Farewell Gift
Touch has really great music. The opening and ending song of
Farewell Gift was sung by
Bread & Butter a well known Japanese 60's group. It's a really cool song that fits perfect with the theme of the whole movie. "Farewell... that's all I wanted to say to you. As that's my final gift to you... All things change in the midst of summer..." It's such a pretty song I think. It makes you go "awww"
Sayonara no Okukimono is seperated in seasons. Tatsuya and Minami are visiting Kazuya's grave and they meet Nitta there. Nitta tells Tatsuya that before Kazuya died he wanted to challenge him. Kazuya was the reason Nitta played baseball because Kazuya was the only one that can strike him out. Nitta tells Tatsuya that this year he wants to challenge Tatsuya. That Tatsuya should join baseball because Nitta can see from that finals game he played last season against the Sumiko team that Tatsuya's pitches were faster than Kazuya's was.
This movie also introduces the other player that admires Minami very much ^_^ and that is Nishimura who plays for another rival High School team. Minami and Tatsuya during New Years go to a temple. Minami sees Tatsuya looking around, so she says,
So, Do you see any cute girls?... Tatsuya points at Minami,
Nope, just this one right here. Minami smiles at this answer.
Good she says firmly. Awww... how cute.
Nishimura meets them there and tries to sweet talk Minami only in that "comic relief" sort of way. So he wasn't making any real progress or anything. Nitta is also there and when Nishimura sees him he tells Minami that Nitta is bad news because though he may seem nice he's really a baseball fiend. However, instead of Nitta trying to put the moves on Minami as Nishimura was thinking, he tells Tatsuya again that he should really consider playing baseball. Tatsuya takes a long time to consider everything but of course he does join baseball again.
Both the team and Nitta realize that Tatsuya really has potential. The Sumiko coach wanted to know why Nitta was putting so much effort in his batting practice and he told him that it's because Uesugi Tatsuya was pitching for Meisei.
Tatsuya though, still can't believe in his ability. How can a first year baseball club player make it to the rounds to go to Koshien? It's just impossible. But Minami tells him that it was always in him.
It's not impossible at all. As they are looking at Kazuya's grave in the rain, Tatsuya tells Minami that all the things that are happening aren't his doing at all. It was Kazuya's. That it was Kazuya's spirit that was making Meisei advance closer and closer to the finals. Kazuya was just using his body to do it. Minami asks,
Is it Ok to think that way?
Tatsuya was really having a hard time about it though. He just can't seem to understand his ability and he can't sleep because it's bothering him so much. Late at night, he goes to their little studyroom/house and stares at a picture of Kazuya. He asks why Kazuya can make everything seem so easy. He then practices his pitches and his form and try to make it exactly like Kazuya's.
During the finals, the Meisei team as always was playing against Nitta's Sumiko team. Minami, the Parents, Harada, Nitta and everyone that was familiar with Kazuya's play noticed that Tatsuya was trying to copy Kazuya's form again. When Nitta sees this, he is a little angred because he didn't want to play against some copy. He wanted to play against the real "Uesugi".
Remember our promise. I said I wanted to challenge Uesugi Tatsuya...
Before Tatsuya could realize that what he was doing was wrong all along, he threw a pitch to Nitta and Nitta hit a homerun. The Sumiko team again heads to the grounds of the sacred Koshien. Tatsuya watches sadly as Nitta runs the bases. He had lost. He couldn't bring Minami to Koshien...
As he is leaving the stadium, Nitta tells him that next year, he'll be waiting for HIM. And that he's not the only one that will be waiting for Uesugi Tatsuya... Tatsuya then sees Minami waiting for him.
Tatsuya: I lost...
Minami: (crying) Yeah...
Tatsuya: It was impossible after all, to become Kazuya. I can't take you to Koshien...
Minami: It's ok.. (she wipes her tears away and smiles) Next year... next year... Promise me that you'll take me to Koshien.
Tatsuya: (smiling now too) Yes...
And then they shake hands.
We then see Nitta smiling and walking away running his hands down his pretty shoulder length hair (hehe), Nishimura smiling as well though he lost (what a good sport) and Harada in good mood waking away in the other direction. The closing shot is of Tatsuya running after Minami in a good mood now because of that promise to go to Koshien next year.
<--back to the movies
