I'll start posting here soon (:
3
Guide to Sports!
I'm that weirdo that prefers sport dramas over actual sports but maybe that puts me in the best position to pitch why YOU should read more sport manga and watch more sport anime. In this post I'll go over what kind of stories you can find in the sport genre and what can separate one series from another even if they cover the same sport.
>Define what makes a sport series
One Outs is not a sport series.
>Examples of popular sports to cover
Baseball particularly.
Common misconceptions about the sport genre.
>how much you enjoy the anime tend to rely on how you like the sport (Glass Reflection - Summer 2021 Video clip)
This is just not true at all. It 100% depends on the story. Some stories like Hajime no Ippo is very focused on the sport while something like Sangatsu no Lion focuses on the effects of playing in said sport but most of the time is spent outside the sport. Which is the same with any broad genre, someone who doesn't like action will probably like One Piece more than Dragon Ball Z despite both of them having a lot of action and action being the main way to settle disputes. It all depends on which direction the story wants to go in.
>Sport anime isn't for me
This sort of blanket statement I think comes from a bias that stems from their experience in real life sports and a lack of understanding of the diversity you can find the sport genre. There are the more subtle and introspective series like the aforementioned Sangatsu no Lion and something like Eyeshield 21 which plays out a lot like your traditional battle shounen except with American Football super powers instead of regular super powers.
>the mecha thing
also usually i see the one where ppl say most sport series are [opposite of what subgenre the one theyre reading is - more realistic (ie slum dunk) or superpowers (kuroko)]
not saying anything about that but usually i see comments that go like wow i'm reading joe i wish there were more sports series realistic like this one but theyre all superpowers/wow i'm reading prince of tennis i wish there were more sports series like this one but usually theyre more realistic
>even monkey can draw manga
chapter about mahjong before akai,
>history of mahjong manga
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%BA%BB%E9%9B%80%E6%BC%AB%E7%94%BB
kindai mahjong only one left, several magazines before
Sub-genres!
About the sport Technical
Where the focus is on explaining the sport in detail, going into more and more advanced strategies etc. Examples are Hajime no Ippo, Haikyuu, Baby Steps, Chihayafuru, Major?, Cpt Tsubasa?.
Subgenres: Highly depend on the sport. Slam Dunk
As a setting
Romance
Either the sport is the setting or the romance is a sideplot. Usually not both at the same time. Examples are: Baby Step, Every Adachi work such as H2, Cross Game and Touch,.
Drama (sport is used as a tool)
The sport is used to tell a story. The focus isn't on explaining the details of the sport as much but using it for emotions. Examples are Real, Slam Dunk, Tomorrow's Joe, Ping Pong, Yowamushi Pedal?
Teamwork
Write more later. Examples Haikyuu, Yowamushi Pedal, Slam Dunk,
Super powers
Not unlike Naruto, Dragon Ball Z etc. Examples are Prince of Tennis, Eyeshield 21, Kuroke no Basket, Blue Lock?, Captain Tsubasa?.
Psychological
Usually incorporated in a lot of series without it being the main aspect. The consequences of losing can be huge. Examples are Sangatsu no Lion, Akagi, Tomorrow's Joe, Ping Pong.
Mind games
Mind games is a very important aspect of sports particularly the 1v1 variety. Examples are Akagi, Baby Steps?. It's usually maybe not the primary focus of a series.
Martial Art Combat Sports
Just because it has martial art doesn't mean it meets my requirement for a sport series. Kengan Ashura doesn't include any part of improving in martial arts or any technical details of it. It's mostly fantasy and spectacle. Karate Shoukoushi Kohinata Minoru or All Rounder Meguru on the other hand is about the technical aspects. >Expand on this later Might delete later.
Mahjong
This is the one case where, yes, the more you know about mahjong the more you will like it. Mahjong is special since most of the time the focus is on the mahjong itself. There's series about mahjong parlor stereotypes, how to play the game, how to cheat in mahjong and specific strategy you can use. Sometimes you'll find mahjong in other works such as Gin to Kin and Kaiji Part 4. And other times you'll find mahjong in spinoffs such as with Higurashi, Getter Robo and Fate/Stay Night. These are usually really over the top and crazy.
This is the one big exception I can think of, because mahjong manga, by large, is made for players of mahjong. The average Mukoubuchi chapter, for example. features a new character with some scheme to make quick money through playing with a specific strategy. Kai figures out the perfect counter to this strategy and the chapter ends. The focus is, the majority of the time, on the mahjong itself. Usually through mahjong puzzles (think of it like chess puzzles) or sometimes you see common mahjong parlor stereotypes depicted.
something i wrote up saving in case i like the phrasing later
A common misconception I see within the sport genre is that it requires you to already be either familiar or have an interest in the sport before engaging with the manga or anime. This is mostly not the case. Adachi Mitsuru being the go to example of not-really-a-sport-manga sport manga. Some sport manga are more interested in using the sport to help drive the narrative (ashita no joe), as a setting (adachi mitsuru) and then there are manga that care about the details of the sport such as Ippo for example. But a common trait among all of them is that they try to ease you into it, there's an assumption that some readers aren't familiar.
But mahjong sticks out as the most prevalent exception to this in two ways. 1. a lot of mahjong manga is endemic (I hope im using the word correctly) meaning its made for people that already play mahjong (i.e Jansou no Saeko-san or Naki no Ryuu). And so the story revolves around strategies or parlor stereotypes for example, and its content with being only about that.
The second way it sticks out is in all the crazy over-the-top spinoffs. Koizumi, fate mahjong night, getter robo high, higurashi etc. There seems to be more crazy spinoffs esp when compared to other gambling games or board games. But even when compared to the whole of sports. I can only think of Prince of Tennis but im sure theres others.
I'm sure there's shogi and go or even other sports where you see this occurrence. But the significant amount of manga seems to be limited to mahjong. Perhaps because it has an exclusive magazine for it?
I don't want to go on a tangent, but a few months back I was listening to a podcast where two guys, after admitting multiple times that Eyeshield was the only sports series they ever read, complained in multiple occasions about how sports manga main teams always win and how no author ever puts the spotlight on who loses the matches
It was particularly baffling because they were talking about WSJ series
Other than PuriTeni and maybe Kuroko and Tsubasa this couldn't be further from the truth
Lots of series like Slam Dunk, Whistle, Shuudan and Cross Manage touch on that subject, while other like Haikyuu or Rookies give lots of introspection to the opposing teams when they lose
Hell, if you go back to the 70's you have super-dramatic series like Chichi no Tamashii and Akutare Giants that play a reversal on the tropes of "good boy" yakyuu senshin manga from the prior decade
unless we're talking about the hot blooded Atro Kyuudan & Ring Kakero era Jump series always gave some spotlight to the losers
Some recommendations!
Sport manga
Teamwork
Haikyuu -
Yowamushi Pedal - super over the top drama.
About the sport
Romance
Drama (sport is used as a tool)
Super powers
Prince of Tennis - havent read but dragon ball z. Link video of how dinos died.
Eyeshield 21 - been a long time so read up
Psychological
Sangatsu no Lion - the affects of the sport.
Akagi - weakest aspect. Probably remove.
Mind games
Akagi - Unstoppable monster that can perfectly read his opponents.
Martial Art
Karate Shoukoushi Kohinata Minoru - martial art tournament, gradual improvement
All Rounder Meguro - havent read yet
Mahjong
Fukumoto has had a significant role within the mahjong genre, Akagi (mind games and has more of a psychological edge to it) has become the symbol for mahjong because of its popularity. I personally adore Akagi and it's sequel Ten (which includes more advanced mahjong strategies but also includes drama in a way Akagi doesn't). Both are definitely a must if you're more curious about what mahjong manga has to offer. >expand upon difference between fkmt series and more reasons why fkmt is special.
If you want to learn about mahjong then I can't recommend Mahjong Diva Obaka Miiko enough. It focuses on what the most important aspects of playing is and introduces new concepts in a organic and easy to understand way. Pen-chan does something similar but assumes a little bit more knowledge about mahjong out of you.
The more traditional mahjong manga such as Mukoubuchi and Naki no Ryuu. The cutesy Saki and all of its spinoffs like Toki. Saki is more slice of life, comedy and mahjong super powers. Deals with mahjong parlor stereotypes if my memory serves me right. Tetsunaki no Kirinji deserves a special mention as it incorporates fatherhood and struggling to make ends meet. There's also Tetsuya which is about a hustler in post ww2 Japan.There's the crazy ones like The Legend of Koizumi, Higurashi Jan, Getter Robo High and Fate/Mahjong Night.
Sport anime
Teamwork
About the sport
Romance
Drama (sport is used as a tool)
Super powers
Psychological
Mind games
Martial Art
Mahjong
The two most popular anime are Akagi and Saki. If you want to go crazy you can also check out The Legend of Koizumi.
Best
Baseball
Volleyboll
Mahjong - see mahjong
Soccer
Tennis
I'm that weirdo that prefers sport dramas over actual sports but maybe that puts me in the best position to pitch why YOU should read more sport manga and watch more sport anime. In this post I'll go over what kind of stories you can find in the sport genre and what can separate one series from another even if they cover the same sport.
>Define what makes a sport series
One Outs is not a sport series.
>Examples of popular sports to cover
Baseball particularly.
Common misconceptions about the sport genre.
>how much you enjoy the anime tend to rely on how you like the sport (Glass Reflection - Summer 2021 Video clip)
This is just not true at all. It 100% depends on the story. Some stories like Hajime no Ippo is very focused on the sport while something like Sangatsu no Lion focuses on the effects of playing in said sport but most of the time is spent outside the sport. Which is the same with any broad genre, someone who doesn't like action will probably like One Piece more than Dragon Ball Z despite both of them having a lot of action and action being the main way to settle disputes. It all depends on which direction the story wants to go in.
>Sport anime isn't for me
This sort of blanket statement I think comes from a bias that stems from their experience in real life sports and a lack of understanding of the diversity you can find the sport genre. There are the more subtle and introspective series like the aforementioned Sangatsu no Lion and something like Eyeshield 21 which plays out a lot like your traditional battle shounen except with American Football super powers instead of regular super powers.
>the mecha thing
also usually i see the one where ppl say most sport series are [opposite of what subgenre the one theyre reading is - more realistic (ie slum dunk) or superpowers (kuroko)]
not saying anything about that but usually i see comments that go like wow i'm reading joe i wish there were more sports series realistic like this one but theyre all superpowers/wow i'm reading prince of tennis i wish there were more sports series like this one but usually theyre more realistic
>even monkey can draw manga
chapter about mahjong before akai,
>history of mahjong manga
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%BA%BB%E9%9B%80%E6%BC%AB%E7%94%BB
kindai mahjong only one left, several magazines before
Sub-genres!
About the sport Technical
Where the focus is on explaining the sport in detail, going into more and more advanced strategies etc. Examples are Hajime no Ippo, Haikyuu, Baby Steps, Chihayafuru, Major?, Cpt Tsubasa?.
Subgenres: Highly depend on the sport. Slam Dunk
As a setting
Romance
Either the sport is the setting or the romance is a sideplot. Usually not both at the same time. Examples are: Baby Step, Every Adachi work such as H2, Cross Game and Touch,.
Drama (sport is used as a tool)
The sport is used to tell a story. The focus isn't on explaining the details of the sport as much but using it for emotions. Examples are Real, Slam Dunk, Tomorrow's Joe, Ping Pong, Yowamushi Pedal?
Teamwork
Write more later. Examples Haikyuu, Yowamushi Pedal, Slam Dunk,
Super powers
Not unlike Naruto, Dragon Ball Z etc. Examples are Prince of Tennis, Eyeshield 21, Kuroke no Basket, Blue Lock?, Captain Tsubasa?.
Psychological
Usually incorporated in a lot of series without it being the main aspect. The consequences of losing can be huge. Examples are Sangatsu no Lion, Akagi, Tomorrow's Joe, Ping Pong.
Mind games
Mind games is a very important aspect of sports particularly the 1v1 variety. Examples are Akagi, Baby Steps?. It's usually maybe not the primary focus of a series.
Martial Art Combat Sports
Just because it has martial art doesn't mean it meets my requirement for a sport series. Kengan Ashura doesn't include any part of improving in martial arts or any technical details of it. It's mostly fantasy and spectacle. Karate Shoukoushi Kohinata Minoru or All Rounder Meguru on the other hand is about the technical aspects. >Expand on this later Might delete later.
Mahjong
This is the one case where, yes, the more you know about mahjong the more you will like it. Mahjong is special since most of the time the focus is on the mahjong itself. There's series about mahjong parlor stereotypes, how to play the game, how to cheat in mahjong and specific strategy you can use. Sometimes you'll find mahjong in other works such as Gin to Kin and Kaiji Part 4. And other times you'll find mahjong in spinoffs such as with Higurashi, Getter Robo and Fate/Stay Night. These are usually really over the top and crazy.
This is the one big exception I can think of, because mahjong manga, by large, is made for players of mahjong. The average Mukoubuchi chapter, for example. features a new character with some scheme to make quick money through playing with a specific strategy. Kai figures out the perfect counter to this strategy and the chapter ends. The focus is, the majority of the time, on the mahjong itself. Usually through mahjong puzzles (think of it like chess puzzles) or sometimes you see common mahjong parlor stereotypes depicted.
something i wrote up saving in case i like the phrasing later
A common misconception I see within the sport genre is that it requires you to already be either familiar or have an interest in the sport before engaging with the manga or anime. This is mostly not the case. Adachi Mitsuru being the go to example of not-really-a-sport-manga sport manga. Some sport manga are more interested in using the sport to help drive the narrative (ashita no joe), as a setting (adachi mitsuru) and then there are manga that care about the details of the sport such as Ippo for example. But a common trait among all of them is that they try to ease you into it, there's an assumption that some readers aren't familiar.
But mahjong sticks out as the most prevalent exception to this in two ways. 1. a lot of mahjong manga is endemic (I hope im using the word correctly) meaning its made for people that already play mahjong (i.e Jansou no Saeko-san or Naki no Ryuu). And so the story revolves around strategies or parlor stereotypes for example, and its content with being only about that.
The second way it sticks out is in all the crazy over-the-top spinoffs. Koizumi, fate mahjong night, getter robo high, higurashi etc. There seems to be more crazy spinoffs esp when compared to other gambling games or board games. But even when compared to the whole of sports. I can only think of Prince of Tennis but im sure theres others.
I'm sure there's shogi and go or even other sports where you see this occurrence. But the significant amount of manga seems to be limited to mahjong. Perhaps because it has an exclusive magazine for it?
I don't want to go on a tangent, but a few months back I was listening to a podcast where two guys, after admitting multiple times that Eyeshield was the only sports series they ever read, complained in multiple occasions about how sports manga main teams always win and how no author ever puts the spotlight on who loses the matches
It was particularly baffling because they were talking about WSJ series
Other than PuriTeni and maybe Kuroko and Tsubasa this couldn't be further from the truth
Lots of series like Slam Dunk, Whistle, Shuudan and Cross Manage touch on that subject, while other like Haikyuu or Rookies give lots of introspection to the opposing teams when they lose
Hell, if you go back to the 70's you have super-dramatic series like Chichi no Tamashii and Akutare Giants that play a reversal on the tropes of "good boy" yakyuu senshin manga from the prior decade
unless we're talking about the hot blooded Atro Kyuudan & Ring Kakero era Jump series always gave some spotlight to the losers
Some recommendations!
Sport manga
Teamwork
Haikyuu -
Yowamushi Pedal - super over the top drama.
About the sport
Romance
Drama (sport is used as a tool)
Super powers
Prince of Tennis - havent read but dragon ball z. Link video of how dinos died.
Eyeshield 21 - been a long time so read up
Psychological
Sangatsu no Lion - the affects of the sport.
Akagi - weakest aspect. Probably remove.
Mind games
Akagi - Unstoppable monster that can perfectly read his opponents.
Martial Art
Karate Shoukoushi Kohinata Minoru - martial art tournament, gradual improvement
All Rounder Meguro - havent read yet
Mahjong
Fukumoto has had a significant role within the mahjong genre, Akagi (mind games and has more of a psychological edge to it) has become the symbol for mahjong because of its popularity. I personally adore Akagi and it's sequel Ten (which includes more advanced mahjong strategies but also includes drama in a way Akagi doesn't). Both are definitely a must if you're more curious about what mahjong manga has to offer. >expand upon difference between fkmt series and more reasons why fkmt is special.
If you want to learn about mahjong then I can't recommend Mahjong Diva Obaka Miiko enough. It focuses on what the most important aspects of playing is and introduces new concepts in a organic and easy to understand way. Pen-chan does something similar but assumes a little bit more knowledge about mahjong out of you.
The more traditional mahjong manga such as Mukoubuchi and Naki no Ryuu. The cutesy Saki and all of its spinoffs like Toki. Saki is more slice of life, comedy and mahjong super powers. Deals with mahjong parlor stereotypes if my memory serves me right. Tetsunaki no Kirinji deserves a special mention as it incorporates fatherhood and struggling to make ends meet. There's also Tetsuya which is about a hustler in post ww2 Japan.There's the crazy ones like The Legend of Koizumi, Higurashi Jan, Getter Robo High and Fate/Mahjong Night.
Sport anime
Teamwork
About the sport
Romance
Drama (sport is used as a tool)
Super powers
Psychological
Mind games
Martial Art
Mahjong
The two most popular anime are Akagi and Saki. If you want to go crazy you can also check out The Legend of Koizumi.
Best
Baseball
Volleyboll
Mahjong - see mahjong
Soccer
Tennis
1
I also want to make a post about Egawa's manga. Taruruukun, Tokyo Uni Story, Golden Boy etc.
TO DO
baseball and soccer also endemic
read dokaben
MAHJONG READ LIST
TENPAI
TOHAI
MAHJONG DIVA
MAKIYUKI MANGA
MUKOUBUCHI
TO DO
baseball and soccer also endemic
read dokaben
MAHJONG READ LIST
TENPAI
TOHAI
MAHJONG DIVA
MAKIYUKI MANGA
MUKOUBUCHI
