Crimson Hero Highly recommended

Publisher
Viz
Writer
Mitsuba Takanashi
Artist
Mitsuba Takanashi
Country of origin
Japan
Year
2002

First Look at Crimson Hero Vol. 2

By David Rasmussen
7th May 06

I know, I know, not all sports related mangas are created equal. While some are must have recommended reads, others are easily forgettable and easily tossed on the bargain bin of “don’t buy this”. When it comes to this recommendation, however, it is most certainly a must have in my book. So if you have a taste for volleyball, and/or the female volleyball that isn’t the xtreme titillation of DOA Xtreme Beach Volleyball, then you’ll be signing up for VIZ’s Crimson Hero (of which we’ll be taking a first look at Volume 2 while I wait for my order of Crimson Hero V. 2 to come in).

Last time out you met Nobara Sumiyoshi (age 15), and heard the many problems that plague her life.
Her family is a total horror show, though that is all her mother being the rather evil head of the old fashioned Japanese restaurant owned by the family, whose ambitions to have her daughter become the “young mistress” of the biz has fallen short with said daughter (causing her to run away from home to further her volleyball ambitions). This act, sadly, may come back to bite Nobara and mother snearest in the butt but that won’t be until Crimson Hero V. 3 (in the near future).

But let’s focus on the here and now, for now, as it looks like Nobara’s dream to resurrect the fallen girls’ volleyball team of her new school (Crimson Field) has finally nearly come to fruitation.
In order to start the rebirth of the team she had to begin gathering a core team of those who believe the way she does, which is the start. After that she needs to use her new team to score a point off the mega popular boys’ team who is hellbent on stopping her dream… not. They may not be giving them any slack, but don’t look for jealousy from the boys and “somebody” in the team seems bent on getting the school behind the new girls’ team by subterfuge or by playing the “villain” during said match between the boys and girls teams.

Either way it looks like the girls’ team is on it’s way to rebirth. All they need is a minimum of six members.
Yeah… that’s the hard part. But as we wrap Volume 2 (if this is going to be the reprint of Shojo Beat V. 1-5 to V. 2-2 as I suspect it is) we are left with the bright hope that the team will be reborn as of Volume 3.
Which, by the way, it is but that’s another story… as is the many troubles of Nobara and the event that may put her little sister’s life in grave danger… but that’s next time when I give you the full review.

Anyway if this sounds like my usual spiel from my previous Crimson Hero review, that’s because it is. I have not changed my feelings about this title one tiny iota. When I first saw Crimson Hero in Shojo Beat I was not a fan of many of the sports themed titles, yes, but that changed when it came to Crimson Hero because once I got into it I found it a habit I had to continue.

Crimson Hero is a solid intense read that delivers in Shojo Beat each and every month, delivers in the Graphic Novels, and will deliver for you once you give it a chance. Presently the girls are headed to their first match against a rival team, but that is in jeopardy now that Nobara’s mom has gone and pimped her little girl off to a politician’s son in a “omiai date” which is… well, I’ll tell you more next review.

I can’t see why you wouldn’t want to get into Takanashi’s volleyball slammer, because this is a fine piece of writing well worth your time and effort to get into. Mitsuba Takanashi is (yes) on top of her game with Crimson Hero, maintaining that convert that is me when it comes to her way of sports shoujo that sells itself to it’s readers (including sports naysayers who usually doesn’t have much nice to say about sports related titles). Go out, pick this up, enjoy it, nuff said.

-- David Rasmussen 7th May 06