Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Sonny Boy, one of the greatest anime of all time, explains many great topics for discussion: does death give life meaning? How do we go back to normal life after a life changing event? And, out of left field, why do we play games? This is the question posed in Sonny Boy’s episode four, The Great Monkey Baseball. In this episode, Nagara, Mizuho, and Nozomi are tasked with hitting a fastball from their class’ ace pitcher, literally named Ace. While Nagara is practicing, and while Nozomi almost gets a hit, Ace is simply sitting back, relying on his natural talent; he was made for baseball. As such, Nagara sees little point in trying, content with failure for certainty; if you’re the worst then at least you know what you are. This is the same reason Ace sticks with a game he was literally known for; it gives him stats to “analyze” he’s better than other people, also a way to prove himself. Pass or fail, games say something about us due to their rigid rules, and that’s why we play games; to find ourselves. However, not as Nagara and Ace initially believe. Aided by a discussion of Monkey Blue’s almost perfect game and the umpire who prevented it, it’s revealed that it isn’t the success or failure which proves something, but simply the act of playing, competing against the rules, not others. In short, humans play games because their abstract rigidity, their quantities, gives us a gauge for our selves, our qualities.
An anime video essay explaining Sonny Boy (Episode 4, The Great Monkey Baseball analysis).
#anime #sonnyboy #videoessay #professorviral
Sonny Boy, one of the greatest anime of all time, explains many great topics for discussion: does death give life meaning? How do we go back to normal life after a life changing event? And, out of left field, why do we play games? This is the question posed in Sonny Boy’s episode four, The Great Monkey Baseball. In this episode, Nagara, Mizuho, and Nozomi are tasked with hitting a fastball from their class’ ace pitcher, literally named Ace. While Nagara is practicing, and while Nozomi almost gets a hit, Ace is simply sitting back, relying on his natural talent; he was made for baseball. As such, Nagara sees little point in trying, content with failure for certainty; if you’re the worst then at least you know what you are. This is the same reason Ace sticks with a game he was literally known for; it gives him stats to “analyze” he’s better than other people, also a way to prove himself. Pass or fail, games say something about us due to their rigid rules, and that’s why we play games; to find ourselves. However, not as Nagara and Ace initially believe. Aided by a discussion of Monkey Blue’s almost perfect game and the umpire who prevented it, it’s revealed that it isn’t the success or failure which proves something, but simply the act of playing, competing against the rules, not others. In short, humans play games because their abstract rigidity, their quantities, gives us a gauge for our selves, our qualities.
An anime video essay explaining Sonny Boy (Episode 4, The Great Monkey Baseball analysis).
#anime #sonnyboy #videoessay #professorviral
