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... Tuesdays. ⏎ How was the first episode? ⏎James Beckett ⏎ Rating: 3 ⏎ The best thing that Catch Me at the Ballpark! has going for it is its novelty. We've seen plenty of “Baggy-eyed introvert gets teased by a cute girl with a snaggletooth” anime, but the baseball stadium setting and the focus on Riruko's job as a “beer girl” gives this show a unique enough flavor to stand out from the crowd. This, ironically, is probably exactly the opposite case of the ballpark beer that our guy Murata spends so much time guzzling. Unless, that is, peddling cheap-tasting and overpriced beer-swill is a tradition unique to American stadiums. ⏎ The point being, I was charmed enough by Catch Me at the Ballpark's premise that all it really needed to do was avoid bungling the execution. Thankfully, that is exactly what the anime does, though I can't say it accomplishes much more than delivering exactly the product it s. Murata is your typical Joe Average that most any straight male viewer could relate to enough to make the rom-com elements of the series work, and Riruko strikes a good balance of being a flirty tease without coming across as artificially cutesified. My favorite part of the premiere, in fact, is the bit where we learn that Riruko is actually just as shy and awkward as Murata; she simply has to put on an extroverted face to fulfill the professional obligations of an objectified concessions saleswoman. ⏎ That said, I hope you don't go into this anime expecting much more than “Diet Nagatoro-san, except it is about adults and takes place in a baseball stadium.” On the one hand, those qualities are exactly what makes this an appealing prospect for me. On the other hand, it turns out that when you mostly end up ignoring the actual baseball part of the equation, a baseball stadium isn't a particularly interesting setting for a TV show. There's just an awful lot of blue plastic chairs and concrete walls to look at, you know? Also, while I like the idea of using the stadium's security staff as a ing cast, these guys might be a little *too* normal and low-key. ⏎ A good rom-com focused on adult characters is a relatively rare thing in this industry, so I'm willing to forgive Catch Me at the Ballpark's shortcomings if it can maintain a baseline level of functional cuteness. I doubt it will ever make for appointment viewing, but every season watchlist needs that one show that is perfect for folding laundry to. I think Catch Me at the Ballpark! will perform that duty quite nicely. ⏎ Rebecca Silverman ⏎ Rating: 2.5 ⏎ Everyone...
... no sooner do we settle in with a plotline,than we're moving on to the next. Part...