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The Best Episodes of Baby Steps

Every episode of Baby Steps ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Baby Steps!

Binge this in 20h 50m•Peaking at 8.8/10

Eiichirō Maruo (nicknamed "Ei-chan" for his grades being straight "A") is an honor student, bookworm, and is not interested in anything other than studying. In order to solve his problem of lacking physical strength, he

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NHK Educational TV
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Seasons2

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Baby Steps Season 2 Episode 14 - Moonlight and the Sound of Waves
    8.8/10(5 votes)

    #1 - Moonlight and the Sound of Waves

    S2:E14

    The final door on the way to the All-Japan Junior, the Kanto Junior Tournament, is just around the corner. Eiichiro psyches himself up as he confirms his promise to his parents that he'll give up if he doesn't win the All-Japan Junior, and then he sets off with the other STC members for Chiba, where the Kanto Junior will be held.

    Director:Masahiko Murata
    Writer:Natsuko Takahashi

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  2. Baby Steps Season 1 Episode 6 - Diamond in the Rough
    8.6/10(8 votes)

    #2 - Diamond in the Rough

    S1:E6

    It is down to the final match of the set. Eiichirō trails 5 games to 1, but with a determination to stay on the court as long as possible Eiichirō begins to push Oobayashi.

    Director:Heo Pyoung-kang
    Writer:Junki Takegami

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  3. Baby Steps Season 2 Episode 9 - Baffled by Intuition
    8.6/10(5 votes)

    #3 - Baffled by Intuition

    S2:E9

    Coach Ryuhei Aoi decides to teach Eiichirō the importance of relying on instincts during a match instead of relying solely on data. In order to teach him how to play against a player who relies solely on instinct Eiichirō is forced to face off with Natsu.

    Director:Kiyoshi Murayama
    Writer:Katsuhiko Chiba

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  4. Baby Steps Season 2 Episode 18 - Visualize the Pressure
    8.6/10(5 votes)

    #4 - Visualize the Pressure

    S2:E18

    Eiichiro thought he was successfully ignoring the crowd's roaring cheers for Ide, but his body was reacting to it more than he realized. The pressure of playing in front of a dramatic, Ide-centric crowd is troubling Eiichiro.

    Director:Maki Kodaira
    Writer:Katsuhiko Chiba

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  5. Baby Steps Season 1 Episode 4 - Face of Conviction
    8.4/10(10 votes)

    #5 - Face of Conviction

    S1:E4

    Eiichiro finds himself in a contest with Takuma. Eiichiro has fifty tries to return Takuma's serve. One successful return and Eiichiro wins. However, despite Eiichiro's best attempts to follow his notes and stick to the basics, he can do nothing against one of the strongest serves in the country.

    Director:Yoshihiro Yanagiya
    Writer:Katsuhiko Chiba

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  6. Baby Steps Season 1 Episode 5 - A First Match Full of Surprises
    8.4/10(10 votes)

    #6 - A First Match Full of Surprises

    S1:E5

    Eiichirō is about to play his first match. He receives advice from the other STC members, but it only makes him more nervous. He doesn't get a chance to calm himself down as he's soon called to the tennis court.

    Director:Koichiro Kuroda
    Writer:Katsuhiko Chiba

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Baby Steps

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  7. Baby Steps Season 1 Episode 20 - Meat Buns and Yakisoba
    8.4/10(6 votes)

    #7 - Meat Buns and Yakisoba

    S1:E20

    Eiichirō participates in a tournament after 3 months of hellish training. He learns about active rest while participating in the tournament and makes it to the final. Terashima is his opponent.

    Director:Maki Kodaira
    Writer:Natsuko Takahashi

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  8. Baby Steps Season 2 Episode 8 - The Speed of Evolution
    8.4/10(5 votes)

    #8 - The Speed of Evolution

    S2:E8

    Eiichirō and Miyagawa face off in the second round of the tournament for their second match. If Eiichirō loses he knows he'll lose all chance of going pro. If Miyagawa loses he knows his path to become a pro will take longer and might force him to go to college first.

    Director:Masahiko Murata
    Writer:Shin Yoshida

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  9. Baby Steps Season 2 Episode 11 - Choices and Explosive Power
    8.4/10(5 votes)

    #9 - Choices and Explosive Power

    S2:E11

    Eiichirō throws out a couple of unexpected dropshots in set 2 and begins to alter the speed of his game. After trailing 30-love to begin match 2 of set 2 Eiichirō is able to rally with this new strategy and pull off a break.

    Director:Motohiro Abe
    Writer:Shin Yoshida

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  10. Baby Steps Season 2 Episode 15 - A Hero and Loud Cheers
    8.4/10(5 votes)

    #10 - A Hero and Loud Cheers

    S2:E15

    The Kanto Junior Tennis Tournament begins at last, and Eiichiro is facing Yakabe Tadanori in his first match. Although he had watched videos of Yakabe's matches from a year ago, Eiichiro is bewildered by his opponent's much taller stature and completely different play style, and all the unexpected factors lead him to consider blanking all his mental data and starting from scratch.

    Director:Tomoyuki Kurokawa
    Writer:Shin Yoshida

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  11. Baby Steps Season 2 Episode 25 - Final Set
    8.4/10(8 votes)

    #11 - Final Set

    S2:E25

    The game finally reaches its final stage. Eiichiro who desperately envisions a vision to win Nambae and is ready for a new strategy with the intention of losing.

    Director:Masahiko Murata
    Writer:Katsuhiko Chiba

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  12. Baby Steps Season 1 Episode 3 - The Contest Is a Fight
    8.3/10(11 votes)

    #12 - The Contest Is a Fight

    S1:E3

    Eiichiro is unable to forget how good it felt when he successfully returned Takuma's serve, and he spends all of his time practicing against the wall. After seeing Eiichiro practice against the wall non-stop for six hours on a Sunday, Natsu predicts that he will quickly improve.

    Director:Kiyoshi Murayama
    Writer:Katsuhiko Chiba

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  13. Baby Steps Season 1 Episode 25 - Eiichiro and Natsu
    8.3/10(7 votes)

    #13 - Eiichiro and Natsu

    S1:E25

    Eiichirō and Natsu go out on their first date. When Eiichirō asks Natsu what she thinks about him, she tells him he is cheating. Afterwards Eiichirō is allowed to resume practice.

    Director:Masahiko Murata
    Writer:Katsuhiko Chiba

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  14. Baby Steps Season 1 Episode 22 - Fundamentals are the Weakness
    8.2/10(6 votes)

    #14 - Fundamentals are the Weakness

    S1:E22

    Yu Nabae matches up with Eiichirō and realizes they really are two players that are virtually the same. He realizes that what Eiichirō lacks is experience with the fundamentals, as he has never played anyone like himself, and after losing the first set Nabae begins to pull away and goes up 5-2.

    Director:Yoshihiro Yanagiya
    Writer:Katsuhiko Chiba

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  15. Baby Steps Season 1 Episode 23 - Reckless 100-Square
    8.2/10(6 votes)

    #15 - Reckless 100-Square

    S1:E23

    In an effort to try and reverse the tide, Eiichirō decides to go back to his idea of having 100-squares to aim for instead of 9.

    Director:Kiyoshi Murayama
    Writer:Junki Takegami

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  16. Baby Steps Season 2 Episode 5 - Takuma's Decision
    8.2/10(5 votes)

    #16 - Takuma's Decision

    S2:E5

    Eiichirō returns from Florida and is given a day off to adjust his body to the time difference. After the day off Eiichirō begins a new strict training regime to help him get ready for the Kanagawa Prefectural.

    Director:Hiroshi Fukutomi
    Writer:Katsuhiko Chiba

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  17. Baby Steps Season 2 Episode 12 - Full Force Toward Adversity
    8.2/10(5 votes)

    #17 - Full Force Toward Adversity

    S2:E12

    Araya and Eiichirō prove to be even and are both unable to break each others serve. Making things worse is there will be no tiebreaker., Instead an individual must win by 2 games.

    Director:Hiroshi Fukutomi
    Writer:Junki Takegami

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  18. Baby Steps Season 1 Episode 2 - Methodical and Unorganized
    8.1/10(13 votes)

    #18 - Methodical and Unorganized

    S1:E2

    Eiichiro is unable to answer Natsu when she asks him what he enjoys doing most. He becomes interested in tennis and returns to STC for another free trial.

    Director:Maki Kodaira
    Writer:Katsuhiko Chiba

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  19. Baby Steps Season 1 Episode 7 - Nine-Square and Reality
    8.0/10(9 votes)

    #19 - Nine-Square and Reality

    S1:E7

    In order to improve Eiichirō's playing, Coach Miura has him learn control on a 9-square court. After getting the basics done, Eiichirō is forced into a match against Takuma.

    Director:Shin'ichi Masaki
    Writer:Junki Takegami

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  20. Baby Steps Season 1 Episode 8 - One Year and Twenty Notebooks
    8.0/10(9 votes)

    #20 - One Year and Twenty Notebooks

    S1:E8

    Maruo Eiichirō continues his training at STC as he tries to master every shot. At smaller tournaments he begins advancing to the third round but is unable to go further. His mother worries that Eiichirō is spending too much time on tennis when he drops out of cram school to practice more.

    Director:Kumi Ichiguchi
    Writer:Katsuhiko Chiba

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  21. Baby Steps Season 1 Episode 10 - Unease on the Edge
    8.0/10(8 votes)

    #21 - Unease on the Edge

    S1:E10

    The match between Eiichirō and Miyagawa begins with each holding serve. However Eiichirō feels that something is off. After studying his notes, Eiichirō realizes that Miyagawa has been studying his shots, and with a 4-3 lead he plans on making his move in the eighth game.

    Director:Masahiko Murata
    Writer:Katsuhiko Chiba

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  22. Baby Steps Season 1 Episode 11 - Risk and Possibility
    8.0/10(8 votes)

    #22 - Risk and Possibility

    S1:E11

    After managing to hold serve Eiichirō starts looking for an opportunity to break Miyagawa. Both hold serve and force a tiebreaker. With the score 6-5 Maruo in the tiebreaker Eiichirō decides to try and gamble to use his full stroke and steal a point.

    Director:Kiyoshi Murayama
    Writer:Katsuhiko Chiba

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  23. Baby Steps Season 1 Episode 15 - Plan to be Forceful
    8.0/10(6 votes)

    #23 - Plan to be Forceful

    S1:E15

    Eiichirō overhears Araya telling Takuma that if he loses to him this tournament, he will retire from tennis. His plan is to defeat Takuma and then announce he is going pro. Takuma agrees to tell Eiichirō Araya's weaknesses.

    Director:Kiyoshi Murayama
    Writer:Katsuhiko Chiba

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  24. Baby Steps Season 1 Episode 17 - Pro At My Age
    8.0/10(6 votes)

    #24 - Pro At My Age

    S1:E17

    Araya and Eiichirō end up at deuce after neither player can gain an advantage. An ace end up being huge for Araya give him the match point advantage, and despite his best efforts a lucky bounce proves to be the end for Eiichirō as he loses 6-1, 6-4. The finals are held between Araya and Takuma.

    Director:Kumi Ichiguchi
    Writer:Katsuhiko Chiba

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  25. Baby Steps Season 1 Episode 24 - Duty and Desire
    8.0/10(6 votes)

    #25 - Duty and Desire

    S1:E24

    Eiichirō runs to watch Natsu's match when he learns she is in danger of losing. Afterwards they return to STC where he Ryuhei Aoi, a man who will become his new coach.

    Director:Yoshinori Odaka
    Writer:Natsuko Takahashi

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Best Episodes Summary

"Moonlight and the Sound of Waves" is the best rated episode of "Baby Steps". It scored 8.8/10 based on 5 votes. Directed by Masahiko Murata and written by Natsuko Takahashi, it aired on 7/5/2015. This episode scored 0.2 points higher than the second highest rated, "Diamond in the Rough".