First Draft: A Dialogue of Writing is a weekly show featuring in-depth interviews with fiction highlighting the voices of writers as they discuss their work First Draft celebrates creative writing and the individuals who are dedicated to bringing their carefully chosen words to print as well as the impact writers have on the world we live in In this episode, Mitzi talks to Lisa Hofmann-Kuroda about her new translation of Yuko Tsushima’s Wildcat Dome Subscribe and download the episode Mitzi Rapkin: What is it like to hold this book in your head in two languages Lisa Hofmann-Kuroda: I don’t think it is I think at a certain point in the translation process you really have to just let go of the original and I try to reread the original and kind of look at them side by side while I’m translating and while I’m editing and things like that Especially if something sounds wrong in the English I was really off with that,I need to really rethink this But at a certain point in the editing process you really have to let go of the original and just look at the English for what it is because otherwise it just becomes too muddled At a certain point it has to stand on its own as a work because when people are reading Wildcat Dome in English most people aren’t going to be reading it side by side with the Japanese they’re just going to be experiencing the English I have to really look at it as a work in English And that’s something that an editor is really helpful for too maybe something that worked in the original is just not going to work in English or it’s not going to work for this context We have to make decisions about cutting or adding something for context So at some point you really just have to kind of separate them Lisa Hofmann-Kuroda is a literary translator she is the co-translator of Ryke Akutagawa’s Kappa and the translator for Yuko Tsushima’s Wildcat Dome Created by Grove Atlantic and Electric Literature Masthead About Sign Up For Our Newsletters How to Pitch Lit Hub Privacy Policy Support Lit Hub - Become A Member Lit Hub has always brought you the best of the book world for free—no paywall you'll keep independent book coverage alive and thriving Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Brooklyn Based Trumpet Player Takuya Kuroda Shares Video for “Car 16 15 A” From 8th Studio LP Is the Car number of the express train and seat number that Takuya often ended up taking specially in Japan He would always have to run to the platform to make car 16 since it was at the edge of the platform The song is about the that experience they encountered on tour The first part is the running onto the platform That is followed by slow a relaxed vibe part that is the “ I made it to the train Brooklyn-based trumpeter Takuya Kuroda’s eight studio album EVERYDAY is a stunning demonstration of his dedication and skill Since the release of his soulful seventh album 2022’s Midnight Crisp –– a record praised by PopMatters as a “future classic” –– Kuroda has not missed a beat In his desire to achieve the “perfect blend of production and organic performance” the 45-year-old musician has continued to throw himself into his practice daily EVERYDAY builds on and dives ever deeper into the hip hop and neo-soul elements of his previous work It is a triumph of genre-blending modern jazz Kuroda’s playing is sure-footed and pure –– whether on the horn or Rhodes–– and he virtuosically dances among infectious rhythms of his own creation Kuroda’s twenty-one years in the United States have been fruitful After studying composition at The New School he began performing with DJ Premier’s Badder Band and has recorded as a sideman and bandleader for records on the likes of Blue Note and Concord “the only way to make the music that I want to make is to work hard There is a certain duality to the title that taps into something profound about this music “Everyday” of course means both daily and commonplace While Kuroda’s music is anything but average there is something about the intrinsic and embedded nature of the day-to-day that is reflected and seductively expounded on here Kuroda describes the process of recording Everyday like this: “Make tracks at home repeat the process to polish the track –– as I hear it.” There is both a no-nonsense work ethic here and also a sort of embeddedness that Kuroda achieves through this practice which perhaps cannot be accessed if one simply waits to get to the studio to begin work plays and polishes until what’s coming through the speakers matches what’s been playing in his head everyday This is exactly what ensures Kuroda’s skillful synthesis of influences which Dean Van Nguyen noted while reviewing 2020’s Fly Moon Die Soon for Pitchfork One is left with that sense that Kuroda has been tapping it all out everywhere he goes shuffling his feet along the pathway in the park “is the foundation for all the tracks on EVERYDAY.” brought to life by the energy of David Frazier’s drumming Kuroda’s shimmering lyricism dances all over EVERYDAY His trumpet playing pops and weaves and rings on the title track and his melodies are “singable” –– profoundly so on the album closer “Curiosity,” on which Kuroda trades trumpet for flugelhorn “Bad Bye” is a glittering and classic sounding neo soul effort featuring a stunning performance from vocalist FiJA It’s as though Kuroda plucked this track from a dream of Mama’s Gun –– but it’s Kuroda’s dream and so the song is Kuroda’s Likewise with “Iron Giraffe,” in which Kuroda makes space for tenor saxophonist Craig Hill to weave a contemporary reverie of Night Music EVERYDAY is hyperaware of a panoply of old ideas and a pantheon of old gods but as Kuroda engages these tropes and personalities day in and day out he turns it all around in a style that’s undeniably cool and personal “Kuroda’s skill is not drawing influence from so many different forms it’s radiating joy in doing so.” And as Kuroda puts it “I’m still learning everyday and trying to express myself more clearly in the form of music that I love.” It’s this sterling dedication that makes Takuya Kuroda and EVERYDAY anything but commonplace All Press Releases under Copyright from their respective parties Music Streams are used by permission by Owner/Management of said Record Label(s) If you buy something from an SB Nation link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement We only have a few spots left in out Top-20 A’s prospects list Taking the 17th spot is recent draftee Joshua Kuroda-Grauer a shortstop out of Rutgers University that the club selected in the 3rd-round just last year A content-oriented approach at the plate gives the 22-year-old a high-floor but there isn’t much power in that bat of his He’s still young and could develop some pop down the line which would significantly raise his ceiling He has the hands and decent enough speed to be a decent defender at shortstop though he would likely be an above-average second baseman if he ever slides over to the keystone which many scouts consider his long-term home He already shot all the way up to Triple-A last year for a quick 4-game tryout but he’ll likely begin the year at Double-A The next nominee is a recent signee from overseas That player is two-way prospect Shotaro Morii who only just joined the organization last month He had plenty of fan-fare before joining the A’s for a record-breaking bonus but that’ll look like chump change if Morii can scratch even the surface of his potential Lots of scouts believe he’ll be a better hitter than pitcher but the club is going to let him develop both skills as they hope they’ve got the next Shohei Ohtani in their system He’s very young so don’t expect to see him in the Green & Gold anytime soon but he’ll be a fun prospect to watch rise the ranks over the next few years The process for this public vote is explained below Please take a moment to read this before participating: Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 50 | Cutter: 50 | Splitter: 45 | Control: 45 | Overall: 40 Much of Holman’s step forward this season has come simply as a result of being healthy and getting regular reps He’s always had pretty electric stuff and has finally gotten the opportunity to harness it It starts with a fastball that sits around 95 mph with excellent life He backs it up with sharp low-80s slider that can also be an out pitch at times and he still employs a splitter as his changeup though he doesn’t use it as often as a short reliever Holman has long had a bulldog mentality on the bump and likes to attack hitters something that serves him well in the back end of the bullpen He also doesn’t have to worry about pinpoint command and the hope is it gives him a better chance of staying on the mound The 2021 Draft has already produced several big leaguers and prospects — including current A’s closer Mason Miller — and it’s not hard to see Holman joining Miller in a setup type role in the near future Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 55 | Cutter: 50 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 50 | Overall: 40 There was a point earlier in his career when Basso was hitting 98 mph with his fastball he tops out around 94 with the heater to go along with a wipeout curveball in the mid-70s cutter in the mid-80s that generates ground balls and swing-and-miss and a changeup that continues to improve Basso is mechanically sound on the mound with good control he will look to stay healthy and potentially earn a chance to appear in the A’s starting rotation at some point this season Scouting grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 50 | Run: 60 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 40 Green possesses an exciting power-speed combination but enthusiasm is dampened by his propensity to swing-and-miss There’s a ton of raw pop for him to tap into and while he started turning on pitches and hitting balls out to his pull side as a sophomore the left-handed hitter might be at his best when he lets the ball travel and he drives it the opposite way There was hope that was a sign of an improved hit tool but his strikeout rate hovered around 28 percent in 2024 His unorthodox mechanics at the plate — he doesn’t use his lower half – have continued to hamper him the kind of long strider who is even better underway That helps him cover a lot of ground and could give him a chance to play center field though some scouts think he might be better suited to left and he’s worked hard to build his arm strength from well below average in high school to average now but the lack of consistent contact will be a hurdle to overcome Scouting grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 55 | Run: 45 | Arm: 45 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50 Equipped with MLB-level physicality at a young age Johnson fits the mold of a bat-first young prospect evaluators can dream on He starts from a clean right-handed setup at the plate and then unleashes a fast and crisp bat path which enables him to pepper the ball to all fields His mental acumen earns high marks as well He has keyed in on the zone as he has matured beginning to hunt his pitch to do extra damage While reps at shortstop in the pro ranks are precious (and some evaluators see a move to either the hot corner or the keystone as likely) Johnson’s athleticism will allow him to stick at the spot for now forgoing defensive flash for consistent actions Morii is a two-way player who attended a small school in Japan and played most of his teenage career away from the tutelage of NPB academies emerging late in his high school career as a projected first-round pick had he entered the NPB draft which comes out of the A’s 2025 international pool is believed to be the largest ever for a Japanese player who did not play in NPB Morii said he has been a two-way player since he was 8 He hit 45 home runs in three seasons while also pitching at Tokyo’s TOHO Junior and Senior High School He will start at the lowest minor league level in Mesa While the majority of international scouts have higher belief in Morii’s long-term offensive prowess the tantalizing upside on the hill is undeniable Morii excites evaluators due to his relatively light usage on the mound He’s only been pitching with regularity for around the past 18 months giving him something of a fresh arm as he enters the organization Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world 2025 at 3:01 AM ESTBookmarkSaveJapan has “completely” ended deflation and it’s absolutely natural for the central bank to proceed with rate hikes to normalize policy according to former BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda whose term was defined by ultra easy monetary settings “Japan’s economy is completely back,” Kuroda said Thursday at a conference in Tokyo “It’s perfectly natural for the BOJ to conduct policy normalization.” Follow Rutgers Baseball on Social Media    X | Instagram | Facebook Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here « Back With his soulful new album Everyday, modern jazz trumpeter Takuya Kuroda fulfills promises he made on his visit to the KNKX studios last year That studio session included saxophonist Craig Hill, who brought a new dynamic to Kuroda’s songs, which featured trombonist Corey King on previous albums Kuroda promised KNKX fans that Hill would have a greater role in his band moving forward Everyday shows that his promise has been fulfilled Though Hill appeared on two previous albums from Kuroda Everyday features his saxophone in tandem with trumpet and enjoying more spotlight time than ever before but this time as lead vocals on the album’s breakout single The overall sound of the band is dominated, however, by the connection between Kuroda’s staccato trumpet lines and dynamic drumming of David Frazier Jr Kuroda praised Frazier and said that the type of music he’s creating depends on the production and sound of the drums On the song “Bad Bye,” Kuroda employs tightly produced sounds combined with laidback acoustic instruments, warm drums and brighter, splashy cymbals. The beat cuts out for interrupting synth beeps before settling into a groovy supporting role for vocalist FiJA and a tasty trumpet solo from the bandleader The song’s title track is powered by funky and extensive and impressive solos from both horns The album title refers to the trumpeter’s busy daily creative schedule The songs themselves offer a soundtrack to your own lifestyle A clear example is Kuroda’s “Car 16 15 a” named for the train car he caught for his daily commute growing up in Japan abrupt rhythm underneath his modern hard-bop lines is the sound of “catching the train,” while the slower section finds the composer settled and seated “watching the world go by.” A return to the toe-tapping theme with a groovy guitar solo and Kuroda’s dazzling run make this rocking song an instant classic “Iron Giraffe” is where fans of improvisation seekers will find their treasure Mid-tempo organ and spare drums/bass to ensemble trumpet-sax melody – romantic and seductive Organ matches wits with synthesizer before the song launches into brilliant horn solos with roots in the legacy of jazz improvisation while the song’s vibe is thoroughly modern Acting as the sunset of this album’s journey the final song “Curiosity” has all the elements Kuroda has become known for – building polishing the song to a digital shine that still allows his humanity to come through Kuroda made one other promise to the KNKX studio session audience during his visit last year When asked what to expect from his next album he answered with a smile that it would be a “really The New Cool airs Fridays at 9 p.m., hosted by Abe Beeson and produced by KNKX Public Radio in Seattle, Washington. LISTEN ON DEMAND By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy By fusing elements of hip-hop, neo-soul and jazz, Takuya Kuroda has established a reputation as a skillful musical chameleon Brooklyn-based trumpeter has put that Rolodex of skills on full display with the release of EVERYDAY His pro debut was indicative of his skillset Over 126 plate appearances across Low-A Stockton the right-handed-hitting middle infielder slashed .324/.421/.343 with a 123 wRC+ he had more free passes (12) than strikeouts (9) As our lead prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen described in his writeup “Kuroda-Grauer’s offensive profile is built around his advanced bat-to-ball chops… [he] is short to the ball with average bat speed.” Kuroda-Grauer discussed his draft experience and the role model mindset that was ingrained in him by his two mothers David Laurila: You were drafted in the third round Kuroda-Grauer: “I was told to expect anything from the second to the fourth so I fell kind of where I thought I’d fall I’m just really happy and fortunate to be with the A’s organization especially with the group of guys that came in.” Kuroda-Grauer: “I definitely knew they were interested but a crazy thing about the draft is that you can meet with however many teams but then you get picked up by one that never really talked to you.” Laurila: You hadn’t been drafted out of high school I really wasn’t even recruited to play college ball It wasn’t the biggest sports school or sports town in Jersey Laurila: How did you progress from being an overlooked high school player to a guy who put up the numbers you did in college Kuroda-Grauer: “I definitely have to give the credit to our hitting coach [at Rutgers], Michael Garza and just understanding the game of baseball He helped me to become a better player in general playing three years at that level… I think you naturally adjust along the way the coaching that I got at Rutgers was amazing.” Laurila: What type of adjustments did you make at the plate if I looked at film of your hitting as a freshman and compared it to today Kuroda-Grauer: “I think you’d see a much cleaner bad path still flowy — that’s kind of how I’ve always swung — but you’d see a more polished swing from the mechanical side My best attribute as a hitter is probably my ball-to-ball skills I just have an innate ability to put the ball in play and I think cleaning up my bat path from freshman year to junior year really helped me to make good line drive contact “I definitely like to be a tablesetter for the big boys in the lineup behind me I want to be the guy that scores 100 runs in a season Laurila: Where are you in terms of exit velocities Kuroda-Grauer: “My exit velocities have jumped which is a testament to the weight room and getting bigger and stronger as well as cleaning up the mechanical stuff I think the highest this year is something like 109 or 110 [mph] If you’re hitting the ball 100-plus every time you get up to the plate Laurila: Do you need to increase your walk rate [9.5% to go with a 7.1% strikeout rate in pro ball] in order to be a good tablesetter at the highest levels Kuroda-Grauer: “I think I have a good awareness of the strike zone — I don’t chase a lot — but especially in pro ball The zone is the zone and you don’t have to go outside of it In college you might get a big zone here and there I want to be able to stick at shortstop throughout my professional career I’m always going to give my offense the nod because of my contact rates — I think I’ve always been a really good hitter — but I think my defense is up there as well.” I’ve heard that you have strong leadership skills I assume that’s something you take pride in One thing I heard coming into the draft was that professional baseball is real individualized and not really that team aspect you get in college Hopefully I’m able to bring some of that leadership with me to professional baseball.” Laurila: I read a story in which you spoke about your two mothers and how they raised you to be accepting of others The piece then mentioned the time you brought food to an unhoused woman outside your hotel Is it important to you that people know about things like that I think that being a role model is important especially for the youth and the people in my town I’ve had a lot of Little Leaguers from Franklin Township It’s academics-wise and just being a good person overall That’s the way I was raised by both of my parents Yough’s Raidon Kuroda attempts a pass during the team’s camp practice Aug. 14, 2024, in Herminie. It was thrown without too much arc and wasn’t a bullet pass the receiver broke away from his defender at the 50-yard line caught the ball in stride and coasted for an 80-yard touchdown “There we go!” exclaimed Yough coach Ben Hoffer Senior quarterback Raidon Kuroda closed the Aug 15 practice with his best throw of the day That’s not to say Kuroda’s other throws were bad he hit his receivers either in the numbers with the pass or placed it only where they could catch it “It’s his third year in the offense so he knows it very well,” said offensive coordinator Casey Teagarden “If he can make the type of throws I’m asking him to make this season What Kuroda showed on that humid August morning was the payoff for all the hard work he did in the offseason to better what “was a weak point in my game.” I felt uncomfortable throwing the ball or trusting where it would go,” Kuroda said “But this year I’ve worked on my footwork and this is the most comfortable I’ve felt throwing a football.” “He’s made huge strides in a year in getting his shoulders in line with his target and throwing the ball on time,” said Teagarden ran for another 689 and scored a total of 11 touchdowns Playing behind a veteran offensive line that has played together since they were freshmen and a possessing a deeply talented receiving core Kuroda should reach the heights everyone expects him to hit “Everyone knows what Raidon can do,” said Hoffer His duality makes him difficult for defensive coordinators to scheme around him which also means securing a winning record Yough hasn’t accomplished either since 2013 when it finished with a 6-5 record and made the postseason “The mentality around Yough is that we were going to come in get our two wins and end with another losing record,” Kuroda said “We need to change that mentality and if we do we can change the hearts of the students and the fans and get more people out to support us during games.” Kuroda is fully aware he will be looked upon to lead the Cougars to their goals “I’ve been playing quarterback my whole life I don’t really feel any added pressure,” Kuroda said I’m always studying and working hard to be a leader I’m looking to take some of the burden off my teammates.” the quarterback tends to play safety on the defensive side but Kuroda has been a force at middle linebacker Knowing how rigorous playing both positions can be Kuroda spent his offseason improving his diet and going harder in the weight room which helped him pack on 15 pounds of muscle he is a force no team wants to see bearing down on them on either side of the ball I would not want to face this kid coming at me in a hole 15 or 16 times a game,” said Teagarden “He runs behind his pads and doesn’t avoid contact.” “He also looks faster,” added defensive coordinator Devin Owens “From what I saw on last year’s film to what I’m seeing on the field this summer He’s everything you want in a leader.” Kuroda’s goals defensively are to duplicate his 100-plus total tackles from last year and force more turnovers “He’s reads plays and gets to his spot before the blockers can get there,” said Hoffer “He just has a knack for finding the ball that no one in my years of coaching has had He avoids blocks when he can and blows up plays in the backfield.” Being the focal point on offense and a tackling machine on defense could be too much for some to bear but Kuroda has remained even-keeled throughout the offseason and is ready to show off what he’s learned and be the catalyst the Cougars need him to be “My time’s come and I’m trying to leave a legacy here and revitalize the Yough football program,” Kuroda said “I believe we’re going to go far and do some great things this year.” If Javascript is disabled browser, to place orders please visit the page where our photos are available to purchase. Yough quarterback Raidon Kuroda completed 16 of 33 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns Friday. His performance Friday night also was pretty memorable, even though Yough lost in the closing seconds to Mt. Pleasant, 22-19, at Cougar Mountain Stadium. Kuroda, the Cougars’ 6-foot-1, 210-pound senior quarterback, accounted for 319 yards of offense and three touchdowns, nearly leading his team to a win in the Class 3A Interstate Conference opener. “He’s a heck of a player,” Mt. Pleasant coach Jason Fazekas said. “A big, strong kid. He made some plays.” Said Yough athletic director Jim Schaffer: “He’s a football player.” Kuroda completed 16 of 33 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns, including a go-ahead score with 4 minutes, 50 seconds left to Jaiden Dixon-Bretzel to give the Cougars a 19-14 lead. Mt. Pleasant, though, scored with 14 seconds left to escape with the win. “Mt. Pleasant is a tough team, and they didn’t give up,” Kuroda said. “We were in a position to win that game. My guys have the biggest hearts of anyone I know. This game is like a win and a loss. We came so close but we fell short. We’ll see how we (react) from here.” Yough, which started 2-0 this year for the first time since 2013, is showing improvement. The Cougars (2-4, 0-1) rallied to take their first lead late, with Kuroda making some strong throws downfield to Ryan Sarver and Dixon-Bretzel. A hook-and-lateral play gained 45 yards. Kuroda through to Sarver, who pitched to Dixon-Bretzel. “Our offensive coordinator, Casey Teagarden, gets credit for that one,” Yough coach Ben Hoffer said. “We repped it all week. The hook-and-sugar. It worked well. We almost scored on it.” A couple of dropped passes in the end zone were a tough pill to swallow, but the Cougars knew they still had a shot, despite some miscues. “All the guys are emotional because of the chance they had,” Hoffer said. “It’s tough. They battled, and I am really proud of their effort. We have to keep working and continue to be positive.” Kuroda also had five tackles and a sack on defense. Mt. Pleasant is getting used to tight games. It’s becoming the team’s M.O. “You take a win how you can get it, especially in this conference,” coach Jason Fazekas said. The Vikings have played four games decided by three points or less, two of which went to overtime. The Vikings (3-3, 1-0) have scored 138 points and allowed 143. Down by five with less than five minutes to play Friday, the Vikings used a 15-play 73-yard drive to score the game-winning touchdown. Steve Predajna stretched the ball over the 1-yard line with 14 seconds left in a 22-19 win over Yough. He also scored the winner in a 36-35 win over Greensburg Central Catholic. The Vikings got into a rhythm and pulled out another nail-biter. “We knew we still had time to score,” running back Brody Hutter said. “Our two-minute offense is always productive. And our defense stepped up.” Southmoreland freshman quarterback Anthony Smith had a career night in a 31-14 win against Derry. He completed 16 of 25 throws for 296 yards and four touchdowns. His top receiver, Elliot Premus, had seven receptions for 155 yards and two scores. Jackson Mickens added three catches for 100 yards. The Scotties are 5-1 overall and 1-0 in the Class 3A Interstate Conference. Some key local players sat out Friday with injuries. Penn State commit Alex Tatsch did not play in a 30-20 loss to Woodland Hills, a week after he sat out the second half against Armstrong with shoulder pain. Belle Vernon was missing key injured starters Alonzo Wade and Deaubre Lightfoot in a 42-14 loss to rival Thomas Jefferson. Penn-Trafford running back Tasso Whipple not only rushed for 163 yards and three touchdowns, including runs of 56 and 68 yards in a 34-10 win over Plum, but he also was named the homecoming king alongside this year’s queen, soccer standout Rease Solomon. Next week’s schedule offers the most fan-friendly set of games this season. All-local matchups next Friday include Norwin at Hempfield, Jeannette at Greensburg Central Catholic, Mt. Pleasant at Greensburg Salem, Yough at Southmoreland, Penn-Trafford at Gateway and Kiski Area at Latrobe. Norwin coach Mike Brown used to coach Hempfield. Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane teaches at Gateway. And Jeannette and GCC have players who share the same ZIP code. If Javascript is disabled browser, to place orders please visit the page where our photos are available to purchase Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information 2024 at 2:22 AM EDTBookmarkSaveFormer Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda signaled that the central bank has a lot of room to raise borrowing costs in its policy normalization process by offering a rough idea of the nation’s neutral interest rate which the Bank of Japan is trying to gradually approach could be less than 2%,” Kuroda said via video link at the Bund Summit in Shanghai Friday “A short-term nominal rate may be less than 2% maybe around 1.5% or maybe less than that.” where one pitcher destined for Cooperstown passed on the techniques that another pitcher would use to chart his own path to immortality Greg Maddux is not typically linked to Hiroki Kuroda. The two were teammates for the final days of Maddux’s illustrious career. It was a brief encounter for Maddux, who spent significant time with the Braves and Cubs He credits it for helping him pitch into his 40s and for helping him to recently receive his highest honor induction into Japan’s Baseball Hall of Fame Meanwhile, Kuroda was a rookie, though only by Major League Baseball’s definition having amassed 103 wins over 11 seasons with Japan’s Hiroshima Carp before signing with the Dodgers as a 33-year-old free agent He already understood himself — and what he was searching for — which is why the 58 days he spent with Maddux in Dodger Blue would prove instrumental in extending his career “Of course I knew who he was and marveled at the way he pitched from the time I was still in Japan,” Kuroda said in his native Japanese “He was not afraid to throw a two-seamer front door to lefty batters because the concept of locating a pitch there was basically unheard of in Japan but I sensed that I needed weapons like that in order to survive at that stage of my career.” Both Kuroda and Maddux are right-handed pitchers which means a front door pitch to lefties requires commanding the ball to start inside before breaking away at the last second for a strike and was one of many techniques that Maddux deployed over his career as he adeptly pulled strings to gain the precise movement he desired “I talked with him through his interpreter about it,” Maddux said He saw that and realized you don’t have to throw it 90-plus to still be effective a pitch that had historically been frowned upon in Japan Pitchers are expected to take great pride in perfecting the hardest four-seam fastball they can A four-seamer relies on spin rate to reach maximum velocity while a two-seamer sacrifices spin in order to achieve movement Kuroda not only had to learn a pitch that was considered taboo at the time but also overcome the uneasiness of being a righty trying to locate it to left-handed batters without having it catch too much of the plate or hit them “That’s the way I was schooled,” Kuroda said “I thought the same way throughout my career in Japan I was a power pitcher focused on being precise with my power I would have never even thought to go front door with it to lefties.” Kuroda was considered a model Japanese pitcher Despite never leading Nippon Professional Baseball in strikeouts he averaged exactly seven strikeouts per nine innings with fewer than two walks over his final seven seasons before joining the Dodgers But Kuroda’s first year in Los Angeles was inconsistent He posted a 9-10 record with a 3.73 ERA over 31 starts and 183 1/3 innings His 5.7 strikeouts per nine innings were lower than his typical averages and Kuroda realized he needed to make adjustments “I was now into my thirties and couldn’t rely on power like I did in my younger days,” Kuroda says “I needed to learn some new techniques for survival.” That’s when he stopped admiring Maddux from afar and directly sought his help “My image is definitely of a video room at an away ballpark,” Kuroda recalled as he described where he summoned the courage to seek advice from Maddux “He graciously sat down and watched video of my pitching with me and he pointed out situations where the two-seamer front door to a lefty would be effective and explained the technique for throwing it.” The Dodgers’ regular season ended with a three-game series at San Francisco. Maddux pitched the penultimate game — needing just 47 pitches to hold the Giants to one run in six innings in the final start of his storied career — and Kuroda took the mound for the season finale because I still hadn’t thrown the pitch at that time and it makes sense that we both would have been in the video room before the first game of the series preparing for our starts.” Maddux recalls the gist of his advice to Kuroda as being what to do with the pitch against lefties once he got comfortable throwing the two-seamer Maddux emphasized the proper alignment necessary to achieve the sink and movement effectively when throwing glove side But what about the fear that had been instilled in Kuroda from his youngest days of hitting the batter or leaving the pitch in a spot where it could be whacked “There’s no difference in having the courage to throw a curveball,” Maddux said ”You might hang that and they might hit that as well You’ve got to trust your stuff and trust your location and execute pitches I know today’s game is all about throwing it hard and making it break so you don’t have to locate it the pitchers who execute the best are the ones who win.” Such simple encouragement from the master reverberated in Kuroda’s head as he toiled to perfect the technique can go front door to lefties,’” Kuroda recalled Maddux saying Kuroda began putting it all together in his third season with the Dodgers in 2010, when he won 11 games and posted a 3.39 ERA over 31 starts. His 11 victories marked the first of five consecutive double-digit win campaigns for the Dodgers and Yankees the first Japanese pitcher in MLB to accomplish that He added two more double-digit win seasons upon returning to the Carp the longest such streak in his combined 20-year professional career He also became the first Japanese pitcher in MLB to exceed 200 innings pitched in three straight seasons his K/9 returned to his previous career averages as did his walk rate Kuroda recalls a particularly effective outing with the Yankees in 2012 where he relied on locating his newfound two-seamer front door to lefties “I started the game in Seattle on the day we acquired Ichiro (Suzuki),” Kuroda recalled. “Even without Ichiro, the Mariners had a lefty-heavy lineup and I used the two-seamer to go front door with two strikes and freeze a lot of them.” Kuroda won his 10th game of the year that July night striking out nine over seven innings of three-hit ball and five times they were caught looking on the pitch he inherited from Maddux To date, 51 Japanese pitchers have followed Hideo Nomo to MLB since his debut in 1995, including Kuroda. Despite being among the oldest of that group to debut, Kuroda is second in games started (211), wins (79) and innings pitched (1,319) to Yu Darvish While Kuroda reportedly was offered a contract from the Yankees for the 2015 season he elected to return to Hiroshima for two more seasons to fulfill his promise of going out as a Carp The hosts were startled by Kuroda registering the highest caught looking percentage of his overall strikeouts In his last two seasons before leaving to MLB he had a 22.9 percent and 12.5 percent caught looking rate those numbers jumped to 27.6 percent and 36.8 percent a clear indication of the use of his newfound two-seamer and his conviction in throwing it to lefties That fearlessness is something noticed by Kris Johnson, a former Red Sox number one draft pick and Sawamura Award winner Johnson was in the Carp rotation when Kuroda rejoined it in 2015 and made the same observation with his eyes that Kyujien made with data “The reason that he dominated at 40 and 41 years of age,” Johnson said “is because he threw inside to hitters and he threw inside with a purpose Nobody really could command the inside part of the plate back then because I believe they were afraid of hitting batters.” Kuroda became the fifth Japanese player who spent part of his career in MLB to gain entry into Japan’s Hall of Fame Hearing that his one-time pupil credits his advice for helping him gain immortality in Japan “But that’s just a part of being a teammate I helped as many people as I had people that helped me throughout my career.” Brad Lefton is a bilingual journalist based in St He has covered baseball in Japan and America for three decades and spoke to Kuroda in Japanese for this article (Top photo of Hiroki Kuroda: Stephen Dunn / Getty Images) Website by Make a Spectacle Japanese trumpeter Takuya Kuroda may have given his eighth album the title ‘Everyday,’ but it isn’t every day that you can hear a cross-pollinated album that veers from jazz-funk to prog and fusion dropping hip-hop beats and neo-soul all over the place And all that without sounding either trite or run-of-the-mill that can be so common with artists taking a similar path these days you can practice incessantly the music you intend to record to give it that perfect-sounding touch (as Kuroda seems to do) but just the instrumental will not do it if you don’t understand and feel every single musical element that you are attempting to include in your music And that is exactly where Kuroda succeeded in his previous efforts as well as he does here – immaculately conceived and played music where the trumpeter doesn’t just draw every ounce of musical capability out of himself but out of all the players (and singers) involved What Kuroda does so expertly here is collect some oh-so-familiar musical elements from often overplayed genres and arranges them in a manner that they sound quite fresh and new something that fails so many other artists working with the same or similar elements but there is nothing mundane or simplistic in Kuroda’s music Regular visitor? Please consider a small subscription to help us keep the site running. As little as £1 a month could make all the difference. Click here for more details. If you’ve enjoyed reading our site please consider supporting our Patreon and help ensure we can keep up the good work in to the future. More Info Website by Make a Spectacle Today's print edition Home Delivery Japan must fix "any misunderstanding" held by U.S President Donald Trump that its central bank was intentionally weakening the yen with monetary policy Trump said on Monday he had told Japan and China they could not continue to reduce the value of their currencies as doing so would be unfair to the United States.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); Asked about Trump's comment on Friday night Kuroda told a Japanese television interviewer there were limits to what Japan could do to prop up the yen if the dollar were to rise on prospects of higher U.S inflation from Trump's planned tariffs In a time of both misinformation and too much information quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing Your subscription plan doesn't allow commenting. To learn more see our FAQ Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division Kuroda was a confident leader in a KNKX studio session performance of his original music everyone in Kuroda's band is worthy of his praise Craig Hill made a strong impression on saxophone bringing a strong new element to a band that has matched trumpet with Corey King's trombone for more than a decade It was his big brother's trombone and love for big bands that first inspired Kuroda but when he first arrived on the New York scene "It was Robert Glasper, Keyon Harrold and all those 'monsters' from this generation And then I had to come here to see and learn what was going on," Kuroda said Since his 2014 break-out- album Rising Son, produced by vocalist Jose James Takuya Kuroda has moved further into the world of producing and adding programmed elements to his music He said thinking about production has changed the way he writes music but he still uses a clever composing trick "I started trying to not write down the melody that I came up with and go to sleep "When it comes to production," Kuroda explained "the sound of drums is the most important when you're producing music like this." Along with Frazier and Hill, bassist Kyle Miles kept the band snugly inside the pocket. Takahiro Izumikawa did double duty ripping through dramatic solos on piano and adding sonic textures on synthesizer Takuya Kuroda and his band had a great time in the KNKX studios and his bandmates weren't at all upset to give this incredibly talented trumpeter the spotlight Studio Sessions is sponsored by the University of Washington Continuum College When President Yoon Suk-yeol placed South Korea under short-lived martial law in December 2024, Katsuhiro Kuroda watched the chaos unfold from his home The award-winning journalist and former Seoul bureau chief of The Sankei Shimbun has observed South Korean politics over four decades In an exclusive interview with JAPAN Forward Having covered former President Chun Doo-hwan's post-coup extended martial law in 1980 Kuroda sensed something markedly different this time "Martial law is usually a response to widespread unrest "Some actually mistook President Yoon's declaration as a warning of an imminent North Korean attack." In a televised address on December 3 Yoon defended his decree as a necessary measure to eradicate "anti-state and pro-North Korean forces." He claimed they were jeopardizing the nation's freedom and security but did not specify who these forces were "The million-dollar question is why pursue an act seemingly destined to fail," Kuroda asked rhetorically In the lead-up to the martial law declaration tension between the main opposition Democratic Party and the executive branch reached a boiling point the opposition-dominated legislature pushed through bills that posed challenges for Yoon only for the president to repeatedly exercise his veto power.  Some suggest that Yoon sought to break through this political impasse with a shock-and-awe political maneuver could never have been solved through military intervention Even for a journalist with four decades of observing South Korean politics While acknowledging that the "First Lady risk" was deeply personal to the president would have been astute enough to recognize that martial law would not achieve the desired outcome Kuroda speculates that the president may have grown increasingly apprehensive over the mounting scrutiny from opposition parties all "targeting the First Lady as a political scapegoat," potentially triggering the downfall of his reign Yoon's six-hour flirtation with authoritarianism has seemingly unleashed serious political repercussions will likely assume the nation's highest office This spells trouble not only for the conservatives in South Korea but for neighboring Japan A long-standing critic of Yoon's pro-Japan stance attempt to undermine or reverse the President's signature foreign policies Yoon's ouster could also result in Tokyo losing its most reliable regional partner in decades.  In a recent poll conducted by Japanese Broadcaster NHK between December 6-8 66% of respondents expressed being "very or somewhat concerned" about the impact of the disarray caused by Yoon's martial law declaration on Japan-South Korea relations While it's most ideal for Japan if Yoon remains in office Kuroda expressed cautious optimism about the opposition leader Despite Lee's long history as a vocal critic of the Japanese government the journalist noted that his stance could change once he takes office "Lee Jae-myung tends to tailor his positions to suit his audience I think he has a pragmatic streak," Kuroda said To illustrate his point, Kuroda cited the example of Roh Moo-hyun's presidency (2003-08) left-wing politician who initially flaunted openly anti-American views Roh — as he later admitted himself — evolved into a pragmatist "One of the most striking examples of Roh's shift was when he signed a Free Trade Agreement with Washington despite fierce opposition from his core base And when he decided to deploy South Korean troops to support American efforts in Iraq," Kuroda said was shaped by the shifting geopolitics of his time and Lee could very well follow a similar trajectory should place our bets should Yoon be ousted," he said.   When asked if the ruling People Power Party had a chance to recover from the latest turmoil Kuroda argued it would depend on whether party members could embrace major change "One thing Yoon and his party often forget," Kuroda said "is that Yoon won the last presidential election by a razor-thin margin." "Figures like Ahn Cheol-soo and Lee Jun-seok were crucial to Yoon's victory," he continued those voters turned their backs on the administration."  To have even a remote chance of winning the next presidential election Kuroda said the ruling party must expand its base beyond traditional voting demographics He pointed out that while opposition parties control parliament, the mayors of South Korea's four largest cities — Seoul, Daegu, Incheon, and Busan — are from the ruling party should offer a ray of hope for Yoon's beleaguered party and serve as a foundation to build on Author: Kenji Yoshida You must be logged in to post a comment ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " 13 prospect Joshua Kuroda-Grauer drives in a run on a double for High-A Lansing Two more members of the Rutgers baseball team will fulfill their lifelong dreams of playing in the Major Leagues. Shortstop Josh Kuroda-Grauer and left-handed pitcher Donovan Zsak were the latest Scarlet Knights to hear their names called in the annual MLB Draft Kuroda-Grauer was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the third round with the 75th overall selection. The Somerset, New Jersey, native had a stellar 2023 campaign where his .428 batting average put him at second-best across the nation The shortstop led Rutgers with 95 hits and 24 stolen bases He also drove in 45 runs and crossed the plate 54 times while hitting 5 home runs made him a player opposing pitchers had to be wary of The junior impressively led the country with 1.79 hits per game Kuroda-Grauer earned multiple accolades at the conclusion of the 2024 season as well as being selected to the All-Big Ten First Team and Perfect Game’s First Team All-America "I feel like being able to get drafted and go play pro-ball, that's been something that I've been dreaming about since I was probably four years old," Kuroda-Grauer said at the start of the 2024 season He will now join former Knights Ryan Lasko and Drew Conover who the Athletics selected in the 2023 MLB Draft just a year ago Zsak also landed another American League team in the Cleveland Guardians which selected him in the eighth round with the 235th pick the redshirt freshman appeared in 19 games posting a 4.11 earned run average (ERA) and striking out 39 batters in 35 innings Zsak’s strong velocity kept opposing batters to just a .186 batting average against him pitcher will look to replicate that during his time in the Guardians’ minor league system This is the third straight season that the Knights have had at least two players be selected in the top 11 rounds of the MLB Draft Rutgers will look to keep producing more of its talent when the 2025 season rolls around For more updates on the Rutgers baseball team, follow @TargumSports on X To view more of Josh Meyers' work, follow @JoshCMeyers on X Thanks for visiting ! The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Below is a complete list of Braves taken in this year’s draft, along with short descriptions of their time on the Cape and their accomplishments with their respective schools. A two-time CCBL All-Star and member of the Bourne Braves’ 2022 and 2023 Championship teams, Cunningham was the first Vanderbilt Commodore to be taken in this year’s draft. Despite it being his first summer on the Cape, Cunningham was mainly used as a starter in 2022, pitching to a 4.55 ERA in 25.2 regular season innings. He made one start in the postseason, a 4 2/3-frame outing against Hyannis that saw him fan eight and surrender one earned run. Cunningham proved an even more dominant starter for Bourne in 2023 and logged a 2.38 ERA in 22 2/3 innings through five appearances, starting two more games in the playoffs. He entered the 2021 spring at Vandy as the fourth-best right-handed pitcher from Alabama according to Perfect Game, and posted 160 innings with a 4.95 ERA and 168 strikeouts across three seasons in Nashville. Cunningham possesses a mid-90s fastball which is complimented by an elite mid-80s changeup. Like Cunningham, Kuroda-Grauer won back-to-back titles with the Braves in 2022 and 2023, earning CCBL All-Star Honors last summer. After hitting .250 with six RBI in the 2022 postseason, Kuroda-Grauer struggled during his next regular season in Bourne, posting a .190 average. However, he turned it on during the Braves’ second straight championship run, leading the playoffs with 13 RBI and hitting .444. In four seasons at Rutgers, Kuroda-Grauer recorded a .343 average, 42 doubles and 116 RBI. He had the highest average (.428), second-highest on-base percentage (.492) and fourth-most doubles (19) in the Big Ten this past spring, garnering Big Ten Player of the Year honors — and becoming the first Scarlet Knight to receive a conference player of the year award since 2012, when the program was a member of the Big East. Penney was the first 2024 Bourne Brave to be taken in the 2024 MLB Draft, heading to the Motor City. He followed up an All-Star-caliber campaign for the Orleans Firebirds in 2023 — which saw him log a .275 average along with five homers and 22 RBI — with another solid stint in Bourne this summer. In 13 games for the Braves, Penney went 13-for-48 and drove in five runs. An effective contact hitter for Notre Dame, the Wakefield, Massachusetts, native posted a .261 average and accumulated 23 doubles, 23 long balls and 83 RBI across three years with the Fighting Irish. Smith was one of the Braves’ most effective starters in 2023, pitching to a stellar 1.56 ERA across 23 innings and six appearances (five starts). He also tossed a team-high 33 strikeouts during the regular season and posted a 3-0 record. In two seasons with Clemson, Smith fanned 109 batters in 82 frames. He boasted a 4.50 ERA through 36 appearances and 18 starts. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bourne Braves (@bournebraves) Bender was a driving force behind the Braves 2023 CCBL title and owned the second-highest average in the league (.374) during the regular season. In addition to that outstanding batting average, he racked up seven doubles, four home runs and 18 stolen bases. Bender was also effective during the postseason, hitting three doubles and three homers — tied for the most in the playoffs — one being the series-clinching solo shot during in Game 3 of the Championship. Over three seasons at Coastal Carolina, Bender recorded a .326 average and 58 extra-base hits, including 32 homers. He also contributed 153 RBI for the Chanticleers. Shojinaga’s time in Bourne was short — playing in 11 games during the 2023 campaign — but made the most of his 43 at-bats and recorded 14 knocks, good for a .326 average. He also posted four multi-hit games during the regular season. The 2023 Big 12 Co-Freshman of the Year and a member of the 2024 Preseason All-Big 12 Team, Shojinaga accrued a .357 average, 31 doubles, 11 homers and 78 RBI in two years at Kansas. Horn had a short tenure with the Braves, as he only started four games in 2023. However, he tossed 22 strikeouts in 18 innings on the bump and accumulated a 5.00 ERA. A three-year player at Liberty, Horn pitched a combined 137 1/3 frames, fanning 196 and recording a 3.28 ERA. Wietgrefe proved a sensational starter in two appearances for the Braves in 2024, posting a sub-one ERA and WHIP. He also struck out 12 batters in 11 innings of work. The Minnesota native enjoyed a stellar 2024 campaign for the Golden Gophers that garnered All-Big Ten First Team honors, as he owned a 2.77 ERA and 74 punchouts in 78 frames. He posted a 3.11 ERA in over 118 innings throughout his three-season career with the Golden Gophers. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bourne Braves (@bournebraves) Bourne’s 4-3 loss at Brewster on June 16 was the only time Parliament played on the Cape, which was a three-inning start where he dished three K’s and surrendered two earned runs. After spending the first two years of his collegiate career with Rutgers, Parliament transferred to Virginia Tech and pitched to a 7.63 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings. His best pitch is a dangerous fastball that can touch 97 mph. In three collegiate seasons, Parliament posted a 5.49 ERA and 116 punchouts in 43 games, mainly out of the bullpen. A true playoff performer for the Braves in 2023, Petersen went 11-for-29 (.379) with seven RBI during the postseason. He was also a solid contact hitter in the regular season, posting a .268 average in 26 games. Similar to Kuroda-Grauer, Petersen was one of the Big Ten’s premier bats, only during the 2023 spring. In an All-Big Ten First Team-worthy sophomore campaign, the Iowa native hit .319 to complement the second-most home runs on the team (11) and 47 RBI. He appeared well on his way to replicating his 2023 numbers a year later, posting 42 hits in 126 at-bats (.333) and five home runs, but missed the final month of the season due to a leg injury. Petersen enjoyed a strong three-year career with the Hawkeyes, maintaining a .305 average while going deep 22 times and collecting 107 RBI. Zsak had one of the more impressive starts for Bourne thus far against Hyannis, not necessarily because of his line but due to the velocity he displayed on his fastball. While he mainly hanging in the mid-90s, he touched 98 mph on his heater, finishing the outing with four strikeouts in four frames. Overall, he owned a 2.45 ERA and 12 punchouts across two CCBL starts. The southpaw only needed one season in college to prove his worth. As a true freshman in 2024, Zsak racked up 39 K’s and 16 earned runs in 35 innings for the Scarlet Knights. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bourne Braves (@bournebraves) Sprague-Lott recorded four knocks through 10 at-bats in three games for the Braves during the 2022 summer, scoring a run and only striking out once. Named to the Atlantic 10 Second Team in 2023, he logged a .315 average, .433 on-base percentage and 113 RBI across three seasons for the Spiders. His junior campaign was his most productive, as he went 61-for-194 (.314) with 26 extra-base hits and 44 walks to 31 strikeouts. The Phillies took Morgan with the 282nd pick, making him the second former Brave to be selected by Philadelphia in this year’s draft. Morgan pitched in two games for the Braves — both starts — totaling six strikeouts and a 5.62 ERA in eight innings. He logged a 5.67 ERA in his three-year career with the Hawkeyes, also recording 162 punchouts in 135 frames. Espinal played in 25 games, both regular season and playoffs, during the 2022 CCBL campaign. Through 22 regular-season contests, the backstop posted a .193 average and five RBI, including a 3-for-4 performance on August 3 against the Cotuit Kettleers. He proved a solid bat in four seasons at Vanderbilt, as he hit .279 in 326 at-bats along with 19 long balls and 73 RBI. Roselli hit .148 with a double through nine games with Bourne in 2024, but where he really shined was at Binghamton. His three-season tenure with the Bearcats was one to remember — he never hit below .300 in any campaign and logged a .349 cumulative average, 26 homers and 104 RBI. Roselli’s junior year was his best, as he slashed .388/.492/.738 with 12 doubles. His dominant career in Upstate New York earned him a look from the Mets, and now, the Long Island native will head to the Big Apple. While his ERA was relatively high during the 2023 regular season, Pence recorded a 3-1 record and 28 K’s in 20 innings for the Braves. He played in eight games between the regular season and playoffs, pitching to a 6.39 ERA through 25 1/3 frames. During a Third-Team All-ACC-caliber redshirt sophomore spring in 2024, Pence owned a 2.45 ERA and 74 strikeouts across 36 relief appearances. In 107 1/3 innings over two years with the Tar Heels, he boasted 125 punchouts along with a strong 2.45 ERA. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bourne Braves (@bournebraves) spending parts of three summers with the Braves He tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings between the 2022 regular season and playoffs and was again lights-out during the postseason a year later holding the Hyannis Harbor Hawks scoreless in a 4 1/3-inning start during Game 2 of the semifinals 2024 provided Sparks his heaviest workload on the Cape as he logged 13 2/3 innings over four appearances He etched his name in Rochester Baseball history through four seasons with the school finishing with the most career strikeouts (248) second-most starts (38) and fourth-most wins (19) Sparks accumulated an impressive 3.06 ERA in 209 innings with the Yellow Jackets McShane came into Bourne as a reliever in 2023 and was lights-out accruing a 1.39 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings He didn’t find the same success as a starter in 2024 albeit only pitching in two games The Pennsylvania native was a very solid arm during his three seasons with Saint Joseph’s and owned a 3.76 ERA with 125 K’s in 119 2/3 frames as he hit .167 in nine games with the team but looked to be a big piece behind the plate down the stretch After slashing .428/.582/.782 in two seasons with Heartland Community College he parlayed that success into a strong season with the Jayhawks and posted a .309 average with 11 home runs and 35 RBI Patrick played in eight games for the Braves going 4-for-24 (.167) with a home run and a pair of RBI knocked 36 doubles and 37 home runs along with 120 RBI in three seasons at Wright State Patrick swiped 61 bags in his tenure with the Raiders Novotny started for the Braves twice in 2024 pitching to a 5.14 ERA and five strikeouts in seven frames Through 139 1/3 innings across three seasons the Minnesotan owned a 5.56 ERA and fanned 156 for the Golden Gophers when he struck out 80 in 73 1/3 innings on the bump In 6 1/3 innings on the Cape during the 2023 summer Vogatsky racked up a 1.42 ERA and six punchouts he logged a 5.24 cumulative ERA and 126 strikeouts in 120 1/3 frames His last two seasons with James Madison were his most effective as he pitched to a sub-four ERA in both while tossing 84 K’s Omlid pitched 10 2/3 innings for the Braves in 2021 across four appearances After splitting his first two collegiate seasons at Boise State and Central Arizona where he posted a 4.19 ERA and fanned 34 in 38 2/3 frames Omlid turned that success into an offer from Arizona State he recorded 37 2/3 frames on the mound and punched out 52 Risedorph came out of Bourne’s bullpen three times during the 2024 campaign and proved one of the team’s stronger relievers early on 100 innings pitched and 117 strikeouts in two seasons for the Hoosiers (Note — * denotes a member of the 2024 Bourne Braves team) Nick Zucchero knew a thing or two about college baseball having played on championship teams at Division 3 powerhouse Kean University “How he carried himself is something you never see – maturity off the chain.” this young man was going places if someone gave him an opportunity “I reached out to numerous schools,” Zucchero said Rutgers’ coaches happened to catch Kuroda-Grauer knocking the cover off the ball with Bridgewater-based Full Count Academy in the summer and took a chance on a kid with no other offers “You have something special here,” Zucchero told the two moms who raised Josh – Sumi Kuroda and Edie Grauer – and attended every game What happened was a stellar three-year run with the Scarlet Knights that culminated in Kuroda-Grauer earning Big Ten Player of the Year as a junior after he led the nation in hits (95) and ranked third in batting average (.428) while stealing 24 bases and committing just seven errors at shortstop He’s projected to be chosen in the first five rounds of July’s Major League Baseball Draft “I’d be lying if I said I knew I’d be the Big Ten Player of the Year when I was in high school,” he said “It’s not cliché to say anything is possible if you put the work in.” Kuroda-Grauer recalls first having a bat in his hands at age 4 Sumi and Edie cheered him on from the bleachers all the way up the ranks “They’ve sacrificed so much so I could just go to school and play baseball and not have to worry about anything else I love them to death and they’re a big part of who I am as a person.” “Luckily for me I’ve been around great people,” Josh said I think it was the best thing that’s ever happened to me They put a lot of perspective in my life and gave me a lot of acceptance Rutgers coach Steve Owens witnessed the fruits of that during a 2022 trip to Hawaii One morning Owens walked out of the hotel and saw Kuroda-Grauer handing breakfast to a homeless woman who was camped out on a bench across the street “If I wasn’t there nobody would have seen that and he would still have done it if nobody was looking,” Owens told the Big Ten Network last month Josh spent his breakfast voucher on pancakes He didn’t just hand it to her and walk away told her he was visiting Hawaii for the first time and engaged her in conversation “just trying to make a person-to-person connection,” he said it’s kind of a no-brainer to give back to people.” that empathy flows from having two loving moms Kuroda-Grauer played well his first two seasons at Rutgers It started on a rough note – a broken thumb from being hit by a pitch in the Cape Cod summer league That cost him a spot in the training camp for the collegiate national team Rutgers hitting coach Mike Garza assuaged any doubt ‘Go out and hit .400 and be Big Ten Player of the Year,’” Kuroda-Grauer said ‘Alright Coach,’ but that was such a high feat even I didn’t think I would accomplish it.” becoming the program’s fifth Player of the Year honoree and first since Patrick Kivlehan in 2012 in the Big East Darren Fenster in 2000 and Todd Frazier in 2007 were the others) I give all the credit to them,” Kuroda-Grauer said He plans to turn pro this summer if drafted as expected but pledges to finish his degree in sports management at some point Based on his frequent returns to Franklin’s practices over the past couple of years “The thing I’m happiest about in winning this award is I’m a Jersey kid and I’m always going to be proud of where I come from,” he said “Jersey has some of the best athletes in the world and being able to stay home at Rutgers coming from Franklin that’s what I’m most proud of – doing it for Jersey.” Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com baseball fans and collectors have the chance to meet Joshua Kuroda-Grauer a former Rutgers star and current AAA prospect for the Oakland A’s It’s a great opportunity for fans to get up close with a promising player in the world of baseball The event will be held at the Morris County Card Show where Kuroda-Grauer will be signing autographs and taking photos with fans He will be available from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM giving attendees plenty of time to grab a signature or a picture Individual autographs are priced at $20 and include one autograph plus a photo opportunity You can also add a personal touch with an inscription for $5 per three words For those who want their autographs authenticated JSA certification is available for an additional $5 The event takes place at the Parsippany Police Athletic League This location provides a convenient spot for fans to gather and enjoy the event in a community-friendly setting Make sure to visit the Morris County Card Show on December 21 between 12:00 PM and 1:30 PM to meet Joshua Kuroda-Grauer and enjoy a memorable afternoon with fellow fans We provide you with the latest happenings in your neighborhood or simply acting out some of life’s most intimate activities for all to see Nude and sex scenes are common in today’s entertainment landscape Even shows aimed at younger teenage audiences often feature scenes that would be considered risque to adults many moons ago and the easing of censorial rules in Hollywood has allowed filmmakers to increasingly show more explicit scenes within their work The past few years have seen an increase in awareness surrounding sexual assault and misconduct in the industry, with the #MeToo movement helping to highlight the need for safeguarding on film sets especially young newcomers – and particularly women – find themselves in vulnerable positions Some budding actors might take on films that require them to get naked or simulate intercourse accepting these roles in the hopes of getting more acting jobs be too scared or uninformed to assess the situation and make the right decision appropriately The film industry is a high-pressure and cutthroat environment and it is not hard to see how easy it is for many actors to find themselves in positions where they are pressured into doing scenes they later regret That’s why it is so vitally important that intimacy coordinators have more prominent roles in the industry creating safe spaces for actors to discuss explicit scenes and execute them in a calm and unthreatening environment Japanese actor and voiceover artist Haruka Kuroda recently spoke to Far Out about the importance of intimacy coordinators a role she has been performing for several years across stage and screen productions (where it’s known as an intimacy director in theatre) With a career spanning multiple decades as an actor and fight coordinator Kuroda discovered the role of intimacy coordination later in her journey She was inspired to pursue it after a negative experience on the set of a short film that required her to perform fully naked—a situation she was initially comfortable with when she realised there were no women present on set and her request for the director’s wife to be present during the intimate scenes was denied Kuroda was left feeling deeply “uncomfortable” This experience underscored for her the critical need for dedicated professionals to ensure the safety and comfort of actors during such vulnerable moments What I asked wasn’t wrong.” With this experience in mind and a desire to help other actors who might find themselves in similar positions Kuroda began her journey into the world of intimacy coordination “There are no other professions where one doesn’t feel the fear of being hired or fired because they refuse to be naked that could be a possibility,” she explains “Everybody deserves to be safe in their workplace – or in life – and if this role helps to create that safety for actors then that’s a positive change that we’ve made for the industry,” Kuroda says of her job You might think it is now a legal requirement for film sets to have intimacy coordinators present Kuroda states that many companies include the use of an intimacy coordinator “in their guidance” but whether one is needed is more of a case-by-case basis I respect what the actors and director – with their knowledge experience and expertise – bring on set or in rehearsal space.” Evidently suppose a filmmaker has experience in successfully directing intimate scenes or measures are put in place by the crew to create a safe environment independent of an intimacy coordinator “For us to say this has to be a legal requirement I think it sort of dismisses and disrespects people’s expertise and skill.”  Kuroda argues that employing an intimacy coordinator relieves a director of extra “pressure” allowing them to juggle the many other roles involved in making a film The reception from actors and directors she has worked with as an intimacy coordinator has almost always been positive She argues that “negative comments tend to come from older male This highlights the need for the presence of intimacy coordinators where necessary; it’s a job that is helping the industry to progress forward so that instances of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behaviour are much less widespread than they have historically been Kuroda then explained how intimacy coordinators prepare their actors for intimate scenes starting by having “a pre-shoot conversation to go through scene by scene She will ask if an actor is happy with every sequence that requires something explicit she will communicate these worries with the director she will have “already spoken to the director how they see that scene,” before passing “that information to actors” By aiding the communication between those making the film and the actors Kuroda ensures that there are no misunderstandings and that consent is in place while also assisting when actors change their minds they can fully commit to what they’re required to do,” she adds We are now living through a climate where the exploitation and abuse that has tainted the film industry for decades is being taken more seriously By utilising the help of intimacy coordinators crews can foster considerably more welcoming spaces for actors to simply do their jobs $35.2 million contract on this day in Los Angeles Dodgers the 33-year-old native of Osaka compiled a 103-89 record to go along with a 3.69 ERA in the Japanese Central League over 11 seasons playing for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp Across seven seasons in the Major Leagues with two teams (four with the Dodgers Kuroda amassed a 79-79 record with a 3.45 ERA in over 1,300 innings pitched his time in the big leagues included six complete games Kuroda’s tenure with the Dodgers included a strong 2011 campaign in which he delivered a career-best 3.07 ERA in 202 innings Kuroda was a bright spot for the rotation in their 2008 playoff run as he made two successful starts in both the National League Division Series against the Chicago Cubs Kuroda logged 6.1 shutout innings in Game 3 and held the Philadelphia Phillies to just two runs over six frames in Game 3 of the NL Championship Series Kuroda’s legacy as a successful Major League pitcher from Japan would go on to inspire future Dodgers starter Kenta Maeda MLB began their first official visit to Cuba since 1999 with a news conference at Havana’s Hotel Nacional in 2015 Players participating in the four days of children’s clinics and charitable events include White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu and former Dodgers All-Star Yasiel Puig both defectors from the island nation to the United States to play baseball Joining his teammate, Clayton Kershaw also took part in the goodwill tour visit. the Major Leagues returned in 2016 for a historic exhibition game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban national team the game showcased MLB’s international efforts to grow the league’s worldwide reach Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors Get breaking Dodgers News direct to your inbox While the Rutgers baseball team’s performance has decreased since he arrived two seasons ago The Rutgers season ends Saturday against Ohio State as it failed to qualify for the Big Ten Tournament Two years ago RU was 44-15 and lost in the Big 10 championship game Last year the Scarlet Knights qualified for the conference tournament but were eliminated early with a pair of two-run losses; giving Nebraska a six-run seventh inning and then Michigan State two runs in the eighth The Scarlet Knights were 27-25 entering the finale a junior out of Franklin Township High School Over his three seasons his batting average going into the weekend was .343 He also walked 70 times and stole 39 bases “Obviously we’re real disappointed,’’ he said in a phone interview “I think because we all felt we had a talented roster But the big thing for me was just the camaraderie So we definitely under-achieved on what our goals were before the season.” “I was definitely pleased with my season,’’ he said “I put in a lot of work in the off-season just to get my game to where I think it could be And I think all the things my coaches have done for me and just the work I put in I think it’s helped me have a pretty good season.” If taken in the Major League draft in July he said he mostly likely will leave school “My goal is to play for as long as possible,” the shortstop said “but I do know that when my time playing baseball comes to an end For now he fits the description of being a poster boy for scholar-athletes he was an NJSIAA Student Advisory Council Representative and earned a spot in the National Society of High School Scholars More: Rutgers baseball: Bridgewater-Raritan product Justin Sinibaldi on pro scouts' radar “Both my parents instilled in me that sports is going to take you so far in life and they know how important academics are to me I take a lot of pride in going about my academics,’’ he said “I can say proudly I am not a procrastinator I like to get things done and out of the way as fast as possible which definitely helps me to get more time to go to work on my craft and go play baseball.” More time to improve what has been an outstanding career for No “My mom wore 22 when she played basketball,’’ her son said (he has an older sister Zay) he’ll resume his course load (he has a 3.2 GPA majoring in Sports Management) and be back on the field for fall baseball Part of his schooling would include doing a Sports Marketing internship through Rutgers athletics “There’s probably no better place in the Northeast to get a great education and be coached by one of if not the best coaches in college baseball with coach (Steve) Owens I can say coming in as a freshman and now my junior year I’ve learned so much about the game of baseball and obviously becoming a man and how to handle stuff outside of it “If you want to come grow your game and grow as a person,” he said Growing up he watched the YES Network as Derek Jeter Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira did their thing how could you not want to be a Big Leaguer?” he said My friends don’t let me live it down,’’ he said with a laugh Kuroda-Grauer envisions a long career in baseball “Hopefully I’m still playing professionally,” he said it’s the only thing I can see myself doing Paul Franklin is a freelance reporter for MyCentralJersey.com The Scarlet Knights shortstop has been honored for his incredible season Rutgers shortstop Josh Kuroda-Grauer continues to receive postseason recognition for what was an incredible season Kuroda-Grauer was recently named First Team All-American by Perfect Game He is the first Scarlet Knight to earn this honor since Todd Frazier back in 2007 . - For the first time since 2007, Rutgers has a First Team All-American!#TCD x @PerfectGameUSA pic.twitter.com/zwEoprDIvx Kuroda-Grauer played in and started all 53 games for Rutgers this season He led the nation with 95 hits and 1.79 hits per game His .428 batting average was third in the country Kuroda-Grauer finished with five home runs and 45 RBI with 24 stolen bases and just seven errors at shortstop Kuroda-Grauer has been a staple in the Rutgers lineup for three year now He logged 10 games this season with at least three hits and kept his average over .400 for the final 37 games Kuroda-Grauer was also named the Big Ten Player of the Year and is a finalist for the Brooks Wallace award which is given to the nation’s top shortstop The Scarlet Knight will join familiar faces in Oakland Rutgers shortstop did not have to wait long during day two of the 2024 MLB Draft to hear his name called The Scarlet Knight shortstop was selected with the 75th overall pick in the third round by the Oakland Athletics Kuroda-Grauer will join Ryan Lasko and Drew Conover JKG gets his name called!!!With the first pick on day two of the MLB Draft, Josh Kuroda-Grauer goes to the Oakland Athletics!!#TCD pic.twitter.com/QgMcn64f0O Kuroda-Grauer was named the Big Ten Player of the Year after playing in and started all 53 games for Rutgers this season After suffering a shock Emperor's Cup exit at the hand of a university team during the week J-League top-tier newcomers and leaders Machida Zelvia showed their mettle with a win against Yokohama F Marinos at a time when their physical playing style was also coming under heavy fire Manager Go Kuroda's intense and clinical side have taken the J1 by storm this term and they have deservedly been at the top of the table for the majority of the season that is nearing its midway point their perceived "rough" approach has not necessarily been welcomed with open arms from those outside When Machida exited at the hands of Tsukuba University in a penalty shootout in the second round of the Emperor's Cup on Wednesday After Kuroda criticized the opposing team's style of play "The manager might have said those words to protect us players but we've all seen the criticism toward us on SNS over the past two days," Chilian-born attacker Byron Vazquez said "We felt more than anyone for our supporters who had to see the team they support be the target of that much abuse." The way they came out of the latest scrutiny against the Asian Champions League runners-up on Saturday underlined Zelvia's surprising but growing title credentials They had the guts not to deviate from their feisty direct style and came away with full points captain) said before the game that we wouldn't be us if we stopped playing the way we had been...and obviously we don't play to commit fouls," Vazquez said "We had nearly 3,000 fans in the stand today and we showed who we are by winning with three goals." Kuroda guided Machida to the top tier last year after taking over the side following a distinguished career in high school football that spanned nearly three decades The 54-year-old believes all the obstacles only make his team yet to lose back-to-back matches this season we say it's wrong and stay our course because I think that is the power Japanese football demands," he said "Exuding dignity gives value to our existence There is not a single one of our players who thinks Machida's football is negative None of them think our style of football is worthy of criticism Everyone understands and believes in playing to win All of us being on the same page is a reason for our success." Football: Kumagai, Hasegawa headline Nadeshiko Japan's Olympic squad Football: German powerhouse Bayern Munich sign Japan defender Hiroki Ito Football: Japan cruise past Syria to end 2nd-round q'fiers in style To have the latest news and stories delivered to your inbox Simply enter your email address below and an email will be sent through which to complete your subscription Please check your inbox for a confirmation email Thank you for reaching out to us.We will get back to you as soon as possible who boasts a .445 average and is the top-ranked prospect for the 2024 MLB draft Kuroda-Grauer has consistently improved during his three years at Rutgers after being underrecruited out of high school in New Jersey skill set and potential on the diamond have captured the attention of scouts Kuroda-Grauer is a promising prospect for July’s draft with projections placing him as a likely early-round pick “It’s a very proud feeling,” Kuroda-Grauer said “Coming where I’m from and not a big baseball town to being in the position I am to show younger kids from my town that it is possible it’s a really proud feeling just because this is something I’ve dreamed of doing since I was 4 years old.” 195-pound right-handed hitting shortstop known for his well-rounded toolset Kuroda-Grauer uses an upright stance with simple mechanics and a quick swing to produce line drives Kuroda-Grauer hardly ever swings and misses and rarely strikes out He boasts strong bat-to-ball skills with an advanced approach and strong pitch recognition He is also athletic and a threat to steal bases “The biggest thing for me is my controlled aggression,” Kuroda-Grauer said “One reason I don’t strikeout is because I’m ready to swing early in the count That’s one game that has grown a lot is understanding the game understanding different counts and what pitchers are going to throw Kuroda-Grauer didn’t hit for much power in his three years at Rutgers But he has room to add strength to his frame and scouts believe Kuroda-Grauer has the potential to hit double-digit home runs in pro ball “I want to see growth in the power aspect,” Kuroda-Grauer said I’m more of a line-drive guy who gets on base and lets the big dogs drive me in But I feel like the commitment I had this year in the weight room and my goals and aspirations of wanting to be a big leaguer so that’s something I want to keep up with is getting stronger.” Kuroda-Grauer has the potential to remain at shortstop in pro ball His athleticism allows him to move well and cover plenty of ground at the position which causes some scouts to envision him moving off shortstop as time passes Kuroda-Grauer has quality position versatility Kuroda-Grauer has developed into an impact player in his three years at Rutgers he recorded a .428 batting average with 19 doubles He also had 23 walks compared to 18 strikeouts Due to his development throughout college, Kuroda-Grauer is in a position to be a top-five-round pick in July’s draft. It would mark just the third Rutgers player drafted in the first five rounds since Todd Razier went in the first round in 2007. Outfielder Ryan Lasko was a second-round pick last year “My team at Rutgers has been unbelievable,” Kuroda-Grauer said “The coaches I’ve had in my three years and all I’ve learned from them have been great Then the great players I’ve played with and taught me and watching them work has helped me a lot.” Read more in-depth stories on top 2024 MLB draft prospects at Baseball Prospect Journal. and website in this browser for the next time I comment Baseball Prospect Journal provides readers with in-depth MLB draft and baseball prospect coverage featuring prospects through detailed and informative stories with quotes from players coaches and team executives to give readers background information on the game's future stars The Scarlet Knights shortstop is among the best in the nation Rutgers shortstop Joshua Kuroda-Grauer put together one of the best seasons in the nation and is being recognized for it Kuroda-Grauer was named the Big Ten Player of the Year This came one day after the shortstop was named a semifinalist for the Golden Spokes award which given to the top player in the country each year Josh Kuroda-Grauer is the Big Ten Player of the Year. ➡️ https://t.co/24HS9btxn8#TCD x #JKG44BrooksWallace pic.twitter.com/EBPmcEic2C Kuroda-Grauer is part of a 25-player list that has advanced He is the only Big Ten player on the list and the third Scarlet Knight in program history to be named a semifinalist joining Todd Frazier (2007) and Ryan Lasko (2022) The finalists for the Golden Spikes award will be announced on June 5 Fans will get a chance to vote for their favorite players and this will close on June 21 The winner will be crowned on June 22 at 7pm before the start of the College World Series Sign up Sign in It's time for everything to do with Dodger baseball Hiroki Kuroda (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)by Mark Langill Former Dodger pitcher Hiroki Kuroda, who won 41 games with Los Angeles and was a fixture in the starting rotation from 2008–2011, was named to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame on Thursday. Kuroda was honored along with former catcher Motonobu Tanishige and late umpire Tomoichi Tanimura. Kuroda, 48, began and ended his career with the Hiroshima Carp of Nippon Professional Baseball’s Central League. Overall, Kuroda went 124–105 with a 3.55 ERA in 321 games (270 starts) with the Carp during his two tenures in 1997–2007 and 2015–16. He was a five-time NPB All-Star and his uniform №15 was retired by the Carp. Kuroda also won a bronze medal representing Japan in the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Kuroda joined the Dodgers as a free agent before the 2008 season. He became the seventh Japanese player in Dodger history, joining Hideo Nomo (1995–98, 2002–04), Kazuhisa Ishii (2002–04), Masao Kida (2003–04), Norihiro Nakamura (2005), Dave Roberts (2002–04), and Takashi Saito (2006–07). In 115 games (114 starts) with Los Angeles, the Osaka native went 41–46 with a 3.45 ERA. Kuroda in 2008 became the first Dodger rookie since Orel Hershiser to carry a perfect game into the eighth inning. On July 7, Kuroda retired the first 21 batters he faced against the Braves until Mark Teixeira’s leadoff double in the eighth. Teixeira was the lone baserunner in Kuroda’s complete-game shutout. During the playoffs, Kuroda helped the Dodgers win their first postseason series since 1988 during a three-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs in the 2008 National League Division Series. Kuroda started Game 3 at Dodger Stadium and pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings in a 3–1 victory. Kuroda also posted a victory in Game 3 of the NL Championship Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Kuroda was the Dodgers’ Opening Day starter in 2009 at San Diego. He beat the Padres 4–1, allowing one run in 5 1/3 innings. Kuroda helped the Dodgers return to the postseason. Despite missing parts of the season due to injuries, Kuroda went 8–7 with a 3.76 ERA. In 2008, Hiroki Kuroda became the first Dodger to throw a pair of shutouts in the same season since Jeff Weaver and Derek Lowe in 2005. (Los Angeles Dodgers)In 2010, Kuroda went 11–13 with a 3.39 ERA. He struck out 159 batters in 196 1/3 innings. He also carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning against Philadelphia on Aug. 30 at Dodger Stadium. Shane Victorino broke up the no-hit bid with a one-out single to right field. Kuroda pitched for the New York Yankees from 2012 to 2014 before returning to Japan. Responses (1)See all responsesHelp Global Finance Magazine Global news and insight for corporate financial professionals Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will nominate a new head of the BoJ perhaps as early as February Haruhiko Kuroda’s tenure as governor of the Bank of Japan (BoJ) is coming to an end on April 9 is the longest in the BoJ’s 140-year history It’s also marked by one of the most zealous stimulus programs leading to ultralow interest rates and the BoJ becoming the largest owner of stocks and government bonds in Japan Three main candidates are in the running: Masayoshi Amamiya Amamiya has been deputy governor of the BOJ since 2018; his tenure will end on March 19 deputy governor of the central bank from 2013 to 2018 an organization that promotes Japan’s capital as a financial center was the deputy governor of the BoJ between 2008 and 2013 governors of the BoJ alternate between former officials of the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and the central bank given his criticisms of PM Kishida’s policies The successor’s priorities should align with the BoJ’s priorities—central bank independence and liberalized capital markets the MoF “is more interested in controlling markets and prioritizing low debt costs,” explains Koll.  The BoJ has already started to signal a transition from kuroda’s “extraordinary” monetary policy: long-term bond yields will be allowed to rise further; the 10-year yield is likely to expand from the current 0.5% to 2.5%; and the country’s three-decade long deflation period is set to end Rusty Rabbit is an upcoming 2D side scroller set in a time where humanity is long extinct and the meek rabbits have inherited the Earth along with the ruins of the old human civilizations to be excavated by “rust diggers.” The game’s protagonist is a middle-aged rabbit who rust diggs with his trusty mech “Junkster,” and is on a mission to search for his estranged daughter His old-soul personality is brought to life by Takaya Kuroda best known for his role as Kazuma Kiryu from the Like a Dragon/Yakuza series which is a hilarious meta parallel between the two characters staff writers Nico Monterosso and Mathew Liu had the opportunity to sit down and interview Gen Urobuchi and Takaya Kuroda together about Rusty Rabbit As long-time fan of the Like a Dragon series and Urobochi’s works we wanted to dive deep into  Kuroda’s performance as Stamp and understand Urobuchi’s process going from conceptualizing his hobby into his first video-game production This interview has been edited for clarity and was conducted on July 7th Questions were also submitted by Melvyn Tan your works historically are often quite macabre and rely on dark twists Given that Rusty Rabbit has been designed to be a charming and child-friendly game how did that affect the scenario writing process Rusty Rabbit wasn’t a project that was brought to me from other producers It’s not like other projects where you’ll have really dark twists The original post from 2015 that was Gen Urobuchi’s inspiration behind Rusty Rabbit  Rusty Rabbit’s aesthetic was really inspired from Mighty-san’s Sylvanian Families doll project by combining their products with junk parts Urobuchi: It was that rough smell of rust that came straight across to me — it was like that texture there was this cuteness that somehow fit in the whole design where the robot and the rabbit just matched so well He appears cute on the outside but is grizzled and hardened on the inside What challenges did you face while trying to put a large middle-aged rabbit with a somewhat abrasive and rough personality Given that Rusty Rabbit is geared towards players of all ages do you still feel that there are ways that they can relate to Stamp Kuroda: I would say that any generation can get hooked by this game I think there are many themes that repeat themselves and I think it’s enough that will hook anyone into this the old-man themes of “sadness” and “loneliness” come through I think people who play this game will think about life a little bit more You mentioned that Stamp as a character is a lot more expressive in his thoughts In what ways are you able to express yourself as Stamp Kuroda: All the human emotions — the happiness and fear — everything was expressed straightforwardly and Urobuchi-san really wrote into the script his personality and his humanity so it was a totally different way of expressing The first image we see of the trailer is the rabbit’s Saint Peter reaching out like in Michaelangelo’s “Creation of Adam.” Urobuchi-san what kind of philosophical ideas are you trying to explore with the setting of Rusty Rabbit Urobuchi: I didn’t necessarily study or mean to express philosophy in my past works but it just kind of came through as part of the drama One of the themes in this story is that as you grow older you start to have a different perspective than the younger generation That sort of missed opportunities between the two generations and the fact that they don’t quite connect is an interesting theme that we go into in Rusty Rabbit That theme kind of reminds us of some of the themes of the novel Watership Down which also has rabbit characters where a lot of the beliefs stem from miscommunication You even mentioned that the rabbits’ religion and legends are based off  a Peter Rabbit book Urobuchi: Maybe rabbits work well for that kind of theme What was the reason why you chose to tell the story of Rusty Rabbit through a 2.5D side-scroller rather than a different medium like anime or manga What kind of challenges are there when going from scriptwriting and adjusting the scripts to match the production needs?  Urobuchi: I felt that seeing the character’s side profile was the best way to see everything and represent the Mighty image It’s hard to see a lot of the character when you’re in a 3rd-person kind of situation so I thought that the Metroidvania 2D style was the way to go.   at first it was just going to be expressed through monologues by Stamp but I was given feedback that for all ages to enjoy this game it would be great to have a character introduce and describe the interface to the player more rabbits started coming into the picture as characters so there’s a loss of the melancholy of a single rabbit’s story but Rusty Rabbit has become more big and boisterous.  What are some of the differences in the production for working on conceptualization in Rusty Rabbit as a video game compared to other projects I’m working with someone who needs a specific intention or theme communicated in the piece regardless if its an adaptation or original piece Rusty Rabbit  was based on my hobby  and something that I was just doing for fun you said earlier that Stamp makes you feel a lot more expressive and that you don’t need to keep all of your emotions bottled up during the performance we also want to know if that freedom comes with additional challenges?  There isn’t really a difficult part because the more emotion is expressed There’s more prep work involved in terms of “Ok I’m going to build this feeling,” or “This moment I’m really going to emphasize…” But once I do that and get the OK from Urobuchi-san and producer Saito-san When you read that a character gets angry in a script and so the way I chose was in relation to a previous scene I want to contrast it [the emotions by] this much,  and I remember after performing it I looked over and Urobuchi-san and Saito-san behind the glass were laughing and it was so much fun working together and doing that!  you mentioned this was your first time taking up a hobby and conceptualizing it into a game What are some of the biggest lessons you took away from this creative process for Rusty Rabbit?  Urobuchi: This is my first time working on a video game so there were so many things that I learned —  all the way from the technical details to the actual approach to the project I’m just beginning to organize into my head what I’ve really learned I’m still learning so much!  I’m a little bit dizzy with all the excitement and learning happening it’s a luxury and it makes me happy and really excited Rusty Rabbit releases September 24, 2024 on Steam and Playstation 5 Rusty Rabbit  is produced by NetEase Games and Nitroplus Special thanks to NetEase Games for this interview opportunity Want to read more interviews like this? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for updates on our anime charts and new content!