In my opinion thus far, I would have to say that this series depicts the "high school" mindset and level of experience of the players more closely than most other baseball manga/anime I have read. The clean up hitter doesn't hit a home run every at bat, and the ace pitcher doesn't strike out every batter he faces as if it were natural. In short, the reader does not know what to expect in each game; a loss (at least pre-tournament) is just as likely as a win.

It is interesting to watch the team grow in an environment where the "heroes" (including the coach) are not guaranteed to overpower and dominate the opposition in every chapter.

We have hundreds of manga about sports, but like 3 that let you see from the point of view of the coach.

Hatogaya is a very manipulative coach, but he really cares about his players.
The shaping up of the team from losers to winners is a very satisfying read. And we get to read the thoughts about the trainer making them do BS training for once.

Don't settle on Last Inning when there are plenty of good baseball series.

If you want romance then go with Adachi Mitsuro
● Cross Game
● Touch
● H2
● Mix

The Underdogs
● Rookies

Wit and tactics
● One Outs

If you simply want baseball...
● Ookiku Furikabutte
● Major - gets repetitive with a guy who only throws fastballs

... Last updated on March 14th, 2013, 6:56pm

Seriously, it can't touch Oofuri. The only thing I'll give this is that the update rate is a little better and it doesn't get caught on one game like Oofuri does. But if you want smart baseball, you go with Abe. Every time. Tajima for f***ing awesome baseball. etc.

What can i say, all about this manga is a Smart con Artist with great knowledge of baseball game. His great tactics, strategy against a The stay-at-home mothers, The alumni group, and The high-school baseball players, and Off course his knowledge to handle other team. Some say its Falling flat, that's because he never be in strategic and tactical business like Marketing, Sport, etc. This is a fantastic manga that i was looking for. Great Job KAMIO Ryuu for making this kind of manga.

Frankly, I have a definite weakness when it comes to baseball manga. Ever since Major I just can't help it! Honestly, without the baseball aspect I would've stopped reading this eons ago. As someone else said, the main character is the only one who actually has any brains, so it's not quite as good as it could be. Still, the baseball aspect is super interesting, and so far hasn't gotten too ridiculous (gyro ball, anyone?).

It's amazing how I never gave side characters much thought on how they affect a series, and I'm even more amazed at how effectively they destroyed this one.

The side characters of Last Inning are designed to make Hatogaya, the protagonist, seem clever. The author achieves this by exaggerating specific points: naivety, carelessness, thoughtless, headstrong, and stupidity to name a few. This works early on as people enjoy seeing Hatogaya manipulate his way through different odd situations.

The problem, though, is that you're left with a cast of stupid side characters which never go away. You cringe upon seeing them and the brief reprieve you get from leaving one leads you to another. The following are some of the side characters that you'll find within the series.

• The assistant who is still searching through the dictionary for gullable despite a lengthy 134 chapters
• The reporter who is as brainless as he is loose lipped
• The ancient relic of a referee who sees nothing but pureness from high school baseball and punishes those who seek to taint it
• The flock of easily persuaded stay-at-home mothers. You know the kind; the ones whom buy shake-weights and better-marriage blankets off afternoon infomercials
• The alumni group whose combined IQ pales in comparison to a can opener
• The high-school baseball players who are as forgettable as they are predictable

Try it if you want though I doubt you'll find it satisfying. Witty and intelligent series thrive by having multiple characters which either manipulate or outmaneuver the other (Death Note has the battle between Light & 'L', Liar Game pits people against each other in different situations while developing the main character). Last Inning has a con-artist pitted against children... there's no satisfaction in that.

... Last updated on October 16th, 2016, 6:27pm

This is an amazing, hilarious manga. Like other commenters have said, it is average in all ways save for the outlook, who is the coach/protagonist, an ex-door-to-door salesman. He's smart; he's sly; he knows exactly how to play his crowd and has both the skills and the brains to back it up. Watching him make a great team out of almost nothing is what turns an average baseball situation into an awesome one.

I've read a lot of baseball manga, and this one is definitely among the best. What I really like is that it doesn't focus on any one single player on the team (usually, it's the pitcher), to the exclusion/neglect of all the others. In fact. the main character is actually the coach, who uses smart training methods to powerup his team of average, happy-go-lucky players. The training sequence has got to be one of the most enjoyable thing about this manga. And I'm a bit stunned to find myself enjoying this even though there were hardly any actual matches in the 5 volumes or so that have been scanlated. Somehow, despite the lack of flashy moves and larger-than-life characters, the feeling of anticipation and excitement persists throughout the manga. That's how awesome this manga is....and how well-written. I highly recommend this! Read it! read it! read it! Then go over to the scanlators and demand moaaaaaar.

... Last updated on November 13th, 2010, 5:58pm

This manga is a baseball manga. It's got the burning pitcher protagonist, and the observational catcher and all the other players you typically expect.

But at the same time it shifts the focus away from them onto the coach who is an actually fleshed out character who is focused on winning even if it comes down to using cheap tricks. Usually it seems like the heroes of these mangas are dumb but good and just charge forward blindly with hard work and determination, not that that isn't fun, but this is an awesome way to change it up.

Also it doesn't need any Adachi-esque romantic subplots.