Mitsuru Adachi is often overlooked by English-speaking fans. Though the majority of his manga is available translated in French, a mere two books of short stories have been released in English by Viz (Short Program and Short Program 2) and are long out of print. Such an attitude is an absolute shame, as Adachi is the master of simple, emotional storytelling as demonstrated by his epics Touch and H2 as well as shorter works such as Slow Step (which inspired a four episode OVA, subsequently released subtitled on VHS in the UK.)
Cross Game is no exception to Adachi’s overall standard of excellence. Kitamura Kou and Tsukishima Wakaba are the closest of elementary school friends, with Kou being the gentle if uninspired half and Wakaba the domineering wife to be. When tragedy strikes at the end of the first episode, their entire circle of friends and family are changed and Kou still lacks the motivation to excel, the remaining survivors do their best to persuade him otherwise.
From the description, Cross Game sounds like a generic series of any form, and fans familiar with the Adachi formula (sports, death, and realisations) will see it in full force here. The truth, however, is that it doesn’t matter: Adachi does it so well that it’s always a joy to watch him pull heartstrings and give the audience clear cut heroes and villains while even managing to explore the darker side of the so-called glory years of Japanese youth.
Read more: "Spring 2009 Anime Roundup - Cross Game: Mitsuru Adachi's newest manga adaptation supplies baseball bliss | Suite101.com" -
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