Ballpark de Tsukamaete (Catch Me at the Ballpark)

Ballpark de Tsukamaete (Catch Me at the Ballpark, 2025) is a Japanese animated television series combining seinen, slice-of-life and sports. Consisting of a variety of storylines focusing on the smallest things of life, of which the growing bond between Koutarou and Ruriko takes centre stage, all interconnected through their mutual interest in baseball. Kuniyuki Takahashi and Keiichi Hirokawa composed the original score.

The score employs several recurring ideas; heroic anthems used as a means of expressing baseball, emotional content related through all the characters and quirky musical material related to seinen elements of characters involved in accidental, 'humorous' situations. Takahashi and Hirokawa organically separated their tasks of writing music, alluding to all of these ingredients, and intertwining them when necessary.

Regarding their first aim, the celebration of baseball, it is presented through numerous of cues, such as Can'T Stop The Excitement, including trumpet, strings (electric) guitar, percussion, Hammond organ, a whistle, electronics and more. They are, much alike all other cues short, yet valuable and enjoyable musical anthems, presumably moulded to similarly themed scores from the past. However, the brass section is thin in their aid, but in a fuller set of musical colours suffices.

As the series progressed, having introduced the characters, the previously mentioned idea was gradually pushed backwards, more so addressing the slice-of-life and emotional content. Of these cues, some, such as 'Feelings, Longing', display a vulnerable solo piano, whilst Let'S Believe Together compromises of soul-searching support of ethereal, spacious electronics with strings. Then, these emotional pieces and overall warmth also interconnect with the overarching theme of sport in a variety of cues, with additional instruments. A majority of these pathos-filled cues are the most fulfilling pieces of music in the entire TV series.

Lastly, there is the quirky, tongue in cheek musical material related to rather inconspicuous seinen humour involving a random character accidentally doing something, in cues such as Ruriko And Murata and Secret Signs. They are similarly to the sports anthem in terms of enjoyment, yet the range and degree of curious ideas is rather limited, mediocre at best.

Ballpark de Tsukamaete is a score that is supportive for the television series. Clearly, the making of the series and its overall content is extensively reflected in the outcome of the original score. With nearly 80 minutes of released score, a lot of short cues roughly divided in between three ingredients, and an insufferable, almost identical series of cues near the end - sports anthems based on percussion, a whistle and fanfare - it works moderately, both separately and in context.





Tracklist
01 Season Kickoff 1:39
02 Catch Me In The Ballpark! 3:34
03 Can'T Stop The Excitement 2:14
04 Ruriko At Work! 1:58
05 Let'S Go To The Stadium 1:36
06 Beanbags Waltz 1:41
07 From The Dugout 1:53
08 Come-From-Behind Three-Run Shot 1:59
09 Good Batting Order 1:56
10 Glove'S Fray 1:50
11 Girls' Talk 1:45
12 Ruriko And Murata 1:29
13 Silent Field 1:51
14 The Usual 1:51
15 Suspicious Customer 1:37
16 Secret Sign 1:44
17 Let'S Face Forward! 2:03
18 Nice Play 1:52
19 Batting Eye 1:47
20 Soulful Announcement 2:06
21 Feelings, Longing 1:39
22 The Stadium Is Always There 1:42
23 Waving Towels 2:34
24 Let'S Believe Together 2:07
25 Rouse 1:40
26 Theme Of The Motorsuns(Piano Ver.) 2:01
27 Rolling That Way 1:34
28 Getting Ready To Go Home 1:50
29 Looking Down At The Cleats Marks 1:35
30 GO!! SUN-SHIROOO!!! 1:17
31 Nostalgic 1:59
32 Feelings, Fluttering 2:00
33 Detective Ruriko 2:02
34 Disappointed 1:37
35 The Reveal 1:45
36 A Moment Waiting For A Chance 1:46
37 Silent Will 1:45
38 Fell In Love With The Stadium Again 2:05
39 Theme Of Dennis 1:19
40 Theme Of Nokogiriyama / Theme Of Getting On Base 1:05
41 Theme Of Shishio / Theme Of A Chance 1:25
42 Theme Of Kojiro 1:07
43 Once Upon A Motorsuns 0:52
44 Theme Of The Motorsuns (Hit It! Motorsuns) 1:02
Disc length 78:13

01 シーズン開幕 1:39
02 ボールパークでつかまえて! 3:34
03 ワクワクがとまらない 2:14
04 ルリコ、お仕事中! 1:58
05 球場へ行こう 1:36
06 おてだまワルツ 1:41
07 ダグアウトから 1:53
08 逆転スリーラン 1:59
09 好打順 1:56
10 グローブのほつれ 1:50
11 ガールズトーク 1:45
12 ルリコと村田 1:29
13 静かなグラウンド 1:51
14 いつもの 1:51
15 不穏な客 1:37
16 サインは秘密 1:44
17 前を向いていきましょー! 2:03
18 ナイスプレー 1:52
19 選球眼 1:47
20 魂のアナウンス 2:06
21 想い・憧れ 1:39
22 球場にはいつだって 1:42
23 タオルが揺れて 2:34
24 みんなで信じるんだ 2:07
25 奮い立て 1:40
26 モータサンズのテーマ(ピアノVer.) 2:01
27 あっちへコロコロ 1:34
28 帰り支度 1:50
29 見下ろす、スパイクの跡 1:35
30 GO!! SUN-SHIROOO!!! 1:17
31 ノスタルジック 1:59
32 想い・ときめき 2:00
33 名探偵ルリコ 2:02
34 ガックリきた 1:37
35 ネタバラシ 1:45
36 チャンスを待つ一瞬 1:46
37 静かなる闘志 1:45
38 球場がもっと好きになった 2:05
39 デニスのテーマ 1:19
40 鋸山のテーマ/出塁のテーマ 1:05
41 獅子尾のテーマ/チャンステーマ 1:25
42 コジローのテーマ 1:07
43 いつかのモーターサンズ 0:52
44 モータサンズのテーマ(狙い打て!モーターサンズ) 1:02
Disc length 78:13

Note: Kuniyuki Takahashi (1~5,8,11~12,14~15,17,20~22,24~25,31~35,37~38) and Keiichi Hirokawa (6~7,9~10,13,16,18~19,23,26~30,36,39~44)


(12-08-2025)