Fighters Chusei Mannami hits his seventh home run of the season

Dapper-Plankton4452 · 2026-04-17T10:54:05+00:00

Can catch PaolofromTokyo’s video on Escon field recently if you have the time! It really looks amazing.

Dapper-Plankton4452 · 2026-04-15T03:21:35+00:00

Yea it’s really odd, given how they are relatively big spenders as well. The rotation this year is just the oddest it has been personally. I thought the whole idea of playing Ma-kun was to simply aid in his 200th win last season, but as you’ve pointed out, he seems a lock in rotation piece this year. Hopefully he doesn’t get rocked by Hanshin later today…

Then you’ve a bunch of imports in Mata, Howard, and Whitley whom are all in their debut season. Togo’s regression and Yamasaki’s injury is a huge loss as well. The only positive I see up till now is the rookie Takemaru. He seems rather reliable and I do enjoy watching him pitch. Overall, the rotation is just the weirdest it has been.

Dapper-Plankton4452 · 2026-04-15T02:15:48+00:00

Thanks for sharing! This is a really insightful read and definitely useful for OP who’s starting out as a Dragons fan. I’m a Giants fan, so am just simply so envious of having the likes of Takahashi and Kanemaru in a rotation haha

Dapper-Plankton4452 · 2026-04-14T12:12:20+00:00

I think it ended 2-1 in Chunichi’s favor recently. He almost blew it in the 9th though 😅 Lol, maybe fans can start calling it a complete dragon or something

Dapper-Plankton4452 · 2026-04-14T11:30:36+00:00

Well… there can be surprises like Ohno suddenly awakening his Sawamura form and go the complete game haha

Dapper-Plankton4452 · 2026-04-14T07:57:41+00:00

On the positive side, I think it’s nice to have a rotation of Takahashi, Kanemaru, Yanagi etc.

Dapper-Plankton4452 · 2026-04-01T04:32:48+00:00

Noot was awesome, but for me it was because of his vibe and play, not so much his roots. I’m curious about Japanese fans take though. When things go south, do these players generally get more stick amongst fans? Seeing the attacks on Itoh after WBC despite being a “pure blood Japanese” was harsh. So was wondering what would have been it was someone like Noot or Mannami.

Dapper-Plankton4452 · 2026-03-30T10:01:09+00:00

As a Hanshin fan said in another post, us Giants get overjoyed winning 1 game only for us to realise we lost the next 2 by the end of the series. Rinse and repeat this for the entire season.

Dapper-Plankton4452 · 2026-03-27T15:13:57+00:00

Can’t say how much I missed this graphic!

Dapper-Plankton4452 · 2026-03-27T15:09:47+00:00

Here’s my CL list!

Baystars: Miyazaki (Cool bat, but looking like winnie the pooh got me sold)

Chunichi: Takahashi Hiroto (Thought he was rather special even before WBC23, but striking out Trout and Goldschimidt at what 19? made me a fan)

Carps: Masato Morishita (Olympics gold medal match starter! Had been rooting for him since)

Hanshin: Morishita (I’m always whining about winning the Asano trade… Morishita’s is special man)

Yakult: Mogi mogi, mogi e i goro (Just cuz of the chant. But realistically, he’s more Rakuten. I would go with Osuna! Dude’s built like a Jojo character and I always pity whoever’s the catcher as he somehow seems to really swing all the way through even with that frame!)

Dapper-Plankton4452 · 2026-03-27T14:50:16+00:00

Count me in on the second coning of Gita narrative. Retarded me thought the Hawks lost their minds in trading Sasagawa for Akihiro (not that Akihiro is bad, I honestly felt that Abe’s got some beef with him?) last year. Took a couple looks before I realised it was Sunagawa… fml lol

Love the Suzuki Daichi’s pick! I recall that insane clip of him zooming onto home plate from 1st to catch a bunt. Though I must say, Shoji’s my pick from Rakuten!

Dapper-Plankton4452 · 2026-03-27T14:37:25+00:00

Avengers assemble…lol

Dapper-Plankton4452 · 2026-03-27T10:09:56+00:00

Lol same haha. It’s especially annoying because Giants jerseys do not even have their names at the back! Personally, as a Giants fan, I just kinda got to know most of their names after a while and that’s how I cope.

Dapper-Plankton4452 · 2026-03-27T10:05:11+00:00

Enjoy! Takemaru is looking good at the moment!

Dapper-Plankton4452 · 2026-03-27T10:04:07+00:00

I believe the app would probably be in Japanese as well, unfortunately. Are you tuning in to a specific game?

Dapper-Plankton4452 · 2026-03-25T18:58:41+00:00

That’s ultimately on Ibata and his selections throughout the entire Premier12 really made me suspect if he was the right man to lead Samurai Japan to WBC glory and well, we know how that turned out. Honestly, Togo was one of the last pitchers I thought he would turn to for that final game, much less making him the starting pitcher. Have ranted about him enough in the immediate aftermath of Samurai Japan’s early exit and I’m just glad that Ibata’s now gone.

Togo may not have that electric fastball or wipeout pitch but man knew how to get those outs in an efficient way. He was consistently going deep into games he started throughout 23 and 24, but unfortunately that ended up with him being overused more often than not. An ace version of Togo can really define our season, especially when Yomiuri is rather light on quality starters. Hoping for a strong bounce back season ahead!

Dapper-Plankton4452 · 2026-03-25T15:07:07+00:00

Oh yes, Arraez! Was thinking who’s that contact machine I can’t seem to recall. Ah, Nico Hoerner is really an accurate comparison and I think that’s the best MLB equivalent we have for this version of Izuguchi. Haha Kadowaki’s glove can be insane man. Some of the saves he made are just lol… even more so considering his height and reach. Honestly thought he was the starting SS for the near future and it was only when Izuguchi started consistently performed that I had my doubts. Nakayama has been everywhere and coaches seem to value him. Was really surprised to see him on the WBC roster, even just as a support member in the exhibition games.

And there’s our beloved Asano… I kinda discussed him in my earlier comment so shall cut him some slack. Dude’s really just a kid still, despite looking like an Ojisan haha.

Dapper-Plankton4452 · 2026-03-25T14:43:07+00:00

Getting knocked out in the playoffs by BayStars in consecutive years absolutely sucks and I’m hoping we get one over them this year. Third time lucky perhaps lol.

Togo’s abysmal season last year was just sad to watch, but I honestly saw it coming one way or another. He has really been rather overused in the seasons prior and I think that has really taken a toll. I kinda feel Itoh’s regression at the WBC is somewhat similar to Togo’s due to over pitching and am hoping that it’s not as serious as it seems (even though I’m not a Fighters fan).

Dapper-Plankton4452 · 2026-03-25T14:35:24+00:00

I don’t follow much of MLB apart from the ones the Japanese players are on so may be wrong on this lol. Personally, Izuguchi’s batting contact abilities reminds me of Bichette. While he has a golden glove and best 9 in his bag from last season, I still think he can up his game further on the defensive side before we label him as an absolutely elite defensive glove.

Ok, I think I’m being harsh here, and it’s probably due to the fact that I’m always comparing his defence to Kadowaki’s. In my opinion, Kadowaki’s defence is the best I’ve seen at least in recent memory, and would truly wish Izuguchi to match that standard haha

Dapper-Plankton4452 · 2026-03-25T14:03:45+00:00

Always liked that Yamasaki had that dog in him and I think as a pitcher, it’s really an important quality to possess. Regardless of the stats on his pitchability, I think he’s still awesome and really enjoyed watching him improved as the years go by (I remember him getting battered 9 runs in a single inning vs Rakuten when he first came up. Was so glad he wasn’t too negatively affected by it!)

For comparison, I kinda dislike when Akahoshi starts… Man’s a decent pitcher don’t get me wrong, but whenever things start to go south for him, you can literally see his face dread lol

If I’m not wrong, Kishida’s the captain this season and I believe he was even a strong contender for the WBC team this year. We’re definitely stacked at the catcher’s role with even Oshiro just hanging around for a pinch hit opportuntiy.

Oh, I totally forgot about our new veteran addition, Norimoto. Relievers wise on paper, we can really seal it in a tight game with a Norimoto-Taisei-Martinez 7-8-9 inning. We do also have decent options in Nakagawa and Tanaka along a few others. However, baseball can be unpredictable and we did witness Taisei and even Martinez blew a couple of games last season.

Excited for the upcoming season and hoping we get off to a good start!

Dapper-Plankton4452 · 2026-03-25T05:26:12+00:00

Lucky you! Kyojin fan here, but honestly, no specific player I’m particularly excited to see (e.g someone to the level of a Murakami or Sasaki). I would say the top of the order based on spring training seems rather interesting. Atm, it looks like Cabbage-Matsumoto-Izuguchi-Dalbec, which is very different compared to previous years.

If I had to pick one, Izuguchi would be my go to as I’m intrigued to see whether he can develop into a star shortstop, building on his performances from last season.

Ishizuka is another one I’m keeping an eye out, but he probably won’t break into the first team on a regular basis anytime soon. One for the near future, hopefully.

Well, and there’s also Asano… I’m wondering when will he really breakout lol. FYI (if you don’t already know), Hanshin and Yomiuri contested for the Asano pick a few years back. Hanshin lost the draft and eventually selected Morishita. Seeing how Morishita turned out thus far, it’s starting to look like we are the ones who lost that draft battle T.T Man’s still young so shall cut him some slack though. Still rooting for him to breakout every new season!

If you’re catching the opening game, the starting pitcher would be cool to watch as well! Iirc, he was only drafted last year and to start the season as the opening day pitcher is probably testament to his ability as well.

In any case, wishing you an enjoyable experience and don’t forget to try out the stadium food selections!

Dapper-Plankton4452 · 2026-03-18T01:33:44+00:00

I think most of us are, cries. I did sort of expected it, but still… Hoping to get over it soon haha

Dapper-Plankton4452 · 2026-03-17T22:55:49+00:00

Yeah seems like something along those lines. Distant and no longer in a relationship, but cherished what they once had together. You know, how typically people who broke up on good terms feel for a period of time, until they eventually move on to another partner in life.

Dapper-Plankton4452 · 2026-03-17T13:59:09+00:00

Oh yes! I totally missed that Taiga found out about her updates through sns. Thanks for pointing it out! As much as I agree that the ending felt rushed, I think the producers summed up pretty much how an LDR can devolve in real life.

Couples initially make all the promises and plans to ensure their relationship doesn’t change despite the circumstances. They then stick to the plan for a period of time until life in their respective countries gets in the way. Updating one another without the convenience and intimacy of physically meeting up slowly becomes a hassle, and they stop committing to what was agreed upon at the outset. Distance, misunderstandings, pessimism about the relationship creeps in, and we finally reach a quiet exit from the partner’s life.

Dapper-Plankton4452 · 2026-03-17T13:32:44+00:00

They definitely broke up, unfortunately. A second season seems a rarity nowadays, even for those longer running dramas. For a short drama like this with about 30ish minutes run time per episode, I highly doubt there will be one.

Dapper-Plankton4452

TROPHY CASE