Teppuu
Teppu

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I just felt like writing down how this manga and I connected. it was like something out of a dream for me, the main character was the only character iv'e ever been able to totally empathize with. every thought she had I had every action she took I had taken reading this a year out of high school was like living threw high school again, and that alone was glorious. this manga got me back into manga and helped me find my self after having my life upended without this I probably would not be who I am today. I can truly say that Natsuo ... is me, or rather the me who I was in before life hit me it was a bitter sweet nostalgia of watch a young hyper talented athlete lose themselves to the boredom of being innately talented at everything. I can only lament that I don't get to see her come to the same conclusion I have and transcend the material and cast off ones talent and become a full self. never the less being able to get such a clear view of my own life was the flashpoint that set me forward to my current mental clarity, and for that I am truly grateful.

this is a very personal review but I just wanted to get it off my chest. it feels good to close this chapter in my life and its thanks too teppuu that I can.

I love martial arts. It's in my blood. When I first read Teppuu, I did not know what to expect. Some crappy story about a person "wanting to get stronger"? Some lame quotes like, "I want to protect my friends, and I want to get stronger!" (Valiant, but cliche')

Story:
Teppu is about a girl. A girl named Ishido, Natsuo. It just so happens Natsuo is an ace at every sport, and rarely fails at what she does. But here's the trick; Natsuo is a jerk and a bully and every kind of person you DO NOT want to have as your friend. Which ... may be a reason why she has few. The story basically focuses on Natsuo's loneliness and wanting to pound Yuzuko's (Her main rival) face into the ground.

Art:

Art, in my opinion, is great. Sometimes comedic, sometimes serious. Fits the manga perfectly. There IS quite a fair amount of blood in this series, so if you don't like that...you probably won't like the theme of the stories...

Character:

Okay! Now we're getting into the good stuff. It's simple and very well portrayed. Natsuo's a jerk. Yuzuko is cheerful. Ringi is competitive, and Sanae is die-hard stoic and hates Natsuo's guts (for a good reason.)

Overall:

I mostly liked this series as it is a fairly realistic approach towards MMA and martial arts, but I did not really appreciate Natsuo jerkass approach to everything. Some moments you will laugh, some, you'll cry, but if you enjoy martial arts, hate romance, and like muscular girls with bare midriff, you'll enjoy this series...

Imagine a manga that centered on a sadistic insecure bully who is thrown into the world of MMA by a chance encounter and you will have Teppu.

Teppu's story isn't exactly original but it is written in a very believable way. Meet Natsuo, an individual who has never been bad at anything and is utterly bored because of it. She decides to attend her school's club registration and bumps into a newly formed MMA Club. After being hassled she agrees to spar against the club founder. It ends before it can be concluded but she understands that she would have lost and begins to hate the ... founder and decides to beat her at her own game.

The artwork doesn't compare to the greats but Oota is definitely gifted. At her best she blows you away with realistic muscle definition and at her worst the characters may look very similiar.

Natsuo is my favourite female protagonist. Everything she does is either hilarious or incredibly badass equipped with a very interesting personality and history she is the series halo. The other cast are equally enjoyable but lack that epic touch barring Japan's strongest woman.

My favourite part of this manga is how enjoyable it is. It doesn't dive into Plato's psyche nor does it have Edgar Allen Poe's cynicism but it doesn't need it. It leaves you wanting more and has seen scenes that take your break away. In fact chapter 23 left me in a state similiar to how I felt when my favourite manga/anime finished.

Overall this manga is very enjoyable and has an incredibly original protagonist. Diced with an well written plot and scenes that will blow you away, it is definitely worth reading.

Picture the typical sports manga: Main character is untalented initially, but genuinely enjoys the sport they want to be a part of, and will work hard to make it to the top!! Their main rival is an arrogant bully (but the protag might be oblivious to this) who wants to beat down the main character and show them their place because of some serious personal issues. The bad guy is also extremely talented, and find the sport so easy that it's boring.

Now flip that whole thing upside down. There you go, it's Teppuu. You are rooting for a total jerk. The ... antagonist is an alright girl. Run with it.

I am no expert in MMA, but the martial arts I've seen come off as realistic with the occasional break from probable done for rule of cool.

A very enjoyable manga about a female high school student who is known to be great at everything that she does that she doesn't feel excited to do anything. However, that changes when she finds MMA which inspires her to move on and to actually work hard on something.

The lead is a bully/jerk who doesn't throw out any cliched lines about getting stronger for the sake of someone else. She simply wants a challenge, which makes her a unique lead character for this genre.

However, this manga ended way too short as is the curse with mangas like these. The story was good but needed ... some work to be great. I found myself interested in the main character as I can relate to her in some ways. It was nice to know she wasn't 100% perfect and has her emotional baggage which makes this manga work.

Good read for anyone interested in MMA manga.

Spoilers Ahead:

Story: 6
Natsuo Ishida is a super talented girl who pissed off too many people because of her talent. Her brother, friends, and etc. She then gets destroyed by an annoying bitch, Yuzuko Mawatari, from a fight on the roof and then strives to defeat her in the future in a tournament. Problems in the story are sometimes really evident. Some of the action don't have anything to it rather than Natsuo being "talented" except for her last loss that was complete bullshit. The main goal for the mc is just to fight the annoying girl that is Mawatari. Then there is the problems with ... characters like her brother and Sawamura and Ringi. The main plot isn't boring concept, but it was executed poorly. It had poor buildup, lack of good fights, and it ended way too early. The story is above average and would like to see the continuation, but want to see improvements if the author comes back.

Art:8
The art was done well for the most part. Some character designs were a little weird, but you can still appreciate the designs still.

Character: 6
Some of the characters were actually lovable and others were just plain bad.
The loveble;
-Natsou, even though had a shit personality, was enjoyable character to love. She was like Sawamura from HnI and had some cool story along with her.
-Sawamura, Ninomiya, and Ganeko are also likeable characters.
Ishidou the brother, even though he abused his sister, has seen error in his ways and seem to get him self back on track near the end of the series.
The Garbage:
-Yuzuko is the worst character in Teppuu. I mean the end just proves this as she defeated Natsou even though Natsou is as talented as Takamura from HnI. Seriously this is like Wally vs Ippo except of being logical to some extent(Wally had little experience since he barely started but was talented) instead we get this bullshit that she defeats her with willpower alone. I mean Ippo at least had talent but worked hard too. That being said, I liked that she worked hard to at least get there, but it was clear she should've lost. She also doesn't have any character development other than, she likes to get hit.
-Mario is also some bullshit too. No fighter can have 500 or whatever opponents they have defeated with no losses.(Also that is even impossible as time between fights would have to be like a week or two.) Even greats fall but apparently not. He also has a huge ego for being a person who didn't even fight a man who is supposedly weak.
-Ringi because she is just there to be there.

Enjoyment and Overall:7
The series is good to read and would recommend. It suffers from stuff here and then but overall a 7.

I'm not going to waste too much of your time.

This manga is great, the characters are solidly written and the plot is decent. Instead of your typical sports manga our protagonist acts a lot more like the villain of a sports movie than the underdog hero. She's naturally incredibly talented, and full of spite for everyone around her. Which makes her a far more interesting character to observe than your typical goodie-2-shoes underdog.

The art is, okay. Its not the series strong point at all.

But the truth strength is the level of detail that the MMA fights are depicted with. Seriously this stuff is on par ... with Hajime in terms of raw accuracy to a fight. Its outstanding.

If you like tough girls, or just enjoy MMA then this is the perfect manga for you.

Sadly my review comes with a massive caveat, Volume 8 does not exist. It was apparently not published on time by the author who only finished 10~ pages and published them unofficially. And since the manga was never given an official English translation we Western fans are stuck with spotty fan translations and the knowledge that we'll never see the true end of the manga.

I still think the final panel is a fitting one to leave off on though, it fits the character well.

Being only 33 chapters I decided I’d just power through it and then bring all of you my thoughts

I’m glad I did because once I started it up I just couldn’t put it down. Teppu is an incredibly intriguing manga for many reasons and It’s also really good to boot. From its complete focus on women’s MMA to it’s incredibly respectful treatment of women as badasses who can through a knock-out punch – there is 0% fan-service in this series, these girls will literally kill you if you try to sneak a peek at them – to it’s portrayal of Natsuo as a sort of ... villain who you can’t help but root for.

The psych complexities Moare focuses on with Natsuo and those she has effected throughout her 16 year old life cannot be understated here as he blends many layers between the folds of the story. There is Natsuo’s broken relationship with her brother, her broken relationship with her once-best friend Sanae, her hatred for Yuzuko for being the first person to finally be better at her at something, and Natsuo’s own inferiority complex because she’s jealous of those who actually have to struggle to be good at something.

Teppu fight 2Natsuo quite literally plays the part of the villain for this series if you flipped the viewpoint around to Yuzuko’s P.O.V., however because of this it makes Natsuo that much more compelling as a hero. I found myself enthralled by Moare’s portrayal of this tall, lanky girl who was so naturally gifted that she made enemies everywhere she went, and yet all she wanted was to be normal just like all of them. But she can’t, because it’s a superpower she can’t turn off.

Now, unfortunately because there are so many subplots flying every which way in the background and with the series being the short length that it is, because we also have A lot of characters in this series, by the time the story is over not everything Moare set into motion gets settled and even those events that cause Natsuo to become the way she is get rushed a bit in the finale.

However, the way Moare ends the series it almost feels like we don’t need to see those other subplots, that they weren’t really that important in the grand scheme of things, that Natsuo’s story is more or less complete and anything after that is just fluff that would exist because he wants it not because he needs it to. It is a very interesting dichotomy, because I walked away feeling satisfied by the end which not many authors can achieve when they don’t give themselves time to really bring closure to all their characters.

From just a narrative perspective, I think what Moare achieved here is superb. All the characters in this series have a force that drives them, they each have their goals and their fears, their achievements and their let downs. And I know there is STILL this feeling within the entertainment industry that women can’t be badass enough to carry stories, but really if anything proves them wrong it’s the incredibly down to Earth, street level brawl of a manga. Because there’s nothing really outlandish about it, over the top, or anything that gives the story a sort of fantasy element, this manga could easily be adapted into a Hollywood movie and it would probably do really, really well. Especially with the UFC crowd.

Teppu fight 1Let’s talk about the MMA in this manga, shall we? This series was recommended to me because currently I am reading a manhwa titled Girls of the Wild’s which also centers heavily around MMA, however it doesn’t generally go into a lot of depth of how MMA works and generally sees it’s characters fighting in their own styles while pitted against one another. Boxer vs. a Judo master, both doing their own style of moves against one another. Plus there’s a lot more to that series that lends itself fantasy elements even in the fighting.

None of that seeps into Teppu. Now, there are plenty of speed shots and power shots that are meant to help you understand the force these women are putting their attacks, but Moare makes it very clear throughout the manga that MMA is MMA, and whether you known Jiujitsu, Karate, or just street brawling, when you get in that ring, you fight MMA-style and leave your clear-cut style at home.

There are pages and pages strung throughout the series that go way in-depth into how MMA in Japan works, and gives you step-by-step instructions on how some basic moves work so that you get the gist of what’s going on the story which then in turn allows you to enjoy the fights even more. Moare is clearly a fan of this sport and has down his research into how everything is supposed to work. Even down to the padding the girls wear that is generally drawn in as much detail as anything else this series offers.

Which, by the way, this manga has beautiful art as well. If you didn’t think it couldn’t get any better. Never does it feel like Moare skimps on the details, like I mentioned earlier even going so far as to detail the padding and sponsorship wear these women adorn themselves with in the ring. The action is fluid, and all the girls look like real people. All dressed and pampered in their own way, older women looking older, younger women look younger. And the haircuts that allow for some of the characters to feel indistinguishable from men which in reality there are plenty of women like that.

Every which way I turned I felt myself appreciating this series more and more for its attention to detail within its art, its portrayal of MMA as an actual sport, the rich cast of characters as well the different personalities of each and every one of them, Natsuo’s journey to finally feel happy because for once in her life she actually had to work at something.

This series is quite compelling. And like I said, though the ending can feel rather rushed, dropping some of the subplots created by other supporting characters, it doesn’t feel unsatisfying either. At 33 chapters Teppu does exactly what it planned to do and doesn’t overstay its welcome. If we were to ever get more from this series I would be very happy, but if we didn’t I’d also remain very happy.

If you like MMA, if you like interesting characters, if you like stories that focus on something different for a change, then I definitely recommend you check this manga out. Unfortunately it’s not licensed in North America but you can find scanlations online – even though I’d love to tell you to go out and buy it, it’s still a rather unknown series at this point. It was to me before I started reading it.

Story: 7
Art: 7
Character: 8
Enjoyment: 8
Overall: 7

This is my first review ever because this is the first manga I've read after making my MAL account. I hope this review is written well and is helpful for those who read this review.

Abbreviations:
MC = Main Character
... OP = Over Powered

*My average rating for generally enjoying things is 7.*
Starting off with the easiest part of the review for me: art. I'm not one for super fancy art so I generally enjoyed it. My enjoyment was 8 due to the characters being quirky on their own (even to the point of being "creepy"). For the story, it's a bit more complicated than that (which I go into detail below).

The plot seemed... backwards at times. With my choice of mangas/animes being "let's push on because I have a mentality of positivity", this manga was really from the "If it isn't hard and I'm top ranked, I'm bored." It gave a backwards feeling in comparison to an overpowered MC who is hidden in the shadows/a lazy character who is secretly strong: an overpowered character who really seemed underdeveloped emotionally (only motivated through revenge to prove their strength) and the "99% talent, 1% skill", something that made me believe in the character. It brought selfish feelings into this alongside the human characteristic of a quirk to their characters (M, being the top gun, etc.). To hopefully wrap up my thoughts (if they're even coherent at this point), the reason why I said "the plot seemed backwards" is because it almost felt like I was in the seat of the villain. As I said before, my usual choice of mangas/animes is the positivity side but this manga is from the "petty" side: "I want to do this to null the other person's feeling". It's honestly something I would expect from a younger person and surprise surprise, it made me understand the MC's point of view. It got me to enjoy the story a bit more. While I felt like I was in the seat of the villain, it was also fun to be in the seat of the "uphill battle". It felt thrilling to imagine myself in the MC's position, staring at the back of someone which you despise with all your heart. In my opinion, it's a believable and hard drive/motivation for the MC. In my experience, there aren't many mangas that I've read nor animes I've watched where the main goal is literally in front of everyone (both the MC and the reader) and the whole mangas premise is that uphill battle. Sure I can say One Piece had these uphill battles in arcs (like Impel Down) but since this manga was pretty short, it really only had one arc/the WHOLE premise of the manga was the uphill battle.

While the MC was certainly different than other stories I've read, the supporting characters were all unique in their own way. As pointed out in other reviews for this manga, I wish the other characters were more fleshed out and the manga seemed to end too early to develop those characters.

To wrap everything up, I think this manga is a great change of pace (in comparison to my choice of entertainment). I think I gained more enjoyment because I do karate in real life (with a hint of MMA) and seeing MMA in a manga made me excited. The mixture of techniques from different style is a blessing and really shows the many different approaches one can have to a controlled fight.
With this fact in mind (about my experience with karate), I don't know if those who aren't into MMA would be into this manga. I think the plot has a lot of strengths to it but it could dull out through a long period of time (specifically the childish aspect of one being vindictive). There's only so much I can take without being forced to live real life.

I hope this review is informative and helps you understand my take on this manga. I do enjoy sports mangas/animes and wouldn't be against new recommendations. I hope you have a wonderful day and as always, keep on smiling.

"Today's lessons are tomorrow's personal development/growth. Take the good and improve so you don't make the same mistake on your next attempt."
"Smile because we don't have enough time."
- Today's random words from user "LightningKiddo"

Teppuu is one of those manga that have something special going for them. The realism to which it's depicted, the nuance in how it's told, the clear love put into making an audience invested in what the manga is about. I can't fathom the amount of effort the author put into this piece. A story that collects the most important time in what we may consider the antagonist of the story.

Story: 8.5/10
Fresh, so, so fresh, new, exciting. A story that begins with somebody we can easily classify as the endgame villain. The 100% talent, no effort person that destroys any ounce of love anybody can ... put into a passion. Similar to one of the best webtoons of all time, "The Boxer", people are far more complex than "the monster", "the bitch", "the underdog". People have problems, and framing those problems into how they express them when learning a passion, a sport, violence, we get the best stories. Of course, the device is MMA, the fights, the technical and amazing art, but the real hook are the characters and how they break clichés and conventions of the genre. Teppuu knows what it is, what it does to change the formula and prides itself on it to the point that we can only marvel at how interesting, and surprisingly simple it is.

Characters: 7/10
While the main character had the biggest amount of subtlety, change, and love put into her; can't say the same about the rest. Considering the health problems that the author had when making the series, we can't expect every aspect of every character to be fleshed out. Sadly, there's limited time to make sense of how everybody changed, as well as how little some did. People don't change that much out of nowhere, I get that, but at the very end, nobody changed at all except the protagonist and only by a little bit. The future ahead of these characters is bright, but the story will never be continued. A hole is left on how they went ahead, it's as if we saw the first "Alita Battle Angel" movie, yes we get a character arc and story, but the world and elements have so much more to say. I like the personalities, but mostly, each character was an archetype that got a fresh use, but not in how they were interpreted or led to the end.

Art: 10/10
The strongest aspect in Teppuu is the art. Masterclass in martial arts realism, in physiques, indicating subtle elements in each body. The consistency to which every part of every character was maintained to hold a perfect idea of how they work. The faces, extremely expressive, extremely well shown. I love every aspect of Teppuu in the art department, even how crowd shots have every person drawn without need. You can easily tell how people feel with their facial expressions, just as much as how their body moves. The lines of motion, how each impact isn't belittled, every single punch has importance, every grapple, I'm dumbfounded at the quality.

Overall: 8.5/10
Teppuu deserves more recognition as an underrated gem in martial arts manga. A story that respects the theme, the characters, and the sport it talks about, it really needs more people reading it.

I’m on the fence with this manga. Some matches where very thrilling, and the main character starts off as an interesting female protagonist, but sometimes it was a bit boring. There is a lot of technique explanation, and most of the side characters are just okay.

Apparently, the martial arts are very well depicted, and that’s good… I guess. I have no idea about this, and I didn’t care so much. In general, the combats are cool enough, and the paneling helps to understand how the movement goes.

Although the character design and general drawing, including the positions of the bodies (quire complex in this manga ... with so many martial art techniques) is good enough the art feels a little rough and it can look quite ugly some times.

The character arcs are not that big of a deal either, not much changes. The protagonist is a talented asshole and she barely grasps what it means to respect the others by the end of the story. Do I need a big redeeming story or learning journey here? Not really. I like that the protagonist is different to the usual hero. She’s really good at many things and she’s bored with everyone else around her. Because of that, the situations around other characters are tense and conflict can burst at any time.

I like that about this manga, and it was very entertaining to see the next thing this girl was going to do. The defiance in her stance when facing anyone she didn’t like, meaning, everyone but her only friend, is always menacing, as she is a very strong and tall girl.

If you are interested in MMA I’m sure this will be and even better read for you, but even if you are not, it can be enjoyed.

This series has significant problems. The pacing is horrific, and the characters are completely unlikable. The beginning is a boring mix of trivial school drama and MMA wiki dumps. Nothing of significance happens until around volume 5 and by then the series is basically over with. What's fascinating about this series is that EVERY character is unlikable and the MC is essentially the villain. Typically with sports manga you have some underdog type character which the reader can relate to, but here we have nothing. I would actually describe this series as the opposite of Hajime no Ippo which has great pacing and great characters.

The character art is beautiful and all But I have to be honest here on behalf of my soul.

Teppuu is a great exercise in arrogance and ego. It's all about MC being so good at everything, treating others badly with impunity for dozens of scenes, She is encouraged by her instructor to inflate her own ego, defeats girls in less than 1 minute in a row with the plot armor explication: you're good huh!

I'll admit I made it all the way to chapter 11 and let go after noticing that the girl practiced and fought half a dozen times without getting a single punch to ... the face