新しい足で駆け抜けろ。

Run on Your New Legs #2

by Wataru Midori

After obtaining an artificial leg built for sport from Chidori the shady prosthetist, Kikuzato resolved to become a para-athlete. To strengthen his body so he can run again, Kikuzato wants to join the track-and-field club, but it’s not so His former soccer club friends have lost interest in him, his new clubmates don't know how to approach him, and his overprotective mother won’t let him join any new clubs! With no easy ways to get faster, is the solution...to challenge everyone to a match?!

Genres: Manga, Sports, Graphic Novels, Contemporary, Young Adult, Disability, Seinen

Comic

First published April 27, 2020

About the author

Name (in native Japanese): みどりわたる

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shouta Kikuzato continues his journey to becoming a para athlete, and it's fine, but two new female characters are total scene stealers: Kikuzato's mother, Sawa, and Sakashita in the school track and field club.


FOR REFERENCE:

Contents: Chapter 7. More Like Running Away -- Chapter 8. No Way in Heck!! -- Chapter 9. Was 100m Always That Far? -- Chapter 10. It's Okay to Fall -- Chapter 11. A Child's Job -- Chapter 12. I'm Down! -- Chapter 13. It's All About Play! -- Chapter 14. Wanna Be Part of That World -- Translation Notes -- Special Thanks -- Bonus -- Preview of the Next Volume

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

After experiencing his first race, Kikuzato is on the road to standing on his own two feet again. But there are more than a few bumps along the way, including crusty former friends, belligerent senpai, his own inexperience, and the wrath of mom. Can he get past all this, or will he fall at the first hurdle?

We knew Kikuzato had drive, earning his place on his school’s highly competitive soccer team, and this volume is focused on him reigniting his passions and directing them towards something else, namely running.

And while Kikuzato has confidence for days, he certainly doesn’t have any skill to back it up just yet. Mostly he’s got tenacity and the ability to dust himself off and try again. Which is precisely what he needs at this stage.

There’s lots of brewing conflict all over this story, from earning the acceptance of the track and field club (one guy is the ‘what if he gets injured’ mother hen type to a tee) to a snippy rebuke from the friend he came to the school to play soccer with (there’s some definite lashing out there) to good old momma drama.

The mom stuff is great because, while it goes down a path that is in no way surprising, it directly hangs a lantern on a lot of the ridiculous and shady antics of Chidori, who is a legitimate professional that still acts like a con artist (his side hustle is something else).

It also addresses the nature of this sort of accident, where Kikuzato is trying to get his life back finally, but everybody wants to treat him with kid gloves. Seeing him slowly turning back into a teenager again is a satisfying arc.

And this book doesn’t bring back who I thought might be a potential love interest last time, surprisingly, but it does show that Kikuzato is not without his admirers. Even better, this has one of the funniest meet cutes I’ve seen in ages, even if it’s not exactly a romance in the making.

Beyond that, I think the balance between prosthetic info dump and human drama is pretty much bang on here and it doesn’t hurt that the way the science is presented is both interesting and well integrated into the narrative.

There’s a ton of examination of how prosthetics are fitted and maintained and the risks of racing to Kikuzato’s wellbeing from bruising and infection. It uses its premise wisely and mines it nicely for additional plot complications.

It’s not perfect, naturally, but it’s still very good and I really like a good sports manga that’s got something unique to it but isn’t crazy outlandish and this one is ticking a lot of boxes right now.

4 stars - a great look at a kid putting their life back together and the adventures (and misadventures) on that road. It’s got comedy, heart, and drama rolled up in one tidy little package. With no hero worship of convicted murderers!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shou's mom is the kind of parent we rarely see in manga: involved in a good way. Her reactions feel grounded and like they're from a real place, and that's the kind of support he's going to need going forward.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Link · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still as chaotic and silly as ever :)
I’m not a sports manga person but this one is a very enjoyable one so I’m excited to read the next one.

[Laura A. Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It's okay to fall."

There were a lot of things I loved about this volume, but hands down my favorite part is Shouta's mom and their relationship! I don't know why it never dawned on me that we didn't see any of Shouta's parents involved in volume one, but once she finds out what's happening, I think she was more than justified by her actions. I think you can see how much she cares for him as well as how nervous she is for him "to fall" and try something new. She is seeing how despite how DEEPLY shady Chidori is (LOL), he is making a huge difference in Shouta's life. I really really loved how she was angry that he never told her about Chidori and his "gift" to her getting defensive on his behalf to "letting him go" and create memories only he can on this new adventure. That's not to say she is no longer involved because she is! But I think an interesting quote she says wraps it up nicely: "A child's job is to overcome their parents' worries and press forward."

Now my favorite quote about Chidori that really wraps up him in both volumes, but especially this volume is: "Please, please, please act like a trustworthy grown-adult man…" Hahahaha! I don't know if we will EVER see that Shouta, but let's keep hoping. LOL!

I also loved how Shouta experiences being with younger children who are wearing blades for the first time. I think there is something powerful when we can see the world through a child's eyes and believe that whole moment is going to deeply change and impact Shouta moving forward. It was able to change his perspective of how he has viewed running even though he been wanting to run track and been around a club that maybe was leery of him at first, but is also pushing him to keep running forward.

And speaking of the track club, Usmai has to be one of the most supporting characters ever! *cries* He is a precious little bean and really love how he is doing all he can to cheer on Shouta and help him grow as a runner. It's awesome! I also like the new girl we meet! She's awesome and LOVE how she has muscular legs! Maybe that sounds weird, but you can really see how toned she is and that she IS a runner!

Overall, another epic volume! Only keeps getting better and better!

[Lily-Rose Beardshaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Bernie Sanders meme* I am once again begging manga artists to stop drawing dark-skinned characters eating bananas.

Although this is probably the only manga I've read where there's vaguely a precedent for that (bananas *are* a popular snack for runners), the only character depicted eating them is the brown-skinned girl, and repeatedly. I'd be embarassed to hand somebody a book with the back cover illustration on this volume. Which is a shame, because this is an otherwise decent series, and as a bookseller I'd like to put manga with diverse characters in people's hands and champion the new generation of mangaka exploring disability in their work.

That said, this continues to be an impressively well-researched manga, and I'm glad it exists. I'm planning on sticking with it, partly because its slow pace means the story is taking time to get off the ground. But maybe there's a realism to that - the hero's para-athlete journey and his relationship with his sports prosthesis is depicted with a level of detail that's both responsible and educational. As someone who isn't a sports fan, I suspect there's plenty of technical know-how here for those who enjoy that aspect of sports to chew on, which offers a glimpse of the rewards of para-athletic sports specatorship out in the real world.

The only part of this volume that didn't feel realistic in that aspect was that the character who's supposed to be the national champion runner is drawn like a bodybuilder? I didn't think that kind of bulky upper-body physique was one that it's advantageous for runners to cultivate, but then again, I'm not really knowledgeable enough about running or sports science to be certain. It just kind of threw me off.

Speaking of body diversity, I was so certain the two girls who had speaking roles in the crowd scene in vol 1 would reappear, and I'm disappointed they didn't. I hope they reappear in a later volume.

I agree with the reviewer who pointed to the highlight of this volume being the scene where the main character's mother percieves his changing relationship with his disability, which was genuinely moving. There's promise here.

[The Book Nerd's Corner · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second installment of "Run on Your New Legs" which follows a disabled boy and his journey to mastering his new leg.

After his first race, Kikuzato is hooked on running. Now, he must work alongside his friend Usami to join the after school track and field club. But even more importantly, he has to convince his overprotective mom that the shady Chidori isn't a scammer and that his new leg is indeed trustworthy.

I'm really enjoying watching Kikuzato's journey as he learns how to navigate life with his new running leg (also called a blade). He joins the track and field club to practice on his new leg, and is assigned secret assignments from Chidori to scope out his fellow para-athletes. The sections in this installment are really fun, and I enjoyed them immensely.

Despite its stereotypical nature, I love the message of "when you fall down, you got to get back up again" or "falling (failing) is good." Growth can be such a difficult thing to manage, and I appreciate when it is promoted in such a natural healthy way. Kikuzato, his mother, and his ex-best friend Take, all have a bunch of healing and growth that that have to go through after Kikuzato's accident, and it is nice to explore the different ways they cope when tragedy strikes.

The ending chapter is really quite something with Kikuzato's mission from Chidori being nothing like he expected and whilst there he encounters a Paralympic athlete. These events may be highly unlikely in the real world, but they are super fun in fiction. The surprise ending is also quite fun and has me excited to see what Chidori's past holds.

Overall, the second installment of "Run on Your New Legs" was even better than the first, pushing more fun characters, even greater knowledge about prostheses, and even wilder Chidori schemes. My excitement is ramping up by the volume and I'm interested to see where Kikuzato's leg takes him.

[eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

โดนมังงะชุดนี้ตกเพราะเกี่ยวกับการวิ่ง แค่นั้นเลย ไม่ได้ดูด้วยว่ามันเป็นเรื่องราวเกี่ยวกับอะไร รู้แค่ว่าวิ่ง วิ่งอย่างเดียว เอาค่ะ! ซื้อ! (พูดกับพี่ ผจก นายอินทร์ 55555)

โชตะคุง เป็นเด็กมัธยมปลายปี 1 ที่ประสบอุบัติเหตุ ทำให้เสียขา 1 ข้างไป มันอาจจะไม่ใช่เรื่องใหญ่อะไรถ้าโชตะคุงไม่ได้จะเอาจริงเอาจังกับการเตะฟุตบอล หลังจากที่พักรักษาตัว โชตะคุงกลับมาเรียนอีกครั้งแบบซ้ำชั้น และแน่นอน ต้องออกจากชมรมฟุตบอลด้วย แต่การซ้ำชั้นทำให้มีโอกาสได้เจอเพื่อนใหม่ รวมไปถึงคุณชิโดริ ช่างทำแขนขาเทียม โชตะคุงจับพลัดจับผลูได้ไปเข้าช���รมกรีฑาและเริ่มออกวิ่งอีกครั้ง

และเพื่อนๆในชมรมกรีฑานี่แหละที่ทำให้โชตะคุงอยากจะเอาชนะตัวเอง ด้วยการฝึกซ้อมอย่างหนักเพื่อเข้าร่วมแข่งขันการวิ่งของคนพิการ

มังงะ 5 เล่มจบนี้ยังไม่ทำให้เราฟินเท่าไร เราว่ามันยังสนุกไม่สุดแต่ก็ดีที่ได้อ่าน มิตรภาพระหว่างเพื่อนน่ารักเสมอ น้ำใจนักกีฬาที่หยิบยื่นให้กัน ชมรมคนใส่ขาเทียมที่เข้าอกเข้าใจกันเป็นอย่างดี โดยที่ไม่มีใครรู้สึกน้อยใจในโชคชะตาเลย บางไม่มีขามาตั้งแต่กำเนิด บางคนเป็นโรคร้ายเลยต้องตัดขา บางคนประสบอุบัติเหตุ แต่ทุกคนใช้ชีวิตปกติดี ไม่ได้มีใครมานั่งเห็นใจหรือสงสาร ทุกคน treat พวกเค้าเท่าๆกัน ซึ่งดีมาก

นอกจากนั้นคุณชิโดริได้ทำให้โชตะคุงได้รู้จักกับขาเทียมสำหรับวิ่งโดยเฉพาะ ทำให้โชตะได้สัมผัสถึงความอยากออกวิ่งอีกครั้ง เราว่ามันเป็นมังงะที่ดีอีกเรื่องหนึ่งเลย เราได้รับข้อมูลเกี่ยวกับขาเทียมแบบที่ไม่เคยรู้มาก่อน รู้เลยว่าคุณนักเขียนทำ research มาเป็นอย่างดี ได้เรียนรู้ท่าทางการวิ่งที่ถูกต้อง และแน่นอน มันทำให้เราอยากหยิบรองเท้าวิ่งออกไปวิ่งเลย

แต่มันมีอย่างนึงที่ทำให้เรารู้สึกแปลกๆคือการเอาโรคโควิดนี้เข้าไปเป็นหนึ่งในเหตุการณ์ในมังงะ (เพราะเรื่องนี้เขียนขึ้นตอนที่โควิดเริ่มระบาดพอดี) เรารู้สึกแปลกมากที่เห็นตัวละครใส่หน้ากาก รู้สึกว่าไม่อยากให้มันเป็นหนึ่งในเรื่องราวที่ต้องจารึกไว้เลยกับความยากลำบากที่ต้องเผชิญ

แต่สิ่งหนึ่งที่เราชอบเกี่ยวกับมังงะโชเน็นคือการได้เห็นชีวิตมัธยมของเด็กๆที่สดใส เรามีชมรมให้เข้าหลังเลิกเรียนมันดีมากๆเลย จำไม่ได้แล้วว่าตอนเราอยู่มัธยมนั้นมันมีอะไรแบบนี้ให้ทำไหม รู้สึกว่าพอมีกิจกรรมให้ทำ มีงานอดิเรกให้ได้สนใจ มีเพื่อนๆรุ่นน้องรุ่นพี่นอกคลาสให้ได้สนิทกัน ดีจังเลยยยย

[Courtney Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled upon Volume 1 of this series at the end of 2022 and fell in love with the story and its presentation. I'm thrilled to say Volume 2 was even better than the first!

At the end of Volume one, Kikuzato decides to try being a para-athlete and yearns to learn to run with the help of a specially made prosthetic made by Chidori. Kikuzato chooses to try and join the track and field club to regain his stamina and have a reason to run, but there are hurdles (both literal and figurative) at every turn. These come from the other track and field club members, his former friends and teammates on the soccer team, and his mother, who has become much more overprotective after his injury. Most of this volume gives the reader some background on the emotional resolve of our characters. It explains a bit about Kikuzato's home life and how his accident impacted the family. His mother, in particular, is a massive part of this volume as she is against him running due to her fear that he will once again be injured. She doesn't trust Chidori at first, which is understandable as she's a responsible adult and he is a well-meaning hot mess, but her love for Kikuzato overtakes all her other feelings.

This volume does a fabulous job at building upon the first in all the ways I wanted, and I can't wait to pick up volume three this week!
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[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kikuzato has access to the new running blade attachment for his prosthesis, but he's not very good at using it. In an effort to improve, he agrees to go to track and field club with Usami for some pointers. But will the rest of the club accept him? And when his Mom gets wind of this stranger providing a blade for Kikuzato, will she forbid him from using it?

I like how unique this manga is, focusing not just on high school life, but what high school life would be like for a kid who came to that high school for sports and then suffered a horrible accident. Kikuzato is not just learning to run again, he is figuring out his identity apart from being a soccer star. He pushed some people away after the accident and was a bit lonely, but now he's slowly letting others in again. I look forward to seeing how things develop fro Kikuzato and his friends.

Notes on content:
Language: I don't remember any, but there might have been a couple minor swears.
Sexual content: None
Violence: None
Ethnic diversity: All Japanese characters
LGBTQ+ content: None specified
Other: Kikuzato understandably has some grief over losing his leg and the future he thought was his.

[Monica Lourenco · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first Manga that I am reading and I am loving it! The second book is even better than the first one! I love how the story line is developing, and how the characters are growing as the story advances. The main character, Shouta Kikuzato, is in a process of growing and finding/ reinventing himself after his dreams of belonging to his high school’s prestigious soccer team are derailed after an accident (until the end of book 2 we don't know what kind of accident he had) costs him his leg. He is a Freshman student in High school. His relationship with the prosthetist who "discovered" him is conflicted but funny at the same time. I couldn't wait to get book 3 (released on Dec 2022) from the library so I just got it from Amazon! Now I have to wait to the last final 2 volumes to be released in the US!

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now that Kikuzato has gotten a taste of running with a special prosthesis, he wants to join his school's track and field club.

Kikuzato is a very believable character that I'm rooting for throughout the story. His reaction to learning that he really doesn't know how to competitively run is perfect - it's a sort of 'hunh - ok, teach me.' His team members range from a nice kid who wants to be friends, to a lady long-distance runner who is interested in him because she wants to be a sports therapist, to the guy who is afraid Kukuzato might fall and hurt himself, to the club president who is just fine with it all. I loved the scenes of little kids who, due to the loan of blades, got to just run around and be kids again. I'll definitely be reading more in this series even though I'm not typically a fan of sports manga.

[Jack Reynolds · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was ambivalent about where Midori would take this second volume when I started it, but within a couple sittings, I'm glad to say this series content's starting to grow on me. Kikuzato's confidence has only grown the more involved in Paralympic running he's gotten, and with his mom's mini arc, we got to see a glimpse of how unmotivated the former was following his accident. Chidori wasn't as present in this volume. This did make me happy as I'm not his biggest fan (plus Midori was able to introduce and expand on some of the side characters), but with him, we got to delve into more background involving prothesis and how cast and body parts are made. The hint of a future storyline also makes me interested in Chihiro's past. Who is Doujima to him?

[Ellyn → Allonsythornraxx · Rating 4 out of 5]

04/06/2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Really enjoyed this one, I’ll 100% be continuing the series!

read for graphicsathon round 9!!

Letterboxd | Instagram | Bookstagram | Tumblr | Twitter | StoryGraph | Hoemance Book Club | Graphicsathon

[Casper Paaske · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s not necessarily the most thrilling story or book, but to someone far removed from the world of paralympics, it’s super interesting and fascinating and I learn a lot by reading a manga for fun! That makes it feel worthwhile and authentic.
Also, it’s heartwarming watching our main character progress back into his youthful and happy self after a traumatic experience. And it’s heartwarming and heart touching watching the people around him experience this too!
The potential love interest may come off as too interested in our main character for no reason, but that also makes her very charming and memorable.
An easy read!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one a bit better than volume 1-- maybe I was just a little more used to it, or maybe it did even out a bit. Definitely start with Run on Your New Legs, Vol. 1, and the story isn't wrapped up with this volume.

[Ghostea · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good sports manga can get you drawn into a world you are unfamiliar with. Run on Your New Legs, is an idealistic mix of sports, drama, and light comedy.

It is really easy to cheer on Shouta Kikuzato as he becomes more involved in the world of paralympic sprinting. If you like sports manga, check this one out.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

really enjoying this so far! kikuzato has joined the track team and the cast of new characters adds even more life to the series. his little kouhai is so earnest! I'm excited to know what's up with chidori and doujima...and I hope that kikuzato and his old soccer friend have a confrontation soon. they have so much to hash out!

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume two is much smoother than the first entry in the series. Reducing Chidori's appearances while bringing in Kikuzato's mom and additional members of the track team really boosted the overall quality.

[Mark Will Never Cry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This continues being great fun, even tho it feels like a lot of character's are just helping themselves out to Kikuzato's prosthetic, which is quite a bit uncomfortable, but it is iinteresting seeing how the sotry develops.

[Serena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am really enjoying the message behind this series honestly. The fact that the main character still wants to race in track with everyone is very admirable. I really hope that he continues to do well in later volumes. I am looking forward to seeing his progress.

[Em reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the direction this manga is going in!! I genuinely really wanna see what happens for all the characters involved. I’m not big into sports, so some areas are my thing, but I still find this manga enjoyable no matter how much you’re into sports!

[scrawnysquirtle · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is getting more interesting!! I love the new characters already! can’t wait for the next volume! I’ve needed more sports manga in my life 😭😭

[Anaika · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[n [larrythelatypus] · Rating 5 out of 5]

yesssss yesss we're getting there in terms of track content....vol 1 was a slow burn but I'm here for the process of a budding para athlete !!!!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looks like Kikuzato inherited his eyebrows from his mom. LOL.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the can do attitude!

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

i think i'm in love with kikuzato's mom

[Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Step aside Mrs. Bakugo, there's a new mom in town! 😹