REVIEW: ‘Oblivion Battery’ Swings For The Fences And Comes Up Just Short

There are so many sports anime out there that it can be difficult to stand out. Oblivion Battery (Boukyaku Battery) is a new series from MAPPA based on the manga by Eco Mikawa that tries to do just that by adding a more comedic twist and teetering the line between serious and absurd.

Oblivion Battery focuses on the dynamic duo of pitcher Haruka Kiyomine (Yoshimasa Hosoya) and his catcher Kei Kaname (Mamoru Miyano). This combination is referred to as a “battery” in baseball, hence the name of the series. This battery duo was absolutely unstoppable in junior high and had the chance to go to any competitive private high school they wanted to.

Unfortunately, Kei is stricken with amnesia and no longer knows anything about baseball. Crucially, he also does not know anything about his best friend and partner Haruka either. The two end up going to a public high school that does not have a baseball team. Haruka refuses to abandon his friend, even if it means losing his baseball dream.

Thankfully for Haruka, it does not take long for someone on campus to recognize them. Yamada Taro is a former baseball player who once came up against the fearsome battery. It didn’t end well for him, which explains why he is at a public school not playing anymore. Yamada is inspired to try to start a baseball team at their school, setting the groundwork for the main plot throughout the series.

Along the way they are joined by Aoi Toudou and Chunpei Chihaya, two former players who also had their careers derailed after facing Haruka and Kei. They are less excited about joining the new team at first, but ultimately it does not take long to get them on board. The two of them and Yamada are given extensive screen time dedicated to their backstories as well as the current issues they are struggling with. It is great to get these deep dives into the supporting cast and these moments are some of the best of the series.

The baseball itself in Oblivion Battery is fantastic. MAPPA has a reputation for incredible animation and the sport feels so lifelike here. You can feel the ball as it zips past the batter into the catcher’s glove, and the movement on the field is as natural as can be. There is a lot of love shown here to make the sport look as real as possible and the animation absolutely delivers.

While all of that is great, Oblivion Battery fails in one key area; Kei’s character. Kei has two personality traits, not wanting to play baseball and making jokes about nipple hair. These two things are overplayed from the first episode and it never really lets up as the story progresses. It is jarring to see the sport represented so well and then see someone suffering from amnesia purely here for comedic effect.

There is a moment towards the end of the season where Kei actually remembers who he was and how to play. It feels like this giant triumph, and the team might finally see some positive results. Everyone is excited, it feels like some deserved payoff for the characters (and viewers) who have put up with him for so long. But then, just when things are getting good, it comes crashing down in a torrent of more jokes about nipple hair and not liking baseball.

To its credit, Oblivion Battery does rectify this a bit at the very end. But even then it is only a partial effort. Kei still does not like baseball but knows how much it means to Haruka so he is willing to try. This is some serious development from him and is good to see. Unfortunately, he still makes a crack at the end which makes it hard to tell if any of that is going to be serious or long-lasting.

Oblivion Battery could have been a great series if it focused more on the underdog story and how friends can come together to support each other. Kei is the catalyst for all of these new friends to meet and they find a common purpose in helping him, but there is never any real payoff from it. That wasted potential is made even more disappointing by the fact that the baseball itself and the drama surrounding it are so well done. There was a real chance to deliver a satisfying ending and Oblivion Battery dropped the ball big time.

Oblivion Battery swings for the fences with a different take on a sports anime but it is no home run. There are a handful of cheap laughs, but the comedic focus takes away from any real stakes or emotional reward for the characters or viewers.

Oblivion Battery is streaming on Crunchyroll.