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Whistle! #1
Whistle!, Volume 1
Everybody has a dream, and for Shô Kazamatsuri, that dream is he wants to be the best soccer player he can possibly be. He's the spirited leader of the Josui Junior High team and everyone looks up to him. In turn, he tries to keep the team together at any cost!
Banned from his school's soccer team for being too short, Shô Kazamatsuri decides there's only one thing left to switch schools!
But even a change in scenery doesn't help the David Beckham wannabe. On campus, he is mistakenly introduced to everyone as a hotshot soccer player. When the truth is revealed, Shô drops out of school to practice on his own.
Alone, the spunky teenager must work twice as hard to make his dreams come true. He wants to play soccer so bad he's willing to hustle day and night to make it happen.
Packed with action, humor and teenage kicks, Whistle! is a must-read for dreamers (and soccer fans) of all ages!
Banned from his school's soccer team for being too short, Shô Kazamatsuri decides there's only one thing left to switch schools!
But even a change in scenery doesn't help the David Beckham wannabe. On campus, he is mistakenly introduced to everyone as a hotshot soccer player. When the truth is revealed, Shô drops out of school to practice on his own.
Alone, the spunky teenager must work twice as hard to make his dreams come true. He wants to play soccer so bad he's willing to hustle day and night to make it happen.
Packed with action, humor and teenage kicks, Whistle! is a must-read for dreamers (and soccer fans) of all ages!
208 pages, Comic
First published January 1, 1998
20 people are currently reading
418 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
October 4, 2013
Whistle, a manga on sports. I LOVED IT! It was my first or second manga series that I read. It's about soccer. The characters and drawings are great. The characters are all unique in appearance and personality. So over all, I enjoyed it. I've read the series several times now. There's 24 books. The series has ended. I would recommend it to anyone who likes manga and sports(mainly soccer).
April 28, 2009
Whistle is an interesting series. The author was clearly just becoming familiar with the game, as Japan was finally fielding a World Cup team of note. The series is filled with small footnotes about the game, the terminology and even the designs of soccer shoes.
The story itself is about Sho, a junior high student who loves soccer, but who initially went to such a soccer-crazy school that he wasn't allowed to even TRY to play, as only the best-of-the-best could play for the school team. Small for his age, Sho was only permitted to clean the soccer balls and the shoes of the varsity players.
Sho changes schools just to have the chance to play soccer, moving in with his brother, a professional male escort. Amazingly, there is only a small amount of comedy related to his brother's profession. The story is mostly a serious study of a boy obsessed with the sport he loves. As such, it is a great success.
The story itself is about Sho, a junior high student who loves soccer, but who initially went to such a soccer-crazy school that he wasn't allowed to even TRY to play, as only the best-of-the-best could play for the school team. Small for his age, Sho was only permitted to clean the soccer balls and the shoes of the varsity players.
Sho changes schools just to have the chance to play soccer, moving in with his brother, a professional male escort. Amazingly, there is only a small amount of comedy related to his brother's profession. The story is mostly a serious study of a boy obsessed with the sport he loves. As such, it is a great success.
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April 14, 2024
this was good! we love an underdog, I might continue this digitally, I think my energy as of rn is more put towards my reading Sayonara Football
I'm keeping my physical volume bc it's got a few ads in the back that talk about manga releases happening on my birthday in 2004, one of those being one piece volume 4 💀 and also I love soccer, grew up playing it love watching it yadda yadda
I'm keeping my physical volume bc it's got a few ads in the back that talk about manga releases happening on my birthday in 2004, one of those being one piece volume 4 💀 and also I love soccer, grew up playing it love watching it yadda yadda
August 2, 2009
I don't like soccer at all. But I do like the characters in this series. I admire Sho's determination.
January 16, 2019
*This is for the whole series. There's some mild/vague spoilers. From my old blog too 😂*
Is the best soccer, no, best sports manga I've ever read. I loved Prince of Tennis, and it was my top manga until I read Whistle! I remembered vividly almost crying when Tenipuri ended and how I felt so full, happy inside for the series and characters. Of course, now there's a sequel but I'll wait until it concludes so I can binge read it.
Sports manga is one of my favourite genres, I get very invested in the characters and I love discovering more about these sports I don't really pay attention to in real life.
Perhaps the reason I loved Whistle! is that it felt real. I know it's silly, but Sho (the protagonist) is a young a boy that isn't skilled, or talented at soccer. He doesn't get magical powers, nor is he enough to bring a team to victory, much like Captain Tsubasa shows. Sho works hard, he cries and sweats, but he doesn't give up. His one strong point is that he is stubborn, he loves soccer and he doesn't ever give up.
I read some reviews that made me a bit livid when I read them. Calling Whistle! just like any other sports manga where Sho never loses is so fucking wrong I actually get angry. Very angry.
There's a point in the manga, after Sho gets special train outside his school, and when he returns there's a difference in his skill and his school mates who just play for fun. They don't win matches just because Sho is there. A team is only as strong as its individual members are. One sole member can't in real life lead to victory.
That isn't something you see in other sports manga, or even in soccer. Captain Tsubasa made popular the whole "as long as you have one outstanding member and the rest are sub par, you can still do it". Which is bullshit.
Whistle! in that regard, and a lot of others really, is a realistic sports manga. As I said, Sho has to work really hard, constantly fighting to improve and to get selected for teams and to get to play.
I'm trying not to spoiler, so I won't, but I'll say one of the things that impacted and desolated me was the ending. I cried. The manga had given me moments of angst, and pain, because Sho's life isn't easy.
From bullying to having to cope with his small size against bigger guys and relentlessly training. But Sho is a bright, happy young boy that lives for soccer, it's his life and joy. So the ending comes up and I start crying and I feel so heart broken over it I can't breathe or see clearly, and I can't forget his face. What he said. His state. This was a Sho that I'd never seen and it hurt so much. I love Sho, I love everything he stands for, the way he tries his best, and when I think that's his ending (and it gets an open ending which I've thought countless times could go this way or that way) I just feel so emotional.
I don't know how to give my opinions and thoughts on things I truly love. It's hard to put in words why something affected me so deeply I'd score them 5/5 (or 10/10 depending on the website) but this manga does indeed deserve my highest rating.
I'm a sparse person when it comes to giving 5/10, and 1's too. Out of my almost 800 *snorts from the future with 2k* books in GoodReads, 20-30 are 5 stars. And I'm sure if I went to MyAnimeList I'd see something of the sort. I can't give the maximum rate unless it's something that affected me deeply. Sometimes positively, sometimes negatively, but unless it really wormed itself down inside me, I end up giving 4's.
One thing that surprised me is that when I tried to check on other mangas by this same mangaka, which I do whenever I discover I liked their work, they...didn't really so anything substantive before or after Whistle! So in a way, this is his magnum opus. And I can't tell you how highly I view it.
If you've never read it, I really do beg you to do it. It starts slow and by the end it felt like that ending was because the mangaka couldn't have continued, it would have gone down the circle jerk of "go here and win" which never happens in Whistle! It's about Sho's improvement as a person, as a player, but it never becomes a "victory" centric manga. It continues grounded to the characters, as we meet and get to know more about the past of the rest.
And in the end, it's about how a small young boy called Sho who influenced a generation of players by existing, by playing next to them, by showing them that all you need to improve is neither talent nor skill, but perseverance.
My rating is of course: 5/5, 10/10. Perhaps even a 20/5, because after I finished, for three days whenever I remembered Whistle! I'd start crying. Just like that.
And even right now, my eyes are prickling because I'm still hangup on this manga, and it's been at least five months since I last read it.
Is the best soccer, no, best sports manga I've ever read. I loved Prince of Tennis, and it was my top manga until I read Whistle! I remembered vividly almost crying when Tenipuri ended and how I felt so full, happy inside for the series and characters. Of course, now there's a sequel but I'll wait until it concludes so I can binge read it.
Sports manga is one of my favourite genres, I get very invested in the characters and I love discovering more about these sports I don't really pay attention to in real life.
Perhaps the reason I loved Whistle! is that it felt real. I know it's silly, but Sho (the protagonist) is a young a boy that isn't skilled, or talented at soccer. He doesn't get magical powers, nor is he enough to bring a team to victory, much like Captain Tsubasa shows. Sho works hard, he cries and sweats, but he doesn't give up. His one strong point is that he is stubborn, he loves soccer and he doesn't ever give up.
I read some reviews that made me a bit livid when I read them. Calling Whistle! just like any other sports manga where Sho never loses is so fucking wrong I actually get angry. Very angry.
There's a point in the manga, after Sho gets special train outside his school, and when he returns there's a difference in his skill and his school mates who just play for fun. They don't win matches just because Sho is there. A team is only as strong as its individual members are. One sole member can't in real life lead to victory.
That isn't something you see in other sports manga, or even in soccer. Captain Tsubasa made popular the whole "as long as you have one outstanding member and the rest are sub par, you can still do it". Which is bullshit.
Whistle! in that regard, and a lot of others really, is a realistic sports manga. As I said, Sho has to work really hard, constantly fighting to improve and to get selected for teams and to get to play.
I'm trying not to spoiler, so I won't, but I'll say one of the things that impacted and desolated me was the ending. I cried. The manga had given me moments of angst, and pain, because Sho's life isn't easy.
From bullying to having to cope with his small size against bigger guys and relentlessly training. But Sho is a bright, happy young boy that lives for soccer, it's his life and joy. So the ending comes up and I start crying and I feel so heart broken over it I can't breathe or see clearly, and I can't forget his face. What he said. His state. This was a Sho that I'd never seen and it hurt so much. I love Sho, I love everything he stands for, the way he tries his best, and when I think that's his ending (and it gets an open ending which I've thought countless times could go this way or that way) I just feel so emotional.
I don't know how to give my opinions and thoughts on things I truly love. It's hard to put in words why something affected me so deeply I'd score them 5/5 (or 10/10 depending on the website) but this manga does indeed deserve my highest rating.
I'm a sparse person when it comes to giving 5/10, and 1's too. Out of my almost 800 *snorts from the future with 2k* books in GoodReads, 20-30 are 5 stars. And I'm sure if I went to MyAnimeList I'd see something of the sort. I can't give the maximum rate unless it's something that affected me deeply. Sometimes positively, sometimes negatively, but unless it really wormed itself down inside me, I end up giving 4's.
One thing that surprised me is that when I tried to check on other mangas by this same mangaka, which I do whenever I discover I liked their work, they...didn't really so anything substantive before or after Whistle! So in a way, this is his magnum opus. And I can't tell you how highly I view it.
If you've never read it, I really do beg you to do it. It starts slow and by the end it felt like that ending was because the mangaka couldn't have continued, it would have gone down the circle jerk of "go here and win" which never happens in Whistle! It's about Sho's improvement as a person, as a player, but it never becomes a "victory" centric manga. It continues grounded to the characters, as we meet and get to know more about the past of the rest.
And in the end, it's about how a small young boy called Sho who influenced a generation of players by existing, by playing next to them, by showing them that all you need to improve is neither talent nor skill, but perseverance.
My rating is of course: 5/5, 10/10. Perhaps even a 20/5, because after I finished, for three days whenever I remembered Whistle! I'd start crying. Just like that.
And even right now, my eyes are prickling because I'm still hangup on this manga, and it's been at least five months since I last read it.
February 25, 2019
this is about a boy that is trying to be the best he can be in football and he goes through so many obstacles that he never expected but overcame and I think this was a good book but it would get really tricky cause I would have to read it backward but it was really fun to read it so you should go try and read it
January 24, 2018
I honestly picked this up because it was about a kid who wanted to play soccer and I'm glad I did. The art was great and I really enjoyed the characters. Sho's determination was inspiring and a true pleasure to read.
May 27, 2020
After reading just one volume I have to say that the writer is in love with football.
Sho, the main character mirrors the writer himself.
There are tons of endnotes present after each chapter and there is an attention to detail.
If you like football, go for it, read it.
Sho, the main character mirrors the writer himself.
There are tons of endnotes present after each chapter and there is an attention to detail.
If you like football, go for it, read it.
September 12, 2017
In the story, Whistle, Daisuke Higuchi creates a boy that love to play soccer very much, but because the school don’t let him join in the school soccer team, he decide to change to another school. In his new school, he mistakenly say to others schoolmate that his score skills is very good, and when they finally found that his soccer skills actually is very bad, he drop out of the school and practice on his own. After he practice very hard on his own, his schoolmate decide to make a team with him, and his schoolmate’s skills is very good. And they work together as a five people’s mini game, he finally get the approval of others schoolmates.
June 19, 2018
Whistle!, Vol. 1 is the beginning of a new series written and illustrated by Daisuke Higuchi. This tankobon collects the first seven chapters of this on-going series.
It is a story about Shō Kazamatsuri, a second grade, middle schooler who loves soccer so much that he's willing to move across the country just to play. In his old school Musashinomori, a prestigious school with an awesome soccer team, he was only a substitute player for a third string person, because of his height (146 cm (4' 9")). So he moves in with his estrange brother to a smaller school so he could play soccer. However, his homeroom teacher and adviser to the soccer team thought they were getting a varsity player. It was quickly determined that Shō Kazamatsuri was not the star player that the school thought.
Embarrassed, Shō Kazamatsuri starts skipping school in order to practice his soccer skills on his own all day long. Tatsuya Mizuno, a second year and a phenom of the soccer team, noticed Shō Kazamatsuri emerging talent and his dedication to the sport that puts most to shame when he accidentally came across him one afternoon. Earlier he found out that it was the homeroom teacher that assumed that Shō Kazamatsuri was a regular on a team and that he never boasts about it. After watching Shō Kazamatsuri and trained with him 1-on-1, Tatsuya Mizuno considered reshaping the current soccer team.
Tatsuya Mizuno challenged the current soccer team captain to a 5-on-5 match, if he wins he becomes captain of the soccer team, but if he loses he will obey every command the captain make without argument. Furthermore, Tatsuya Mizuno said that he will take second string players including Shō Kazamatsuri and that the current captain could use the regular players.
So, Tatsuya Mizuno took Masato Takai (Second Year), Hideomi Hanazawa (First Year), and Yoshihoko Koga (First Year) to Shō Kazamatsuri and explains what's going on and together they trained for the upcoming soccer game. The dedication and enthusiasm of Shō Kazamatsuri has caught on to the other three and they themselves practiced harder and longer. They eventually won the game and Tatsuya Mizuno was made captain.
However, most of the team quit when they saw the training schedule that Tatsuya Mizuno wanted to enforce. Undeterred, Shō Kazamatsuri asked for a map from his older brother and went to visit each and every student that quit the soccer team daily to convince them to re-join the team. Looking from afar is Shigeki Satō who was once on the soccer team, but for some reason quit after his first year.
Daisuke Higuchi has written and illustrated this tankobon. For the most part I really liked the story. It's rather inspirational and celebrates hard work over talent, which I really like – although the main character skipping school is rather problematic. There are some parts that seemed rather verbose, but since it's the first tankobon it's somewhat forgivable. The illustrations are rather good as well and it emphasizes the text rather well.
All in all, Whistle!, Vol. 1 is a wonderful beginning to a new series that seems really intriguing and I can't wait to read more.
It is a story about Shō Kazamatsuri, a second grade, middle schooler who loves soccer so much that he's willing to move across the country just to play. In his old school Musashinomori, a prestigious school with an awesome soccer team, he was only a substitute player for a third string person, because of his height (146 cm (4' 9")). So he moves in with his estrange brother to a smaller school so he could play soccer. However, his homeroom teacher and adviser to the soccer team thought they were getting a varsity player. It was quickly determined that Shō Kazamatsuri was not the star player that the school thought.
Embarrassed, Shō Kazamatsuri starts skipping school in order to practice his soccer skills on his own all day long. Tatsuya Mizuno, a second year and a phenom of the soccer team, noticed Shō Kazamatsuri emerging talent and his dedication to the sport that puts most to shame when he accidentally came across him one afternoon. Earlier he found out that it was the homeroom teacher that assumed that Shō Kazamatsuri was a regular on a team and that he never boasts about it. After watching Shō Kazamatsuri and trained with him 1-on-1, Tatsuya Mizuno considered reshaping the current soccer team.
Tatsuya Mizuno challenged the current soccer team captain to a 5-on-5 match, if he wins he becomes captain of the soccer team, but if he loses he will obey every command the captain make without argument. Furthermore, Tatsuya Mizuno said that he will take second string players including Shō Kazamatsuri and that the current captain could use the regular players.
So, Tatsuya Mizuno took Masato Takai (Second Year), Hideomi Hanazawa (First Year), and Yoshihoko Koga (First Year) to Shō Kazamatsuri and explains what's going on and together they trained for the upcoming soccer game. The dedication and enthusiasm of Shō Kazamatsuri has caught on to the other three and they themselves practiced harder and longer. They eventually won the game and Tatsuya Mizuno was made captain.
However, most of the team quit when they saw the training schedule that Tatsuya Mizuno wanted to enforce. Undeterred, Shō Kazamatsuri asked for a map from his older brother and went to visit each and every student that quit the soccer team daily to convince them to re-join the team. Looking from afar is Shigeki Satō who was once on the soccer team, but for some reason quit after his first year.
Daisuke Higuchi has written and illustrated this tankobon. For the most part I really liked the story. It's rather inspirational and celebrates hard work over talent, which I really like – although the main character skipping school is rather problematic. There are some parts that seemed rather verbose, but since it's the first tankobon it's somewhat forgivable. The illustrations are rather good as well and it emphasizes the text rather well.
All in all, Whistle!, Vol. 1 is a wonderful beginning to a new series that seems really intriguing and I can't wait to read more.
November 27, 2019
Many spoilers for the full series ahead:
I wasn't excited to read this series but wow I love it.
I generally like sports anime/manga, but I didn't think I'd get super invested with this one.
I was wrong.
I love so many characters. Sho is a sweetie. I love Shigeki a lot. And Tsubasa is basically the best.
I did get confused when the story went off with the Tokyo Select team, because it was a lot of new characters thrown in at once, and a lot of characters I expected to be important throughout were basically dropped.
But that's okay, because the Tokyo Select team was great. And I loved a lot of the members on the opposing teams.
I did make my way through all the little side notes and pages on actual soccer, even though it was honestly boring to me. But I guess it's easy to tell the author herself really really likes the game.
Anyway. Character development was really good. The main characters had a lot of growth, mixed in with doubts (Tatsuya specifically) and it just made them more real. It was written very well.
For a sports manga, actually, it had a lot more dialogue than I expected, but I don't remember ever being bored.
I was surprised that it skimmed over so many matches, but I guess that goes hand in hand with the series just not going in the direction I expected.
If I had to point out one flaw I had, it would be Sho scoring basically every goal on a team where he is consistently considered the weakest member.
I don't think it would have hurt the series to make other team members benefit more in that way. But regardless, it's easy to overlook since it's just "main character is obviously the focal point."
That being said, there was actually a really good balance of character focus throughout the series, and I'm glad.
I can see why the ending of the series would be annoying to some people since there is no real conclusion to the game with Sho VS Shigeki, but at the same time the author wanted to highlight that injuries and setbacks are very real, and also another way people can grow.
But it was still really really upsetting when Sho broke his leg? I'm not over it. This child deserved better.
The quick little epilogue was very welcome. It was a good wrap up to a really good series. :)
I wasn't excited to read this series but wow I love it.
I generally like sports anime/manga, but I didn't think I'd get super invested with this one.
I was wrong.
I love so many characters. Sho is a sweetie. I love Shigeki a lot. And Tsubasa is basically the best.
I did get confused when the story went off with the Tokyo Select team, because it was a lot of new characters thrown in at once, and a lot of characters I expected to be important throughout were basically dropped.
But that's okay, because the Tokyo Select team was great. And I loved a lot of the members on the opposing teams.
I did make my way through all the little side notes and pages on actual soccer, even though it was honestly boring to me. But I guess it's easy to tell the author herself really really likes the game.
Anyway. Character development was really good. The main characters had a lot of growth, mixed in with doubts (Tatsuya specifically) and it just made them more real. It was written very well.
For a sports manga, actually, it had a lot more dialogue than I expected, but I don't remember ever being bored.
I was surprised that it skimmed over so many matches, but I guess that goes hand in hand with the series just not going in the direction I expected.
If I had to point out one flaw I had, it would be Sho scoring basically every goal on a team where he is consistently considered the weakest member.
I don't think it would have hurt the series to make other team members benefit more in that way. But regardless, it's easy to overlook since it's just "main character is obviously the focal point."
That being said, there was actually a really good balance of character focus throughout the series, and I'm glad.
I can see why the ending of the series would be annoying to some people since there is no real conclusion to the game with Sho VS Shigeki, but at the same time the author wanted to highlight that injuries and setbacks are very real, and also another way people can grow.
But it was still really really upsetting when Sho broke his leg? I'm not over it. This child deserved better.
The quick little epilogue was very welcome. It was a good wrap up to a really good series. :)
April 29, 2020
This is pretty classic!
The story is pretty cliche for sports manga but I still found it fun because of the different twist to it. This is a soccer manga quite similar to Haikyuu. The main character is determined to get better at soccer since he wasn't able to play at his old school.
The art style is quite enjoyable! I really enjoy the author's lining strategy. I was honestly expecting extremely fluffy hair typical of the '90s and was pleasantly surprised that there is a small amount of it. There are mullets on some of the boys and some hairstyles don't really look the best on some characters. Other than the hair, I think the proportions of everything else is really well done. I actually really like the cover too. It has a pleasant sketchy-ness to it that you don't see a lot with manga from this era.
The characters are pretty well done. Shō is a determined boy who doesn't give up. I like his character design. The other main/important character is Tatsuya. Tatsuya is on the school's soccer team and is frustrated that they don't want to get better simply because of the rival school's power. These two have an interesting dynamic together. It's sort of like mentor and student.
The story is pretty cliche for sports manga but I still found it fun because of the different twist to it. This is a soccer manga quite similar to Haikyuu. The main character is determined to get better at soccer since he wasn't able to play at his old school.
The art style is quite enjoyable! I really enjoy the author's lining strategy. I was honestly expecting extremely fluffy hair typical of the '90s and was pleasantly surprised that there is a small amount of it. There are mullets on some of the boys and some hairstyles don't really look the best on some characters. Other than the hair, I think the proportions of everything else is really well done. I actually really like the cover too. It has a pleasant sketchy-ness to it that you don't see a lot with manga from this era.
The characters are pretty well done. Shō is a determined boy who doesn't give up. I like his character design. The other main/important character is Tatsuya. Tatsuya is on the school's soccer team and is frustrated that they don't want to get better simply because of the rival school's power. These two have an interesting dynamic together. It's sort of like mentor and student.
February 2, 2019
Enjoyable collection overall, when I first saw it on the shelf at the library I was completely absorbed by the story line; was able to relate to the protagonist on a personal level and fell in love with the friends Sho' made along the way. I was an avid soccer player at the time I picked it up and was super stoked to find an enticing plot that wasn't centered around fighting.
October 12, 2017
It is good.
February 9, 2018
This is the first manga I’ve ever read and it was quite enjoyable. I’m not sure if I’ll continue but I liked it a lot!
October 15, 2018
love the book
February 25, 2020
This book is soooooo good and I like that it's about soccer, he trains then he gets so good I cant wait to read number two.
June 22, 2020
Another classic manga. I definitely already read this one though not until finished. Now i found the complete edition. Hope i could enjoy this classic series
May 22, 2021
Oh man, I read a bunch of these as a kid. It was my favorite sports manga!! I need to reread and finish the series!
December 31, 2021
macam Naruto, nih. never give up!
June 27, 2022
is it any surprise that the 2 manga i’ve read are about sports? no
Read
December 28, 2022elementary school “i wanna read manga” phase. think it’s the only manga besides soul eater i ever read entirely
June 29, 2024
First manga I’ve ever read, still holds up well! Only getting four stars cuz my beloved Shigeki didn’t get much screen time in this volume
February 24, 2017
The Book started off being hard to understand considering all of the characters names are in Japanese and the speech is very confusing. The whole story was very boring considering it is a graphic novel about soccer. For me I like very action packed books. In this the most intense thing that happens is he kicks a soccer ball. The pictures make it even harder to understand what is going on. This is because it is very zoomed in and in many cases you cant tell who has the ball or not. Besides the soccer scenes the story line is o.k. The main character lies about his soccer team in order to impress others. Then later ends up training to join the team he said he was on. Overall I would not recommend this book to others. This is because it is very boring and stale.
June 16, 2017
Japan qualified for the World Cup in 1998 and then proceeded to lose every damn match in their group (Argentina, Croatia, Jamaica). This series opens up before their first game against Argentina, using it as a backdrop for the protagonist's own journey in footy. I can only imagine the country's continued losses will be used as a metaphor to ~push through~ despite the odds, because I have read many a sportsball manga and I am genre savvy.
We're introduced to Kazamatsuri Sho, a highly enthusiastic, but ultra terrible junior high soccer player. He's a transfer student to Josui, a low ranked public school - shenanigans ensue, leading him to a squad of misfits and Tatsuya, the school's best player, playing against the upperclassmen. Spoiler alert: thanks to their exhaustive practice and can-do attitude, they totes win.
I do like that Sho is cognizant of the importance of creating his own play style that befits his smaller size rather than attempting to bulldoze ahead recklessly like a typical shonen protag. Sho is a hard-worker who earnestly in love with the game, which is so endearing. Definitely a character trait I never get sick of.
livetweeting my read-through:
• ... is Sho's brother a gigolo?
• No, he works at a host club, which is basically the same thing. Also, he called it an escort service later and implies that he works as such because he didn't agree with their parents' plans for him. I sense perhaps a Level 4 Tragic Backstory.
• GIANT SOCCER RICE BALL!!!
• Sho, you haven't even been introduced to this guy and you're going to call him by his given name? I sense a deep, all-encompassing friendship awaiting you and pretty boy Tatsuya.
• I can't believe Sho legit just dropped out of school to practice all day, every day for weeks (this is Hinata Shoyo's dream). He's lucky his older brother seduced the teacher into forgiving his absences with a few smoldering looks and some slight negging.
• Tatsuya's "special skill" is making people upset, hah! I do enjoy these little tidbits.
We're introduced to Kazamatsuri Sho, a highly enthusiastic, but ultra terrible junior high soccer player. He's a transfer student to Josui, a low ranked public school - shenanigans ensue, leading him to a squad of misfits and Tatsuya, the school's best player, playing against the upperclassmen. Spoiler alert: thanks to their exhaustive practice and can-do attitude, they totes win.
I do like that Sho is cognizant of the importance of creating his own play style that befits his smaller size rather than attempting to bulldoze ahead recklessly like a typical shonen protag. Sho is a hard-worker who earnestly in love with the game, which is so endearing. Definitely a character trait I never get sick of.
livetweeting my read-through:
• ... is Sho's brother a gigolo?
• No, he works at a host club, which is basically the same thing. Also, he called it an escort service later and implies that he works as such because he didn't agree with their parents' plans for him. I sense perhaps a Level 4 Tragic Backstory.
• GIANT SOCCER RICE BALL!!!
• Sho, you haven't even been introduced to this guy and you're going to call him by his given name? I sense a deep, all-encompassing friendship awaiting you and pretty boy Tatsuya.
• I can't believe Sho legit just dropped out of school to practice all day, every day for weeks (this is Hinata Shoyo's dream). He's lucky his older brother seduced the teacher into forgiving his absences with a few smoldering looks and some slight negging.
• Tatsuya's "special skill" is making people upset, hah! I do enjoy these little tidbits.
June 5, 2025
Pertama kali kenalan sama Whistle itu via TV7, stasiun TV swasta yang sempat nayangin anime ini. Awalnya sempat merasa malas nonton, kok MC-nya cupu gini, cuma jadi pesuruh di klub. Tapi pas akhirnya nonton terus (walau bolong-bolong dan ga sampe tamat), anime ini malah jadi penyemangat pas lagi di posisi terendah pas kuliah.
Whistle dan Slam Dunk jadi suntikan semangat di masa-masa sulit saya mengalami perkuliahan. Yang satu dengan cara serius, yang satu dengan cara "sesat" hahaha.
Baru bisa baca komiknya setelah puluhan tahun lewat dan itu pun hasil pinjaman, hahaha. Yang pasti saya suka sekali ngikutin perjuangan Sho dari mulai pemain ga dilirik di Musashinomori sampai ikut seleksi tim Tokyo pas gabung di Sakura Josui. Suka juga sama Tatsuya, Shigeki, Daichi, Paman warung Oden, pelatihnya, Yuki, anak kelas satu berbadan besar. Aaaaaaaaaah... saya suka hampir semua karakternya sich.
Sho aja ga pernah nyerah. Sho aja ga pernah ngeluh. Sho aja selalu berjuang biar jadi lebih baik. Masa kalah sama Sho?
Whistle dan Slam Dunk jadi suntikan semangat di masa-masa sulit saya mengalami perkuliahan. Yang satu dengan cara serius, yang satu dengan cara "sesat" hahaha.
Baru bisa baca komiknya setelah puluhan tahun lewat dan itu pun hasil pinjaman, hahaha. Yang pasti saya suka sekali ngikutin perjuangan Sho dari mulai pemain ga dilirik di Musashinomori sampai ikut seleksi tim Tokyo pas gabung di Sakura Josui. Suka juga sama Tatsuya, Shigeki, Daichi, Paman warung Oden, pelatihnya, Yuki, anak kelas satu berbadan besar. Aaaaaaaaaah... saya suka hampir semua karakternya sich.
September 20, 2015
As a competitive high school athlete, Sho Kazamatsuri spoke to me on a spiritual level. His gusto and perseverance are great. Unlike series such as The Prince of Tennis this main character is both fallible and lacks talent - and while I love Ryoma Echizen, I can't relate to him; I can, however, understand Sho's motivation to get better.
In order to play soccer, Sho transfers schools and moves in with his older brother. After a miscommunication, he quits the team and trains on his own, joining again only when teammate Tatsuya organizes a pick-up game that will decide the captain of the team.
The downside is the plot's reliance on cliches: That said, this first volume was a cute, inspirational start to a sports manga.
In order to play soccer, Sho transfers schools and moves in with his older brother. After a miscommunication, he quits the team and trains on his own, joining again only when teammate Tatsuya organizes a pick-up game that will decide the captain of the team.
The downside is the plot's reliance on cliches: That said, this first volume was a cute, inspirational start to a sports manga.
June 9, 2010
My family has always played soccer, every Thanksgiving we get the cousins together to play the 'Turkey Cup'. I'm very familiar with how the game works and the various positions though I never really do play. So the little explanations before chapters were nothing new and I guess are for more for the people who have never seen, played, or heard about soccer.
Anyways, I think it was a cute little story and I love how it shows the readers if you really try and be determined, anything is possible. I loved Sho's determination but Higuchi better have an epic failure during the next few books so something can put Sho and his spirits down.
I loved how Sho cared about the chubby guy! I loved those few, cute pages.
Anyways, I think it was a cute little story and I love how it shows the readers if you really try and be determined, anything is possible. I loved Sho's determination but Higuchi better have an epic failure during the next few books so something can put Sho and his spirits down.
I loved how Sho cared about the chubby guy! I loved those few, cute pages.
January 25, 2016
Sho switches schools in order to pursue his dream of being a professional soccer player, but a misunderstanding gets him ridiculed and leaves him practicing alone. With the help of another of the soccer players, he discovers that hard work pays off and encourages others, who thought they never had a chance, to work hard and they defeat the older classmates and take back their soccer team.
I read a lot of manga; in fact, Whistle! was the only title on the list (for a class) that I had not yet read. Even though I find it typical of the genre, teenage boys that are interested in soccer will find this title particularly inspirational; there are vignettes on major soccer players in between chapters and provides motivation for a hard work ethic.
I read a lot of manga; in fact, Whistle! was the only title on the list (for a class) that I had not yet read. Even though I find it typical of the genre, teenage boys that are interested in soccer will find this title particularly inspirational; there are vignettes on major soccer players in between chapters and provides motivation for a hard work ethic.
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