First batch. I’ll go through the Inajitsu guys next, along with the other Seidou’s players who’ve been introduced in the scanlated chapters so far (I’m going by the iManga releases). I’ll follow up with the rest as they introduced.
Quick note: don’t think too much about the name meanings. I could’ve completely gotten them wrong, haha. ^^” It’s just, I found Eijun’s name to be pretty interesting, so I went ahead and translated everyone else’s name too.
Vol. 1
沢村 栄純
Sawamura Eijun (1st Year)
* 沢村 = swamp village | 栄純= splendor of innocence
•Place of Origin: Nagano Prefecture
•Position: Pitcher (Second String)
•Throws: Left | Bats: Left
•Blood Type: O
•His specialty is his natural breaking balls (though he’s not aware of it).
•A hot-blooded man who sheds a decent amount of tears.
•He was something like an older brother/leader to everyone during middle school. Now, he’s Kuramochi’s lapdog (sparring partner).
•His friends from home text him a lot but he rarely replies…
Comments:
Hahaha, lol, no. “Decent” does not even cover the amount of tears Eijun’s shed.
Eijun’s specialty is called Nanairo no Moving/Seven-colored Moving. I think it was Rei-chan who used the term? Um, it basically means he has a medley of breaking balls. In baseball speak, breaking balls—as compared to straights/fastballs—are pitches that don’t go on a, well, straight path.
Also, Nagano is in the Chubu District. It’s kind of a rural place; pretty much full of mountains, so there aren’t many residential areas. That’s why they call Eijun a country boy. :P
Vol. 2
御幸 一也
Miyuki Kazuya (2nd Year)
* 御幸= honorable fortune | 一也 = to be one
•Place of Origin: Tokyo Metropolitan Area
•Position: Catcher
•Throws: Right | Bats: Left
•Blood Type: B
•A pivotal part of Seidou High’s team.
•He has a natural sense for baseball, so the other players have a deep respect for him.
•His batting is inconsistent, but he is recognized to be the best in a power showdown.
•He likes aiming to hit at the opponent’s best pitch.
Comments:
I am honestly disappointed that Miyuki’s profile isn’t more interesting.
Vol. 3
降谷 暁
Furuya Satoru (1st Year)
* 降谷= valley where rain falls | 暁= dawn/daybreak
•Place of Origin: Hokkaido
•Position: Pitcher
•Throws: Right | Bats: Right
•Blood Type: O
•A naturally airheaded and strong-armed monster pitcher whose long throw reached over 120 meters. His batting is also monster-class. He has a problem with his stamina and defense.
•Because of his high skill level, he couldn’t make any friends during middle school and threw to a wall every day.
•To find teammates he can rely on, as well as somewhere he can feel like he belongs, he traveled all the way to Tokyo.
•He sort of envies Sawamura, who can brightly talk to anyone.
Comments:
On shirt: Human Program (No, I don’t get it either…)
Also, Hokkaido is Japan’s northern-most island, and it’s kind of an agricultural area, though it’s usually pretty cold up there.
Vol. 4
小湊 春市
Kominato Haruichi (1st Year)
* 小湊 = small harbor | 春市 = spring fair
•Place of Origin: Kanagawa Prefecture
•Position: Second Baseman
•Throws: Right | Bats: Left
•Blood Type: AB
•Phantasmagoric bat control.
•He doesn’t have much physical strength or stamina, but his natural sense for baseball covers for it.
•Since childhood, he has always admired his brother, who was two years older. His playing style also resembles his older brother’s.
•His bold plays surprise the people around him, but he’s the type that gets embarrassed easily.
•He acknowledges Sawamura, and that’s why he can be strict at times…
Comments:
変幻自在 = Phatasmagoric — taken apart, the first two kanji mean “transform,” and the last two mean “freely/at will”. Uhh, essentially, it means he has super good bat control and can pretty much hit anything.
Vol. 5
滝川 クリス 優
Takigawa Chris Yuu (3rd Year)
* 滝川 = waterfall river | 優 = gentle/elegant/skilled
•Place of Origin: Tokyo Metropolitan Area
•Position: Catcher
•Throws: Right | Bats: Right
•Blood Type: B
•The big-shot of Seidou behind-the-scenes.
•During middle school, he was the man called the metropolitan area’s number one catcher.
•Even though he’s at the point where he can’t play because of his shoulder, the other third years still deeply respect him.
•He’s a hardworking person, but he’s not the type to give up.
•His knowledge of baseball is number one on the team.
•His eyes lost their shine with his secret rehabilitation, but as soon as he saw Sawamura’s forward-looking attitude, he brightened up again.
•He highly respects his father, who constantly watched over him during his rehabilitation.
Comments:
So that’s why his eyes were drawn like that at first. LOL, I always thought it was just something with the cleaning, but then his eyes in the anime were still like that.
Vol. 6
増子 透
Masuko Tohru (3rd Year)
* 増子 = added child | 透 = transparent
•Place of Origin: Tokyo Metropolitan Area (though he attended middle school Saitama)
•Position: Third Baseman
•Throws: Right | Bats: Left
•Blood Type: O
•A super heavyweight class power hitter.
•He is absurdly good at hitting fastballs, but is weak with breaking balls.
•Saying anything about his error is forbidden.
•He is fast despite his big body.
•He has a gentle personality, but he sometimes bullies his kouhai too…
•His family’s liquor store is nearly turning into some kind of convenience store.
Comments:
"sometimes bullies his kouhai" — I TOTALLY BLAME KURAMOCHI.
Also, his family owning a liquor store was shown in one of the chapters where Eijun was wearing a bandanna/handkerchief with the name on it while on kitchen duty.
Vol. 7
倉持 洋一
Kuramochi Youichi (2nd Year)
* 倉持 = holding warehouse | 洋一 = Western one
•Place of Origin: Chiba Prefecture
•Position: Shortstop
•Throws: Both | Bats: Both (His dominant hand is his right.)
•Blood Type: A
•A fleet-footed switch hitter.
•His plays with Kominato (older brother) are an iron wall defense he takes pride in.
•He took up wrestling when he was young, so his reflexes are the best in the team.
•He was a problem child during middle school, so the local high schools told him to go to Tokyo instead.
•His hobbies are hand-to-hand fighting (格闘) games and bullying Sawamura.
Comments:
Um, just to clear it up: Kuramochi isn’t really ambidextrous; he can just throw and bat with either hand. Switch hitters are basically batters who can bat either left or right—it’s not rare, though I’m not sure if it’s common. In general, it’s easier for a left-handed batter to hit a right-handed pitcher since the inside and outside courses are reversed. That’s why there are people who bat left, even though they’re right-handed (like Miyuki). Left-handed pitchers (like Eijun) are usually valued as specialists, since they’re not that common.
Also, hand-to-hand fighting games: basically, some sort of grappling/scuffling/martial arts.
Vol. 8
伊佐敷 純
Isashiki Jun (3rd Year)
* 伊佐敷 = spreading assistance | 純 = innocence
•Place of Origin: Kanagawa Prefecture
•Position: Outfielder
•Throws: Right | Bats: Left
•Blood Type: A
•With his strong throwing arm delivers a smiting blow, so he always takes a full swing.
•He has a naturally powerful shoulder, so he originally entered the team as a pitcher.
•His return throws from the outfield are always strikes.
•Along with Masuko, he supports the team as vice-captain.
•He has a rough expression, so his kouhai are afraid of him, but he really likes shoujo manga. (He was influenced by his older sister.)
Comments:
His name is the “jun” in Eijun. :D
Full swings are usually for aiming for homeruns/balls to the outfield. Like, power showdowns or something. Compare with compact swings, which allow for easier bat control and a higher rate of actually getting a hit.
Vol. 9
結城 哲也
Yuuki Tetsuya (3rd Year)
* 結城 = binding castle | 哲也 = to have a clear mind
•Place of Origin: Tokyo Metropolitan Area
•Position: First Baseman
•Throws: Right | Bats: Right
•Blood Type: O
•The clutch hitter who’s cold during showdowns.
•He’s the type to lead the others with his plays.
•Since middle school, he has had the power to compete in a showdown, but his small stature didn’t really make him stand out.
•He’s been able to observe Seidou’s strict practices since he was a child. (He lives nearby.)
•He entered Seidou to discipline himself.
•He’s recently picked up shougi, but he loses to Miyuki a lot.
Comments:
The “clutch hitter” thing is funny because the guy who voices Tetsu-san—Hosoya Yoshimasa—also voices Hyuuga Junpei, the clutch shooter from Kuroko no Basuke. Also, both are captains.
Vol. 10
丹波 光一郎
Tanba Kouichirou (3rd Year)
* 丹波 = rust-colored waves | 光一郎 = first son of light
•Place of Origin: Tokyo Metropolitan Area
•Position: Pitcher
•Throws: Right | Bats: Right
•Blood Type: A
•His tall stature has given him an original pitching style.
•His sharp, vertical curve is his winning shot.
•His fastballs reach 140 km/h.
•He injured his elbow during the fall of his second year, and made a comeback during the spring of his third year.
•He sometimes feels pressure from the responsibility of being the ace of a big-name school.
•He feels that he must somehow answer the expectations of the coach who has acknowledged him ever since his first year.
•His favorite book is Okamoto Tarou’s Ask Tarou! series.
Comments:
140 km/h is around 87 mph.
There really is a guy named Okamoto Tarou, but he’s an abstract artist/sculptor instead of a writer. Not sure if this is a reference to something else though.
On a side note, I’m slow in reading Japanese, so I’m still only on Volume 27, but, god. Volumes 22 and 23. I don’t want to post spoilers, but. Just. /crawlsintoacorneranddies.
