My love for sports anime and manga is not a secret. I love the thrill and excitement I feel whenever I'm watching or reading them. It's as if I'm in the actual place watching and cheering for my favorite team!
Apart from sports, I like action ones... I like reading stories about friendship, especially the type where it's "bros before hoes". Hahah I enjoy yankee stories because even though they smell like trouble, there's always something about them beyond their actions.
So, when I stumbled upon a manga ROOKIES which was published between 1998-2003, I got so excited. Why? It's because it's a combination of baseball and yankee students.
NOTE: The photos I use on this post are screenshots from the manga.
Futagotamaga High School's baseball team was suspended from participating in any activities for the rest of the year following the brawl they started during an official match.
The majority of the serious members of the team decided to quit, with some even going to another school to continue playing with ease. The ones that were left were first years who mostly have almost zero knowledge of the sport. They only joined the team so they could hang around the club room to smoke, get girls, or play video games.
However, something about them changed when Kawato Koichi, a new Japanese teacher, came to their school. He's the kind of teacher who passionately believes in the power of dreams. He's someone who sees the good in people, including those who have been neglected and ignored by society.
Despite Kawato-sensei's good heart, he's not scared to actually discipline and deal with yankee students in his own way. He's knowledgeable about martial arts, after all.
Slowly, the students changed and started to find a purpose or goal in life... and that is KOSHIEN! (The biggest goal among high school baseball players in Japan).
Of course, nothing is smooth sailing, especially because of their history. People don't trust them, and yankee students in the area targeted them. But with determination, hard work, and passion towards achieving their goal, they're doing their best to overcome every obstacle.
Let's all witness their struggles and how they overcome the adversity that came their way by reading the manga!!!
It's really an epic read! I had a great time reading it. It was heartwarming, funny, and worth it in every way.
I'm a sucker for character developments, and this manga fed me to my heart's content. I felt spoiled. hahaha Of course, some characters were consistent, especially the crazy funny ones... and I'm not one bit complaining about it. haha
The fact that it was made in the late 90s to early 2000s, the art style is given to be amazing! I love how detailed the art style of manga was back then. It was partially realistic-looking, and the yankee hairstyles were made to a T! chef's kiss
I would love to see an anime version of this manga. Maybe even a live-action version would do. I'm not usually a fan of live-action series, but this manga reminds me so much of GOKUSEN! It's my favorite J-drama... I should really read the manga version soon!
Reading ROOKIES made me miss Yankumi-sensei and Sawada Shin. I think Kawato-sensei is the male version of Yankumi-sensei while Aniya-kun is the baseballer version of Sawada Shin. Ahhhhhh~
I can re-read this manga anytime! I believe I won't get tired of it...
If you're into such stories, I recommend this one. You won't regret it!
Thanks for reading, and see you around! Have a good one!
