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ALL A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Baby Steps

Description

Maruo Eiichirou (Ei-Chan), a first year honor student, one day decides he's unhappy with the way things are and lacks exercise. He finds a flyer for the Tennis Club and decides to check it out. He's instantly captivated by it. With no prior experience and poor physical conditioning, join Ei-Chan as he embarks on a tennis journey using his smarts, dedication and work ethic.

Type

Manga

Related Series

N/A

Associated Names

ベイビーステップ
網球優等生
网球优等生

Groups Scanlating

Imangascans
hyuugalegacy

Latest Release(s)

v.17 c.161 by Imangascans (16d ago)
v.17 c.160 by Imangascans (19d ago)
v.17 c.159 by Imangascans (49d ago)
Search for all releases of this series

Status in Country of Origin

25 Volumes (Ongoing)

Completely Scanlated?

Anime Start/End Chapter

N/A

User Reviews

N/A

Forum

1 topics, 1 posts
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User Rating

Average: 8.9 / 10.0 (453 votes)
Bayesian Average: 8.76 / 10.0

10	41% (187 votes)
9+	25% (112 votes)
8+	20% (89 votes)
7+	9% (41 votes)
6+	3% (15 votes)
5+	0% (2 votes)
4+	0% (2 votes)
3+	0% (1 votes)
2+	0% (1 votes)
1+	1% (3 votes)

Last Updated

May 12th 2013, 2:18pm PST

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Genre

Comedy Romance School Life Shounen Slice of Life Sports
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Categories

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Category Recommendations (beta!)

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Recommendations

Holyland
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More...

Author(s)

KACHIKI Hikaru

Artist(s)

KACHIKI Hikaru

Year

2007

Original Publisher

Kodansha

Serialized In (magazine)

Weekly Shonen Magazine (Kodansha)

Licensed (in English)

English Publisher

N/A

Activity Stats (vs. other series)

Weekly Pos #316 increased

(+45)
Monthly Pos #140 increased

(+29)
3 Month Pos #156 decreased

(-65)
6 Month Pos #88 decreased

(-14)

List Stats

On 2479 reading lists
On 535 wish lists
On 32 unfinished lists
On 206 custom lists

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Forum Posts

more life

224 days, 5 hours, 13 minutes ago

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User Comments [ Order by usefulness ]

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	Releases
	Rating: N/A by way2cuteanimekitty January 9th, 2012, 11:26am
I really want to read this manga, but at the rate the releases come out I'd have to wait three more years just to get to volume 14. I might consider it if a chapter came out each week or even every 2 weeks, but right now I just don't know.

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	Good read
	Rating: 9.0 / 10.0 by meeu December 22nd, 2011, 6:13am
quite frankly one of my fave sports manga to date. I like how the mangaka explores E-chan's overly meticulous personality as a student, a son, and a tennis player. It's quite intriguing how he used that behavior from being the best in class to being the best in the sport, realizing he found his dream in the attempt of trying to stay fit. The mangaka has managed to keep this one simple yet fun, and the pacing is just about right. . .

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	Don't trust the bad reviews so easily.
	Rating: 9.5 / 10.0 by bekyuubi December 15th, 2011, 9:23pm
I got thrown off by some of the bad reviews from the start, but this is a manga that has none of the superfluous BS from POT. The main character has quite a bit of charisma once you get to know his nature of working hard towards his goals. Not many people dislike others who work hard and doesn't brag about it. In regards to Liquidsin comment, I read up to volume 14 so I will like to point out some things. - Ei works hard and manages to get a reasonable body that lasts just enough for 1 full tennis match. He even lost a long match due to lack of stamina. - He has a great personality. He told his parents he wanted to stop studying for cram schools for a full year to concentrate on Tennis alone. How many 16-17 year old teens you know will do such a thing? - He does gather data outside of the matches, but more than anything he does it in game against a strong opponent to reflect upon his mistakes and come up with a strategy for lack of experience. Reading until this far, I felt that the pace is slightly slow and think that the rivalry section isn't right there yet. Looks like it will be really baby steps for a pretty long while. Edit: Read up to volume 19 (with some really shoddy japanese knowledge). This manga is really quite awesome and makes you sort of cheer for the main guy. Can't wait to see more. Ahh, but it best be reading 10 volumes in 1 shot. This manga is slow... ... Last updated on December 16th, 2011, 10:23am

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	Love it
	Rating: N/A by BlackOrion November 23rd, 2011, 2:22pm
The only problem is that we only have, almost, 6 volumes to 17 that exist T_T I'm not the kind of guy who thinks he has the right to actually hurry the scalation, but i wish there would be more.

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	Love it
	Rating: 10.0 / 10.0 by LovinManga May 9th, 2011, 8:45pm
I thoroughly enjoy this manga! It's one that I'd love to buy just to have it if I could get it here in the States. I like reading it so much that I go back and forth (much easier if it's on paper) between the pages and read them again and again. This is a very well written manga. Responding to the main character being "weak", as one reader wrote: I read the comment that one reader wrote that he/she thinks the male protagonist is 'weak'. I completely disagree. Just because someone takes notes and follows those notes does not make them weak. This is the same character that immediately started physical training so as NOT to be weak in the game, so I have to disagree with you. Look up V.A.R.K. Some people learn by seeing something (Visual). Some by hearing (Aural). Some by reading &/or writing the information (Reading/writing). And others by hands-on (Kinesthetic). Most people are able use all of them to some degree but most lean to one or two preferred styles - because that's the way we're made. It's how our minds are wired to learn and process information and everyone's brain is wired differently. It has nothing to do with weakness. Ei-chan (Maruo) would be a Visual and Reading/writing learner. He learns by seeing and by reading/writing. And he internally processes the information learned. It's why he does well in school. A Kinesthetic learner would have to do what that other reader suggests because he would have to externally, physically, 'do' the plan first to visualize it and learn it because that's how he learns and processes information - externally. Have you ever met someone who's great at sports and terrible in class? That person is probably not lacking in ability to learn nor in intelligence. He/she is probably just a Kinesthetic learner and unless they receive help, Kinesthetic learners frequently struggle in school regardless of their level of intelligence. So the next time you encounter someone whose learning style is different from your own, remember that a particular learning style doesn't have anything to do with either intelligence or strength. ... Last updated on May 9th, 2011, 9:28pm

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	My Only Sport Manga
	Rating: 7.0 / 10.0 by McCasper April 23rd, 2011, 9:39pm
I don't mean to say that this is the best sports manga (probably far from the truth) but something about this one just struck out at me. I think it was the main character actually. In an age of manga where main characters are either endearingly stupid or scary smart Ei-chan is somewhere in the middle and its refreshing. He's actually very smart compared to most characters but he's far from super geniuses like L and Akiyama. The tennis is also interesting and creative playstyles abound in sport which I thought was pretty cut-and-dry. Over-all I think this manga hinges on the main character, if you like him keep reading, if you hate him drop it.

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	Excellent
	Rating: 10.0 / 10.0 by enaikelt March 3rd, 2011, 4:56pm
This manga is enjoyable and simple; very laid back but pretty exciting as well at times. I like that Ei-chan does not automatically win everything; he works hard for everything he gets, and I also like that he's smart. Being an honour student myself, I understand the ideal of perfecting everything you put effort into, and applaud it.

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Ei-chan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Rating: 7.0 / 10.0

by liquidsin
February 9th, 2011, 4:31pm

The mangaka absolutely and undeniably failed when he created the main character. Within every chapter, his image and personality grind away at my mind to the point where I wonder why I even read this series.

Main Character: Maruo Eiitirou

Looks

Unique, in other words he has a fugly hairstyle that makes his face look like a fish.
Baby face and oversized eyes which only add to the problem. They also destroy any possible hope of masculinity in the main character though that's another issue entirely.
Weak physique that contradicts him ever being competitive in the sport of tennis. I also don't see how the mangaka expects the readers to believe that his endurance cane keep up with the perseverance aspect.

Personality

Meticulously annoying. He carries the same style of data tennis as Inui from PoT while having none of his redeeming qualities.
Weak. Like his physique, he has a meek personality.
Rather than gather data before the match, crunching the numbers, and then forming a strategy, "Ei-chan" does it all in the very game he's playing.

Spoiler (mouse over to view)

One of Ei's opponents uses tennis to recreate paintings on the court... Yeah... Skipping over that issue, Ei records each of his opponent's seemingly random shots, somehow comes to the realization that they form paintings, and then forms a winning strategy all during one match.

Biased or not, I have come to despise this potentially good manga because of a single character. Unfortunately, this character can't be killed off or pushed to the sidelines which he rightfully deserves. Test this manga though it's not one I'll recommend to friends.

... Last updated on June 18th, 2012, 8:26pm

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	Love it so far...
	Rating: N/A by JHax9999 September 26th, 2010, 11:42pm
I...really like this manga. It's a bit of a surprise to me, actually, since I didn't expect much when I began reading it. Yet after 3 chapters or so, I began to really really like it. I can't really explain why. It just feels... honest. An odd choice of word to describe a manga, I know, but I think it fits. There're no jaw-dropping moves, no flashy, larger-than-life characters, and no extraordinary situations... yet I can't help but feel excitement and anticipation bubbling up inside me whenever E-chan overcomes an obstacle or makes progress in his endeavor to learn tennis. It's so much fun to root for him because his struggle feels real, and not forced or exaggerated. Though I play baseball, watching E-chan stumble awkwardly through various trials-and-error as he tries to learn the correct stance or the correct way to hold a racket, is like a trip down memory lane. Any sports player would recognized in E-chan the feeling of uncertainty, frustration and exhilaration that comes with learning a new sports. And thus, it's really easy to like and relate to him. I can't say much more about this manga at this point. I've only read as much as is currently scanlated (through volume 3). All I can say so far is that I really like this manga (though the art may take a little getting used to) and I would definitely recommend it as a sports manga. Ah, my one complaint would be the character design for E-chan. He looks kinda retarded... with thin, long eyebrows and large fish-like eyes. His hair is stupid, too. I don't get it. It's not like the mangaka can't draw well, because Takuma looks great. So it's a bit baffling to me why she would make her main character look so... ugh. ... Last updated on September 27th, 2010, 12:43am

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	very good!
	Rating: 9.0 / 10.0 by palabasa August 26th, 2010, 6:26pm
i have been looking for a very good tennis manga and so far this one did not disappoint me. IMO this is the best tennis manga out there.. the mangaka is either a tennis player or he interviewed real tennis players unlike some mangakas out there who uses out of this world shots or powers to make a story happen.. personally i have been playing tennis for 20yrs or so, and this manga brings back a lot of memories as a beginner and also about competing as an unseeded player..and being amazed by what seeded can do, hehe..but at the same time learning a lot from them.. again, a must read for tennis players, it has a realistic approach to tennis and also it has a good plot..thanks for the scanlators as well for taking on this one...keep it up guys! btw, just a comment on the translated term, when you're able to keep your serve the right term would be "service hold" not service keep...its either you hold your serve or your opponent "breaks" it, hence the "breakpoint" as opposed to "gamepoint". ... Last updated on August 26th, 2010, 9:32pm