History Manga / CrossGame

* NamesToKnowInAnime: MiyuIrino (Kou), HarukaTomatsu (Aoba), Creator/AkemiKanda (Wakaba), MegumiToyoguchi (Ichiyo).

* TheLostLenore: [[spoiler: Wakaba]]

* TheResenter: Aoba toward Kō. (Why does my sister like this baka more than me!)

* LoveDodecahedron: Start with Ko, Aoba, and Azuma having lots of fans. Of these, Senda and his attempts in vain to court Aoba gets the most screentime. Ko and Akaishi loved Wakaba, and Wakaba loved Ko back. [[spoiler: Most everyone expects Ko to fall for Akane. Ko actually loves Aoba. Azuma says Aoba is the only girl he would consider dating. Aoba actually loves Ko. Akaishi falls for Akane out of displaced feelings from Wakaba. Akane seems open to dating Ko but realizes he's grown very close to Aoba. The epilogue implies Ko-Aoba and Akaishi-Akane happen.]]

* EvolvingCredits: [[spoiler: The four leafed clover represents the four Tsukishima sisters. In every episode/volume except the first, Wakaba's leaf is faded out. It gets colored in again for the final episode of the anime, symbolizing that the characters have finally come to terms with her death.]]

*** The last scene before the logo, where the screen is cut into four pieces, changes to reflect the characters' evolving relationships. At first it features just Ko and Aoba, then adds [[spoiler: Azuma]], who looks at Aoba, and Akane, who looks at Ko. Finally, Azuma is replaced by Akaishi, who looks up at Akane, symbolizing both their growing relationship, and [[spoiler: Azuma's]] selfless decision to put his feelings aside and let Ko be with Aoba.

* CanNotSpitItOut: Aoba. The most prominent example may be buying Ko Valentine's Day chocolate but then saying they're for Azuma when Akane shows up. Other examples include making an effort to cook him a Neapolitan spaghetti and asking why he worked so hard to avoid a date with her[[note]]2nd year boys on the team asked if they could have a date if they did X in the next game. Azuma suggested 2 homeruns but thought better. Ko offered double-digit strikeouts to spare him a date.[[/note]].
* CantCatchUp: Ko, Aoba and [[spoiler: Azuma]] are leaps and bounds more talented than most of their Seishu teammates, but Akaishi is hit hardest by feelings of inferiority. However, opposing coaches still note that he's rather important to their team, and hits fifth [[spoiler: behind Azuma - and ahead of Ko -]] for a reason.

* CanNotSpitItOut: Aoba. The most prominent example may be buying Ko Valentine's Day chocolate but then saying they're for Azuma when Akane shows up. Other examples include making an effort to cook him a Neapolitan spaghetti and asking why he worked so hard to avoid a date with her[[hottip:*:2nd year boys on the team asked if they could have a date if they did X in the next game. Azuma suggested 2 homeruns but thought better. Ko offered double-digit strikeouts to spare him a date.]].

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!Tropes used in ''Cross Game'':

* NamesToKnowInAnime: MiyuIrino (Kou), HarukaTomatsu (Aoba), AkemiKanda (Wakaba), MegumiToyoguchi (Ichiyo).

* DeadLittleSister: [[spoiler: Poor, ''poor'' Wakaba]]

''Cross Game'' is a romantic comedy baseball manga series by Mitsuru Adachi (author of ''{{Touch}}''), which ran from 2005-10. Although it is better described as a ComingOfAgeStory: All about life. Death. And baseball! Think ''TheWonderYears'' [[XMeetsY plus]] ''TheNatural''. (If you are too young to remember ''The Wonder Years'' replace it with ''BoyMeetsWorld''). A year-long anime adaptation aired starting in 2009, with the first episode receiving excellent reviews, both in and out of Japan. Viz has licensed both the manga (volumes collecting two Japanese volumes each, with three in the first, started coming out in late 2010) and anime (weekly episodes began streaming from their website in May 2010).

Everyone except Aoba Tsukishima that is. One year younger than Wakaba, Aoba adores her older sister, and is quite jealous of Kō, and the attention Wakaba showers on him. She even declares that she hates him. However, because they are so close together in age, the three often end up doing things together, even though Aoba sometimes feels like a third wheel. Unlike Kō, who is pretty directionless without Wakaba telling him what to do, Aoba is dedicated to becoming an excellent baseball pitcher.

Then the end of the first volume happens (equivalent to the first episode of the anime), [[spoiler:With Wakaba's death]]. Fast-forward four years, and Kō and the Tsukishima family are still dealing with the repercussions. As Kō enters high school he joins the high school baseball team. As he begins to grow up he finds that getting older isn't easy.

Then the end of the first volume happens (equivalent to the first episode of the anime). Fast-forward four years, and Kō and the Tsukishima family are still dealing with the repercussions. As Kō enters high school he joins the high school baseball team. As he begins to grow up he finds that getting older isn't easy.

* DefeatMeansFriendship: Both Akaishi and Azuma with Kō. [[spoiler: Kō never really defeats Azuma but the Prefab team did beat the First team during the game Azuma refused to play, so this troper believes it counts as such.]]

** Azuma. [[spoiler:He gives up on his feelings for Aoba so that she can be happy with Kō.]] This troper finds Azuma even more adorable because of this.

* YamatoNadeshiko: Wakaba, Akane, and Ichiyō all to some extent

* TheResenter: Aoba toward Kō. (Why does my sister like this {{baka}} more than me!)

** IneffectualLoner / JerkJock: Daimon's Seishu team receives special privileges. With the understanding that they are to win the acting principal the notoriety of raising a Koshein-level baseball team, he diverts funds and kicks the table tennis club out into the rain for them. The varsity team is not above breaking non-starting players [[GloryHound to pursue their goal]] and abusing their position over the farm team. While good on paper, many of the varsity players have reached their peak. Daimon collects top talent but doesn't do much with them. After getting fired, Daimon doesn't learn [[AnAesop his lesson]] and tries the same thing at a new school. Daimon losses twice, both times to a team with [[ThePowerOfFriendship better teamwork]] that he underestimated.

* SiblingYinYang: The Azuma brothers. Yuhei is TheStoic and has made baseball his life, while Junpei is a HandsomeLech and is pretty mellow about life [[spoiler: every since an injury killed his baseball career.]]

* DownerBeggining

* TearJerker: The first volume/episode, and ''how''. [[spoiler: Kō's final line (''It's so simple... I just need to cry'') is just crushing. The ending song is extremely sad, too, since it's essentially all about Kō and Wakaba's relationship, and, well, yeah]].

* ToyShip: Kō and Wakaba -- though not so toy as far as she's concerned.

* TearJerker: The first volume/episode, and ''how''. [[spoiler: If Kō's final line (''It's so simple... I just need to cry'') doesn't make you at least shed a tear, you have no soul. The ending song is extremely sad, too, since it's essentially all about Kō and Wakaba's relationship, and, well, yeah]].

** Halfway through the anime, Seishu's rival baseball team gets a {{promotion to opening credits}}, as does Akane.

* JerkJock: The senpai on Kō's baseball team

* TheBet: Instrumental in kicking out [[spoiler: sunglasses and most of his players.]]