gou because he is earnest. Gou is indeed earnest about anything and Harada is clearly drawn by it. He wants to pitch to him. I'm actually pretty sure that the novel devels in this aspect even better than the anime, cause as I said it's been cut.

Indeed this "partnership" crumbles at some point. We see that Harada's throws get so powerful (because Gou is there to catch them, indeed they are foil of each other. They drew out their hidden potential like no other) that Gou can't catch them anymore. Harada, in the end, holds back on his throws, making Gou feel like a burden. For various and not clearly portrayed reasons, I suppose. Maybe he was afraid Gou couldn't catch his pitches anymore and tried to hold himself back. That's where everything starts to cloud, cause from that point onwards the anime has to pick up the pace and cut down on a lot.

When we see the battery again, it's changed. Harada's pitches are wild and Gou has to do all the work to catch them.

The battery has changed and so are their feelings.

I'm quite sad I never got how they developed and tried to mend, cause the anime just shows us some snippets and we can kind of guess what happened, but we can't have an overall picture.

That said I want to move on another "partnership", this time a childhood friend type of relationship. Mizugaki and Kadowaki, the shortstop and the batter.
This relationship may be the most twisted one for it's so peculiar I enjoyed any single moment between them.

Those two make an appearance way later, so they have much less screentime. Mizugaki is a blabber, sly and most of all a "mastermind", he moves the strings of the field. He is more of a captain than Kadowaki, who is so fixated, bull-headed and talented he can't even notice when his own players are hurt.

Kadowaki's a star of the junior high baseball, he has a sports scholarship and he's bored cause no one can beat him, but uddenly he finds himself cornered by none other than Harada's skillful pitching. He becomes obsessed: he wants to bat that pitch no matter what. He even goes to the extent to call a game without his coach's consent.

Mizugaki jumps on the wagon and helps him out as he wants to "see the princess that made the great Kadowaki fall in love". When he does though, he sees much more than a princess who pitches flawlessly. He sees a dysfunctional battery. that's when the gears start to turn. From then on both "duos" enter their developing point; which coincides with the great lack of actual "story" in the anime.

Mizugaki messes with the battery, he pokes at Nagakura's flaws and explicitly tells him that he's bringing Harada's down with his poor catching. Indeed, it seems Mizugaki wants to help them out improving on their partnership - in an unconventional kind of way - so they can face off his childhood friend at their utmost potential. However, we find out that Mizugaki is quite resentful towards Kadowaki.

It's clear Mizugaki may actually be really jealous of Kadowaki, but it's not very clear the reason why. I'm keen on thinking he's very envious of his talent, however that may not be the only reason. Their relationship cracks at some point - as Kadowaki gets further and further drawn by Harada - and Mizugaki shows his true "sentiments". Kadowaki is pretty much clueless about it all, we can see he has no idea of why that's happening. He's an oblivious guy, that may also be another motive in regards of Mizugaki's behavior.

It may seem quite the unnecessary angst, but it shows a kind of friendship that went on almost because it had to. Mizugaki had to put up with Kadowaki. That's indeed an interesting turn of events cause the fact he still decided to stand beside him proves Mizugaki may actually have a "greater reason" for it.

At least this is my personal view on them, since, as I said, the anime shows close to nothing in the last part.

The other characters are kind of marginal and this is the only letdown I can mention- They could have put them into an actual role in order to give them a "position" in the story as well. Only a few fulfill this role, but they don't get to develop much as I wished.

The most memorable ones are Harada's little brother Seiha, the grandad Ihoka, Kaionji and the Coach Makoto.

This is why I suggest all of you to give this anime a chance, and if you can, please read the novel. If you want to read/watch a fresh story about coming-to-terms kids revolving around a notorious sport, well I think you got the right one.

The premises are quite similar to Ookiku Furikabutte. Though Oofuri has a better planned out character insight and is much more technical, showing baseball has an actual "mind game".


Thank you for your time to read this.

This anime has the worst ending I ever seen. The ending of the anime was the biggest betrayal of the season. The main character "Takumi" is a big asshole. This ins't your every day shounen asshole like "Kaiba". No this is the type of asshole that is like a real asshole in real life. That not even the worst asshole. There is another character later in the anime that is worst than him. The opening and ending themes are okay. That the only thing I can say that is good about the anime. The story is bad. It should not take 11 episodes. It ... should at least take like 4 episodes ,or maybe less. It is a waste of time. If you are planning to watch it. You may be disappointing.

Battery - Middleschool Baseball has never seen this kind of drama.

A part of the story instantly made be curious just by reading the synopsis, though the pilot episode seemed to be a bit shaky. It was fine because we will see the characters' development as the story progresses, but it fell midway. I had hoped for it to be a sport anime with a dramatic plot. Turns out it was just drama with a hint of baseball. It seemed to me that it was 85% drama and 15% baseball. I could have lived with it, but the plot and conflict were just looped over and ... over to a point that I found it annoying. What's more is that the finale is not really what you can call a "fitting ending" for the series. As someone once said, "They just used the one-cour anime as promotion for the manga."

The characters were bleak and some were generic. I did not like any of them and it was disturbing for me when this series somehow constantly tries to sell "couple pairings" though its cast mainly consisted of males.

The sound aspect wasn't bad at all. The voices made it feel like there was a different accent used, defining the setting of the show. Another good point are the opening and ending songs; I liked them and listened to them for a number of times.

I have nothing in particular to say about the art and animation. It looked a bit different, but it looked good. The animation was consistent throughout the whole series and never became sloppy.

Either way, it's left to one's preference, so I wouldn't dissuade a person from watching this series. Do take note that it might feel a little bit boring, depending on how you find a show entertaining. Again, as a final reminder, this is not a sports-genre-focused anime.

I was curious as to how a noitaminA show could have such a low score on MAL. noitaminA shows are generally unique and aimed at the mature viewer, and some of them are masterpieces like Your Lie in April.

Battery isn't a sports anime like Haikyu or Kuroko's Basketball. It's a drama with baseball in it. Well, it would be, except that not a single baseball game is completed in 11 eps.

The MC, Takumi, doesn't respect his catcher, his teammates, or even his mom. All he can do is throw a baseball very fast by 12 year-old standards (87mph). But you won't be impressed because the ... show doesn't make you marvel at this skill. Due to a certain event, the school's principal withdraws the team from inter-school competition, so the second half of the show sets up for a single unofficial game.

** STORY REVIEW - SPOILERS (WHY IT'S A 1/10) **

Battery's ending is one of the worst betrayals to the viewer for slogging through 11 eps. In the final five episodes, we're led to believe that there will be an epic showdown between Takumi and the best baseball player from a neighboring school. They spend plenty of time hyping it up. And then, just like the Krusty Krab training video in Spongebob Squarepants where it abruptly ends as the secret formula is about to be revealed, Battery ends in the middle of Takumi's first pitch to him. Yes, it actually did that.

** END SPOILERS **

So in the end, none of the characters grow, we don't see a single complete baseball game, and we don't know what happened in the at-bat between Takumi and his rival. This show had promise in the first half, but it ended up giving the middle finger to the viewer. What was the point of this show?