First off, I'd like to state for the record that I haven't seen any of the anime past ep 131, the end of the visit to Germany, nor do I intend to. From what I've heard of the Senbatsu arc and so on, I don't think I really want to corrupt my image of what happened. So for me, the manga and the anime are fairly similar in plot, though not in emphasis.
I did think it was odd that Oishi wasn't there in the anime. In the manga, he and Tezuka leave the celebration at Kawamura Sushi early to go have the talk with Ryuzaki-sensei. In the anime, when Oishi, Tezuka, and Ryuzaki-sensei left early, I totally thought they were going to go have the same discussion. Instead, it's left unclear as to where and why they had to go, and Tezuka comes in alone the next day (I think; it could be the next week) to have the talk with her.
I don't quite get how it is that Tezuka allows Oishi to support him in the manga but not the anime, at least as far as the match with Ryoma is concerned. I don't recall Oishi ever expressing anything other than outright disapproval of the idea, and the fact that he stays outside Ryuzaki-sensei's office, leaning against the wall, during Tezuka's talk with her instead of going in with him and voicing his support seems to indicate that he disapproved of it to begin with. It seems that both times, Tezuka has decided that the match is too important not to play. I will say, though, that in the manga, it seems far more likely that Tezuka wants to bring out Echizen's potential more for the good of Seigaku than for Ryoma himself, at least before the samurai vision.
I don't have much to say about the Atobe-Tezuka match. I admit to adoring the warm-up and banter sequence before the match (though I could have done without Sakuno's constant "Ryoma-kun"-ing; at least she didn't tag along during the banter). There's something rather interesting about the "I won't lose" scene, though; during the actual match, there's not much expression from Tezuka other than grim determination. Ryoma, however, has a flashback to this moment at the decisive point of the Sanada match (ep 128, I think), that has Tezuka looking almost startled, and then inspired, by Ryoma's comment. And in both manga and anime, although it's Oishi who gives his approval, it's Ryoma who has the last word.
Also, a note on the Hiyoshi-Echizen match: in both manga and anime, Tezuka remains as bench coach even though Ryuzaki-sensei's back. In the anime, he says nothing at all; in the manga, he says or thinks something along the lines of "That's it Echizen; finish him with that shot!" Odd, that he somehow seems more involved in the manga than the anime, there.
The farewells really are very different. Although, I don't remember the sneakiness as Oishi's idea, originally; isn't there a bit in the manga's narration where it's referred to as Tezuka's idea to subtly inspire his players? I admit to really loving the right-handed match between Ryoma and Tezuka in the anime; there was something very entertaining about watching two lefties play each other right-handed. And it also answered the question for me as to why Tezuka didn't switch hands against Atobe; he would have had to spend valuable points working things out and evolving, and he simply didn't have the room to do that in such an important match against a skilled opponent. I am confused, though, as to why Ryoma was so shocked by the right-handed zero-shiki; didn't he hit it right-handed against Hiyoshi?
Tezuka in Kyuushuu: I completely agree about his greatest opponent being himself. The whole thing about being afraid of the memory of pain really hit me as something very true-sounding in a sometimes-ridiculous plot. Does the manga ever show his reaction to the Rikkai win? I seem to recall one of the players taunting him with the fact that his team won without him; I don't quite see why this is an insult, really. I mean, I get that it's "they don't need you to win", but isn't that a compliment? I don't think Tezuka was particularly impressed either.
no subject
I did think it was odd that Oishi wasn't there in the anime. In the manga, he and Tezuka leave the celebration at Kawamura Sushi early to go have the talk with Ryuzaki-sensei. In the anime, when Oishi, Tezuka, and Ryuzaki-sensei left early, I totally thought they were going to go have the same discussion. Instead, it's left unclear as to where and why they had to go, and Tezuka comes in alone the next day (I think; it could be the next week) to have the talk with her.
I don't quite get how it is that Tezuka allows Oishi to support him in the manga but not the anime, at least as far as the match with Ryoma is concerned. I don't recall Oishi ever expressing anything other than outright disapproval of the idea, and the fact that he stays outside Ryuzaki-sensei's office, leaning against the wall, during Tezuka's talk with her instead of going in with him and voicing his support seems to indicate that he disapproved of it to begin with. It seems that both times, Tezuka has decided that the match is too important not to play. I will say, though, that in the manga, it seems far more likely that Tezuka wants to bring out Echizen's potential more for the good of Seigaku than for Ryoma himself, at least before the samurai vision.
I don't have much to say about the Atobe-Tezuka match. I admit to adoring the warm-up and banter sequence before the match (though I could have done without Sakuno's constant "Ryoma-kun"-ing; at least she didn't tag along during the banter). There's something rather interesting about the "I won't lose" scene, though; during the actual match, there's not much expression from Tezuka other than grim determination. Ryoma, however, has a flashback to this moment at the decisive point of the Sanada match (ep 128, I think), that has Tezuka looking almost startled, and then inspired, by Ryoma's comment. And in both manga and anime, although it's Oishi who gives his approval, it's Ryoma who has the last word.
Also, a note on the Hiyoshi-Echizen match: in both manga and anime, Tezuka remains as bench coach even though Ryuzaki-sensei's back. In the anime, he says nothing at all; in the manga, he says or thinks something along the lines of "That's it Echizen; finish him with that shot!" Odd, that he somehow seems more involved in the manga than the anime, there.
The farewells really are very different. Although, I don't remember the sneakiness as Oishi's idea, originally; isn't there a bit in the manga's narration where it's referred to as Tezuka's idea to subtly inspire his players? I admit to really loving the right-handed match between Ryoma and Tezuka in the anime; there was something very entertaining about watching two lefties play each other right-handed. And it also answered the question for me as to why Tezuka didn't switch hands against Atobe; he would have had to spend valuable points working things out and evolving, and he simply didn't have the room to do that in such an important match against a skilled opponent. I am confused, though, as to why Ryoma was so shocked by the right-handed zero-shiki; didn't he hit it right-handed against Hiyoshi?
Tezuka in Kyuushuu: I completely agree about his greatest opponent being himself. The whole thing about being afraid of the memory of pain really hit me as something very true-sounding in a sometimes-ridiculous plot. Does the manga ever show his reaction to the Rikkai win? I seem to recall one of the players taunting him with the fact that his team won without him; I don't quite see why this is an insult, really. I mean, I get that it's "they don't need you to win", but isn't that a compliment? I don't think Tezuka was particularly impressed either.
*continued in next comment*