Jul 14, 2023
I've had my fair share of shonen manga and anime. Born-and-bred reader and watcher of one piece, black clover, etc. I don't necessarily appreciate this type of animanga. They are good, sure, but they aren't THAT good, with the exception of one piece. Well, the thing about this manga is that it was the first manga too touch my heart. I, too, had an emo kid phase where I thought it was just me against the world. And then I begin to learn how to rely on the people around me. This manga teaches you to do exactly that. It teaches about one's morals, what
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they plan to do, how to carry it out. Not to mention, martial arts. I'm a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, so I relate too Suou-san very well. Now, heres the review.
Story: 8/10
I'm gonna be honest. This manga has a very cliche plot. But what it excels in is the premise. Gang wars are not a very common trope, thought it has a decent amount of people that do it. But it's onpoint. It doesn't have an unnecessary amount of gangs, there isn't any drugs, blah blah blah. It's just the school trying to fight it out, protecting their own town. It goes rather indepth into the characters during the fighting, showing many different strikes one after the other that is visually able to be seen. In fact, some of the backstories were so incredibly sad I shed a tear or two. It's not your typical 'Asta-Flashback-Powerup' guy from Black Clover. He doesn't magically gets a power up. He works hard for it. It doesn't just manifest in the battlefield. However, some might find that the fights are pointlessly, well, too thought-provoking, which I did. Some scenes were very uncalled for. I would have loved, loved, loved a romantic interest for the plot. It would have been fun to see how it plays out for Sakura, although it might impact the main focus of the manga. I can understand if the mangaka does not want to do it. One thing that baffles me, however, is that it's a school. There should be teachers around. All in all, Nii Satoru did a good job on the premise and plot.
Artstyle: 10/10
This is a martial arts manga. But this manga excels in it's depictions of many techniques that it shows. The back kicks, side kicks, roundhouse kicks, even the Judo throws are all splendidly drawn. Compared too other martial arts manga in which I have no clue to what is being done, this manga draws each technique spectacularly. It is awesome. Even in crowds, Nii Satoru somehow pulls of drawing double techniques really, really finely.
In the emotional scenes, it's impact is significant. He draws the correct facial expressions, not over or under exaggerated. The tears, the attention to the hair, the details all play a important role in the scenes impact, and boy, does Nii do it correctly. 10/10, great drawing and artstyle. Especially for a martial arts manga.
Characters: 9/10
The characters in the manga were really, really well written. You have your hot headed MC that actually LEARNS something at the end of the day and values his friendship with the cast, your coolheaded Judoka and strategist, the rival that he needs to work together with, the one guy who is useless trying to help, and the guy that is popular with girls. Tropey it may be, it is executed on point. The teamwork is like no other, and the characters are explored into, with their own backstory and convictions. Though, these backstories may only come later in the manga, I promise you, it is worth the wait to see how it plays out.
Overall, this manga is a solid 9/10. It is one of the best manga that I have ever read. A good mix of friendship, engaging plot, and artstyle that is legible for a martial arts manga, well thought out characters. This is definitely a must read.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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