Tenipuri: next captains
Feb. 23rd, 2012 05:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
branchandrootThis is half writing notes for the PoT Nationals rewrite that I am totally not doing. The other half is plain exasperation.
Prospective captains.
Our two second-years are Momoshiro and Kaidou. Konomi says that Kaidou is going to be tapped as the next captain. I say Konomi is full of it.
Kaidou is intensely dedicated. He'll work till he drops. He's kind of adorable. But the one thing he is not ever shown to be is outwardly focused. His focus is turned almost completely inward, on his own tennis and his own progress, only occasionally expanding for a nice fight with Momo or a partnership with Inui. He cares about his teammates, but I do not see him caring about Seigaku or about the progress of his teammates. Kaidou is a pretty classic introvert.
Momo, while he's definitely a wild card, is far more of a people person and the very first thing we see him doing is taking care of his kouhai. He helps out. He takes Echizen under his wing to socialize him and intervenes on An's behalf. He's someone who might actually be able to run a tennis club. And, while we're shown Inui paying a lot of attention to Kaidou, we're shown Tezuka, and for that matter Atobe, paying attention to Momo's game (which is why the idea that Tezuka would choose Kaidou came so out of left field, for me).
Kaidou is a sweetie, but as captain I just don't buy him. That makes even less sense than Echizen as captain; at least Echizen is shown to already have a sense of justice and education in re tennis, and a willingness to take action on it.
Kabaji is pretty much right out unless we take astonishing liberties with his characterization (which I have no intrinsic objection to, but it would only be for the shock value here). Between Hiyoshi and Ohtori... honestly I could see either of them working out, but I can also see where Atobe and Sakaki might think that Hiyoshi is better suited to survive Hyoutei's club. Hiyoshi is the explicitly ambitious one, and that would maintain the tone of the club. While I firmly believe that Ohtori has a steel core, or he wouldn't be a regular to start with, his surface is very polite and obliging. Hyoutei would probably be a somewhat different club under him, and I could see Sakaki balking at that. So this one I can see the logic of, and it could make for an interesting dynamic between Atobe and Hiyoshi.
Kirihara seems most likely, as the only second year regular. If his maturation continues along the curve started during Regionals, this could even be reasonable. I have to suspect he'd need some time to settle in and acclimate to being out from under the direct shadow of his senpai, and there's limited evidence in canon of him being instructed in management and evaluation of other players, so it would probably be a rocky spring for him and the club. But hopefully the Rikkai coaches can be tapped for help once they aren't being scared off by Yukimura, Sanada, and Yanagi (which is the only plausible explanation I've ever come up with for why Rikkai is the only school besides Fudoumine to have no sign of a coach anywhere).
Similarly, Zaizen seems like a sure bet, as the only second year in evidence. One can only hope that he'll be less abrasive to his hapless kouhai than he is to his senpai; if not, Shitenhouji may actually be weaker next year, lacking solid leadership. Given that Shiraishi seems like a reasonably perceptive fellow, I have to think that he would put in some time and effort in getting Zaizen to understand the benefits of less obvious contempt for his teammates.
Kamio seems most likely, being one of the two best players and the one who's least eccentric. (Not that I accept the fanon of Ibu being some kind of mumbling savant, but he most definitely is the one who nearly attacked another player for badmouthing Fudoumine.) This presupposes that Fudoumine will acquire enough other members to keep going next year, but a team that made it to Nationals may be expected to be a reasonably big draw, violent reputation or no. Kamio has already had a little experience in administrative stuff, as vice-captain, so he's pretty much a shoo-in.
Who the fuck knows? This is the team with a captain who was, canonically, selected by senility/accident/weirditude and then kept. It's possible they'll keep Aoi, but equally possible that it will be Amane. In any event, the one who does all the real captain work will obviously be Amane, the same way it is Saeki in canon year. For my own purposes, I'd go with Amane as official captain, also. If only because I think he's practical enough to conspire with other club members to keep unsuitable candidates out of Ojii's way next time the question comes up.
Muramochi seems likely, considering he's the one we see going along with his senpai to watch other teams and, to some extent, being instructed on and making his own judgements of other players. Hard to say what kind of captain he'll actually be, since we see very little of him all told, but I have to admit I'm tickled by the idea of Dan Taichi being, perhaps, his vice-captain.
Between Yuuta and Kaneda, I'm inclined to go with Yuuta. He has more drive, and he's the one Mizuki takes along to Nationals to watch the teams who play at that level. That said, I have to sincerely hope that Kaneda is his vice-captain, because someone will need to have a level head and Yuuta is pretty consistently shown to have a very quick temper.
One of the (very very) few things that gratifies me to see in Shin is a few of the teams actually giving some thought and preparation to handing the clubs off to the second years, because goodness knows there was no sign of it during PoT proper. It's one of the things I think made a lot of the later games so bloody boring--no sense of development or passage of time or change on the horizon, except very briefly for Hyoutei before it was rolled back.
Prospective captains.
Our two second-years are Momoshiro and Kaidou. Konomi says that Kaidou is going to be tapped as the next captain. I say Konomi is full of it.
Kaidou is intensely dedicated. He'll work till he drops. He's kind of adorable. But the one thing he is not ever shown to be is outwardly focused. His focus is turned almost completely inward, on his own tennis and his own progress, only occasionally expanding for a nice fight with Momo or a partnership with Inui. He cares about his teammates, but I do not see him caring about Seigaku or about the progress of his teammates. Kaidou is a pretty classic introvert.
Momo, while he's definitely a wild card, is far more of a people person and the very first thing we see him doing is taking care of his kouhai. He helps out. He takes Echizen under his wing to socialize him and intervenes on An's behalf. He's someone who might actually be able to run a tennis club. And, while we're shown Inui paying a lot of attention to Kaidou, we're shown Tezuka, and for that matter Atobe, paying attention to Momo's game (which is why the idea that Tezuka would choose Kaidou came so out of left field, for me).
Kaidou is a sweetie, but as captain I just don't buy him. That makes even less sense than Echizen as captain; at least Echizen is shown to already have a sense of justice and education in re tennis, and a willingness to take action on it.
Kabaji is pretty much right out unless we take astonishing liberties with his characterization (which I have no intrinsic objection to, but it would only be for the shock value here). Between Hiyoshi and Ohtori... honestly I could see either of them working out, but I can also see where Atobe and Sakaki might think that Hiyoshi is better suited to survive Hyoutei's club. Hiyoshi is the explicitly ambitious one, and that would maintain the tone of the club. While I firmly believe that Ohtori has a steel core, or he wouldn't be a regular to start with, his surface is very polite and obliging. Hyoutei would probably be a somewhat different club under him, and I could see Sakaki balking at that. So this one I can see the logic of, and it could make for an interesting dynamic between Atobe and Hiyoshi.
Kirihara seems most likely, as the only second year regular. If his maturation continues along the curve started during Regionals, this could even be reasonable. I have to suspect he'd need some time to settle in and acclimate to being out from under the direct shadow of his senpai, and there's limited evidence in canon of him being instructed in management and evaluation of other players, so it would probably be a rocky spring for him and the club. But hopefully the Rikkai coaches can be tapped for help once they aren't being scared off by Yukimura, Sanada, and Yanagi (which is the only plausible explanation I've ever come up with for why Rikkai is the only school besides Fudoumine to have no sign of a coach anywhere).
Similarly, Zaizen seems like a sure bet, as the only second year in evidence. One can only hope that he'll be less abrasive to his hapless kouhai than he is to his senpai; if not, Shitenhouji may actually be weaker next year, lacking solid leadership. Given that Shiraishi seems like a reasonably perceptive fellow, I have to think that he would put in some time and effort in getting Zaizen to understand the benefits of less obvious contempt for his teammates.
Kamio seems most likely, being one of the two best players and the one who's least eccentric. (Not that I accept the fanon of Ibu being some kind of mumbling savant, but he most definitely is the one who nearly attacked another player for badmouthing Fudoumine.) This presupposes that Fudoumine will acquire enough other members to keep going next year, but a team that made it to Nationals may be expected to be a reasonably big draw, violent reputation or no. Kamio has already had a little experience in administrative stuff, as vice-captain, so he's pretty much a shoo-in.
Who the fuck knows? This is the team with a captain who was, canonically, selected by senility/accident/weirditude and then kept. It's possible they'll keep Aoi, but equally possible that it will be Amane. In any event, the one who does all the real captain work will obviously be Amane, the same way it is Saeki in canon year. For my own purposes, I'd go with Amane as official captain, also. If only because I think he's practical enough to conspire with other club members to keep unsuitable candidates out of Ojii's way next time the question comes up.
Muramochi seems likely, considering he's the one we see going along with his senpai to watch other teams and, to some extent, being instructed on and making his own judgements of other players. Hard to say what kind of captain he'll actually be, since we see very little of him all told, but I have to admit I'm tickled by the idea of Dan Taichi being, perhaps, his vice-captain.
Between Yuuta and Kaneda, I'm inclined to go with Yuuta. He has more drive, and he's the one Mizuki takes along to Nationals to watch the teams who play at that level. That said, I have to sincerely hope that Kaneda is his vice-captain, because someone will need to have a level head and Yuuta is pretty consistently shown to have a very quick temper.
One of the (very very) few things that gratifies me to see in Shin is a few of the teams actually giving some thought and preparation to handing the clubs off to the second years, because goodness knows there was no sign of it during PoT proper. It's one of the things I think made a lot of the later games so bloody boring--no sense of development or passage of time or change on the horizon, except very briefly for Hyoutei before it was rolled back.
no subject
Date: 2012-02-24 02:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-02-24 02:32 am (UTC)Of course you're not writing this
Date: 2012-02-24 03:16 pm (UTC)As for Hyoutei, I think Hiyoshi is a likelier captain than Ootori, but that is only because of Sakaki. In my opinion, Hiyoshi is too concentrated on his gekokujou to be a good captain. His preoccupation with it implies that he is more concerned with getting to the top himself than elevating the whole club. (It could be argued that Atobe is the same, but I don't actually agree with that argument.) I think Ootori would be a better captain, and I also think that Atobe knows that. However, Atobe also knows what kind of system Sakaki has created, which is why, in my opinion, he's going to recommend Hiyoshi.
I do recognise that my view of Atobe may be different from most other people's. Maybe one day I'll write an essay on that.
Re: Of course you're not writing this
Date: 2012-02-24 04:26 pm (UTC)I'm always very ambivalent about Atobe's relationship with Sakaki. I mean, is it mentoring or adversarial or what? I can never quite make up my mind, though I fall a little on the side that Sakaki was one of the few people who understood Atobe and Atobe has a good deal of loyalty to him because of that.
Re: Of course you're not writing this
Date: 2012-02-24 04:37 pm (UTC)From the way he stood up for Shishido, Atobe doesn't seem to be afraid of challenging the system Sakaki has created when he sees a good reason to do it. And Sakaki was willing to trust Atobe's judgement. That's the most straightforward way of reading that scene, I think. At the same time, though, something about that scene rubs me the wrong way regarding Atobe's and Sakaki's interaction. So, I don't really know.
no subject
Date: 2012-02-25 07:46 pm (UTC)Momo, on the other hand, I'd be a bit worried about, if only because I think he might be a bit too soft (and I don't want to say slack-off because he's definitely hard-working in his own way), but perhaps too easy-going? Or maybe too relaxed is a better word? I think the line of respect and chummy-ness may blur a little as well. Eh, I don't think I'm explaining this right. What I can say, though, is that I think Momo and Kaidou would make a good unit in leading the team. And in my mind, Momo as vice-captain can sometimes play the good cop card to Kaidou's hardness as captain.
Hiyoshi, for Hyotei, actually gave me reservations due to some of the very reasons you listed for Kaidou not being suitable, except magnified. Whereas I could see Kaidou trying to focus on the team, I'm not sure if Hiyoshi's gekoukujo can be extended to the team. I suppose if he's already sitting on top, he might turn his ambition to the Hyoutei team as a whole (as opposed to just himself). In a way, perhaps Hiyoshi would either turn out to be an excellent captain or a very terrible one. But then again, if Choutarou is vice-captain to Hiyoshi's captain, it might be a complementing combo as well.
Fudomine feels trickiest to me, as I happen to not see any of the current members as highly fitting for captain position. Kamio feels entirely too hot-headed to be one... and Ibu, I'm just plain torn about. :\
And Kirihara, as you've already said, seems most likely if only because he's the only second year. Rikkai under him would be quite interesting - almost something like a wild card.
Eh, I could go on, but I've babbled enough I think. It seems your posts have a tendency to make me think quite a bit. And I don't know what fic it is you're writing, but I can't wait to read it. :P
no subject
Date: 2012-02-25 08:02 pm (UTC)Yes, I think you're right that Momo and Kaidou need to be a leadership team for next year, to make things work out at all. I suppose it would would in either configuration, but, to be honest, Kaidou was never one of my especial favorites and I'm not all that interested in doing the heavy narrative lifting it would take to make him a believable and workable captain (especially since Konomi didn't do any of the groundwork at all, the bum).
*nods* Hiyoshi would not be suitable if it weren't Hyoutei. But it is, and Hyoutei has a very cutthroat system built up in which it's very close to every man for himself. Hiyoshi would need to have a period of re-adjustment a lot like Kirihara's, in which he deals with the focus of his last two years (Atobe, essentially) having been taken away. Ohtori would be a lot more stable, because he wouldn't need that readjustment, but he wouldn't support the existing system nearly as well, and I don't see Sakaki being interested in changing the system.
Kamio gets a lot less hot-headed as time goes on. I think their match against Yamabuki during Regionals was a real turning point for him, because he nearly let his passion harm his team and Tachibana is very clear about pointing that out. I don't think Konomi did any particular justice to that turning point, because he was too busy using Fudoumine as his demonstration of how monstrously good Shitenhouji is.
If you get the feeling that I'm bitter about how the manga went after Regionals, you would be right. I love the characters, and so many of them got shafted on character development that was just getting started. Of course, that's where this fic would be coming from.
no subject
Date: 2012-02-25 08:34 pm (UTC)I'm definitely with you on a lot of the points you brought up regarding how Konomi chose to approach certain stuff later on, so I guess I'd only be repeating myself if I say I'm looking forward to this. Yes, I still realize you're not actually writing it. :D
no subject
Date: 2012-02-25 08:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-02-25 08:53 pm (UTC)(And I shall be heading towards those next-gen captain fics very soon.)