It was announced in the 13th volume of Ookiku Furikabutte baseball manga that the 2nd season of the anime will premiere in Spring 2010! Ookiku Furikabutte is my favorite baseball anime/manga! I'm a big fan of the manga and have been following the manga ever since after I watched the 1st season in 2007. After 2 and 1/2 years, I'm really happy that the wait for a 2nd season is finally over!There are many reasons why I like Ookiku Furikabutte and the main reasons are that the characters are very lovable, the story is endearing and it's funny! ♥Here is my review on the 1st season:Story: (10/10) – AwesomeOokiku Furikabutte is about Mihashi Ren. He was the ace pitcher in his middle school's baseball team, but the truth was he only got the position because his grandfather was the owner of the school. His teammates hated him because they believed that he was the reason for their losses. As a result, Mihashi was thoroughly convinced that he's a lousy pitcher and after he graduated from middle school, he transferred to Nishiura High school with the intention to quit baseball. However, he's dragged into Nishiura's baseball team by the coach. Assisted by his new teammates, he grows in confidence and skill, helping his team excel with his own abilities.The story is simple but yet realistic and very endearing. I love how they portray baseball as a TEAM sport (unlike in Major - most of the time, it's more like a one man (Goro) sport) and how crucial it is for everyone to play their role and support one another to make up for one another's strengths and weaknesses.Characters: (10/10) – AwesomeI love the characters! All the characters (even the opponents) are very lovable! ♥ They make up the heart of Ookiku Furikabutte.Here are some of the characters I like:Abe - As his character develops, so does my affection for him! He looks really cute when he's angry! Haruna - He may seem like a jerk initially but he's actually a really nice guy. He's the most charasmatic pitcher in the series.Tajima - I love his playful personality!Hamada - In my opinion, he's the most mysterious character in the series. I hope to learn more about him.Mihashi - He's definitely not the typical main character nor pitcher. Initially, I found him extremely annoying! However, as the series continued, I empathized with him more and slowly found myself thinking that he's (more precisely, his chicken face) quite cute. Art/Animation: (8/10) – GoodThe manga art was quite bad initially but it got better and better over time. Overall, the animation was not exceptional but not too bad. The baseball games were animated pretty well.Music: (9/10) – Very GoodOokiku Furikabutte has very nice opening and ending themes. I like all the four themes and I think all of them fit the series well. I especially like the 2nd opening theme 'Seishun Line' by Ikimonogakari and the 2nd ending theme 'Arigatou' by SunSet Swish. Enjoyment: (10/10) – Awesome This is really fun to watch and it has an endearing charm. I enjoy the series so much that I went on to read the manga! Now, I'm a big Ookiku Furikabutte fan! Overall: (10/10) – Awesome A truly amazing series.
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