Name: "There is no shortcut to glory"
Item: Ace of the Diamond
Rating: 85
Author: cirruuss

"There is no shortcut to glory" · Waifora

Review Information:

┎┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┒Well here i am at the end of Diamond no Ace Act I, the story might not be over yet but i think its time to collect my thoughts on the first half into this Review, mainly i want to write about how well this manga manages the balance between Sports and Character Development and also how it takes the theme of rivalry too another level. Well with everything said here we go.Note: (English is not my first Language so please dont be angry about spelling mistakes here and there i will still try my best to make it readable.)┖┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┚

Story Summary:

┎┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┒The story follows Eijun Sawamura a Middle schooler who plays in the Baseball Club of his Middleschool, at the last game of the schoolyear he throws a Pitch so bad that his team loses their final game in Middle School. Now his Future is unclear, he wants to go too the same Highschool as his friends to continue playing baseball with them when suddendly he gets an offer to study at Seidou
(a prestigious highschool for baseball in tokyo), he first declines the offer but his friends push him to play there, soon after that he gets told that they did it for his sake and all quit baseball in the aftermath. Entering Seidou he notices that their Pitcher situation is very unclear and that they havent made Koushien (Japanese Highschool Baseball Nationals) in 7 Years, Now Sawamura gets challenged to become the Ace Pitcher for this new school and bring them back too the national level, but can he really do it in his first year?┖┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┚

Why is it Good?:

┎┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┒Well there is not just one answer for that question, there are multiple. For me the best part is the Character Development though. You can feel how the characters mature over time with every win or loss they experience, also the abilities they learn and how they use them for the first time. Diamond no Ace just does it so well, and combining that with the Sport also just works very well for the manga. Characters i hated at the start which quickly became favorites was a common occurrence which is a really good thing in my opinion.

Also like i have mentioned at the start the rivalry part, well the team of Seidou is very well known so it has alot of people playing there. Its a fierce fight for who has the right too play in games and who dosent, and so there is almost this rivalry going on with everyone on the team, mainly with fellow Pitcher Furuya. Sawamura and Furuya couldnt be more different in their Style of Play yet they fight for the Position of Ace all the time and they do it in such a cool way that i just love the two of them, in the end only one of them can stand on the mound and be the Ace. So as you can see there is not only one thing too like here. ┖┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┚

General thoughts:

┎┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┒For me Diamond no Ace is one of the best Sports Animanga out there, yes its about Baseball which isnt that popular and its also really long, but it has so many really good aspects that so its totally worth it. The Game of Baseball feels the most realistic in this manga, they arent hitting a Homerun every game or do a Grand Slam, its Highschool Baseball. So this should be just right if you want to see Crazy good Characters and dont mind or even like the game of Baseball,
its the most well known Baseball series for a reason. ┖┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┚

Artstyle:

┎┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┒The Artstyle also just feels great, it can show emotions very well and transfers what the characters are doing or thinking, they also show the flow of the game and all the motion almost perfectly. I included some Panels below (Spoilers!):

Spoiler, click to view

┖┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┚

The End?:

┎┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┒Now this is the end of this Review but it isnt the End of Diamond no Ace, there still is a Act II (probably will also make a review about that in the future) and maybe i also could convince some of you to start it, even if you maybe dont like Baseball. Well now then i see you around and thanks for reading, bye... ┖┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┚