Gurazeni: Money Pitch
Synopsis
This is the story of Natsunosuke Honda, a pro baseball player—a relief pitcher who has been playing pro in a team called Spiders for 8 years. The team operates as a highly-stratified society, where the player's performance determines his annual salary. Natsunosuke is one of the highest paid players in the game. He measures how good players are by how much money they make, and he intends to be on top and stay there, and as such is always looking for players to challenge and does everything to insure that he is better than they are. (Source: MAL News)
Audience Consensus
Gurazeni offers a refreshing, realistic look at professional baseball, focusing on the financial and personal struggles of players rather than dramatic victories. While praised for its unique premise and relatable characters, the show is criticized for its mediocre animation, episodic format, and slow pacing, which may not appeal to all viewers. Overall, it's a niche sports anime appreciated for its grounded approach.
Strengths
- Unique take on sports anime, focusing on the business and livelihood aspects of professional baseball.
- Realistic portrayal of characters and their struggles, avoiding typical sports anime tropes.
- Interesting exploration of the lives of fringe players and the challenges they face.
- Informative about the Nippon Professional League and its nuances.
Weaknesses
- Mediocre animation quality, especially the use of CGI during pitching scenes.
- Episodic nature can lead to fragmented storytelling and lack of overall plot progression.
- Some find the show slow-paced and potentially boring.
- Female lead introduced late and underdeveloped.