On the Verge of Lunacy

Childhood best friends Tsukimoto Makoto and Hoshino Yutaka have a passion for table tennis. Tsukimoto is nicknamed Smile, the complete opposite of his cool and calm personality. Hoshino or Peko on the other hand is carefree and confident. The coach of the Katase High School table tennis team, Koizumi “Butterfly Joe” Jou, took an interest in the unpolished talent of Smile. Smile was not interested however. He just wants to play but has no dreams of doing competitive table tennis. Butterfly Joe was able to convince Smile later on and a lot players and coaches looked forward to matches with him. Peko slowly faded into the background although he initially started as the best player in the Katase team. His nonchalant attitude towards training and competition resulted in a loss against the Chinese student Kong Wenge. Instead of training harder, Peko decided to spend his time eating junk food and skipping practice matches. Best friends Tsukimoto Makoto and Hoshino Yutaka ...

It’s been months since Tim Duncan announced his retirement this year. As you may have guessed I have been avoiding the subject for a long time (look at the date of the last article I posted on this blog). When I watched the San Antonio Spurs play on opening night for the 2016-2017 season, I was not sure how I felt. With Tim gone, I did not have a reason to keep watching. And yet, not watching would also mean an insult to what he had built for 19 years. The team is still a top competitor, although it gets more attention now than it used to when Tim was still at his best. I feel both sad and grateful. Sad because it took years and then a heartbreaking loss in 2013 for Tim to be recognized. Yes, he had multiple awards in the past, but he was snubbed and even dubbed the most boring superstar. The recognition came in so late. I am happy because he had built a foundation of winning that has rubbed off on the younger roster. I am glad we have a Kawhi Leonard but I’m not sure if he’d stick to...

The Mizuho High School men's basketball team was non-existent when Aikawa Kazuhiko transfered from Tendouji High. Mizuho had only four members in the team after the previous coach left when he was attacked by one of the players, Fujiwara Takumi. The team was banned from competing in any tournament for a year as a consequence. Aikawa's persistence gave hope to the four remaining players Fujiwara, Miura Ranmanru, Ishii Tsutomu and Dobashi Kenji. They would have to face opposition from school officials however who are wary of another embarrassing incident. But Aikawa was not just a good player. He was rumored to be a genius and can jump higher than most people. Perhaps there is hope yet to redeem the basketball club's image. Mizuho boys' basketball team would have to overcome personal issues, face confrontations from hurt upperclassmen and most especially endure the ridicule of other teams. Mizuho now has five players but they are inexperienced, undermanne...

Sawamura Eijun is a gifted pitcher whose uncontrollable erratic throws caught the eye of a scout and assistant director from the Seidou High School baseball team. During a visit to the school, Eijun faced clean-up batter Azuma Kiyokuni with Miyuki Kazuya as catcher. Miyuki's words encouraged a nervous Eijun who throws his best pitch yet and greatly impressed the two. His inability to control his pitches, lack of proper training and exercise however make him an unlikely candidate for the team's ace. Eijun has to start at the bottom. Eijun is joined by freshman Furuya Satoru, also a pitcher with high-speed and strong fastballs and forkballs. Like Eijun, he lacks experience in junior high baseball. He was alienated by his teammates who cannot catch his pitches and called him a monster. Eijun on the other hand was just unlucky to have average teammates who cannot match his passion for the game. Furuya also wants to be the ace of the team. He and Eijun will have to earn t...