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Sports anime has long been an incredibly popular genre in the industry. This includes many headlines on baseball, from Principal et Ace of Diamonds at One output, battery et Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings NeufJust to name a few. Grosse liquidation ! is now considered a classic version of the sport, and for good reason.
Since Grosse liquidation ! is based on a seinen manga rather than a shonen, its messages often have less to do with the classic “power of friendship” or “hard work and courage will always win” and more to do with healing a past trauma. It’s what ultimately makes the story and its characters feel very realistic compared to many other sports anime – and why the show is so heartwarming at the end.
Grosse liquidation ! is a sports anime produced by A-1 Pictures which premiered in 2007 and was followed by a second season in 2010. It is based on a seinen manga written by Asa Higuchi which is still ongoing to this day. The story follows Ren Mihashi, a shy young man with a passion for baseball and the talent to go with it. Unfortunately, due to his previous team’s bullying, Ren has developed an incredibly low self-esteem that belies his innate talent. With the help of his new team, Ren slowly grows more confident in himself and his rebel moon as the sport renews itself once more.
This baseball-themed anime is firmly grounded in its realism, from the way its teenage protagonists are characterized to the way games play out. There are no special moves or intense training regimens, no rival schools with intimidating auras or hulking students who look like adults. The characters and their designs are all very down-to-earth and realistic, often giving Grosse liquidation ! a slice of life call. Matches are also realistically long, with even practice matches taking up to five episodes.
The series was designed for an older audience, perhaps helping them avoid the clichés commonly found in sports cartoons, especially baseball-centric ones. While it’s clear that Atlanta want to succeed in sports and make a name for themselves, it’s never taken to the extremes that a lot of shonen sports anime tend to go for. Even the atlanta path interacting with each other feels very natural. They don’t always talk about baseball – sometimes they make dirty jokes or rude comments, but that’s normal for teenagers going through puberty.
Whereas The batteries is another more down-to-earth approach to baseball, its approach is less successful. It focuses too much on the drama surrounding the protagonist (which borders on melodrama), with the sport often presenting itself as decoration rather than the focus of the series. Matches are also long but meanderingly slow, with too much introspective thinking and not enough focus on the game itself. The protagonist himself often proved to be rather unlikable, as his brooding attitude overstayed his welcome and the show made little effort to further develop his character.
As mentioned earlier, the manga that Grosse liquidation ! is based on is still ongoing. However, it remains to be seen if A-1 Pictures or another studio will ever renew the anime for another season. For anime fans craving a good sports anime, the first two seasons are definitely worth checking out. The two seasons of Grosse liquidation ! are currently streaming on Funimation and Crackle.
