manga review: whistle

In a recent review of the manga “Whistle” for the Daily Yomiuri, Stephen Taylor wrote:

Like Captain Tsubasa, who inspired a generation of Japanese soccer players in the 1980s–including a certain Hidetoshi Nakata–and Roy of the Rovers, who was required reading for any teenage fan of the round-ball game in the ’70s, Daisuke Higuchi’s Whistle is sure to find a place in the hearts of a new generation of soccer players.

Originally published in 24 volumes in Japanese, with the 20th volume in English published last month, this story of how a young boy pursues his dream of becoming a professional soccer player is a good read, with good graphics and an engaging plot.

The story opens in 1998, with the Japanese national team preparing to make its debut at the soccer World Cup. Sho Kazamatsuri, a soccer-mad middle school student, has transferred to a new school, Josui Junior High School, from a prestigious private school, Musashinomori, simply because he was unable to command a regular place in the soccer team.

His move doesn’t turn out to be as smooth as he imagined, especially when his new schoolmates mistakenly assume he is going to bring some star quality to their first XI.

Higuchi takes readers through the trials and tribulations of Sho’s rigorous training schedule and introduces a range of characters who all impact on our young hero’s aspirations.

The star of the struggling Josui team is Tatsuya Mizuno, whose father is the coach of the Musashinomori team, and Sho and Tatsuya form the core of the team from the beginning. They are joined by a former professional soccer player, Soju Matsushita, who agrees to coach the team, and Ko Kazamatsuri, Sho’s elder brother.

more of this review