Nogizaka46: "Hatsumori Bemars" drama episode 7 recap and screenshots

Nanase Nishino as Nanamaru

Erika Ikuta as Chopin

Kazumi Takayama as Kote

Nanami Hashimoto as Marukyu

Rina Ikoma as Academy

Yumi Wakatsuki as Imadoki

Manatsu Alimoto as Harvard

Reika Sakurai as Bunan 

Sayuri Matsumura a sYuutsu

Mai Fukagawa as Kachan

Mai Shiraishi as Kirei

Misa Eto as Shelly

 This episode was subbed two days earlier than usual so figured let's view it early and hopefully write a more positive recap on it compared to the last few episodes. Will still say the first three episodes were the best but this one did rebound nicely, bit of the predictability was gone plus we finally got to see more of a member of the Polaris team. Actually in the subs it was first called Polalis and now as called Polaris in this latest show, when you write in Japanese the spelling would be the same so I'll refer to the team as Polaris in this post.
 To date we had only seen a little bit of the Polaris team in each show, still haven't seen them play a game yet though they are undefeated in the tourney and are the favorites to win it all. The team is led by their star pitcher and hitter Kirei(Mai) whose wealthy father also finances the team as they have the most elaborate training facilities you've ever seen and they're just a high school team.

 Kirei lives alone with her father as the mother had passed away close to a decade ago, as a matter of fact she had died on August 21st and Kirei was in mourning for much of the episode as that's the date of the episode. Kirei goes alone to her mother's grave, alone because her father is such a workaholic he couldn't find time to attend the anniversary date with his daughter.
 That kind of upset Kirei greatly, though she has everything anyone could want she really wants to be closer to her father, it appears as she doesn't care too much about being wealthy. However she later discovered by the house's video system that her father was indeed upset about the passing of his wife but he had hid it. But the cameras showed him alone in the house weeping, really the main reason he was such a workaholic was because he couldn't cope with the passing of his wife and he turned to work as an escape route. All that was unknown to Kirei for all these years, she seems to understand what her father is going through better but by show's end they hadn't discussed it at all or at least yet.

 On to the Beamrs team and they've somehow managed to make it to the 5th round of the softball tourney, up until this game every one had been won in the bottom of the seventh inning with a HR but different ending finally this time. The team they're playing this time is from the Suketto International School, their players are largely made up of foreign players who are quite talented, rumor has it too that many of them are well into their 20's.
 We didn't see too much of the Bemars team outside of the game so will just focus on the game though there was a brief meeting between Kirei and the other Bemars players at a restaurant. Also there was a chance encounter between Kirei and Nanamura at the Park of Beginnings, Nanamura had talked about why she and her friends loved the park as much as they did. That seemed to strike a nerve into Kirei as she remembered some of her past with her mother and how they wanted to go to a park together, however those feelings aren't stopping her from winning the tourney so her father can build an apartment building at the site of the park.
 Back to the game and the Suketto team jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead but that would be it for them as the Bemars battled back. No hero in the bottom of the seventh inning to win the game but it was a team effort as all the players chipped in with some hits and for the first time the Bemars had the lead in a game going into the last inning.

 It was a slim lead though at 4-3 but Nanamura has held the Suketto team scoreless since the third inning, she's quickly become an ace pitcher. But a classic pitcher-hitter duel awaits as with two outs the Suketto's best hitter, who already had a homer in the game, is at the plate. And she crushes a ball well out of the park but luckily for the Bemars it was a few feet foul. Nanamura buckles down and throws perhaps her pitch of the game as she whiffs the hitter sending the Bemars on to the next round. Don't know why there's so many rounds, there were 46 teams in the tourney which is an odd number but even with a bye for a few teams the fifth game should have been the championship using basic math.
 Basic math wasn't used so it's on the round six for the Bemars, usually at the end of an episode they show show what team is up next but that didn't happen this time, maybe the championship game is coming up next? Figure there's three episodes left so would think there'd be one show leading up to the game with perhaps two episodes devoted to the game, that's just a guess but dramas like this tend to end off like that.
 Did like this episode much more than the previous couple, it was getting too boring knowing that the Bemars would win the game with a homer in the last inning so it was nice to see a bit of a change. Also good to a bit of the Polaris team but would have liked to have seen more of Misa as Shelly too, her role is just not big enough but with tat least three more episodes we may learn more of her character. Haven't received any comments on this drama yet as far as what other viewers may think of it, do you like it? Hate it? It's so-so? So far I'd give it an 8.5/10, certainly not a must watch but it's been really enjoyable though a little too fluffy at times, no doubt if you're a fan of the group you'd really enjoy this drama. Few more screenshots to end off with and as always the next post is packed with many more from this episode.