You know, I’ve watched them all. Sports anime like Kuroko no basuke, Haikyuu, Prince of Tennis, Diamond no Ace, All Out, and many more. Even old classics like Hajime no Ippo or slam dunk. I’ve learned many lessons from these sport anime. I’ve cried and cheered a lot for them. But this manga/anime, Days, is just so special. We all know that the main message for all these manga is that the underdog will work their way up the ladder and win in the end — but this manga I think takes it to another level. The main character is just so likeable and probably, the most relatable main character yet. All those protagonists from other sports anime may have started weak, but each of them had special hidden talents of their own.
Tsukamoto doesn’t have any of that. All he has is his kindness and observation and just hard work. He’s still a wimp, he doesn’t change. He’s still a weakling, and yet he gets to stand on the field representing his team — which I think this manga delivers the message extremely well: that hard work won’t make a genius out of you. That sometimes, you can’t change. You can’t be a better player. No matter how many new techniques you come up with, you still can’t catch up to your peers, but even so, you have to stand on the playing field. This message is often seen in usual sports anime troupe, but this manga truly embodies it the best without any unnecessary genius or special inhuman tactics. Haikyuu comes really close, but Hinata and Kageyama are still quite OP.
Not only that, but this manga sheds light on ALL of the other players worries and concerns: how some people like Kimishita, who look like they have great talent actually have only years and years of experience shooting that ball over and over again to gain the accuracy he has now. How Usui looks and acts competent but is actually no different than a normal high schooler who has anxieties and concerns of his own. How Mizuki, Oshiba, and Kazama are geniuses but have huge flaws of their own. How the idiotic freshman came to have strengths of their own through hard work and guts. How the reliable and cheerful Haibara actually had extremely low self esteem all along. How Ubukata, a strong and confident woman, actually gave up on her dreams after being faced with the harsh reality of things, and yet tries hard to regain back her passion.
I think this manga develops the idea of truly being a team the best out of all the sports anime I’ve read and watched so far. It’s a shame that this isn’t as famous as the others and that people find the “little shonen action” and “dumb protagonist” boring. It really deserves the spotlight.
You know, I’ve watched them all. Sports anime like Kuroko no basuke, Haikyuu, Prince of Tennis, Diamond no Ace, All Out, and many more. Even old classics like Hajime no Ippo or slam dunk. I’ve learned many lessons from these sport anime. I’ve cried and cheered a lot for them. But this manga/anime, Days, is just so special. We all know that the main message for all these manga is that the underdog will work their way up the ladder and win in the end — but this manga I think takes it to another level. The main character is just so likeable and probably, the most relatable main character yet. All those protagonists from other sports anime may have started weak, but each of them had special hidden talents of their own.
Tsukamoto doesn’t have any of that. All he has is his kindness and observation and just hard work. He’s still a wimp, he doesn’t change. He’s still a weakling, and yet he gets to stand on the field representing his team — which I think this manga delivers the message extremely well: that hard work won’t make a genius out of you. That sometimes, you can’t change. You can’t be a better player. No matter how many new techniques you come up with, you still can’t catch up to your peers, but even so, you have to stand on the playing field. This message is often seen in usual sports anime troupe, but this manga truly embodies it the best without any unnecessary genius or special inhuman tactics. Haikyuu comes really close, but Hinata and Kageyama are still quite OP.
Not only that, but this manga sheds light on ALL of the other players worries and concerns: how some people like Kimishita, who look like they have great talent actually have only years and years of experience shooting that ball over and over again to gain the accuracy he has now. How Usui looks and acts competent but is actually no different than a normal high schooler who has anxieties and concerns of his own. How Mizuki, Oshiba, and Kazama are geniuses but have huge flaws of their own. How the idiotic freshman came to have strengths of their own through hard work and guts. How the reliable and cheerful Haibara actually had extremely low self esteem all along. How Ubukata, a strong and confident woman, actually gave up on her dreams after being faced with the harsh reality of things, and yet tries hard to regain back her passion.
I think this manga develops the idea of truly being a team the best out of all the sports anime I’ve read and watched so far. It’s a shame that this isn’t as famous as the others and that people find the “little shonen action” and “dumb protagonist” boring. It really deserves the spotlight.