Cross Game Chapter 167 (157)
Oh man. They brought back that line again. “Is it okay if I lie?” That really sums up this entire series, with all the bittersweet frustration and depth of unspoken emotion. It’s a shame the anime is not going to make it to this point in the mere 10 episodes we have left of this season. No announcements, but I’d say a second season of Cross Game is practically mandatory now! They’d better not fuck this up!
Two outs, bottom of the 12th. Seishu’s up by one but Kou’s running out of steam on the mound and he’s about to face the middle of the order. If you don’t follow Cross Game, it’s impossible to express how every single element of the story has been building to THIS EXACT MOMENT. This is the expertly designed, explosive culmination of sweat, grief, injury and guilt; childhood promises; feelings left unspoken; painful star-crossed loves; the dreams of deceased loved-ones and the crushed hopes of former players; love triangles between best friends, teammates and siblings that cannot be resolved; profound rivalries; the injustice of fate and gender politics in sports… I wonder how many chapters Adachi can stretch a single at-bat? This kind of tension is his signature.
Kou basically has to hit 160kph striking out Mishima or there’s no tomorrow.
