Baseball has never looked so In the vein of GTO or Gokusen comes Rookies, written by Masanori Morita. Professor Kawato is a bumbling fool of a teacher. His dearest wish is that all of his student's eyes gleam with a dream for the future. Armed only with a hard head and mouthful of inspirational quotes, he attempts to take on the teaching world. At his last teaching job he was fired for nearly killing a student with his 'hands-on' teaching style. Futagotamaga High is his precious second chance and nothing will make him give up. Unfortunately, he finds out that he was hired because of his violent past, not despite it.
The baseball club, filled with thugs and bullies, has gotten out of control. They caused a brawl during an official game and were suspended from playing for 6 months. During that time, the players all lost interest in the game and turned instead to stealing, drinking, smoking, fighting and playing with girls. They are the deadliest gang in the school and they rule with an iron fist. The president has given up on them, but for the pride of the school, he adheres to a strict no expulsion rule. What better way to get rid of unwanted scum than to bring in a teacher guaranteed to either hospitalize the punks or drive them to withdraw from school? Against all bets, Kawato's barely legal and vastly unconventional teaching ways begin to earn him respect among his students and he sets his sights on a new dream, Koshien.
I love this manga. It's probably because I played softball from the ago of 7 through high school. I can understand the frustration in not being able to play it. As I read the manga and now as I sit here typing about it I can hear in my mind the crack of the bat or the solid thump of a glove. I've had to stop typing several times to flex my fingers, which itch for the stinging pain of a caught linedrive. Another reason could be my enduring soft spot for villains and thugs. These guys aren't even hard to love. They are all straight forward honest guys who just need a little guidance.
This is not a cute or sweet manga. The guys at Futagotamaga are incapable of normal means of communication and can only 'discuss' things or 'express' their emotions with their fists. Every character gets a few good hits in and it gets to the point where bloodstains and bandages seem to be a permanent fashion accessory. Like it's characters, the storyline is straight forward and easy to predict. If you've ever read another 'school redemption' story before, none of the 'twists' will surprise you, but they will still be damn satisfying.
If you enjoyed this: Gokusen (Manga, anime, 2 seasons live drama), Great Teacher Onizuka (Manga, anime, live-action drama)
Others by Masanori Morita: Rokudenashi Blues (Good-For-Nothing Blues), Beshari Shabari, HELLO BABY (with Takeshi Obata), Fist of the North Star (as assistant)
Labels: Baseball, Manga, Masanori Morita, Rookies, School Redemption
