★★★★✰
The best representation of coming of age responsibility i have ever seen. The realization in highschool that this is the last year of your life where you can be a directionless loser and free from responsibility. We dont recognize the beauty of school until its too late. The dynamic within your friend group will never exist again, everyone moves on and begins their life in some way and its just a matter of time before everyone drifts apart, but maybe this is a good thing if youve been surrounded by all the wrong people. For some, graduating might be seen as a fresh start.
No scene has ever moved me more than when Kimura is giving the freshman his jacket. Kimura costs his entire team nationals by throwing a fast-ball instead of a curve. He realizes his youth was was spent with one goal that he will never fulfill. He liberates himself by appreciating what baseball gave him and joins the yakuza, accepting himself as the loser. Some would view this as giving up, but so much time can be wasted wallowing in the what could have beens and holding on to something that will never come. If you give it everything you have and still come up short, you can at least move on with no regrets.
"i staked my life on my bat, my dreams on my pitches."
"even if my body is broken and all my tears and sweat dry up, my dream remains, the nationals."
"no regrets for my youth...loser"
Also, the midget makes it weirdly ethereal for some reason lmao.
