KY's Reads

Abu-san  Review (Rating: 5/5) Overview Abu-san is a Japanese baseball manga written and illustrated by Shinji Mizushima. It began serialization in 1973 and continued until 2014, making it a work that spans more than forty years. Set in the world of professional baseball, the series is notable for depicting real teams, real players, and actual seasons as they happened, blending fiction with historical reality in a way that is almost unprecedented. An English overview can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu-san Synopsis The story centers on Yasatake Kageura, a professional baseball player for the Nankai Hawks (later the Daiei Hawks and SoftBank Hawks), better known by his nickname, “Abu-san.” He is neither a superstar slugger nor a legendary ace pitcher. Instead, he spends most of his career as a pinch hitter, entrusted with only a few crucial at-bats each game. Rather than building toward a single dramatic climax, Abu-san quietly follows Kageura’s daily li...

Gurazeni Review (Rating: 5/5) Overview Gurazeni is a Japanese baseball manga written by Yūji Moritaka and illustrated by Keiji Adachi. Serialized in Weekly Morning from 2010, the series gained popularity for its unique focus on the financial and everyday realities of professional baseball players. Reference: Gurazeni - Wikipedia Synopsis The story takes place in the fictional professional baseball team, the Spiders. The central figure is Natsunosuke Bonda, a relief pitcher who entered the league as a lower-round draft pick. Unlike star players, Bonda lives with constant awareness of his contract value, performance, and career stability. The manga realistically portrays the ups and downs of his life, showing how wins, losses, and negotiations directly affect his livelihood. Through his struggles, interactions with teammates, and observations of the baseball world, Gurazeni sheds light on the hidden side of professional sports. Main Characters Natsunosuke Bonda The prot...