Often times, when viewing any piece of media it’s easy for a viewer to judge a show by its past and form expectations about what they would like to see. This can lead to feelings of dismay when a show does not live up to expectations. This isn’t the case with Cross Game, a shounen which shows that a stunning story can be found even in a simple story of baseball and romance.
The main characters are memorable in their own way such as the four sisters who live down the street to Ko’s most cherished friend Daiki. This small group of characters makes the show special. They are able to add an element of personality and atmosphere to every scene. They are able to deal with themes like death and love easily and provide more depth than one would think of from a shonen show.
What makes Cross Game really stand out is the fact that it knows where to place its focus. While the characters are well-developed, there is not a lot of tension or twists that happen in each episode. This lets the viewers fully enjoy the development of their relationships without being overwhelmed by the need to add more emotional tension or a plot constantly trying to shock viewers with new twists and suspenseful cliffhangers. Cross Game is a wonderful film because it avoids all of these traps. The genre could use a lot more of this.
