As neither a fanatic of works by Adachi Mitsuru nor a frequent manga reader, I have somehow found the urge to write this review. From its synopsis, one might think of "H2" as a typical tale of youth entailing character tropes the likes of which can be found throughout today's shounen genre of boys falling head over heels even through graphic printouts. Had it not been for my curiosity whence a quest has been fueled to further my appreciation for a certain mangaka's character designs, the story of a classless athlete, bounded by cries of unsung love and whose unfaltering passion for baseball having become thevery premise of the coming 34 volumes, would have never been told.

I wish that I could share my love for baseball and write for you all just how much "H2" voices this oh-so profound resonance. Sadly, baseball never spoke to me in a way that would suddenly cause me to write a lengthy review on the subject. Don't get me wrong, though I did not have an initial interest in the sport, the panels portraying it throughout the many chapters were still satisfying to read and even prompted me to research more on the Koushien and its shares of youthful aspiration and talent.

34 volumes. 338 chapters. 'Base'-less thoughts on a sport that I have never switched a channel to.

Well then, what in the world did I get myself into?

The few chapters sprinkled around here and there between arcs of tournaments and practices that depicted daydreams of friends brought up by childhood memories are ultimately what had kept my reading of "H2" on a spree in spite of its length. To be teased by the flashing memories where a young Hikari would pester Hiro for his height only for the next panel to be the painful expression on a present Hikari wondering what could have been, to read a monologue of a tailing pinch hitter admist the dialogue between his childhood crush and his best friend only to say aloud the words of encouragement for the two in their coming date, and to watch it all happen beneath the shadows of a horizon infinitely colored by a solemn gray on a single page: a rush of emotions coming from the rare panels where only eye contact between these characters can be made.

From the simple character designs, in which a bolded set of eyes can be drawn so to tell the whole entire story from only staring at its pupils, to the mix of sports and drama laid out as a basic formula for a genre where a final victory marks the end only to somehow be rewritten as a longing pulse of fleeting memories washed away by the passing of time, "H2" serves to this day as an outstanding piece even with its age and length.