Giant Killing 24 – Frustration
Well my predictions for the rest of this series have officially gone out the window. Of course, I don’t see this as a terrible thing, because it means Giant Killing has still kept me guessing about how exactly ETU will tackle the Osaka problem. Last week, they had managed to shake the focus of Dulfer’s players. Now the team continues to devolve into frustration toward their current situation. Tatsumi and his team have managed to play a large quantity of the players for fools, and as expected, they are none too happy about it.
Good job Akasaki, you finally went the distance!
First, we have Hauer, who Kuro has been riling up for the entire game. First, he made jabs at his hair style, which he not only understood despite the Japanese, but also a rather strange weak point for an International player. Then Kuro started stealing plays from him. He can’t manage to shine on the field if he can never get his feet on the ball. Finally, Kuro seizes the last straw when he interferes with Osaka’s bid for a third goal.
Hauer never came off as the patient type, and now he’s simply not going to take it anymore. He shoves his defender, and manages to score a yellow card instead. I found it particularly amusing because, as Tatsumi says, Kuro is an excellent annoyance. He’s like a fly who keeps buzzing around your head until eventually you do something stupid to make it stop, like hit yourself. Hauer hit himself hard, and he had better keep his temper in check to avoid ejection from the game.
Me Hauer! Hauer SMASH!
Next up in the frustration parade is Hiiraga. As they posited last episode, Tatsumi has orchestrated a strategy to wear down the defender. This puts Dulfer in a very difficult position. On the one hand, he could pull his player out of the game, or move him elsewhere on the field, in favor of a fresh player. To do so, he would have to get over his pride and admit other teams could defeat his style of play. Considering how much he has staked on “beautiful offense,” he would probably sooner die than concede so easily. In addition, Hiiraga also acts as team captain. Pulling him off the field could rattle the team even more as they struggle without his on-field guidance.
His other obvious option, then, is to continue allowing the defender to play. Unfortunately, Hiiraga’s frustration can and does get the better of him. Right as the episode closes, he deliberately grabs Tsubaki to prevent his charge on the goal. I’m not entirely positive about football penalties, but there’s potential for a red card here. In such a case, not only would Dulfer have a man down, but the midfield really would sit empty for the rest of the game.
You just got played for the fool, son.
Both of these are examples of frustration turned outward, but Kubota turns his frustration inward. He doesn’t want to leave the game, and Dulfer doesn’t want to pull him out just yet, but he can’t leave an exhausted striker on the field. Thus, the little introvert has to make the slow walk to the bench and simply observe the rest of the game.
I like Kubo’s attitude toward his situation. He does have disappointment in himself for not lasting the entire game. Rather than sit there and beat himself up over it, he resolves to build his stamina so he can eventually last for the entire game. He has his inspiration, and perhaps nemesis, right there for added motivation. He likens Tsubaki to a wind or a storm. Kubo ultimately wants to become like him. If he could manage to develop the stamina, if not the speed Tsubaki has, he too could become a force of nature in the Japanese league. This is yet another time I wish the series would revisit a player or team in the future, but we have quickly run out of time for the season. I guess I’ll just have to wait for the manga to advance.
Wow, Tsubaki just keeps going and going and...
