Giant Killing

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Giant killing is one of the Mangas which cover almost all the aspects of a Football club from players to Mangment to fans. It has everything a sports manga should have and from my pov I rate it as the best sports manga ( above SD, Haikyuu)

The author also had gone deep in J1 league Getting back story of Other teams and their players and mangers.

There is 2-3 arcs solely about the Club Ultras (regular supporters) As a football enthusiastic I recommend this Manga to Every football fan and if you don't watch football Then this will give you a whole new experience about how ... a club and it's player work in sync for a club.


10/10 for me now It's Scalnation team dropped it at 514 The raws are in 630+(as of now) Kodansha USA is releasing it's vol from start In 2017 Bi monthly (Till 40 vols have come online) I am also waiting for new ones Tho I have to wait 2-3 yrs more But you should definitely check this out

Do you still confused why so many eyes seeing 22 players running around the field only to chase a ball? Why people from another regions of the world giving up their sleep schedule just to see 90 minutes of football match from their favorite team? Why they still keep supporting their favorite team even though they were always losing? Then you should read giant killing.

Giant killing were really good on pinpoint things that usually not being a main factors about football clubs in any sports manga, they focused Not just about the game, but the football all inside out. The Manager, staff, players, the owners, ... even the supporters and sponsors of the club had a main arc and written beautifully on how they were one of the main factors of the club. When is the last time you see on sports manga a main arc focused on supporters and how they always be there for the club? Only in giant killing.

Giant killing were really good on explaining why so many things the way they are on football culture, ever wondering why some players always loyal to their team? wondering why a manager gets fired even though the teams keep winning? Why and how certain teams have their own structure or philosophy of play? Is it because the players ability suited to the team? Or because the Manager so good at implementing the structure so the players learn from it? Things that you never questioned before about football would somehow explained in a really interesting way on giant killing.

Giant killing is not about super teams beating everyone and winning the league, giant killing is not about some extra talented boy who rises to the top. Giant killing is not about players with super ability beating everyone on their way.

Giant killing is about trusting a process, a reason why they still training even though they were on a losing streak, why a star player still believing their comrades even though they never reach a success, why the sponsors still supporting the team even though they never gained a profit, because they know that success can be grasped if every aspect of the club wanted to learn, trusting each other, and united together.

Giant killing is not a sports manga, Giant killing is a love letter to football

The biggest giant this series killed was my usual disinterest with sports manga.

STORY

I've always had a major roadblock between myself and enjoying a sports series: I know that the events taking place on the field are scripted. This may seem like a strange gripe, since EVERY event in every manga is scripted, with the outcome decided by the author long before I pick up the book, but I when it comes to sports series I have a particular problem suspending my disbelief. There just aren't that many potential directions a story can go when the only two realistic outcomes are 1) They score the points ... and win, or 2) They don't score the points and lose. But "Giant Killing" finally achieved what I thought was impossible for a sports series: genuine dramatic tension. In volumes 20-22 the unthinkable happened and I was on the edge of my seat for a soccer match. The match itself was simply a mid-season game against a mid-tier opponent, not some final showdown for the championship or anything like that, but I was completely sold on the idea that this game was an all-out, no holds barred battle right down to the wire between two evenly matched teams, where the outcome hung by a thread and the protagonists had no plot armor guaranteeing a victory. After finishing that story arc I decided I HAD to write a review for this manga.

CHARACTERS

But just a in real life sports, the enjoyment isn't derived solely from a mere abstract appreciation of the tactics and athleticism of the sport in question, but also from the "narrative". The quarterback isn't just a man skilled at throwing a football- he's an old veteran making one last attempt to win the championship that has eluded him his whole career; the baseball team isn't just some kids from a small high school- they're a plucky band of underdogs trying to beat the big high school's advantage in talent and money using just their sweat, teamwork, and brains. "Giant Killing" provides a large cast of distinct characters with a wide variety of story arcs to keep things interesting. Individually, I can't say any particular character is an all-time favorite of mine, but they work extremely well as a group. Players, coaches, front office staff, fans, and media personalities all bounce off each other in complex and interesting ways as their personal storylines intersect. This large and well-balanced cast means the spotlight can regularly switch between characters to keep things fresh while still feeling like one cohesive story. Perhaps the true main character is East Tokyo United itself.

ART

I'm always interested in manga with a distinct aesthetic. You definitely won't look at the art style of "Giant Killing" and confuse it for anything else. The simple fact that characters have NOSES will differentiate this series from a good chunk of the manga out there. The art has a slightly rough and sketchy feel without seeming amateur. Moving past the nose joke, the character designs are memorable and widely varied- a crucial accomplishment given the size of the cast. Just as an example let's look at the supporting character of Natsumi, a passionate but somewhat clueless player in the latter half of his career still trying to project the image of the cool young soccer stud. His main visual quirk is a huge mop of hair held back by a headband, sure it looks like an athlete's hairstyle but it's also just a bit outdated. It sums up all the crucial points of the character in a single image: his age, his love of soccer, and his awkwardness. That's a smart use of visual clues to help the audience remember what a character is all about, even if he's only the main focus on rare occasions.

ENJOYMENT

I'd call this "The Sports Manga For People Who Don't Like Sports Manga". It has a completely different vibe than your generic story about a group of high school kids saying "LET'S GO TO NATIONALS!", so don't write it off just because you tried other sports series but they didn't stick. The story is more mature, not in the sex, drugs, and profanity kind of way, but mature in the sense that you understand that most of the characters are adults dealing with issues more complex than making friends and confessing to the cute girl. Even as a red-blooded American who won't budge on the fact that FOOTBALL is the sport with the pads, helmets, and brown egg-shaped ball, I found myself deeply enjoying this look into professional soccer.

OVERALL

"Giant Killing" will probably never dethrone my all-time favorite manga such as "Vinland Saga", "A Silent Voice", or "The Ghost and the Lady", but it IS my favorite sports manga by a wide margin. GO GO EAST TOKYO UNITED!