Eijun Sawamura had his heart set on the middle-school national baseball championships. But his team is eliminated thanks to a wild pitch thrown by Eijun himself. He’s planning to go to high school with his teammates and try again next year when he’s scouted by the famous Seido High School Baseball team. When he goes for a campus visit, he finds himself on the receiving end of a baptism by fire! His experience forming a battery with up-and-coming catcher Miyuki rekindles his passion for baseball!!
TERAJIMA Yuuji: Yūji Terajima (寺嶋裕二), born 10 May 1974, is a Japanese manga artist, born in Mannō, Kagawa. He is the writer and illustrator of the baseball manga, Daiya no Ace which won the 2008 Shogakukan Manga Award in the Shōnen category.
Previously, he worked as an assistant under Rando Ayamine on the manga serial Get Backers along with fellow assistant Atsushi Okubo, who later authored Soul Eater.
The unique/strong point of this manga is the main protagonist's team. It is a rule of thumb for a manga sport to set the main protagonist team in the beginning as a new/weak/underdog/small team. Not on this manga. The main protagonist was scouted to a big baseball high school team.
The first 3 volume unfortunately has nothing much to offer, the usual characters introduction, the standard main protagonist (a high spirited naive character), underdogs plots, etc.
There is baseball-love-triangle plot on this manga: two pitchers are competing for the love of a catcher. After Last Inning manga, this is the second manga that I found this baseball-love-triangle. This baseball-love-plots takes a pretty big portion on the story.
But I notice a big plot hole: The main protagonist was scouted, but after join the high school, the story revealed that this player is a noob. I understand to make a noob character from character growth wise, but it is inconsistent with plot. A scouted player who doesn't understand basics of baseball?
*I wrote this for the anime versions but it still fits this. This is for the whole Act 1 series, does not include sequel/Act 2. From old blog*
This is one of hardest posts I can tackle. I've said it before, but I'll say it again, I find it the hardest to write about something I ABSOLUTELY adore, love and cherish. It's so close to my heart I can't even articulate, I can't even, tbh.
I'm just going to elaborate why I love it, and why it's my fave sports anime ever.
First would be that this is an underdog story, and I love underdogs. There's just something that makes me really root for them to achieve it, I get SO invested, I want them to be able to do it so BAD. This is why I feel so elated or cry when things go bad, or they're able to pull back up to fight it out again, I'm just like YEAH DO IT BB, I BELIEVE IN YOU, I SUPPORT YOU NOW AND FOREVER MORE /SOBS GROSSLY AT EVERYONE THAT PASSES BY
/coughs
Okay, so maybe I get too emotional...But fuck that, cause stories and characters ARE supposed to make us feel, if they don't then they have FAILED.
^This is a good lead-in to my next point. It makes me super emotional, I go through happiness, frustration, crying and hopelessness, and devastation, but I thrive on this. It means I AM invested, and nothing like a good sports anime to make you so invested from the get go. If they cry, I cry; if they smile, I smile; if they laugh, I laugh. I am their puppet, take me away! 🙏
It is no joke that I cry starting from Episode 1, Eijun + friends all crying together?, with drama and angst to spice it up? RIP me and my feels, I bawl always. Especially when the friends confess some feelings, I'm just DONE. Don't watch anime with me, I just cry and screech okay lmao 😹😹
Along these paragraphs I forgot what point I was at, but I don't care, I'll just continue listing them.
Eijun gets nothing handed to him, nothing is easy, if he doesn't half-kill himself he gets zero chances, and it makes me both scream at everyone about the injustice, but also respect and admire the fuck out of my boy. He is everything I wished I could be: determined, motivated, passionate, fiery, optimist, never gives up, sunshine personified, and unparalleled. From the first moment he gets on Seido he does not even enter the MAIN team, he has to duke it out to even get accepted, and then on the second string. He busts his ass to get all achievements, and I love it. This does also mean I get super frustrated because nothing is ever easy, I just want to see him succeed so bad 😭😭😭😭
It's realistic, from the characters strengths and weaknesses, to their ability on the sports itself, aside some magical canon's ( /looks at Furuya) that happened once, this is strictly 100% true and realistic, which I give it lots of props. This doesn't mean that the show doesn't have any spark, or doesn't hook you. Man, the animation, the shots, the way the camera moves, the FUCKING AMAZING SOUNDTRACK, they all cause a super tense, anxious and AMAZING scene after scene. I'm always sweating when watching my boy pitch, and the rest of the team batting and stealing houses. There are no guaranteed wins here, who you root for to win does not mean it'll happen. Just be prepared with tons of kleenex, because you'll need them just like I did /pats poor soggy pillow
There is no throwaway secondary or tertiary characters here, everyone has their own distinctive looks, personalities and their limelight. Don't be surprised to see characters you think are background fodder to turn out important to Seido, and to other teams, because it'll be.
The art is so so good, I love that 90% of the characters are distinguishable by features alone, tho some do look like they're in their 30's and not in their 16's 😹😹
^This leads me to Miyuki and Chris-senpai, the two hotties and bishounen from the series, bless their presence and existence in this show. Plus their voices are hot, mama mia /fans self
You can ship all the characters, it's okay and fine, enjoy it. They're all so tight and close, but at the same time have that divide that a good fuck would just clear up /coughs and clears throat
I unabashedly ship Miyuki with Eijun, RIP me, and their interactions make me live, as you might have noticed from me gushing about an amazing fanfic, The Trajectory of Laughter. Prepare kleenex if you decide to read it, RIP U and me /sobs silently.
The soundtrack hypes me up, just listening to it as I'm writing is both making me want to rewatch the show, hyping me and also reminding me of so many great scenes, sobs grossly. Just go listen to it, it's even better in context of the anime. If you don't get hyped and ready to fight all that comes in your way as you listen to it, then your blood is dead smh.
The sheer size of it, there's so much to watch, yet it never feels enough, plus all the episodes are so short, or maybe they only feel like that because they're so good /softly cries
The animation, direction, art are just super stellar. Every shot has impact, does its job when it has to be comedic or softer, yet when the scenes have to be about raw tension or vulnerability they're fricking amazing. I'm a super whore for good camera work, it's everything in a show, it'll determine how you feel and how much impact a scene will have, and Daiya has it in fucking spades, it could sell some and still be king of them. Definitely super A+++++ work from the studio and director, coupled with the composer and voice actors, it's just unrivalled. Or maybe that's just me as a huge fan xPP
Now does this show have flaws? Of course, it has. One of them is, there isn't a third season out yet, or announced, so I'm frigging dying in my pants for it to be announced. That's it. 😈😈
Nah, one flaw is... if you aren't a sports anime fan then look elsewhere, this is 100% pure fiber sports anime, just like how I love and eat with a spoon for breakfast. The character growth, the story, everything, they all revolve around baseball, but let me tell you the character growth IS SUPER STRONG in this show, so if you LOVE characters, then still check this out, for realsies <3
There's not much else I can say cause I just don't have enough skills, words or praise to throw at this. Maybe beware that there is a heavy dose of drama and angst, but just in the right quantities to really hit you in the gut, it never becomes melodramatic or turn into a soap opera, worry not!
And yet ANOTHER digital manga only title that I wish was physically printed! 😭😭😭
This first volume was explosive and so much fun to read! I think if you want a story centering around a personality like Tanaka from Haikyuu!!, then this would be a good one to try because Eijun more often than not reminded me of a chiller version of Tanaka!
It's hard to capture what I really enjoyed about this first volume but can definitely say it was the characters who sold it. When you're having our hero proclaim that baseball is a team sport and that if you forget that importance you need to get off the team, then I'm 100% sold because THAT right there is what sports manga is all about it!
In between the super interesting characters and the fantastic art, I'm definitely sold on this series! My only complaint is it not being readily available physically in English because with how long this series is, I know I'm going to struggle to finish reading it digitally. (It's hard to justify paying $10 for a single digital volume with a series still ongoing after 40 volumes *nervous laughter*)
Despite that though, I definitely want to try the anime because I really really enjoyed reading this! And should there be a deal for more volumes, I definitely want to snag them and see what happens next!
The story began with a straightforward Eijun Sawamura and his friends losing the last game of the year in Middle School. Even with a lost battle, his potential did not go unnoticed by a scout in Seido Private Senior High School who watched the said game. Afterward, Eijun was offered to check out the said campus in Tokyo. After a life-changing game that he experienced on Seido's baseball field, he was torn about whether to leave his friends for a baseball spot in Tokyo. So, after learning that his grandpa already informed his friends about him getting scouted for the Tokyo baseball team and his dazed moments when he came back, Eijun decided that he will do everything to rise up to the challenge and be able to play baseball in Koshien stadium for them in the future.
Ace of the Diamond is chaotic and wholesome all at once! The characterization is fun and interesting with evocative dialogues, a clear action sequence, and a beautiful art style!! I really commend the art style so much; it's just so flawless and I'm really easily turned off by art styles not too eye-pleasing enough, so you can see why I'm hyping this shit up.
I can already see myself getting drowned by this series, I mean, Miyuki migod!!
02 Feb 2016 : Maju-mundur mau ngambil komik ini, bahkan sampe vol.2-nya udah terbit kemaren (^ ^ )> Ternyata...dapat vol.1-nya dari Elex!! \(^o^)/ Yeaay~ aku langsung 'terjerumus'! (≧▽≦)
Gambar : 4 bintang....bagus! Jelas dan bersih, semua gerakan terlihat detil, pose ngelempar dan lainnya itu keliatan indah (^ ^)
Cerita : 4 bintang....aku memang suka cerita olahraga, apalagi ini tokoh utamanya (seperti biasa ^ ^) polos-polos-bego-bersemangat \(^ヮ^)/ Ini masih awal, tapi aku suka humor dan ceritanya dan karakter-2nya...
Edited21 Oct 2016 : (^o^)/ ~baca ulang vol.1 - 10...makin oke! Rating tambah!
Kadang kalo ngikutin komik berseri, jeda antar volum bikin aku ga bisa paham detilnya... Atau kadang "rasa"-nya agak pudar dan terlupakan~ ""( >///<) Mana kalo mau baca ulang, aku lebih milih komik koplak-koplakan (macam Poyo / Nozaki / Silver Spoon) ataupun komik kuliner (macam Hell's Kitchen / Takasugi / Silver Spoon≧▽≦)
Tapi setelah seru dengan vol.10-nya, jadi pengen baca ulang dari awal~ Hasilnya, bukan cuma ceritanya yang terasa lebih "meresap" ヽ(*⌒▽⌒*)ノ tapi aku juga makin kagum sama gambarnya yang detil, proporsional, dan konsisten sejak awal. Alur panelnya sangat rapi dan keren!
Feel-nya pas baca memang mirip pas baca Slam Dunk (^..^) dengan karakter-karakter yang koplak dan punya ciri khas masing-masing. Favoritku : Pudding, dan Spitz (^..^)
One of my favourites, I love it! The story, the characters (Miyuki Kazuya is a blessing (≧◡≦) ♡), the tension, the amazing plays, just everything about it is so good!
The first three volumes of Ace of the Diamond were just as good as the beginning episodes of the anime and brought back a lot of fond memories.
Eijun Sawarmura (mc) is a passionate boy who wears his heart on his sleeves. As loud as he is, Eijun’s high energy is infectious and draws others in. You can clearly see that in his interactions with his middle school friends. He’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer (and even less about baseball in general). But Eijun has raw potential and you immediately become invested in his desire to play baseball, his growth as an athlete, and his goal to become the ace of Seido High School’s varsity baseball team.
Baseball is one of my least favorite sports. I’d rather play it than watch it. However, Ace of the Diamond is an addicting series.
Seido’s baseball team has a lot of members – its freshmen count close to 100! The team is highly competitive and a prominent program. Their practices are grueling. To get one of the 20 sought after spots you have to work your ass off and then some every day.
All of the members are talented players who live and breathe baseball. Seido’s hard work brightly shows in the practices and games you get to see so far. Those illustrations were very cool, especially of the pitchers.
The passion and work ethic are admirable and you want Seido to succeed so badly and make it to Koshien Stadium where Nationals are held. It’s a lot of strong personalities working towards the same goal.
While there are a lot of serious moments throughout the story there are plenty of funny, light-hearted moments as you get to know the other main players/characters on the team. I enjoyed volumes 1-3 and can’t wait to continue this series.
Eijun Sawamura had his heart set on the middle-school national baseball championships. But his team is eliminated thanks to a wild pitch thrown by Eijun himself. He’s planning to go to high school with his teammates and try again next year when he’s scouted by the famous Seido High School baseball team. When he goes for a campus visit, he finds himself on the receiving end of a baptism by fire! His experience forming a battery with up-and-coming catcher Miyuki rekindles his passion for baseball!!
This is the first sports manga that I have ever read. I love baseball and this seemed like a good choice for me to pick up. The book turned out to be excellent. Eijun is a very engaging protagonist and his passion to excel as a baseball pitcher is infectious. The book introduces us to our hero and takes us through his recruitment and early days at one of Japan's elite baseball training facilities.
Eijun may be passionate, but he makes mistakes and this makes him human and endearing. The baseballs scenes are very vividly rendered and the subtle complexity of the game is beautifully represented by the skillful art.
This book is a must read for anyone with an interest in baseball or sports manga. I have bought three more volumes in the series and I look forward to reading them.
I recently read the first volume of this manga on the recommendation of one of my students. It was embarrassing because I couldn't figure out what he was saying--Taiya no S? Eventually I worked it out, but I felt bad for mishearing him at first.
The manga itself, based on the first volume, feels kind of standard. The main character wants to go to Koshien stadium, but he bungles his big game in middle school, then gets another chance in high school at a new place with new teammates who recognize his significant pitching skills and who can bring him up to a new level as he faces off against the local bully.
It feels really paint-by-numbers, but the art is good, and the "friendship, hard work, talent" themes still feel, if not exactly fresh, then at least earnest. I had a good time reading.
This series made me long for and love baseball! A sport I never before watched or had any inkling of wanting to get to know... and now I watch real baseball matches every now and again and find myself intrigued to the point of wanting to keep up with leagues. If that's not a selling point for this series I don't know what else would be.
Loveable characters. Fun and competitive natures that have a passion for their chosen sport. It's good.
Admittedly, I do kind of prefer to watch the anime (controversial I know!) but not because the manga lacks anything. It's been on hiatus so long (the anime) and I just dearly missed the characters so I thought I'd pick up the manga. Don't regret a second.
Pertama kenal AoD ini dari anime dan langsung suka. Dan kalau mau pakai cucoklogi, ada lumayan ide dari AoD ini "dicontek" sama Haikyuu! Tapi saya tetep suka keduanya.
A book about a journey to win a national title in baseball. It's always interesting to watch or read about a journey about a teen baseball team going for a national championship. And this book is the perfect book for that, showing how hard it is, how exciting it is, how emotional it is, how important it is, how much ego you need. This book will illustrate the "desire". desire to be the best batter nor best pitcher. showing how desire could lead you to becoming a better human and grow your character.
Series review, not volume review. This was your typical stupid sports manga but I loved it. It tended to get repetitive and Sawamura's behavior at the beginning was killing me but the supporting cast -- Miyuki, Jun, Chris, Furuya, Tetsu -- made up for it. Pretty fair and balanced treatment of players though I felt like the focus on pitching was a little much given that the team was originally known for its batting lineup? Anyway, it was straight vibes. Pretty much a four day binge.
Teared up a couple times at emotional intervals. I want these kiddos in my life.
Another crummy sports manga. I love baseball. I watch games multiple games a week. I could barely finish this. It's boring. There's not much of a story and what is here is muddled. It's about a junior high pitcher whose team gets farther than they expected in their final year of the school's existence. Then he gets recruited by a big high school for sports in Tokyo. That's pretty much the plot in this first book. Plus, there is lots and lots of slapping for some reason. It's weird how much there is.
Sports manga usually starts the story with an underdog who seemingly have no chance of getting a chance to play the sport or has to do the impossible to even get into a team. Usually the team he joins is an underdog team; but not Diaya no Ace. We have Eijun who is scouted to join a top school in Tokyo. Although it joins the trope of not getting what he wanted easily and having a same-year rival for the same position, I find Eijun's characterization interesting.
This is very much the first volume of a series, and I wasn't crazy about the slap-stick humor and slapping, but I think that this'll be a fun baseball series. I really enjoyed Crossgame, but I realize that this series has more of a pre-teen boy vibe (by design). I've been meaning to read more sports manga, and I grew up watching baseball, so this seems like a good one to read more volumes of.
i feel like this starts off a lot weaker than a lot of sports manga. eijun doesnt have that big of a gimmick. the only other baseball manga ive read is one outs and thats super different. im not mad he has a gimmick besides a lefty but he is slowly working on himself which im enjoying. maybe baseball is just slow to me
This series is the greatest story told for me. It motivated me to play little league baseball back in 2014. 10 years later I decided to read the manga and it still does wonders in motivated me to this day. I really like how sawamura is so obnoxious with his dream its very realistic.