Character Relationship Map: Again

Characters

• Mie Tozawa (played by Haru) — supporting

  Mie is the daughter of a man who died in the aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. After finding his bundle of unsent New Year's cards, she seeks out his former high school baseball tea...

• Yuko Tachihara (played by Emi Wakui) — supporting
• Naoyuki Takahash (played by Toshiro Yanagiba) — supporting
• Norio Matsukawa (played by Taiga Nakano) — supporting
• Sanami (played by Mugi Kadowaki) — supporting
• Kenji Yanagita (played by Tokuma Nishioka) — supporting
• Natsuko Takahashi (played by Keiko Horiuchi) — supporting
• Haruhiko Sakamachi (played by Asuka Kudo) — supporting

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Mie Tozawa → Norio Matsukawa (Family Daughter And Father) — Mie's search to understand her father's past brings his former teammates together and uncovers the truth about his reputation.

  Mie reveals that her father was Norio Matsukawa, who died in the tsunami.

• Haruhiko Sakamachi → Sanami (Family Estranged Father And Daughter) — Their relationship is distant and painful, while Haruhiko's wish that Sanami see him play leaves open the possibility of reconnection.

  The plot says Haruhiko has lived apart from Sanami and has been absent from her life since she was in primary school. He wants her to see him play, al...

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Kenji Yanagita → Norio Matsukawa (Conflict Former Teammate Who Misjudged Him) — Kenji's confrontation exposes how strongly the team's old judgment of Norio persists before the truth is revealed.

  Kenji confronts Mie after she identifies Norio as her father, while the former players are described as carrying longstanding resentment toward Norio....

• Natsuko Takahashi → Norio Matsukawa (Conflict Former Teammate Who Misjudged Him) — Natsuko is part of the former team whose understanding of Norio changes from resentment to recognition of his sacrifice.

  The former players had long held Norio responsible for past events, but Yuko's account reveals that he protected her and concealed the truth.

• Naoyuki Takahash → Norio Matsukawa (Conflict Former Teammate Who Misjudged Him) — The team's resentment toward Norio gives way to regret and acceptance after his sacrifice is revealed.

  The former players had long believed Norio was responsible for the coach's dismissal and Yuko's abortion; after Yuko explains the truth, they recogniz...

• Natsuko Takahashi → Haruhiko Sakamachi (Alliance Former Teammates Reunited) — Natsuko's participation supports the former players' return to the field and their shared effort to prepare for Masters Koshien.

  Natsuko is among the former teammates who remember the unfinished Koshien dream and gradually become involved in the team.

• Naoyuki Takahash → Haruhiko Sakamachi (Alliance Former Teammates Reunited) — Their shared unfinished dream helps bring Haruhiko back to baseball and into the reunion.

  Naoyuki and other former teammates gradually become involved in Haruhiko's effort to form a Masters Koshien team.

• Kenji Yanagita → Mie Tozawa (Conflict Confrontational Interrogator) — Kenji's confrontation reflects the former players' unresolved anger toward Norio, placing Mie in the middle of their resentment.

  After Mie reveals that Norio was her father, Kenji Yanagita confronts her.

• Yuko Tachihara → Norio Matsukawa (Alliance Protected By His Sacrifice) — Norio concealed the truth and bore the blame to protect Yuko from shame.

  Yuko explains that Norio fought the student who had insulted the team and avoided responsibility, then accepted the team's hatred so she would not be...

• Haruhiko Sakamachi → Norio Matsukawa (Social Former Baseball Teammates) — Haruhiko's old association with Norio is shaped by the team's resentment, which changes when Yuko reveals Norio's real motive.

  The plot identifies Haruhiko as one of Norio's former teammates and says the players had long believed Norio caused their coach's dismissal and other...

• Haruhiko Sakamachi → Mie Tozawa (Narrative Former Teammate's Daughter And Investigator) — Mie turns to Haruhiko to reconnect her father's former teammates and help uncover the past.

  Mie approaches Haruhiko, a former teammate of her father, and asks him to help form a team from Kawagoe Academy's old players.

Story Analysis

A former baseball team reunites to pursue an unfinished dream and confronts the truth behind the resentment that separated them.

Plot Progression

1. A Father on the Sidelines — Haruhiko lives apart from Sanami and feels he has lost the right to intervene in her life. His unresolved family distance frames his later wish to return to baseball.
2. The Return to the Field — Mie asks Haruhiko to gather Kawagoe Academy's former players for Masters Koshien. Though he initially refuses, memories of the team's unfinished dream draw the players back together.
3. A Father's Burden — Mie reveals that Norio was her father, bringing old accusations and resentment to the surface. Kenji confronts her as the former teammates struggle with their history.
4. The Truth About Norio — Yuko explains that Norio fought the person responsible for her pregnancy and accepted blame to protect her from humiliation. The former teammates recognize the sacrifice behind the reputation they had...
5. Reunited Through Baseball — The former players apologize for misjudging Norio and restore him to their shared memory. They continue preparing for Masters Koshien while Haruhiko faces the possibility of reconnecting with Sanami.