Customer Reviews

Big Windup: The Complete Series S.A.V.E

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've written two reviews for Big Windup before, and since this is a repackaging of the previous two sets, I feel compelled to write a third.

Big Windup is a baseball anime centering around Mihashi, a highschool student with a crippling shyness and the dream of becoming his new team's star pitcher. This is not a shonen series. This is seinen, aimed at a slightly older, more intelligent audience. If you're looking for the Heart of the Bat, Anything Goes Baseball Martial Arts, or the State of Self Actualization, you're looking at the wrong DVD. The series focuses on real teamwork, not a once-in-a-lifetime, special homerun hitter. Oofuri (as it's called in Japanese) derives it's tension from an in-dept analysis of baseball strategy. I'm not a baseball fan, and I can say that by paying close attention, you'll rarely be overwhelmed.

Besides the baseball action, Big Windup focuses on personal growth for the Nishiura Team. Mihashi takes babysteps to overcome his crippling shyness, he slowly feels better accepted by the rest of the team. The Nishiura Nine will really grow on you. They're not like shonen characters, they don't leave a strong impression at first, but their personality trains will shine on through on and off the field. I grew to love Mihashi, Abe, Tajima, Hanai, Izumi, Sakeguchi, Oki, Suyama and... and... and... those two other guys. (Almost got it.)

Production wise, A-1 Pictures produced some great animation. It looks great when they're out on the field, definitely looks sunny, and there's some good rain effects in the later half of the season. The original Japanese voice cast is excellent, that should go without saying. But, Funimation really hit it out of the park with the English voice cast. Everyone is excellent, except for Mihashi, the main character. Sad truth is Mihashi has a voice that's hard to fill. In Japanese, his voice is "not manly," and they play it as wimpy in the English Dub. But, everyone else is great, and Mihashi pulls it together when he's up on the mound.

Okay, some people might call this series "kinda Gay." Rest assured, it never gets stranger than holding hands and crying in episode three. But, any type of male bonding gets labeled "GAAAYYY!!!" So, if you can't handle two teammates leaning on each other, then you're better off giving this a pass.

Lastly, bad news is there are very few Extras on the DVDs, just trailers and clean openings and endings.

Big Windup is a good series, character focused, with great animation and an excellent dub. You don't have to be a baseball fan to find something to enjoy.

First of all let me say when it comes to sports I know next to nada. However, if asked what sport I most enjoy watching I'd definitely answer baseball so Big Windup: The Complete Series S.A.V.E had that advantage from the start. Other than that, I really knew nothing about this series, save for the manufacturer description and the opinion of 1 reviewer. For those in the same boat, let me give you another opinion. This is one great anime.

When I first started watching, given the ace pitcher, Mihashi's, personality, I wasn't sure if I should laugh or be annoyed and maybe it was a little bit of both, but the kid really grew on me. Here's someone so shy and so tramatized by his previous experiences as a pitcher you'd think the last thing he'd want to do would be to continue the agony into his high school years, but that's just what he does. Why? Because he loves baseball and most especially he loves to pitch. Fortunately a transfer of schools and becoming part of a team whose members, most especially the catcher, Abe, recognize Mihashi's talents, makes all the difference. Ever so slowly, Mihashi begins to believe in himself. It's a joy to watch.

The previous reviewer made mention of someone possibly thinking some of the boy's actions might be considered gay. Why is it when two persons of the male persuasion so much as touch, such a thing even comes to mind? It's stupid (and no DC Fan 52, I don't mean you <grin>). Not that I would mind in the least, but there are no gay/bl overtones here. What we get in this anime is a healthy, touching dose of comraderie and friendship that's expressed not only by words but by the touching of hands. Sure the guys cheeks pink up a little now and again and Mihashi certainly cries readily enough but hey, when expressing the deeper emotions don't we all get a little embarrassed and sometimes teary-eyed? And not that it's all that important, but might I just add that the touching of hands the boys do is actually part of the mental/meditation training they recieve.

Anyway, the most important thing to remember here is the story and the characters and let me just simply say they're both fantastic. The boys are shown to be not only a team but individuals, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. It was a real pleasure to watch as they learned about each other and supported each other when those weaknesses threatened to overwhelm an individual member of the team. As for the story, again wonderful. I knew on a certain level that some analysis of the opposing team was done when playing a game but I didn't realize the extent of it and how complex it all is. It's amazing, as is the actual game play. Talk about a nail biter. I'd get so engrossed I was watching episode after episode and the only thing that made me stop was becoming bleary-eyed and realizing it was 3 o'clock in the morning!

As far as anime production values etc etc, again I know nada. All I can tell you is it looked good to me. So, to sum it up, great story, engaging characters, heartwarming, exciting, funny, touching. What more do you need? To save money? Buy the S.A.V.E. edition. I did, and it's worth every penny.

I just fell in love with this anime, especially considering that I have played fastpitch softball since I was young, and even though baseball and softball are very different, I found a lot of things that I could apply to softball. The plot is awesome, I love the competitive and intense strategy that is portrayed in the show, and above all, to say that the cast for this show is awesome would be an understatement. I just stayed up all night watching the second season in Jap. subs, and the whole time I was saying to myself, "I so want to hear this with that awesome English cast!" Especially considering the dramatic character development that goes on in the second season. Funimation: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE dub the second season!!!

This is a pretty decent run of the mill baseball anime. For any fan of the genre, I highly suggest watching it. I just want to point out to people that this is the Complete Series of ONLY the first season of the show. There is a second season that finished airing in Japan not too long ago, so it should hopefully be getting its American release some point in the near future.

I have always wanted to see an anime like this! It was so unexpected that I'd end up loving this anime so much! (Im not a big fan of sports manga or anime)The animation is what caught me at first and the summary got me curious, so I bought it. And like I said I never expected it to be such a lovely story! You end up liking all the characters and its plot. They all support eachother and their loyalty to their team is heartwarming.The animation is beautiful, you'll laugh, you'll cheer, you'll bite your nails, you'll cry- I know I did! You really get attached to Mihashi. He's so cute. I watched it twice with my sisters! Now we're all baseball fans! LOL You won't regret buying this anime at all! I'm rooting for Funimation to dub the second season of this anime! If they do, count me in to be the first to buy it!!

In Japan baseball is bigger than it is here; but the fact that many sports actually get mangas and animes are not very surprising, it's far more of a surprise when the show doesn't feel like an arcade/video game where there are all kinds of supershots and strange themed teams (like inuzama 11 or eyeshield 21); the series has a very distinct and authentic charm to it, the kids of personalities of their own that we become familiar with during this season. My only gripe is that the season ends on a cliff hanger and makes me wonder how long we have to wait for the second season to get it's dub, if it does.

Big Windup was amazing. I watched it and loved every momonet. The two main characters were made for each other. The series also includes real facts about baseball and goes into great detail about what a pitcher and catcher do in a game. You don't want to miss this great show where different personalities combine to form a baseball team.

i had to get this through bestbuy only i had 20 dollar gift certifcate man bestbuy selection sucks for mediaplay & fye has bigger selection in store on anime than them back on track.

got this series very good funny i feel sorry for i cant spell his name correctly pitcher one thing that left me in dissapointment was first tounament game with tosei series doesnt continue on after there win this set leaves you wanting for more & more i wanted to see how this team makes in champoinship game maybe someday creators of this will make more episodes to the end of finals great series wonderful characters.

im no big sports fan but bigwind up, prince of tennis i really like & enjoy i will be looking for more sports anime

I'm not really into sports anime, but this one really draws you into it. I love this series! Thank you S.A.V.E.!! If it weren't for this money saving deal I probably won't have bought it not because I didn't love it, but because it was just so expensive in separate parts. Japanese and English dub are BOTH good. Also I like how the DVDs look like the bases. This is the best deal you'll ever find.

This is a very heartwarming, intelligent and meaningful story of a young man with dreams of being the best baseball pitcher. However, there's an obstacle. He's got very low self esteem.

I preferred the script in English over the Japanese because it was tighter and punchier. The American Seiyu also did a marvellous job in nailing the characters.

This story might not be everyone's cup of tea because it can be a little bit slow moving and analytical. I know next to nothing about baseball but the dialogue, psychology, strategy and suspense enthralled me so much so that I had to press the replay button 3 times in a row! I am glad I bought this.