 | |
| Season 6, Episode 10 | |
| Each's Own Summer | |
|---|---|
| Japanese | それぞれの夏 |
| Rōmanji | Sorezore no Natsu |
| Staff | |
| Information | |
| Episode | 139 |
| Air Date | June 5, 2010 |
| Opening | Kokoroe |
| Ending | Twilight Star |
| Adapted from | 658, 659, 660 |
| Story Arc | Major League Arc |
| Episode Guide | |
| Previous | Ep138: Revival on the Mound |
| Next | Ep140: Entrusted Dreams |
Each's Own Summer is the 139th episode of the MAJOR anime and 10th episode of the 6th season. It was aired on June 5, 2010.
List of Characters[]
Main:
Secondary:
- Shimizu's Mother
- Shimizu's Father
- Taiga Shimizu
- Daisuke Komori
- Ryota Sawamura
- Kaoru's softball friend
- Seishu softball captain
Minor:
- Shibuya
- Kaoru's other softball friend
- Captain's friend
- Kaoru's employer
- Student's mother
- Kaoru's student
Summary[]
Kaoru struggles to balance school, teaching, work, and softball. Her teammates, including the Seshiu High Softball captain, begin to get bothered seeing her work schedule conflict with her responsibilities as 2nd baseman going into Nationals; one of her student's parents walks in on her falling asleep due to exhaustion; and her employer finds her distracted by her goals to visit America. When she arrives late for a practice game, the internal conflict within her intensifies, having been chastised for lacking the commitment needed to ensure her team succeeds in their National debut. It's at this point that Kaoru starts to seriously consider quitting the softball team, in order to work and raise enough funds to move to the USA and stay with Goro.
She confides in her friend that she feels a great rift between her and Goro that's compounded by the distance between them, and that she wants to possibly leave softball at Seishu behind her, to which her friend responds such a situation feels like a waste of talent and passion. She later declares to her parents that she intends to sever from the team, instigating frustration from her father. After talking to her family and friends, however, and with a resignation letter already written, she begins to question if it's the right decision. Ryota elevates her as safely being the only perfect match for Goro, and her mother reveals that her father would take time off work to watch her games in the past and wants to support her passions; the three of them watch Taiga's final high school game together.
Seeing Taiga cry in pain that this qualifying loss ends his high school career, Kaoru remembers how much sports have driven her and her friends to perform at their hardest. She ultimately decides to stay in the softball club, which sooths her father. At the end of the episode, Goro calls her to talk about his recent matters – a rare event that builds their connection and acts as confirmation that he views their relationship as serious. The concluding words are Kaoru promising him that she'll work hard to forward her softball team at Nationals and achieve her dreams.