Baseball is not very popular in the Philippines, and there are limited opportunities to watch or play the sport. I remember when I knew nothing about baseball; one of my students from the English Academy tried his best to explain how the game works. But despite that, I saw nothing but a slice of pizza as he illustrated the field. (I feel sorry about it.)
Here's a fan art I made in 2021... I shared it in this community before. HERE
However, it all changed when I watched Major. I don't remember why I decided on it, but I'm glad I did. It may not be my favorite baseball anime in terms of the matches (since I find Dia no Ace more exciting), but it's still among my favorites in terms of the storyline... Well, I must say, it's my favorite baseball drama anime.
Above is a screenshot of my MAL completed list and the ones I enclosed in the red box are all related to MAJOR. It's not arranged, though... so, let me list them in chronological order below.
| TITLE: | Date Aired: | Number of Episodes: |
|---|---|---|
| MAJOR S1 | Nov 13, 2004 to May 21, 2005 | 26 |
| Major Movie: Yuujou no Winning Shot | Dec 13, 2008 | 1 |
| MAJOR S2 | Dec 10, 2005 to Jun 10, 2006 | 26 |
| MAJOR S3 | Jan 6, 2007 to Jun 30, 2007 | 26 |
| MAJOR S4 | Jan 5, 2008 to Jun 28, 2008 | 26 |
| MAJOR S5 | Jan 10, 2009 to Jun 27, 2009 | 25 |
| MAJOR S6 | Apr 3, 2010 to Sep 25, 2010 | 25 |
| Major OVA: World Series | Dec 16, 2011 to Jan 18, 2012 | 2 |
| Major OVA: Message | Dec 17, 2010 | 1 |
| Major 2nd | Apr 7, 2018 to Sep 22, 2018 | 25 |
| Major 2nd S2 | Apr 4, 2020 to Nov 7, 2020 | 25 |
Source: MAL --- I just arranged it in table form. ^^
You may have noticed that the dates especially for the movie and the OVAs are all over the place... it's because they're released much later than the series. However, I suggest you watch them in this order because the story would make more sense since it follows the exact timeline of the story. :)
Now, what is MAJOR about?
The story is about Honda Goro, a little boy (in S1) who is obsessed with baseball. His father, Honda Shigeharu, was a professional baseball player. He admired and respected his father so much that he wanted to follow in his footsteps.
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Sadly, due to an accident in one of his games, his father passed away. He ended up in the care of his kindergarten teacher who was then the love interest of his father. (His mom passed away for quite a while)
His teacher loved him as her own and took care of him. Later on, she got married to Shigeno Hideki, Goro's father's close friend. Honda Goro then became Shigeno Goro in the rest of the anime series.
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This young Goro made me cry a lot. I've watched the whole series around three times, but I still feel very emotional. I'm glad he's got people around him to support him... and his love for baseball continued.
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MAJOR S1 and Major Movie showed his early years playing baseball. He joined Little League and experienced real baseball games alongside his friends.
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MAJOR S2 and S3 were about his struggles both in baseball and personal life during his junior high school and high school days. I especially love watching the third season (his high school days) because he went through a lot of things. Imagine making your own baseball field on the rooftop of your school just to have a place to practice... XD
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MAJOR S4 was Goro's adventure in America after graduating high school. It showed his perseverance and diligence to work his way up to the Major League. This season was plenty of fun to watch as well.
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In MAJOR S5, Goro went back to Japan because he wanted to join the national team for the Baseball World Cup. However, the roster has already been decided and he wasn't a part of it. So, typical Goro still went as a practice pitcher with the hopes of getting chosen.
This one is also among my favorites from the series. It was another roller coaster ride, but I really enjoyed the games... especially the Japan VS America match. (Ohtani and Trump? hahahaha... I really thought of this anime when I watched World Baseball Classic finals in 2023.)
To be honest, I became an Ohtani Shohei fan because he reminds me so much of Goro. He's the real-life Goro as they're both a two-way player (great pitcher and batter). I'm looking forward to watching Ohtani Shohei pitch again this year. <3
Sorry about that... let's get back to the anime. XD
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I love this battery... Sanders is so funny!!!
MAJOR 6 was also pretty entertaining especially his games with the Hornets. However, there's no "only rainbows and butterflies" in this series. Goro has yet again found himself in a pinch. Well, I already expected it since it's more of a baseball drama after all. hahah
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I'm not a fan of romance... more so if it's in a sports anime. However, I don't mind these two. I have loved Shimizu since season one!!!! She's not the annoying type of female character who's madly in love with the main character. Dang... the two of them even became a battery at some point. I love this queen!
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In the World Series OVA, Goro played the World Series as part of the Hornets. This game was also crazy, but of course with some drama injected here and there. I don't really mind it, though.
The last OVA, Message, was set years after he started playing with the Hornets. He's now got a family of his own. His kids are also into baseball...
His son Daigo is the main character of Major 2nd. The second season ended in 2020, and I'm still patiently waiting for the continuation. I wanted to read the manga of Major 2nd, but I couldn't find a complete translated version online.
Since MAJOR series is a long series following the life of Goro from when he was a kid until when he had his own kids, there's just so much to say about it. Watching it felt amazingly heartwarming as if I'm watching my own child's growth. haha
There were a lot of interesting characters along the way, both on the teams he's on, the rival teams, and other side characters. There were a lot of memorable scenes that I would never get tired of watching. Now, I feel like re-watching the whole series... waaaaaaaa~
Anyway, this post has become really long now, so I'll end it with the song that defines this series. (It's among my all-time favorite anime songs.)