11. Risk and Possibility
After managing to hold serve Eiichirō starts looking for an opportunity to break Miyagawa. Both hold serve and force a tiebreaker. With the score 6-5 Maruo in the tiebreaker Eiichirō decides to try and gamble to use his full stroke and steal a point. The gamble backfires and Miyagawa evens the score 6-6. However Eiichirō's gamble makes Miyagawa think too much during his serve. He falls victim to a double fault, giving Eiichirō the match point opportunity on his serve. Seeing no other choice, Miyagawa makes a move to the net to catch Eiichirō by surprise. However Eiichirō's racket happens to be in the right spot for a return from short distance. Eiichirō's miracle return gives him the tiebreaker 8-6 and the match 7-6. The crowd is shocked as the 5-seed has been knocked out.
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Baby Steps
Baby Steps
Format:
Anime
Status:
Finished
Episodes:
25
Rating:
75
Studios:
Studio Pierrot
Country:
JP
Duration:
25 min
Season:
SPRING 2014
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Improvement by Memory
After defeating Miyagawa, Eiichirō returns to STC for some training that will make him better in 1 day. Eiichirō is teamed up with a Coach Mike from Florida who specializes in pyschological training. Mike is envious of Eiichirō's notes and points out his notes will help him recall his shots faster, and that he only has 20 seconds to recall his best memories. Eiichirō is able to master this basic training of Mike, and in round 4 he defeats the 16-seed Terashima with relative ease. A broken string forces him to go to the tennis shop where he meets his quarterfinal opponent, 3-seed Iwasa Hiromi. Hiromi doesn't seem to have any interest in Eiichirō. After Hiromi leaves, the shop owner explains that Hiromi doesn't get to know his opponents in advance. Instead he learns and draws an image of them while they're playing on the court. Eiichirō is confused by this and wonders how someone can draw pictures while playing.
Tennis and Notes
Maruo Eiichiro is an honor student in his first year of high school. He's a very methodical person who keeps two sets of notes for class and focuses entirely on his studies. One day, Eiichiro decides to participate in a free trial at South Tennis Club (STC) because he needs some exercise. There, he meets school idol and sweetheart Takasaki Natsu. Eiichiro has taken his first step into the world of tennis
Methodical and Unorganized
Eiichiro is unable to answer Natsu when she asks him what he enjoys doing most. He becomes interested in tennis and returns to STC for another free trial. This time, he meets Egawa Takuma, an upperclassman who's friendly with Natsu. For some reason, he acts hostile towards Eiichiro, which is very intimidating. As Takuma watches, Natsu teaches Eiichiro how to hit the ball.
The Contest Is a Fight
Eiichiro is unable to forget how good it felt when he successfully returned Takuma's serve, and he spends all of his time practicing against the wall. After seeing Eiichiro practice against the wall non-stop for six hours on a Sunday, Natsu predicts that he will quickly improve.
Face of Conviction
Eiichiro finds himself in a contest with Takuma. Eiichiro has fifty tries to return Takuma's serve. One successful return and Eiichiro wins. However, despite Eiichiro's best attempts to follow his notes and stick to the basics, he can do nothing against one of the strongest serves in the country.
A First Match Full of Surprises
Eiichirō is about to play his first match. He receives advice from the other STC members, but it only makes him more nervous. He doesn't get a chance to calm himself down as he's soon called to the tennis court. His first opponent is Oobayashi Ryo, a player with five years of experience, the assistant captain of the tennis team at Shonan Tech, and a top eight finalist in the prefectural tournament. It's finally time for Eiichirō's first match! This episode covers chapters 8, 9, and 10 in the manga.
Diamond in the Rough
It is down to the final match of the set. Eiichirō trails 5 games to 1, but with a determination to stay on the court as long as possible Eiichirō begins to push Oobayashi. Coach Miwa notices that Eiichirō has sharp eyes and is able to predict his opponents next move when he is focused. The final match lasts close to an hour, and in the end Eiichirō is unable to score a single point in the final match. Oobayashi learns this was Eiichirō's first match and begins to fear what Eiichirō will become if he is diligent with practice while gaining control and more muscles. The next day Eiichirō returns to the Kanagawa Junior Circuit, despite having been eliminated, to study various tennis playing styles. Coach Miura notices him there and tells him if he really wants to improve, he should come to STC the next morning at 7 AM. This episode covers manga chapters 11, 12, and 13.
Nine-Square and Reality
In order to improve Eiichirō's playing, Coach Miura has him learn control on a 9-square court. After getting the basics done, Eiichirō is forced into a match against Takuma. Takuma realizes that Eiichirō has gained control but proceeds to show Eiichirō that control and good eye site is nothing compared to experience. Coach Miura then instructs Eiichirō and Takuma to continue playing each other as often as possible. 3 months after the Kanagawa Junior Circuit, Coach Miura asks Eiichirō to sign up for the Championship Match Tournament to see how much he has improved.
One Year and Twenty Notebooks
Maruo Eiichirō continues his training at STC as he tries to master every shot. At smaller tournaments he begins advancing to the third round but is unable to go further. His mother worries that Eiichirō is spending too much time on tennis when he drops out of cram school to practice more. Eiichirō begins calling Natsu Nat-chan. After one year of playing Maruo prepares to return to the Kanagawa Junior Circuit and make it past the third round, but in order to do so he'll likely have to defeat three seeded players.
Diligence is My Style
Eiichirō returns to the Kanagawa Junior Circuit. His first match is up against fellow high school student Koshimizu Nariyuki, a man whom is always trying to compete with Eiichirō for the top scores. Eiichirō is a little too tense and quickly falls behind 3-0 when he finds a note from Natsu at the back of his notebook talking about what to do if he feels too tense. With this help Eiichirō rebounds and wins 6-3, beginning a process that would take him into a third round match with 5-seed Miyagawa. However Miyagawa is confident and proclaims he has learned Eiichirō's weakness after watching one match. Match 2 begins as Eiichirō takes on the 52-seed Noborikawa. With no tension Eiichirō easily advances with a 6-1 win. After the match Eiichirō watches Miyagawa's match to see what his tennis style is truly like to get him ready for the 3rd round.
Unease on the Edge
The match between Eiichirō and Miyagawa begins with each holding serve. However Eiichirō feels that something is off. After studying his notes, Eiichirō realizes that Miyagawa has been studying his shots, and with a 4-3 lead he plans on making his move in the eighth game. If Miyagawa manages to break Eiichirō in the 8th game, the set will be all over. Instead of getting too depressed, Eiichirō changes his strategy and starts playing serve and volley tennis. The change of pace allows Eiichirō to win Game 8 and even it at 4-4, but will either competitor manage to break serve, and will Eiichirō be able to find his winning shot before it becomes too late?