This is the first anime that I watched that was written by Mitsuru Adachi I saw his work timeline he had too many similar looking mangas Fact : he cant draw characters that distinguish enough So all characters look similar if not same.. through all his manga Also reading the synopsis.. I came to an understanding... that the author Was trying to perfect his story with different version and i guess this was it. I love Slice of life anime So had to try this Also did i mention i hate sports.. because of a personal thing.. So i should have been negatively based for this series... So i wanted to see how well it can perform regarding my love hate sports thing. Note : no offence for sports people just a personal thing. Disclaimer : I somehow ended up rewatching it 4 times 50 Episodes Honestly i was blown away by the first episode what a very strong start for an anime I am not gonna hint anything bout it i swear. Also I strongly recommend not going to read any kinda synopsis.. I even recommend not looking at cover arts that much.. its gonna have a spoiler of some kind i am very paranoid when it comes to spoiler of this series especially episode one.. so here we go.. Watch EP 1 : carefully dont let small details take you off guard. Also read manga if possible after you are done with anime.. as that will give a nice visual approach to the story.. plus revisiting old memories.. The anime is pretty much cannon as its just a shy of 50 episodes out of which 49 are canon. And even that episode tied pretty well into the main story If not a bonus. Just enough 50 episodes We have comedy romance drama Baseball action in one place. Dont skip this series based on any of the above genre or you gonna miss out on a gem. Sound: The Opening song Summer Rain really perfectly matches the anime Good thing that they didnt replace it ever. The Ending song one not gonna tell name dont you dare go try listening this before you finishing first episode fit perfectly Not gonna say what the song is bout at all. The 2nd one is Orange Days a Rap song Why does it exist there ? but okay for such a gem i can forgive them on their single mistake its not like the song is bad or anything just that using a song like that in an anime with a soothing anime.. is a bit weird The 3rd Moeru You na Koi Janai Kedo got a nice beat and slow rhythm. And the last ED song.. not gonna tell that either. Cross Games cast is one of the most memorable in all of anime Each character is developed so well that there isnt really a character that you wont like. depth of the characterization to keep you wanting more. And i am sure you will never forget the names of lead characters. The show takes the time it needs to develop its characters allowing us to slowly know them as we watch them go through their daily lives through their interactions with the other characters and through a large number of wellplaced flashbacks. This allows them to grow beyond the typical traditional character archetypes with every character given the space and time needed to develop and grow Despite being somewhat predictable Cross Game is well executed Well even life is predictable at times ? right. I really liked the art from this show it really suits the setting of the show. This show while not being a baseball only anime Made me respect sports a bit enough to actually watch a proper sports anime.. So anime Gets pretty Sad at time but has super good cute scenes too... its like anime that gives ya head pats when you are sad. Sports/animation/etc unlike typical anime the story aint bout being the best an all that It has a pretty close to real life goals. This anime is as real it gets to sports This is not a prodigy story if you are going for that.. Watch Majorif sports prodigy is what ya want Maybe since its sports so animation should be top notch one must say.. but for the time being 2009 i guess it did a pretty well job on that and not mention it soothes the overall setting of the show.. its not like there are dips and highs in animation quality. So you good with that. The pacing of The show is slow for a sports anime but wellexecuted you wont feel like its skipping stuff so i guess that is also a plus. You dont watch this show for the baseball Though you can there are certainly much better shows out thereLike Major. it really isnt about the baseball its to give the characters something to look forward to something to aim at.. a setting That we will all come to love at the end of the series baseball fits perfectly well for the series. since i cant portray my feeling well in words I did took topics from many reviews and put my answers in it.. during those session i found this.. literally about 30 times they will use the terribly drawn cat worst part of this anime to clumsily transition. Hmm what can i say thats the most charming thing in anime You will come to enjoy the scenes when ya see that cat .. the cat doesnt take like minutes of screen time its there for a second or two. Totally love that adorable little kitty. I rate it a obvious 10/10 Who wants a remake ? Me but also no.. i guess this was as good as it gets. Who wants a dub ? please dont i have seen people saying if it had dub.. it would have had more audience but i think its best to watch in subs.. Not doing the sub/dub war here.. There are many anime that has really nice dubs i get it.. but i dont think this anime suits a dub. What i want is this to get more attention so more people see it. TLDR : go read it or just start watching it. Actual TLDR : The anime is bout the characters developmentAka Slice of life look past the sports genre and typical romcom tag and try giving this a go with just 2 episodes i am sure one can tell if he gonna love it or not if you are through 2 episodes you sure can make it to the end if not then sadly this anime not for you... now that doesnt mean you should go the anilist/mal... and spam bad bout this okay. because i cant imagine a person hating this anime enough to go pull the pen and write a review not pen..