To me, this is definitely the masterpiece of the great Mitsuru Adachi. I've read it over countless times and as many have pointed out, there's always something new to discover.

To me, the debatable ending is perfect because Hiro sacrifices himself in order to open up the eyes of Hideo and Hikari through the last ball that he threw in that semi-final match. As he loves Hikari, he gave his best to bring about what was missing in both Hideo and Hikari, for Hikari's happiness. However, the honey was already beside the bitter cake because Haruka was already waiting all along for Hiro and when Hiro's heart lost a significant piece, Haruka was ready to heal it. And so, the perfect H2 relationship.

What happens in that last ball is something that can only be understood after reading it over and over again (at least for me). As Hideo's straightforward honesty was tested, the fact that he wavered and missed meant that deep within, aside from all his other characters and loyalty to Hiro and Hikari, he couldn't take losing Hikari; something that Hideo only realizes himself when he swings his bat and misses... Meanwhile, Hikari has never seen and believed she would not see Hideo losing; something which she has seen in Hiro. It was only when Hideo finally loses, that the final piece missing between her and Hideo was sown. Something that Hiro had and Hideo didn't, was given up in that last ball. When the final ball was thrown, two pairs of eyes were opened, and one was closed in tears.

Adachi sieves emotions slowly and deeply so much so that I felt Hiro's pain as if my own. The loss amidst the friendship with Hideo and more-than-friends Hikari is not something that anyone can just take in easily. And that's where Koga comes in. Her patience and willingness to care for Hiro even though she knows Hiro's ongoing relationship with Hikari is the pillar that Hiro can lean on as he gives up a big piece of his heart.

And so, H2: Hiro Hikari was replaced with Hideo Hikari and Hiro Haruka... The heart-piercing, yet perfect ending to the series.

... Last updated on March 29th, 2011, 2:54am

... Last updated on August 9th, 2011, 1:44am

A magnificent read, the story had me from chapter 1. The only reason that kept it from the "10" mark was my own personal feeling about the ending but do not let this keep you from reading it. This is an incredible story that shouldn't be missed! Adachi's best work so far in my opinion.

If you liked this, be sure to check out Adachi's "Cross Game". I have a feeling it could be better than H2. Oh and check out "Katsu!". You know what? Just check out all of Adachi's works, he is really incredible.

... Last updated on June 27th, 2007, 1:42am

I just woke up one morning and understood Adachi's brilliance. Since everyone is throwing their points on the story, here I go. Special thanks to Tensai's review.

I think what confused me the most at first was why Hikari kept crying in front of Hiro. Especially that lip service chapter. But, then it hit my like a freight train. She realized all along what Hiro was trying to do, and her own feelings about Hideo (That she loves Hideo). So, she's just acknowledging Hiro, and letting him know at that moment she "understands". But, I think the whole date with Hiro already pointed out that Hikari too, knew her feelings when she said "goodbye," I'm pretty sure it was "Sayonara."

And of course the "divine" wind. Hiro and Hikari loved "mom" so much and that's why Hiro was in tears. Because he knew along with Hikari, that their mom was watching over them, so that Hiro could accomplish his mission. Both loved her so much as shown through the constant flashbacks and Hiro deciding to accomplish her final wishes. (Go back and reread the whole scene where Hiro is on the stairs looking at the doodle he drew.) **tears** At this point, it also cemented the relationship between Hiro and Koga, because I believe Hiro realized he wants to be a pro. That's why throughout the final chapters he tells Koga things like live long and become a stewardess. Everything thanks to Hikari's mom.

For some that are wondering...there was never a real love triangle to begin with. Hiro openly speaks about his crush with Hikari and doesn't deny it. But he's trying to show that he's moving on. And for once, Adachi makes it blatant with the relationship between Hiro and Koga. Come on he actually said he loves her. After the scene where he receives "lip service" he brings food back for Koga. Just these little things, show that Hiro is serious about Koga. And the last scene...well that speaks for itself.

I still have to read Rough. I made the mistake of reading H2 first, which was published after Rough. I really dislike Hideo, and the character of Rough has the look of Hideo. Or rather it should be the other way around xD.

Anyways I learned my lesson and hope you guys do to, Really gotta pay attention when reading Adachi.

... Last updated on June 28th, 2010, 9:34am

Just for clarification, Adachi Mitsuru is a writer who uses subtle dialogue to explain the context of the situation; this allows slightly open interpretations as to the specifics of the casts' thoughts. This means his stories (and specifically the H2 ending) are not spelt out or blatantly obvious, which often gives the reader a little leeway as to how they want to interpret what happens next.

The ending, contrary to popular belief, actually focuses on Hiro finding the will to I highly recommend reading Tensai_Sakuragi's quoted spoiler explanation (which was extremely well done by the way) cuz this manga honestly had one of the most dramatic endings.

Though there was one thing with Tensai_Sakuragi's break down i don't completely agree with.

For those annoyed at the whole Hiro ending up alone thing, remember he DOES actually have feelings for Haruka.

If you were unsatisfied with the ending, you should consider rereading the last 10 chapters or so and think about the context when each character is speaking/thinking.

On a side note, Adachi Mitsuru is a really great writer, a little confusing at times, but great none the less. His comedy is witty, the story runs a lighthearted vibe, the characters have depth, and the drama is genuinely dramatic. He also often adds a serious undertone by killing-off notable characters in his stories which adds more meaning to the whole experience the casts undergoes. Maybe because he specializes in my favorite genre, school life comedy dramas with a bit of sports, that I'm so content after reading his works. I highly recommend reading this, and definitely Cross Game (which is currently my favorite out of his series) if you're into a good school life comedy. 9.8 for me just because Kunimi Hiro looks exactly the same as Kitamura Koh (Cross game), and it didn't stop bugging me till about half way through the series. I mean he coulda at least changed his hairstyle.

... Last updated on August 29th, 2009, 4:05am

Having been in a long relationship that ended badly, I can understand why this story had to end in the way that it did. I believe that the fateful choice made in the end resulted in the best happiness for the most people -- and knowing how close all the characters are to each other, I believe that they would not have had it any other way. Ironically enough, it's the best ending, I think, that this series can have. I sincerely hope "Cross Game" doesn't end up like this, though.

... Last updated on September 19th, 2008, 8:44pm

I signed up just to review this because it seems to me that many people are giving this high scores based on how "great" this author seems to be. Lets start with the good points.

For one thing, even though it looks really old, the art isn't even the major concern here. I already grew accustomed to it by the time I finished reading the first volume, so I have no major complaints.

The actual interaction and dialogue between the characters was something that really took me surprise, however. It seems to be very, very, witty and sarcastic. In fact, this is probably the first time I've ever seen something of its kind. The realism that it depicts is quite masterful, and it actually makes me wonder if the author himself had similar experiences in life.

In any case, I found that the dialogue was funny, witty, and sarcastic all at the same time.

Now lets get to the bad points.

Throughout the entire series, it becomes painfully obvious that the author manipulates you into picking favorites when it came to actual relationships.

The main character here has a girl he meets (whos actually the baseball manager mentioned in the summary above) and a childhood friend from the past. The latter being the aforementioned "favorite" couple that the author tries to make you pick. Honestly after reading the manga, I don't think anyone would've supported his relationship with the baseball manager. Just because she wasn't the "favorite".

What annoyed me the most was how exactly the author "manipulates" the reader into picking the "right" couple.

He does this by bashing you in the head with the same flashbacks over and over and over again until you simply laugh the next time you see it. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about and have read the series, I'm referring to the, "Look we're the same height! Sucks to be you!" scene.

In any case, I'd like to actually talk about that last comment on the summary that says "You don't need to be a baseball fan to enjoy this!" I'd like to challenge this statement.

I went into this manga only knowing bare-bones baseball. Meaning that I only know the basics: 3 outs, 3 strikes, 4 bases, 4 balls and you walk, change sides, 9 innings, hit it into the stadium or out of the park and its a homerun.

Like I said, bare minimum.

And yet, there were many things that I did not know. Real baseball fans may laugh at me for this (>_> hey, I'm more of a football guy anyway...)

Things such as a pitching error, or generally what the hell an "error" is
eluded me. I honestly had no idea. Of course, I can't blame the manga for my own ignorance. I'm just challenging the statement

In any case, the actual baseball is pretty fun to read, which is another surprising thing coming from this. I generally don't like reading sports manga because I always had this mindset that seemed to think that if it were animated, it'd probably be 10x better. Maybe that would be the case, but I still thought this manga really delivered on the actual game.


And now lets get on to what people say was one of the worst points of this manga by far: The Ending


I read comments on here before I even read the manga, so I was already "spoiled" on the fact that the ending was bad. So I came into it expecting a bad ending.

And guess what?




...it was a bad ending. ^_^

From what I've been hearing on this author, he seems to have a knack for giving people endings similar to this in all of his works (which actually really makes me hesitate to read his other stuff)

First of all, lets not talk about the ending but the stuff preluding it. I'd have to say, after all the hype on the whole "Big Showdown" facade, I was expecting a really fantastic game at the ending.

But of course, this manga surprised me again when it gave me, probably one of the worst games in the entire manga (no joke). They made it out to be so damn dramatic, but it ended up just being a big laughingstock. The "showdown" was more or less pretty damn one-sided.

When they went head-to-head with Eikyo Academy, however, THAT was exciting. Maybe its because it made you feel like there was a "real villain" on the opposing team, so the game felt more fulfilling overall.

Maybe it wasn't a bad game, but compared to all the other games in the manga, I'd say it was pretty bad. You'd also have to consider how much hype the author put into it.

Now on to the "actual" ending..

The ending was bad, yes, but when you stop and think about it, how else could it have possibly ended? I'm sorry to say, but, at that point in time, I would have to say it was impossible for the "favorite couple" to actually flourish. There was just no way. From the very beginning, I knew it to be true.

And even though I knew this, deep down inside me, I wished for some miraculous event to occur. An event that would've turned the tables in favor for the main character to actually get the girl that he desired even though he held himself back. I wished it; many others wished it, but it didn't come true.

The realism was good. Too good in fact. Ironically, its greatest flaw.

This was a great read and very entertaining, but i felt the ending was incomplete and im still wonder whats gonna happen... but it was great

read this its good

...Because I wanted to find out which Adachi work is the best: this or Cross Game. 51 volumes and more than half a year later, I finally have the answer.

H2 is definitely Adachi at his best.

Not to take away anything from Cross Game; it, too, is great, not to mention that it also has arguably the most memorable confession scenes I have ever come across in manga (IMHO, but if you know manga with equally or even more awesome confessions, suggestions are welcome. Especially if they're shounen or seinen).

But H2 is just on a different level. Amazing is Adachi's subtlety in this one that - unfortunately - if you don't get it, you'll definitely hate it. And deciphering his subtleties is really rewarding, especially on the second read. So yeah, reading Adachi requires a bit more analysis than your typical fare, and that's what makes him so great.

Probably another thing going for H2 is it's length (it's fricking double that of Cross Game). Not only does this mean more Adachi subtle storytelling, but we also get more exciting games that are really fleshed out. Adachi may not be a technical baseball mangaka, but he knows how to make the most of the tension in the games. And that kept me reading even more. Although I have to say the final game between Senkawa and Meisei felt a bit lacking in execution outside of Hideo's at-bats; I felt the first official Senkawa-Eikyo game was more thrilling (as well as Cross Game's Seishu-Ryuo in the end, though looking back at it I feel that it was unnecessarily drawn out for Koh's at-bat, but that is a story for another time).

So in summary: Adachi is a freaking great storyteller and H2 is - for me at least - his best to date. Might add more to this comment in the future when I get to organize my thoughts better.