As we have already commented in previous articles, the studies MAPPA have been surrounded by constant controversy involving their employment conditions related to animators, who have to spend significant overtime working to meet almost impossible deadlines. However, this is not what involves the studio today, but the fact that MAPPA has already been unremarkable for two seasons in a row.
It is undeniable that MAPPA is recognized for projects such as “Jujutsu Kaisen” and “Chainsaw Man”two franchises that you can constantly squeeze, but the problem is that when you depend on two such big names within the industry, He practically goes unnoticed when he releases anything other than one of these two.
That is what happened in Winter-2024 (January-March) with “Bucchigiri?!“, a series that barely stood out during the season. And this is what is currently happening with “Boukyaku Battery (Oblivion Battery)”, a sports anime.
While it is true that MAPPA’s animation quality is noticeable, it is evident that producing a sports series greatly limits the target audience. What’s worse, making a story centered on baseball adds even more restrictions to this series, since it is a much less popular sport than others.
And yes, you have surely heard that baseball is considered “The King of Sports”, but this is simply because of how unpredictable the games can be. Nevertheless, It is evident that soccer and basketball are sports with a much larger audience.as proven by the success of anime franchises like “Captain Tsubasa“, “Blue Lock“, “Slam Dunk” and “Kuroko no basket“.
Anyway, it seems that MAPPA will once again go unnoticed during the Spring-2024 season (April-June) and will have to continue depending on the glory of past franchises such as “Jujutsu Kaisen”, “Chainsaw Man” and “Vinland Saga”. “Yuri!!!” movies on Ice” and “Zombieland Saga”? Do not make me laugh!
- «It seems like they’ve invested a lot of money in this. From the voice cast to the production values. But then again, of late anything from Mappa that isn’t super mainstream has fallen pretty flat. Either they adapt something really boring, or they make those irredeemable originals. I don’t know what will happen with this in the end, but for now these character overreactions should be moderated».
- «The scenario with an invincible baseball bat that suddenly stops participating (battery in baseball refers to the combination of two fundamental players in the game: the pitcher and the catcher)… could have gone several ways, but they chose to go with that memory leak angle. The blonde voiced by Miyano Mamoru is a little over the top with his reactions, but they had to do it somehow so that he would lose his memory and, therefore, no longer remember his day as a top receiver. Not well versed in the area of memory loss as I mean you usually see it in movies and soap operas only.. so this is already on a little serious note to start with».
- «Once again, MAPPA takes the reins of adapting mangaka Eko Mikawa’s lesser-known baseball series, currently running on Shonen Jump+. It is not well known outside of Japan, as it has 17 volumes, although MAPPA episode director Masato Nakazono is at the helm.».
- «MAPPA is back for its seasonal production… This time, it’s not a fighting show, but the return of the 2020 OVA, Eko Mikawa’s Boukyaku Battery. The plot is simple but attractive… unlike another MAPPA project, Bucchigiri?! I think this might be the best anime ever created. Listen to me guys… you literally want to be a baseball player, which is very inspiring.».
- «MAPPA strikes again. Good animation, as expected. I’m not the biggest baseball fan, but let’s give it a try».
- «Sports have been very dry lately so I hope this is a good one».
- «I’m a big baseball fan, but the first impression of this anime disappointed me, maybe I expected too much, because Major and Ace of Diamond were very good. Except for the premise, the animations and comedy are good… I hope it improves in the future…»
- «I like this anime and the premise is good, I’m always down for a good sports anime, however they are not doing a good job».
- «The first minute was very good, I thought it was going to be an invincible drummer shitting on everyone, but NOPE. Amnesiac school life full of gags. what a waste. dropped».
- «As I expected from the trailer, it is not a typical sports anime. It’s more of a joking parody of the genre. From homoerotic moments between teammates to gifted players, we have everything the genre likes to bring out».
- «Sounds good on paper. But I’m still not sure how I feel about it. Much like Snack Basue’s start last season, he feels a little forced right now. And if I had to guess: From this moment on, I’m either in love with her or I really hate her. And I still don’t know which of the two options it will be».
Fountain: MyAnimeList Forum
