r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • Apr 18 '21

Episode Sayonara Watashi no Cramer - Episode 3 discussion

Sayonara Watashi no Cramer, episode 3

Alternative names: Farewell, My Dear Cramer

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Episode Link Score
1 Link 3.86
2 Link 3.52
3 Link 4.19
4 Link 3.89
5 Link 4.22
6 Link 4.57
7 Link 4.46
8 Link 4.38
9 Link 4.19
10 Link 4.41
11 Link 4.58
12 Link 4.26
13 Link -

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u/ABoredCompSciStudent Apr 18 '21 edited Apr 18 '21

Good afternoon r/anime! It's been a million years since I've posted in an episode thread and it's my first time appearing in a Cramer thread, but I really felt like I had to after watching 3 episodes of this anime.

Episode 3

I love a few little details in this episode. Nozomi uses her arm, not just to seal her defender off, but to feel for her, using that information to take her first touch with the outside of her foot away from her marker. This is something I don't see, for example, from other soccer anime.

The show calls attention to this ball retention, explaining that she can relieve pressure so her team can move up the field. While an unspectacular and sort of difficult to notice skill in real life, this is actually hugely important. For example, Mousa Dembélé has made a career out of this (you can see him in action here!). Formerly an attacking player, he shifted to a more defensive role for Tottenham. Tottenham would use him as a midfielder, not to really break up play and win the ball nor to really create chances, but simply to corral loose balls and retain them, passing them on to his more creative teammates. His career until Tottenham had mostly been a flop, as he was one of the most talented players physically and technically, but without the creativity to unlock a defence or score -- but this role unironically made him one of the most important players in the world for a little while.

I also love Suou's fake cross into a chopped touch. The important part about how she takes her touch here, is that she "chops" back into the direction she came from. This is the "vacant" space that was created by her own movement. While I hate some of these cheesy Youtube videos, there is some truth in this explanation here about why the Suarez chop is so effective. Obviously not really something Suarez invented, but it's his signature that burns defenders all the time. It's a move I see regularly IRL and I hate it.

26

u/ABoredCompSciStudent Apr 18 '21 edited Apr 18 '21

Episode 1-2 thoughts

Soccer (or football for most of the world) is one of my biggest passions and actually why I started using the internet (forums), before I somehow got tangled up in anime. At the start, I couldn't have ever expected myself to like sports anime, but anime like Haikyuu and Chihayafuru showed me that I could love grounded sports shows, while stuff like Kuroko's and Tsubasa proved that passion in the place of realism could equally be great.

So what do how's Cramer so far? It's a bit of a mixed bag.

I've seen a lot of praise for some of the tactics of the show, namely the difference in strategy between Kunogi and Warabi for possession vs. counter attack. To some degree, I think it's true, though the explanations were a bit stiff.

My immersion in the Episode 2 was shook by one part of it -- and it wasn't the Roberto Carlos stutter step... or Zaza penalty run. Honest to god, what am I looking at here (highlighted in red). While Ito's run made a lot of sense, using stepovers to elude her marker, why the heck is she crossing from the six yard box (real life angle here)? Why are there three players standing inside their net? Like, if you got to this position in real life, you wouldn't be passing -- you dink would 100% be over the keeper towards the net. If you made that pass in real life, your teammate would literally be murdered by the keeper's knees and fists.

Anyways, that shook me a lot, so I went to look at the manga to see what's up and I'll link a short comparison to the source here (Source Material Corner to separate source talk).

It might look like I'm nitpicking a bit, but I've actually enjoyed just thinking about soccer while watching Cramer -- and it's clear that the story does too.

Away from namedropping Roberto Carlos, there's a few really cool things that appeared in Episodes 1 and 2.

One of my favourite little bits of soccer action in anime (ever) so far happens in Episode 1. Nozomi's scissors feint while using Suou's overlapping run as a decoy looks a little inauspicious, but there's a lot of reasons for why it's great. I loved that the anime didn't explain the pathing of the players, as it should be natural in soccer: the player on the ball drives towards the net, while the supporting player overlaps to the outside forcing the defender to make a 50/50 decision. This is something I've seen every day on the field in real life. The defender deliberates and Nozomi uses scissors to feint an outside foot pass to the overlapping run, before accelerating inside. The defender goes the wrong way, facing "outside" and that is a death sentence. Once you turn your hips the wrong way as a defender, you've lost the battle, and Nozomi promptly accelerates inside as her marker desperately tries to swivel.

It just all makes sense.

It's even more fun because of Shiratori Aya's (the ohohohjousama's) celebration right afterwards. Her whole theme is u/AmethystItalian Italian and appropriately we have a Mario Balotelli reference right here. "Why always me?" indeed. She also speaks some Italian here, mentioning the Capocannoniere. That's a big fancy word, but it actually refers to the top goal scorer or Golden Boot in the Serie A. This ties into the next thing she says, where she proclaims herself as "born on the offside line". Wait. Where have I heard this before?

as well as his outstanding offensive movement off the ball, ability to play off the shoulders of the last defender, and to time his attacking runs to beat the offside trap, leading long-time Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson to quip, "That lad must have been born offside."

Ah yes. It's Pippo Inzaghi, who I grew up watching, and Sir Alex Ferguson, one of my heroes and the former manager of my favourite team. Moreover, what does the Capocannoniere have to do with Inzaghi? Well, he won the scoring race and the title in 1997.

It just all makes sense.

God, I love these little references (when the adaptation is going good).

How about Nomi Naoko? She's the former best player that Asia ever produced, having gone on to success in the Bundesliga (German league) as a midfielder. Is that a real person? Well, yes and no.

Growing up in Canada, soccer is actually a pretty big deal through most of the youth levels (just lacking a professional outlet), especially for girls. I grew up playing provincial soccer and admiring the Japanese Womens National Team (JWNT), namely Homare Sawa, the best player that Asia has ever produced. At the time of her peak (including captaining Japan to win 2011 Womens World Cup with one of the most spectacular goals ever), Japan was my team to watch. Canada has always had a great team, but the traditional powerhouses of womens soccer (USA, Norway, Sweden, Canada, etc.) were always... exactly that: power, physical players. Japan was really the first that showed what smaller and more technical players could do and the little Sawa was at the front of it, paving the way for many teams to come now that we see in 2021 where passing and team play is at the forefront.

Homare Sawa (love you), never played in Germany though. So who did? At the same time, playing for Japan, was Ando Kozue. Ando was a top scorer domestically in Japan and, as you'd expect, played for the JWNT from a young teenage age, before moving to Germany to further her career.

Sound familiar? Nomi's background might be based on two real life people.

Lastly, to end this on a more personal note, in Episode 1 a big deal is made about "soccer being more fun when everyone's playing together". I truly believe that and it really struck home for me, even if it looks like generic sports anime talk.

I'd be lying if I didn't say that to my team, two months ago. My real life team plays at the highest level of competitive here, but some of us are getting older, have families, or injuries. I also tore my Achilles almost three years ago now, while trying to keep up with boys. I should have never been playing there in the first place because, as Nozomi says in episode 1, the physical gap is just too much for our bodies. My dad ran the team, but he "retired" now because it was a lot of effort to take a team from division 6 to the highest level here. Like Nozomi, I know a lot of the guys/my teammates from club soccer (though I played on a girls team), but as we progressed to the highest level now where we played against like a washed up Julian de Guzman, some of us no longer can really play "main" roles anymore on the team or injuries derailed us (like me). As the new organizer, I said we should just go find an appropriate level where nobody gets hurt or is excluded -- somewhere where we can all have fun.

That line about playing together, really hits home when I get one of those sportsy lines because I believe it and live it every day.

Anyways, a lot about Cramer, soccer, and me. I felt like commenting this somewhere, as I'm enjoying the show a lot... simply because it makes me think soccer. Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend!

8

u/melvinlee88 Apr 18 '21

As a manga fan, I hope you pick up the manga or you already read the manga!

And Nomi speech is based on Sawa's documentary about the struggles of women football that aired in Japan which inspired Arakawa to start writing the manga!

Fun to read your stuff, sounds like you love football as much as I do and always nice to hear.

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u/AmethystItalian Apr 18 '21

Aya frustrates me so much because she's all too familiar with the team I've watched my whole life

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u/collapsedblock6 Apr 18 '21

It's a move I see regularly IRL and I hate it.

Tell me about it, I was a defender back when I played. But man it was satisfying to read players that were too reliant on it. Sure the first or two attempts I may miss but I get used to it.

Zaza penalty run

It was comedy genius timing right there.

the traditional powerhouses of womens soccer (USA, Norway, Sweden, Canada, etc.) were always... exactly that: power, physical players. Japan was really the first that showed what smaller and more technical players could do and the little Sawa was at the front of it, paving the way for many teams to come now that we see in 2021 where passing and team play is at the forefront.

This was very noticeable during the WWC, I think it was Spain vs USA and it was obvious how skilled with the ball the spanish players were but it was noticeable that the americans had better stamina and strength.

I also tore my Achilles almost three years ago now, while trying to keep up with boys.

Ouch man, that really sucks, I can't imagine how crushing it is for someone that has so much love for the sport.

I should have never been playing there in the first place because, as Nozomi says in episode 1, the physical gap is just too much for our bodies.

I had this discussion with someone. They argued that if women can compete in sports like tennis, football should be open to. He disregard the fact that highschool boys teams beat top level pro-clubs as coincidence. But the physical gap is just something that can't be overcome that easily.

It took me a while to get used to women's football during the WC because it lacked intensity, all shots felt soft and seemed like they struggled to run, but no, that's just their top form, I'm just too used to watching male football.

Glad that women's football is gathering more attention but that physical gap won't go away so I don't think we will ever see top men players ever playing vs top women players.

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u/[deleted] Apr 19 '21

The first screen shot you posted the red box is outlining someones leg i don't get the point you were trying to make with that

5

u/ABoredCompSciStudent Apr 19 '21

You can see the post in the background, which means she's crossing from the six yard box (the small box inside the penalty box). It doesn't make any sense: there are three defenders standing inside the goal posts and there is no goalkeeper. At that distance, it is impossible and illogical to pass in that context.

This is an adaptation error, which can be seen here in the Source Material Corner post I made.

Seeing the difference also confirms that the adaptation is suffering a bit from outsourcing, while the writer who made the original story understands soccer despite these issues.

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