Crimson Hero

Crimson Hero

by Mitsuba Takanashi
Viz Media, 2005
ISBN 1421501406
192 pages

3 (out of 5) STARS

Plot Summary

All that matters to 15-year-Old Nobara Sumiyoshi is volleyball, but it turns out that her mother will stoop to dirty tricks to keep her off the court and in the family's restaurant business. With assistance from her feisty Aunt Momoko, Nobara decides to start playing offense. (www.goodreads.com)

Evaluation

Although this plot is not terribly original it is still acceptable. However, I am not motivated to continue reading this series; although, I am interested in knowing a general series plot summary. I do like how the main character, Nobara, is willing to risk her safe and secure life to play volleyball. Even though Nobara does not have a great relationship with her mother it is still difficult to defy one’s parents. Nobara also does not have any marketable skills to be able to live on her own but she wants to play volleyball so badly that she agrees to cook and clean for a group of rather mean male volleyball players.

As I am reading more manga books I frequently recall what Scott McCloud explains in Understanding Comics. McCloud explains that often in Manga it is the journey that is important
which differs from western comics where it is the destination that is the focus. The plot of this volume moves rather slowly but again as Japanese manga believes what is the hurry. My basic sum-up of this book is that it is okay but certainly not amazing.

I enjoy manga artwork but Takanashi is not my favorite artist. Many of the pages have quite a bit of white space. The artwork in this book is less compact and detailed than some of the other Manga books I have read. This manga book gives the feeling of less panels and less dialogue per page. I do enjoy the less cluttered feel of this book.

Reviews

Customer/reader reviews can be found at www.amazon.com and www.goodreads.com. A librarian also reviewed this book. Another review can be found at Graphic Novel Reporter.