Cross Game is the story of Ko Kitamura and the four neighboring Tsukishima sisters, Ichiyo, Wakaba, Aoba, and Momiji.

Due to their proximity and the relationship between their businesses, the Kitamura and Tsukishima families have been close for many years, and their children go back and forth between the two homes.

Aoba is a natural pitcher with excellent form, and Ko secretly trains to become as good as she is, even while publicly showing little interest in baseball.

The reformed Seishu team goes on to prove themselves by defeating Sannō High School in the first round of the summer prefectural qualifying tournament.

Before the game begins, Ko tells Aoba he loves her more than anyone, but in such a way she thinks he is lying until after Seishu wins in extra innings, clinching a Koshien berth.

In the final chapter, the morning before traveling to Koshien, Akaishi visits Akane recovering in the hospital and Ko and Aoba head for the train station holding hands.

[20] Cross Game was adapted into an anime television series produced by TV Tokyo, Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions and SynergySP.

It was directed by Osamu Sekita, with Michihiro Tsuchiya handling series composition, Yūji Kondō designing the characters and Kotaro Nakagawa composing the music.

[25] It was released by Warner Music Japan on April 15, 2009 in both regular and limited edition versions,[25][26] and peak ranked at #2 on the Oricon singles chart.

[27] The ending theme song for episodes 1–13, "Heartfelt Dream" (恋焦がれて見た夢, Koi Kogarete Mita Yume), was composed and sung by Ayaka and arranged by Shintarō Tokita.

[31] The ending theme song for episodes 27–39 was "Moeruyō na Koi ja naikedo" (燃えるような恋じゃないけど) by Tsuru, which was released as a single on November 11, 2009.

[37] The first two volumes of the Japanese edition were described by Anime News Network as "quietly brilliant" and "the slice-of-life genre at its best", saying that despite some "storytelling goofs", there is "no matching the pleasant feelings that come from reading this series.

"[38] The French edition was praised by Manga News as a "great success"[39] and "a pure delight as usual,"[40] citing as key ingredients the "appealing and funny characters" put in funny situations,[41] accessible drawing style,[42] and Adachi's talent for staging baseball scenes;[43] Adachi was praised for his ability to mix "the sports world which he cherishes so much and the love relationships that are not yet real but so much implied and awaited"[40] and his skill at rendering moving scenes without dialogue.

[44] The reviewer noted that while Adachi's art style has not changed much since Touch, his layouts are cleaner and his action scenes more dynamic than before.

[45] Anime Land praised Adachi for his "sense of the elliptical and staging",[46] the verisimilitude of his stories,[47] appealing secondary characters,[48] and ability to develop comedy in just one panel.

[49] The reviewer claimed Adachi's handling of Wakaba's death is "remarkable" and that the event "gave real meaning" to the story.

[50] The first episode of the anime series was called the "masterpiece of the new season" by ANN, which also complimented the musical score as "understated but highly effective".

[53] A fourth reviewer found it to be typical of Adachi anime adaptations, but that the production values were "at best, mediocre and, at times, brushing up against the marginal".

[54] Chris Beveridge of Mania.com, after viewing the first episode, said the series had "an older feeling to it" because of the rounder character designs reminiscent of those from the 1980s and 1990s, calling it a "great look" with a "wonderful simplicity" and backgrounds "filled with detail".