Ookiku Furikabutte

I had been an anime-only person for my entire life (I’m 26) up until now. The manga that broke it for me was Ookiku Furikabutte. Naturally, I watched the anime first, but was so sad that the anime only had 2 seasons and doesn’t even cover half of the plot in the manga. (If a season 3 and beyond get made, my life would be complete!)

The manga is exceptional: every character on the team (Nishiura High School) is so lovable and carefully crafted, all the aspects of baseball are realistic and detailed (I’ve been watching professional American baseball since I was a kid), and the artwork is top-notch.

The characters are my favorite thing about Ookiku Furikabutte. There are so many characters to love: my favorite character is Izumi (Nishiura’s center fielder) since he’s a hard-worker, even-keeled, has a sense of humor, and is sensitive. Sakaeguchi (Nishiura’s second baseman) is my second favorite because of his good spirits and friendly nature. And of course, there’s Tajima (Nishiura’s third baseman)—who doesn’t love Tajima?

There is so much to love about this manga, and I’m looking forward to continue reading it for years and years. There is much left to the story! Thank you, Higuchi sensei!

This is really a "masterpiece sport manga," it's truly" the number one baseball manga of all time," of what kodansha award given. It really lives to your expection.

I really have no idea about baseball, I just love reading manga, and just happen to find this while searching for other sports manga. But this manga really will make you into itl, and while reading you will have an expression of "wow, oohh.., tsk!, damnit" because I just really did.

Nothing more to say, actually the word "masterpiece" is enough for this high quality manga.

While I find real baseball to be dull, this manga actually keeps my interest in the sport. Rather than displaying really tall guys who look hot, the characters actually look like typical freshman boys. The mangaka is a graduate of sports psychology and is able to combine the fun of baseball and scientific tips of relaxation and harnessing energy. Mihashi can get annoying but unlike the main protagonist of other sports manga he isn't a natural talent nor is he confident in his skills. From the start he is weak and timid, achieving his skill through long practice. Abe-kun is my favorite character for his no nonsense attitude and moments of thoughtfulness.

At times the story can really drag on, 2-3 volumes on just one game, but this serves to characterize the opposing teams (nearly everyone gets a moment to shine, a true it takes a "Team" to play) and it's near impossible to hate them. I end up rooting for everyone on their good job despite the title of a winner or a loser. If you're looking for a series that displays phenomenal, near immpossible end game wins than this isn't what you would be looking for. If you're looking for something that depicts real emotions and real skills, this is the manga to read.