Whistle!

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OK, I write my review about this manga.

this manga is ... unbelievable. I had read many manga/anime, but it is the first time I see the story about someone who haven't any talent. Almost the main character have a/some talent (in ability) but it not show first, and it see it in future. But main character in this manga (Sho) don't have it, his ability is nomal.
In many manga about sport, I see the main's school lose in first competition, and win in the next time, the national competition, and can be ... called to the national team (If manga have). But Sho don't have any cup with his school, it is the suprise with me. Moreover, in this manga defender not so much useless just like many manga about football I ever seen, and tactic in this manga is closer in real than many tactic in other manga.
you can be see one man has nothing became the soul of the selected team, no, every team he join because he never give up although the thing is hard.
I love this manga so much, and you should read this manga 1 time.

Whistle is the best soccer, no, best sports manga I've ever read. I loved Prince of Tennis, and it was my top manga until I read Whistle! I remembered vividly almost crying when Tenipuri ended and how I felt so full, happy inside for the series and characters. Of course, now there's a sequel but I'll wait until it concludes so I can binge read it.

Sports manga is one of my favourite genres, I get very invested in the characters and I love discovering more about these sports I don't really pay attention to in real life.

Perhaps the reason I loved Whistle! is that it ... felt real. I know it's silly, but Sho (the protagonist) is a young a boy that isn't skilled, or talented at soccer. He doesn't get magical powers, nor is he enough to bring a team to victory, much like Captain Tsubasa shows. Sho works hard, he cries and sweats, but he doesn't give up. His one strong point is that he is stubborn, he loves soccer and he doesn't ever give up.

I read some reviews that made me a bit livid when I read them. Calling Whistle! just like any other sports manga where Sho never loses is so fucking wrong I actually get angry. Very angry.

There's a point in the manga, after Sho gets special train outside his school, and when he returns there's a difference in his skill and his school mates who just play for fun. They don't win matches just because Sho is there. A team is only as strong as its individual members are. One sole member can't in real life lead to victory.

That isn't something you see in other sports manga, or even in soccer. Captain Tsubasa made popular the whole "as long as you have one outstanding member and the rest are sub par, you can still do it". Which is bullshit.

Whistle! in that regard, and a lot of others really, is a realistic sports manga. As I said, Sho has to work really hard, constantly fighting to improve and to get selected for teams and to get to play.

I'm trying not to spoiler, so I won't, but I'll say one of the things that impacted and desolated me was the ending. I cried. The manga had given me moments of angst, and pain, because Sho's life isn't easy.

From bullying to having to cope with his small size against bigger guys and relentlessly training. But Sho is a bright, happy young boy that lives for soccer, it's his life and joy. So the ending comes up and I start crying and I feel so heart broken over it I can't breathe or see clearly, and I can't forget his face. What he said. His state. This was a Sho that I'd never seen and it hurt so much. I love Sho, I love everything he stands for, the way he tries his best, and when I think that's his ending (and it gets an open ending which I've thought countless times could go this way or that way) I just feel so emotional.

I don't know how to give my opinions and thoughts on things I truly love. It's hard to put in words why something affected me so deeply I'd score them 5/5 (or 10/10 depending on the website) but this manga does indeed deserve my highest rating.

I'm a sparse person when it comes to giving 5/10, and 1's too. Out of my almost 800 *snorts from the future with 2k* books in GoodReads, 20-30 are 5 stars. And I'm sure if I went to MyAnimeList I'd see something of the sort. I can't give the maximum rate unless it's something that affected me deeply. Sometimes positively, sometimes negatively, but unless it really wormed itself down inside me, I end up giving 4's.

One thing that surprised me is that when I tried to check on other mangas by this same mangaka, which I do whenever I discover I liked their work, they...didn't really so anything substantive before or after Whistle! So in a way, this is his magnum opus. And I can't tell you how highly I view it.

If you've never read it, I really do beg you to do it. It starts slow and by the end it felt like that ending was because the mangaka couldn't have continued, it would have gone down the circle jerk of "go here and win" which never happens in Whistle! It's about Sho's improvement as a person, as a player, but it never becomes a "victory" centric manga. It continues grounded to the characters, as we meet and get to know more about the past of the rest.

And in the end, it's about how a small young boy called Sho who influenced a generation of players by existing, by playing next to them, by showing them that all you need to improve is neither talent nor skill, but perseverance.

My rating is of course: 5/5, 10/10. Perhaps even a 20/5, because after I finished, for three days whenever I remembered Whistle! I'd start crying. Just like that.

And even right now, my eyes are prickling because I'm still hangup on this manga, and it's been at least five months since I last read it.

Whistle! is a most read manga for all ages. Even if you find that you don't care for sports, or like Shounen Jump Manga, I honestly recommend that you give this one a try.

I've reread Whistle! so many times now that I've lost track of the exact number. But I thought I would tell you a little bit about why I love this series so much. It's one of the most inspiring manga series I've ever read. And the only one I own most of.

I have a hard time finding any fault in this series. I think the story is amazing. The artwork ... is fanominal. All the characters tend to grow on you. The enjoyment is intense and exciting. And overall this manga series is bewildering. After each volume... each chapter really... I couldn't wait for more. I still get those same feelings every time I pick up this series.

I think the author did an excellent job on capturing what it means to chase after dreams, the stumbles one may go through to reach those dreams, and the people who may be on the sidelines silently showing their support, through love and care. But most of all, the author, through this series, shows that anything can be achieved through hard work and devotion.

I love the spirit of Whistle! It has such great moods and a different atmosphere from other Shounen Jump Manga, that I've read. Because you get to see through the eyes of a character who really struggles, it feels more believable in a lot of ways.

Sho Kazamatsuri, he doesn't believe that he's very good, and he isn't at first. But he works harder to make up for what he lacks skill-wise and technique-wise. His passion (obsession) makes it hard not to fall in love with him, as the main character. His drive could make it impossible to beat him. But most of all, his personality just draws the best out of those around him, it doesn't matter if they're his teammates or not. Through each volume Sho meets many amazing characters who continually influence him to do the best he can, and to be the best he can be.

I could go through just about all of the characters this same way... telling you just why I love them... but I don't think I'm going to. I'm sure you could just read this series and find out for yourself why I love it so much.

So please just check it out. You might find that you enjoy it just as much as I do.


"If your opponent is a superior player... you need to polish what your best at then use it in the fight." -Ko Kazamatsuri

Thanks for reading. If this Review makes you, in even the smallest way, want to pick up a volume of Whistle! and start reading today... then I'm glad.
~animedance