After You Walk Away...
Please Don't Pass Me By
WoW! I love the opening song for this movie. It's so beautiful and bittersweet and the lyrics are so touching. The happy ending song is awesome also. Just perfect to sum up the whole Touch series all together. This movie follows the ending of the manga almost exactly. Right down to the drawing of the train going to Koshien.
This movie starts off at the baseball field with a shot of someone doing batting practice. Then the opening song starts with shots of the Koshien baseball field. This time, the movie is separated into Episodes instead of months or seasons like the previous two movies. In Meisei High School, classes are finally over and the seniors are running out the doors. Tatsuya and Koutarou are talking about Couch Nishio suddenly checking in to the hospital. Koutarou tells Tatsuya that it's very unfortunate that the coach went to the hospital at such a crucial time. Tatsuya says that it's just a minor thing and that Coach Nishio was just very nervous about the upcoming baseball games.
During their practice a man with closely cropped hair and sunglasses comes to the field. Koutarou tells him that he shouldn't be in the field if he had no purpose being there but the man tells him that his name was Kashiwaba Eijiro and that he was the replacement coach for Nishio. Kashiwaba worked them very hard. He told the team that they sucked big time and made them practice so hard that by the end of the day the whole team was passed out on the field. Tatsuya meanwhile was told to do 10 squats around the field carrying a barbell. And if he missed on even one lap, he'll have to do the whole thing over again.
Harada: (To Minami, who was looking at the baseball field shocked from all the passed out bodies) To work a team until they are passed out is really very cruel.
After Harada says this, she sees the new coach looking at the passed out players still wearing the sunglasses even though it was already dark.
Later, Koutarou and Tatsuya visit Coach Nishio in the hospital trying to tell him about the so called "new coach" of Meisei who they dubbed as "The Devil". Before they can say anything bad though, Coach Nishio tells them that he used to also coach
Kashiwaba-kun. He tells Tatsuya and Koutarou that Kashiwaba was a very kind person who loved baseball with all his heart. Koutarou and Tatsuya wonder if what Nishio was saying was true because all they ever see from their "Devil Coach" was how mean and cold he was to the team.
Harada visits Minami at the Minamikaze and he tells her a story. He said that ten years ago there were two brothers. The older brother was the "ace" of the Meisei baseball team. He was very kind hearted and loved baseball with all his heart. He was the hope of the team because he was the one that was supposed to take the whole school to Koshien. However, that dream didn't come true. So the younger brother of this ace player decided that he should be the one to take the team to Koshien but during his years in the baseball club a violent incident happened and this brother was kicked off the team. This younger brother then decided that he needed revenge against Meisei for what happened.
Minami gets the clue. The coach wasn't the Kashiwaba that Nishio was talking about. This Kashiwaba was the younger brother that vowed revenge against Meisei High School. As Minami was telling Tatsuya this at the coffee shop, the "Devil Coach" stops by to get a cup of coffee. As he starts to drink... he talks to Tatsuya about another story of two brothers...
Eijiro: You had a younger brother. A talented younger brother... An "Ace" as a freshman... Koshien was a lock but then an accident happened and you became the ace.... To continue your brother's dream, you give it all you've got. Sounds like a tearful drama...
Tatsuya thought that it wasn't really his business to say that but the coach wasn't about to argue. He got up from his stool and paid for the coffee. As he got the cash out of his wallet a picture of a high school girl of long ago fell out. Minami sees this but the coach stuffs it in his pocket quickly and leaves the coffee shop.
The next scene shows Eijiro going to the hospital to get his eyes checked. He ignores the advice of the attendent about him taking care of his eyes and leaves the hospital. As he walks, he sees a pretty woman holding a little child's hand who accidentally lets go of a balloon that flies away. The woman tries to catch it but it's too late. Eijiro watches and then walks away again. By the time the woman realizes who Eijiro was, it was too late for her to call out to him.
The woman decides to visit Meisei, where she meets up with Minami. Minami recognizes who she was. She used to be the girl on that picture that the coach was carrying around. The woman's name is Reiko and she told Minami that Eijiro, his older brother Eiichiro and her were childhood friends. That they used to play together as kids and they promised each other that they would go to Koshien. When Eiichiro couldn't fulfill the promise, Eijiro wanted to make it come true but since he was thrown off the team, he ran away and eventually sought revenge. Years later, Reiko married the Eiichiro. The older brother. The "Ace" of Meisei high all those years ago.
Later that night, Minami is in Tatsuya's house and she tells him the story of two brothers, a girl and the promise of Koshien. She told him that though Reiko married Eiichiro, she knew that their coach might have loved her as well. She tells Tatsuya that their situation sort of reminded her of their life. Tatsuya decided to change the subject so he offers to make her coffee. She asks Tatsuya if he was ever going to run away... He says that he won't.
Minami: But if you did, will you take me with you?
Before the start of the championship game against Sumiko, two men, thinking that he was Eiichiro stop Eijiro before was about to go to the dugout. They tell him that they admired him a great deal and that Meisei would win for sure. Eijiro recognizes that they were the two guys that spread rumors about him back in high school which got him kicked out. The two guys realized who they were talking to and they get nervous and afraid. They knew that Eijiro vowed revenge against Meisei and so he might lose the game on purpose.
Because Eijiro's eyesight was bad, he was an ineffective coach. Meisei was really struggling against the Sumiko team. Tatsuya was very mad about this because at a time like this, the team really needed Eijiro and he just can't sit back and watch Meisei lose. Tatsuya tells Eijiro that he understands him very much.
Tatsuya: Awhile back, there were brothers who share the dream of going to Koshien. The older brother was the ace but fell short by one game and the dream was shattered. The younger brother wanted to continue the game and thus joined the Meisei baseball team. But there was an accident and was thrown out of the team... 10 years later, the same brother returns to Meisei to coach.
Eijiro: What are you trying to say?
Tatsuya: Deep in your heart you have a burning desire to get revenge on the players who set you up.
Eijiro: Stop imagining things...
Tatsuya: Then you've given up on the idea of revenge? Is it impossible to coach because of your eyes?
I understand you... It's because you and I are the same...
Tatsuya then helps Eijiro by telling him the plays of Sumiko. As the 9th inning gets closer and closer and Meisei was still struggling, Eijiro can read Sumiko's pitches and soon Meisei was starting to get some life back and the game became intense. During the final play, Tatsuya was again against Nitta. Just like the final scene of the season before. Eijiro tells Tatsuya that the smart way for Tatsuya to do was to walk Nitta and then strike out the next batter because as you know, Nitta is known for his home runs. Tatsuya says that if it was an order from him, then he will do what he is told. Eijiro says that it was just the smart way that's all. Tatsuya says that he understands and walks back to the baseball field. Eijiro stops him for a second...
Eijiro: Uesugi, just remember that I hate you.
Tatsuya: (with his back to him) If I'm going to be hated, then I want to be REALLY hated the most.
Tatsuya throws at Nitta. There's a strike, many balls, and another stike. There are many in the stands that are shocked. Wondering why Tatsuya didn't intentionally walked him from the beginning. Tatsuya was also wondering the same thing. He can't seem to throw another stike but he realizes that even if he did walk Nitta, after all the pitches he was throwing he won't have the strength anymore to pitch to another batter. So, with one last pitch he calls for Kazuya. That this was his last chance to go to Koshien. There was never going to be another chance again. This was his last pitch. Thinking that Nitta was going to hit it, he apologized to Minami silently... But to his surprise, all Nitta batted was air. And the ball was caught by Koutarou. It was a strike. Meisei was going to Koshien.
And of course the crown goes wild... and I shall leave it as that.. I already said enough. The final scene was when Tatsuya finally confessed to Minami... and was done just like the manga. So very sweet. Awww...
<--back to the movies
