(this review was removed from MAL)

Catch Me at the Ballpark!, also known as The Catcher in the Ballpark!, is a lovely slice-of-life anime. I wasn't initially keen on watching it, but I could not ignore how so many anime watchers were praising it on Reddit so I dove in.

My unfamiliarity with the term 'ballpark' led me to think that it's just a small, neighbourhood park where kids play baseball. In reality, 'ballpark' is a North American term for what I'd usually call a baseball stadium.

If you read the synopsis, you will be left with the impression that this is perhaps another potential romance between the salaryman Murata Koutarou and Ruriko grounded in baseball. Whilst Murata and Ruriko are the key characters since the story is anchored on them, the anime is not exclusively about them. It's about fans of the Chiba Motorsuns and in general the community that this team fosters. (The Chiba Motorsuns are a stand-in for their real-world counterpart the Chiba Lotte Marines.)

There are some baseball terms thrown in, but it's not necessary to know them in order to enjoy this anime. It's not a sports anime where the character arcs focus on each individual player. It focuses firstly on fans whom we might casually dismiss as NPCs. These fans can be security guards, the food seller, the mascot, etc. It leaves you with heartfelt impressions.

Segments only last from 5–10 minutes. With its great characterisation, the storytelling is amazing. You don't need to know these characters over the long haul to get to know them and be left with a nice impression of each fan or staff.

I had problems in some anime where, rather than a full episode of a single action, it's actually divided into segments. Such anime tend to have 4-koma manga as source material. But this is not a problem in this anime.

It can be comparable to Bartender (2006), but the emotions you are left with are lighter and feel good.

Ruriko and the rest of the beer vendors are attractive. They are drawn with a pretty face and a sexy figure. Even though Ruriko teases Murata, it doesn't seem to be cheap, sexualised fanservice. The same could be said of the rest of the beer vendors.

There is some CGI that might be glaring, but by and large, they are easy to overlook. Animating the baseball matches, while fairly acceptable, is secondary to the story. It goes without saying that this is great for fans of slice-of-life anime but may not be what fans of sports anime are looking for.

The OP and ED are quite catchy.

In closing, this is a great, heartwarming slice-of-life anime. If you want something different to the typical sports anime, Catch Me at the Ballpark! is a perfect fit.