I try to be as objective as I can when writing a review. But perfect objectivity is impossible and in my opinion, undesirable.
The average grade is completely irrelevant and shouldn't matter to anyone. I personally rated this show 7.5.
Overview
Touch is a high school sports romance drama based on the manga written by Adachi Mitsuru, the same guy that is responsible for the more recent Cross Game. Unlike most sports anime out there, the series puts emphasis on its characters and their interactions. As for the actual game of baseball, it is presented realistically, completely free of shounen like special moves and whatnot. This combination made Touch insanely popular in Japan as well as in Europe (even though baseball is essentially non-existent here).
This is the last of the 3 recap movies. Although those films have added scenes and a changed plot, they're pretty much obscure, at least outside of Japan.
Even online fansubs are hard to find and their quality isn't that great.
Animation: 7
The art again is very pleasing and maintains the same look from the original. The character design are improved and you can tell right away who is who. A greater attention is given to their bodies that look great from any angle and in any moment.
The backgrounds are detailed enough to work, but are a bit neglected. The people in the background and the game spectators are rendered a lot better this time around. The lighting is a lot better as well, in the dark scenes as well as in the bright ones.
The overall animation is more static than on the previous movies and there's a lot more panning and stills.
Sound: 7
The background music and the songs are appropriate, but nothing too special. They do get a bit on your nerves on one or two occasions when they overlap with dialogue. Other miscellaneous sounds are of higher quality and help immerse the viewer in the tension of the baseball games.
The seiyuu are the original ones and do an excellent job as always. Minami and Tatsuya's voice-actors are great at expressing feelings through subtle changes in their tone. Too bad they don't get as many chances to shine as in the series.
Story: 7
This film covers the third year of high-school for Tatsuya and Minami. The plot is a direct continuation of the second movie and as such it continues with the various plot differences found in the prequels. Most importantly, Yuka doesn't even exist (some random girl is the manager of the team) and in the second year Meisei lost in the final against Sumi Tech.
The story is straightforward and doesn't waste too much time on building an atmosphere. A few significant scenes from the series make their was into the movie, but even those are toned down. Basically, most things are overly simplified to fit in the required time. The sports elements are front stage again, with the baseball tournament taking more than 3/4 of the 82 minutes.
The plot flows well though. There are a few short romantic moments and it isn't as predictable as the second film, but you can't shake the feeling that something important is missing.
Character Development: 7
First off, the leads. Tatsuya remains true to his character, but because his inner conflict was already resolved in the previous movie, he isn't as interesting. The abscence of Yuka hurts Minami a bit as she is robed a lot of opportunities to express herself. The other big problem is her decision in the beginning.
The demon coach Kashiwaba is a lot more mellow. He's not that violent, his hate and spite aren't as overpowering. His change in the last game is not very convincing. At the end of the day, he just doesn't feel like an antagonist.
Besides those 3 , the rest aren't given any importance. Nishimura doesn't appear, Yuka doesn't exist, Nitta has no lines and Harada has only one scene.
A single character grows and that is Kashiwaba. This is a bit weird because he takes away the focus from the leads at times.
Value: 6
This is a reasonable adaptation of a classic, but it is inferior to it in every way imaginable. It is a good baseball drama, but it doesn't have much value for those that don't like this sport.
Enjoyment: 7
I liked it, but not that much. Same as with the second film, the focus was predominately on the baseball games. And then on Kashiwaba. I wished the leads got more screen time together .
Overall, the recap trilogy is hit-and-miss. It works as a baseball drama with hints of romance and enough twists to keep you interested. But if you have seen the series, there's little point in watching it. It 's not even useful as a summary to watch before the sequels to the series, because way too many important things are changed.
