Ace of Diamond (2013)
Ace of Diamond
2013 / TV-14Eijun Sawamura is a pitcher who joins an elite school with a brilliant catcher named Kazuya Miyuki. Together with the rest of the team, they strive for Japan's storied Koushien championships through hard work and determination.
Seasons & Episode
The Seido baseball club has been invited to the spring invitational at the hallowed Koshien Stadium. Sawamura will finally stand on the mound! Standing between Seido and the national title are the winners of last year's summer tournament Komadai Fujimaki and their unstoppable ace Masamune Hongo. Can Seido triumph over Komadai? It's the start of another heated battle in youth baseball!
In the second round of the invitational, Seido faces Nihon Shono. After throwing a 150 km/h pitches to shut down batters in the first round, Furuya has become the darling of the press and the fans. Which team will advance to the quarterfinals? What about the other team from Tokyo, Yakushi led by Todoroki Raichi? And what of the summer tournament winners, Komadai Fujimaki? The quarterfinals are taking shape.
It's ninth day and fourth round of the spring invitational and Seido will finally face Komadai Fujimaki. It's Masamune Hongo's first start of the tournament, and he has not given up a single run. How will the Seido batters counter his 150 km/h fastballs and sharp splitters? Meanwhile, Furuya is starting for Seido. How will he fare against the Komadai Fujimaki batters?
The quarterfinal match against Komadai Fujimaki is wrapping up. Miyuki earned Seido's only hit against Komadai Fujimaki's Hongo in seven innings. However, Seido's Furuya continues to respond to Hongo and improve his game. Will Seido be able to earn a spot in the semifinals? Will Sawamura get a chance to play?
It's the spring tournament semifinal game against Ichidai. After saving his team with his perfect relief pitching, Sawamura is now the lead-off batter in the top of the sixth. Can Sawamura get on base and lead his team in a counterattack? Ichidai Third High's Amahisa's impeccable pitching hasn't allowed Seido a run since the second inning. Will the Seido batters support Sawamura and mount a comeback? Which team will advance to the final?
After seeing the result of the spring tournament, the Seido players think about what they lack, and begin to act on it. Sawamura shows an especially strong will to improve, and it propagates to other third-years. Meanwhile, the final game of the spring tournament is being played. Miyuki and Furuya, who has felt pressure ever since playing at Koshien Stadium, are at Meiji Jingu Secondary Stadium to see it.
Coach Kataoka announces the team will play an intrasquad game, setting the practice fields abuzz. The first-years are eager to perform in order to make the second string, but so are the upperclassmen who want to make the first string. With Sawamura and the other main players looking on, first-year Kukki starts the game. How will Okumura, Seto and the other first-years counter the intense competitive spirit of the upperclassmen?
With the intrasquad game over, Kataoka selects those who will be on the first string, causing joy and sorrow among the first-years and the upperclassmen. Meanwhile, Miyuki begins talking about the team at length with Kuramochi in their classroom. Although he says, "Honestly, no amount of time would be enough," Kuramochi says Miyuki still seems to be enjoying himself.
Sawamura's pitching is looking strong against Hakuryu. Mima and the high school baseball fans were expecting to see Furuya pitch, but they have to acknowledge Sawamura's skill. Meanwhile, out in left field, Furuya can't stop thinking about standing on the mound. What will Kataoka do as he loses his focus? And then, Sawamura faces Mima for the third time.
The game against Hakuryu, a quarterfinalist in the Invitational, is entering the final stretch. What has Sawamura felt and learned facing a nationally ranked powerhouse school? What did Furuya feel and learn watching Sawamura pitch the game on his own? Both pitchers have mixed emotions. Meanwhile, Mima, who also wants to play professionally, has taken an interest in Miyuki.
After a series of successful practice games, the Seido Nine are intensely focused on preparing for the summer tournament. Sawamura, encouraged by Kataoka's words, begins rising early in the morning to train. Meanwhile, after seeing Sawamura's improvement, Furuya tries to help out with batting practice. Their rivalry seems to be having a positive influence on both of them, until...
The Seido baseball team is hard at work preparing for the summer tournament. Meanwhile, the team managers are reviewing notebooks and clippings of newspaper and magazine articles about the team since their appearance at the Invitational. They remember the passionate emotions of Sawamura and Furuya during the games. Seeking consecutive spring and summer appearances at Koshien Stadium, they are striving to improve.
Sawamura is the starting pitcher in the practice game against Chiba's powerhouse, Naruta Industrial. How will his pitches fare against their batters known as the Southpaw Killers? It will be another trial for Sawamura, who must handle another big game. Plus, Naruta Industrial and Kuramochi have a previous relationship. What happened between then?
In order to prepare for unforseen circumstances in the summer tournament, Coach Kataoka has the players play out of their normal positions. Sawamura played left field in a practice game and Furuya played the infield during batting practice. Coach Kataoka asks straight-out if Yui, a first-year who made the first string, if he can play multiple positions. How will Yui, who has played catcher his whole career, respond?
Sawamura has demonstrated his remarkable growth during the practice games, and people have taken notice, especially his outstanding performance in the Hakuryu game. His pitching has inspired Furuya, too. In the second-string game, Furuya's pitching showed meaningful progress. His emotions transfer into the ball.
An announcement is made that Miyuki will leave the team and play in the Tokyo Invitational. Seto and Okumura will play on the first string while Maezono and Kuramochi take charge of the team. Miyuki sets off for the Inashiro Industrial practice field where the invitational will be held. Well-known players from several schools arrive for the team's first meeting.
It's the Tokyo Invitational game against the Wynd Youth Academy. The starting pitcher is Shunshing Yeung from Akikawa Academy. He's known as a precise machine, but because of JHBF regulations, it's his first game in quite a while. How will Yeung's pitches fare against the American team? Meanwhile, Seido's round-robin games against Seiho and Yamamori are underway. How will Seido take on these powerhouse schools without Miyuki?
Miyuki's team in the Tokyo Invitational is having trouble batting against Wynd Youth's left-handed pitcher Conrad. The American team has the lead going into the seventh inning, when Narumiya finally takes the mound. Meanwhile, Furuya and Ono have formed a battery to take on Yamamori. Ono is quietly eager to help Furuya pitch the way he's used to, even without Miyuki.
Showing the sum total of his pre-tournament training, Sawamura pitches impressively against powerhouse school Kokonoe, holding them to two runs in eight innings. Meanwhile, Ochiai still holds esteem for Furuya who wore the ace number and still continues to improve. Will Seido's ace for this summer be Sawamura, or Furuya? What will Kataoka decide?
The summer tournament is in full swing and Seido is playing their second game against Hachiya Oji and their skilled second baseman Kawabata. Furuya is the starting pitcher and has recovered nicely, throwing howling fastballs in the first inning. But Hachiya Oji has been expecting them, and third batter Kawabata hits one which nearly sails into near center field, but Haruchi and Kuramochi are there to stop it!
Eijun Sawamura is a pitcher who joins an elite school with a brilliant catcher named Kazuya Miyuki. Together with the rest of the team, they strive for Japan's storied Koushien championships through hard work and determination.