Man I wonder what this post is going to be about. Anyway, these are mostly finished, with only one currently ongoing.
Completed:
Slam Dunk: This is a classic. It’s about basketball and it’s pretty good. It;’s quite an old manga, so the art style might be off putting to some, but I really quite like that and I find it a strength. It takes a somewhat more realistic look at sports I feel, with outcomes you feel that would probably happen. The main character is a dumbass, but that;s his charm.
Eyeshield 21: This is a manga about American football, which is only popular in America. And despite the fact I find the sport kinda dumb in concept and confusing in execution, this is a really well done manga. The tactics are quite nice, and take center honestly.It really leans into the anime powers bit, making all the battles in the game really quite epic. I also like it really fleshes out and develops the side characters as well. It also somehow manages to keep going after it’s apparent conclusion, but even that feels quite well written.
One outs: Now this is the manga all about tactics and psychology. It’s a baseball manga, a sport i don’t care for at all, but I still really like this one. It’s also quite unique in that it’s set not in a highschool, but in a professional environment. Plus the main character is nothing like a traditional shounen mc, instead of being a passion filled youngster, he’s an almost apathetic trickster that really lights up whenever he fools someone. Quite an interesting one.
Kuroko’s Basketball: This one really goes all in in animesque power moves and strategies. There are certainly a colourful cast of characters, mainly with the opponents all each having some new interesting enemy. As the main story is all about beating all Kuroko’s former teammates, there’s some drama if you’re interested in that. The anime is recommended as it has real good animation.
Captain Tsubasa: This is more a historical note than a recommendation. This manga is super, it’s influenced a lot of actual football players, and actually improved the perception of football in Japan by itself. The manga itself is quite good, but quite drawn out and a bit confusing to read now, due to the sheer number of spinoffs and sequels. The tactics are super basic, and more fun than realistic, but that’s tone of the series. Still worth a read if you have a lot of time.
Mai Ball: Now this is kinda suspect. It’s half an echhi manga and half a decent football manga. It’s about a girl joining a new football team in her new school, and she’s quite talented due to practicing with her childhood friend who is also Japan’s best middle school footballer. And then there’s some weird love triangle stuff with the captain of the football team, but the tactics in the end are somewhat interesting, but it’s also weirdly horny. Worth a read in the end I would say.
Ongoing:
Giant Killing: This is quite an interesting one. It’s also set it a professional environment, with the main focus not being on any particular character, but on the club as a whole. While it certainly focuses on a few characters a lot more, it does look at quite a few different characters. The tactics in the series is sometimes a bit basic, at least for a football fan like me, but it does really deliver the emotions you get while watching a match. It’s also the only ongoing in this list.
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