This is as pure of a baseball manga as it gets. A main character who has unbounded potential yet is unpolished, a genius rival, mentors, harsh but caring coach, and a supporting cast of team members that contribute in their own unique way. There is no real heartfelt moment outside of baseball, there is no love interest, there is no personal squabbles. Everything they do, every event that happens revolves around baseball.

This is a sports manga probably in its purest form, with all of the surprises and drama stemming from the unique opponents that they face. Sports manga done well. If you don't enjoy sports manga, then stay away from it - you won't get anything else.

... Last updated on March 16th, 2013, 5:29pm

Why such low reviews, this is a funny manga that made me laugh out loud more than a few times. The main character is not some whiny loser but heart warming person who loves baseball, although the supporting characters could be developed more this is a great manga with great art.

You know you should read it.

I read this series after seeing it featured in Koshien's museum. And I really enjoyed it. I liked the fact that it's a team sport. There is competition not just against other schools but among the team.

Besides kaibutsu pitcher Furuya, we see players like Kawakami and how he struggles with those who are naturally better than him. It's very real, playing in a team sports that way. To let the better player out there, waiting for a chance to take over while constantly plagued by a sense of bitterness. Everything revolves around baseball and the team. It's pure sports though, so don't expect out of sports related love troubles, school drama etc. The art is clean and done with a good amount of intensity, especially during crucial points in the game.

And yes. For all the detractors who cant see it, there is definitely a lot of respect, support and rivalry between Furuya and Sawamura. Furuya makes it very clear that he has never looked down upon Sawamura. The ending is a bit open ended (to make way for the sequel) and it's beautifully done.

I'm really glad I picked up the series after watching a match in Koshien this year. If you want a manga with a good, clean sports rivalry and friendship, character growth and no unnecessary drama, read this. There won't be any regrets.

This manga is very funny, so far the plot is really good, in fact it could be up to par with major(another baseball manga) it has lots of volumes out in Japan , so I don't know why no1 is translating this great manga.

P.S the reviews are unfair , we need moar sports manga !!

It focuses too much on the side characters (and there are a LOT of side characters in this manga). It should've focused more on just the kids from Seido, and especially the main character, Sawamura. After so many volumes of side characters being praised and worshipped and kicking ass at baseball, Sawamura doesn't seem all that special anymore. It's like every pitcher we come across from other teams, and including the rival pitcher from Seido, is touted as a monster or a prodigy. And meanwhile, our main character is just stagnant. He improves a little, but compared to his peers, it's like he doesn't even register on anyone's radar. He is used as comic relief more than as a catalyst for change or growth in his team. The rival pitcher, Furuya, gets a bunch of emotionally powerful moments throughout the manga, but the main character only gets to be the loud-mouth clown that riles everyone up from the dugout. And that sucks. I don't wanna read a manga like this. We have a main character for a reason. Why don't the mangaka give him something to do. Being noisy, stupid and tenacious is not a skill, and it gets old fast. Power him up, damnit! Stop building up a bunch of side characters we don't care about.

... Last updated on January 28th, 2019, 11:47am

In the beginning I also felt that it was childish, somewhat unreal and exaggerated. But as they advance, the main character corrects his form, windup and learns to grip the ball and so on. So it’s not some weird ability and stays that way for the rest of the manga. No, they get really into the form and abilities required to play baseball. As he corrects his form, the bond and the development of the characters occur. Not to say that pitchers with deceptive pitches, form and movement exists. So it’s not unreal if you look at this perspective. Not to mention that the games are not exaggerated, so it is enjoyable and they keep it real.
The expressions and actions are well described and characterize as they go deep in the tournament and it gets better. I’ve already looked at the raw far beyond the tournament, so I can say that with some base. Unfortunately the scans are slow.

This manga is fun to read, seriously, why is no scanning this? This is easily better than anything in WSJ right now (except for Gintama). It is a generic sports manga so I admittedly didn't expect much but once I started reading the advantages started to become apparent. The humor is enjoyable and art is similarly pleasant.The characters are likeable and the action itself is pretty good .

This is good. Really good. One of the very few series that made me want more. I picked this up thinking it was just another typical sports series. In a way you can say that, but there's just something else about it that's so compelling... Maybe the anticipation in finding out how well the main character will do or in just seeing what he will achieve? Art is good, plot is average but the telling of the story? Awesome. Extra plus - it had me in laughter more than a few times. Definitely recommended.

yeah so far i've read chapter 3,it's true the art is beautiful different than any other typical shounen manga.

and yeah,you're right JHax9999,manga like this always makes you curious of what happen next.....and this kind of mangaka is the best for story teller...remind me of onepiece, always makes me curious

... Last updated on June 3rd, 2009, 6:43am

It's a great baseball manga. Well it's not that realistic but you should've known that. I mean it's shounen, you know. The demographic which targets young boys. Not that it's only for young boys but they are the target audience. I don't really have a problem with that though. The development is well-paced yet it kind of feels really slow. LOL. That was confusing. The char development is great. Their opponents are also developed. And often I find myself confused on who to root for. Then there's the MC. Most people complain that the rival, Furuya, always gets the spotlight. IMO that is this manga's strength and weakness. It is unique that MC's development didn't take a volume or two. Heck it's been a whole lot of volumes. I think that is a charm in it's on way. However, it is great to see his potential unleashed every once in a while. It heightens the excitement. But sometimes I feel like the MC is being sidelined. Like when you read the later chapters without reading the first ones, Sawamura would seem like a supporting char. It don't really have any complaints with that. It's just that there's this really thin line between the M and S characters. And distinguishing one from the other is really hard. Nevertheless, it's an amazing manga.