"Gurazeni" is a unique baseball manga that has been making waves. It depicts players who make money as professional baseball players with the concept that "money is buried in the ground." It has become popular as a baseball manga like no other, and was made into an anime in 2018. In this article, I would like to introduce 10 of the charms of "Gurazeni." If you are interested after reading this, please give "Gurazeni" a try.
1. Depicting the professional baseball industry with a focus on money
Source: Gurazeni ©Yuji Moritaka, Keiji Adachi/Sky PerfecTV!, Kodansha
Up until now, baseball manga has focused on stories depicting the youth of the protagonist and passionate battles between characters. However, "Gurazeni" depicts the real industry situation with a focus on professional baseball and money from the perspective of players who are professional baseball players as a job. It depicts the realistic and harsh sorrows of professional baseball players, such as how much they earn, how long they can earn, and what happens when they retire. The characters that appear here are probably closest to real professional baseball players.
2. It also shows examples of failures of professional baseball players
Source: Gurazeni ©Yuji Moritaka, Keiji Adachi/Sky PerfecTV!・Kodansha
"Gurazeni" does not only feature success stories that are common in baseball manga. Some characters make the wrong choices as a baseball player and end up retiring early. For example, Kuriki, a batting pitcher and scorer for the Jingu Spiders, was so obsessed with pitch speed during his active career that he lost control and was unable to achieve any results, leading to his retirement. The appeal of "Gurazeni" is that it features not only successful professional baseball players, but also players who unfortunately did not achieve any results.
3. The struggles of players who usually don't get the spotlight
Source: Gurazeni ©Yuji Moritaka, Keiji Adachi/Sky PerfecTV!, Kodansha
The main character of "Gurazeni" is Natsunosuke Bonta, a relief pitcher for the Jingu Spiders. In most baseball manga, the main character is usually the ace or the number four batter, but in this manga, the spotlight is on players with more modest roles, like Natsunosuke. This is perhaps the charm that "Gurazeni" creates. There are many things that feel original to us, such as stories about the professional baseball industry from the perspective of players who have never been in the spotlight before.
4. Some characters are modeled after real professional baseball players
Source: Gurazeni © Moritaka Yuji, Adachi Keiji / SKY PerfecTV!, Kodansha
As it is a manga about professional baseball, players who are modeled after real professional baseball players also appear in the work. For example, Hara Take Yumi of Setouchi Carnabeats is said to be modeled after former DeNA Baystars pitcher Miura Daisuke because of his distinctive pompadour. Also, some characters, such as Takahashi Yoshinobu, have the same name as in real life.
5. The story continues after the retirement of professional baseball players
Source: Gurazeni © Moritaka Yuji, Adachi Keiji / SKY PerfecTV!, Kodansha
When it comes to professional baseball manga, the main focus is on the active players, but in "Gurazeni," the story continues after the retirement of professional baseball players. As Gurazeni depicts the harsh aspects of money, it also fully understands the difficulties that athletes face after retirement. Some players work as team staff, some work closely with other players as batting pitchers, and some become commentators or coaches. By faithfully depicting these people, the theme of professional baseball players and money is deepened even further.
6. The circumstances of foreign players are described in detail
7. Baseball players who waver between their ideals and reality
Source: Gurazeni © Moritaka Yuji, Adachi Keiji/Sky PerfecTV!, Kodansha
For players who are not so-called stars, like Bonda Natsunosuke, who do not have a fastball or curveball that overwhelms batters, every day is a battle for survival. The film depicts the contrast between the dream of becoming a professional baseball player and the reality of his daily role. Although Natsunosuke Bonta himself is aware of his role as a relief pitcher and his style of striking out batters through control and set-up, he is unable to let go of his dream of becoming a starter and is tempted by the desire to throw a hard fastball.8. Baseball players from a generation ago also make an appearance
Source: Gurazeni © Moritaka Yuji, Adachi Keiji / SKY PerfecTV!・Kodansha
When we think of modern professional baseball players, we imagine them as athletes who manage their nutrition and diet on a daily basis to maintain their performance, but in "Gurazeni" there are also old-fashioned, dynamic players. Setouchi Carbinats' Doterai is a veteran hitter, but he also hangs out at cabaret clubs until the morning and plays in games with a hangover, making him like a player from the Showa era. One of the characteristics of "Gurazeni" is that it is sensitive to such changes in the professional baseball world.9. The unique relationships that exist in professional baseball
Source: Gurazeni © Moritaka Yuji, Adachi Keiji / SKY PerfecTV!, Kodansha
Professional baseball players have unique relationships. The complex relationships are depicted from various perspectives, including not only age, but also annual salary, position, and career. For example, when a player with a short career as a professional baseball player goes out drinking with a player with a high salary, who pays the bill? This reveals interesting relationships between professional baseball players.10. The voice actor for Natsunosuke Bonta is Fukutsugu Ochiai!
Source: Gurazeni ©Yuji Moritaka, Keiji Adachi/Sky PerfecTV!, Kodansha
In the anime version of "Gurazeni," the voice actor for Natsunosuke Bonta is Hiromitsu Ochiai's son, Fukuji Ochiai. The son of the legendary hitter will be the voice actor, so the worldview of the work will be faithfully reproduced.Summary
Source: Gurazeni ©Yuji Moritaka, Keiji Adachi/Sky PerfecTV!・Kodansha
"Gurazeni" is a baseball manga that has been gaining attention as an unprecedented one, and is packed with details about the world of professional baseball that have never been covered before. If you want to know about the real world of professional baseball in a different way, be sure to check it out.
