It's a shame, really. This series has an unpleasant ending. Like the scanlators manga downloads said, it's one of the best Adachi comics when they scanlated it. Ahh... just wished that the mangaka hadn't wasted some pages including some scenes which were totally out of plot, but since it's published in 1989 or something ,it couldn't be helped. ... Cos it seemed like he needed a few more chapters for a more conclusive ending. Story:8 Right from the beginning, or somewhere the middle of this 119 chapters series, it had potential to score a 10. Sad thing is, some things were dragged out too long, and some "filler"panels wasted chapters. The plot development was incomplete, along with plot consistency. However, this is still one great comic, one of my favs, as the story has great realistic value, and covers some highly desirable values.

Pros:
+> Sportsmanship, hard work, camaraderie, loyalty etc. were well shown in this sports-romance centric comic.
+> Storytelling method was smooth except for a few kinks here and there. Able to move readers.
+> Main characters were able to play a great part in other people's lives

Cons:
-> Characters sort of had some strange personalities towards the end
-> Romance was not developed that well, especially even with the ending
-> Not enough explanation was given for some circumstances, even the ending
-> Story was kinda slow in some parts, especially the start of the series, and too rushed near the end
-> Some parts of the story was a bit strange, even eeriely unrealistic, (like Yamato's strange luck in a competition. It made it like luck was more important than ability. Dun worry , it's only for a couple of chapters.)

Well, the storyline is quite on sports and high school romance, along with some Romeo and Juliet references, so if you like this kind of genres, try reading it.

Art:9
Well, I recognized immediately this manga was published in the 1980s-1990s cos of the art, something similar to Ranma 1/2 or Kimagura(?) Orange Road.

What is spectacular about the art is that early till about middle of the series the drawings of the scenery shocked me. A lot of deatil in them and they look realistic. But somehow after some point they seemed less realistic.

Expressions were drawn nicely too, but some panels seemed to jump to much from the previous panel, so I had no idea what the panel meant.

Its art is great even for today's context, 2010. A lot of effort must have been put in, to reach that detail of art in a manga. Some panels look like they should be in a museum :D.

Character:9
Very nice development of some characters, especially the main characters' personalities. However, the main characters' past were not explored enough, hanging a cliffhanger there, and near the ending, some events made it even more perplexing.

Character personalities' were pretty stable thruout the series, although some characters were introduced, then abandoned.

It's a pity the mangaka couldn't stay more focused on the main characters.

Enjoyment:8
Sometimes draggy and slow, but it is very touching and some points, and inspiring. A must read for sports fans, or athletes who are interested in this kind of manga. Plenty to agree with, cos it's pretty realistic.

Btw, the romance in Rough reminded me a bit of Yume de Aetara.

Overall:8
Depending on preferences, you may like or dislike this comic. The character art is awfully simplistic and some panels literally show nothing but take a lot of space. But the storyline is a good one, though the ending was not so good. Well, come to think of it, it might have been a good ending, oh well.

If you like this series, try the mangaka's other works or Yume de Aetara.

O PS. I though that this series should be an anime better than a manga, since some parts would be better with voice acting and some parts were better if we knew the timing of some actions.