“Injured baseball hopeful Taniguchi joins soccer club, trains hard, and secretly umpires baseball games.”
Play Ball
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Based on your preference for character-driven stories with layered emotional arcs, this title's exploration of identity and belonging would deeply resonate. The pacing mirrors series you've rated highly, and its thematic depth aligns with your appreciation for nuanced storytelling...
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Synopsis
Injured baseball hopeful Taniguchi joins soccer club, trains hard, and secretly umpires baseball games.
After fracturing a finger in a junior high school game, Takao Taniguchi is unable to play baseball. After entering Sumitani High School, he is constantly watching the baseball club even though he is unable to play. He catches the eye of the captain of the soccer club, and while he still has lingering hopes of joining the baseball club, he decides to join the soccer club. While he's a complete beginner, Taniguchi developed a strong spirit of hard work while in junior high school and his new teammates begin to see his potential. While he focuses all of his energy on soccer, he is unable to forget his youthful zeal for baseball and he begins umpiring baseball games in secret. (Source: Wikipedia)
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A Manga Publication
- Format 139 × 22 ch × vol
- Total read 18h 32m approx
- Published Jun 1973 – Jul 1978
- Source Manga media type
- Ref. BS-M28074 catalog