Tribe Nine

Episode 9

Episode 9, “Walk-off Win” picks up in medias res, which would be interesting if this show wasn't Tribe Nine. Well, okay: that's actually being a bit mean to the show because it finally digs into something really, really cool: Ojiro and Kazuki's backstory, which was thuddingly hinted at in the final moments of episode 8. But unfortunately, we don't get to spend time with that upfront: like I said, we're in medias res, so initially, that means joining the Minato Tribe in their fight against the Ota Tribe, a team all about the chaos. Unfortunately for Team Minato, most of their team is down because… chaos.

Oh yeah, and Kazuki joined the Minato Tribe to get revenge against Ojiro. More on that… never? Later? Later.

And see, this is the problem: Tribe Nine frequently drops juicy nuggets of plot, only to leave them in the dust to get trampled on by the show's proverbial cleats. Take, for instance, the opening: it features Ojiro and Kazuki, but doesn't get picked up until two points way later in the show, and it's after a chaotically unexciting series of scenes that aren't about the actually most interesting thing in the show which… is exhausting. It creates a lackluster climax for this week that should have left me thinking, “Gosh, that's the power of friendship” but instead, left me searching my bag of white cheddar popcorn for crumbs before I realized the credits were rolling a second time. (Yes: I did watch this episode twice.)

If episode 8 was rough then episode 9 whiffs it, and whiffs it hard. It's got all the components to shift gears and really dig into Kazuki and Ojiro's dynamic, but… just never does, which is a shame because episode 8 really did have me in the back half thinking that this week was gonna be good. That's not to say there's nothing funny or “good” in episode 9: the Ota Tribe actually brings most of the comedy via baseballs to the walls level of humor that's… averagely funny in a show as exciting as slightly burnt toast made from stale bread.

But hey: the OST for this show goes hard in the paint. Kudos to “That Song that Plays When The Action Gets Turned up to Eleven” and “That One Song They Chosen When the Ota Tribe Leader Got Pissed About His Chaos Fetish Being Ruined.” You gotta give it to expy Nagito Komaeda: he really brings the zest to this series, especially when he, uh… well, you'll see how he exits the series as well.

Seriously though: it feels bad to so strongly dislike both this episode and this series as a whole because it could just… lean into being an over-the-top story about SFF baseball and give us all the drama in the world. Instead, it's a kind of tepid take on a game where the rules are there's very few rules. As a result, Tribe Nine is… unfun: stale, mediocre, and mild. That said, I did laugh when a character died, which… feels indicative of where my head's at.

Tribe Nine has its hooks in me deep, if only because I desperately want this to turn out to be a… show with a decent ending. The last few minutes of episode 9 make me think that maybe, just maybe... this show will land on a high note... or maybe that's a lie I'm telling myself.

Ultimately, I think the middle section is shot: I can soundly say it's a slog of epic, unfun proportions that I wouldn't wish on anyone. But hey, there's still an entire month left with this show, so… here's to hoping that we'll swing back to something about Kazuki and Ojiro pretty please? I like the tidbits we got right at the end: more of that as we arc towards… whatever ending this series has in mind.

Rating:

Tribe Nine is currently streaming on Funimation.

Mercedez is a JP-EN translation and localization light novel editor & proofreader/QA, pop culture critic, and a journalist who, when not writing for ANN, writes for Anime Feminist, where they're a staff editor. They're also a frequent cohost on the Anime Feminist Podcast, Chatty AF. This season, they're reflecting on their youth with Akebi's Sailor Uniform. When they're not writing and reviewing, you can find them on their Twitter or on their Instagram where she's always up to something.