Saki Kaori's Smash! is one of my favorite manga series because it meshes the sport of badminton, one that is near and dear to my heart, with a realistic and charming romance story. While I enjoyed Prince of Tennis's unbelievable exaggeration of tennis mechanics and the godly bishie's that populated the series, Smash! strays much closer to the realm of shoujo than Prince of Tennis ever dares to, and it does so in an extremely down-to-earth fashion. The story, in terms of the main character Shouta, is one of love; both for the sport of badminton as well as for his 'badminton goddess' Yuuhi, ayoung badminton prodigy who, despite her age, is about to rile up a storm on the international badminton stage. Shouta's and Yuuhi's great respect and admiration for each other leads to a budding and beautiful romance. Yuuhi's muteness forces her to convey her feelings for Shouta in ways other than speech, and as a result she is one of the most innocent and sincere heroines I have ever seen in a manga.

Other important characters include Anan, Shouta's proud and skilled doubles partner who always seems to possess a scowl on his face. Then there is Miwa, Shouta's childhood friend who initially pushed him to get better at badminton before Yuuhi came along. In terms of development, Miwa and Anan are the characters who change the most throughout the series. Shouta's single-mindedness to catch up to Yuuhi doesn't leave much room for development on his part, and in more recent chapters, he is left to deal with the growing harem of girls that vie for his attention.

On that note, Shouta is not a player-type personality. He is wholly devoted to Yuuhi and is an all-around nice guy, whose intense focus, willingness to work hard, and position as the ace of Toujo Daini's badminton team drives many girls absolutely head over heels for him. Thus, his interactions with various girls in the series serves for the occasional comedic reaction as well as romantic angst, which is quite prevalent in this series.

Indeed, Shouta's romance arc begins to take a backseat to Anan's and Miwa's, a pairing that was and still is in the works after many many chapters into the story thus far. Both their personalities bounce off each other quite well thanks to Anan's stubbornness and pride, and yet at the end of the day, one certainly wishes that Miwa will one day finally pierce through that rock-hard facade of Anan's to reveal his caring inner personality.

Smash! does not place a heavy emphasis on the mechanics of badminton. One definitely is not able to learn about the workings, strategies, and rules of the sport through reading this manga and nothing is really explained outright. Emphasis is placed more on the mindset and willpower of the players. We see them go through inner struggles as they practice and compete; they emerge as stronger players. Badminton is used as a device to drive the characters to better themselves as well as their team. There is a strong sense of camaraderie amongst the characters, which is a great thing to watch. No matter what the characters go through, at the very least, they are all tied together by their love of the sport.

The art of the beginning chapters left something to be desired. In the aesthetics department, there really isn't a sport quite like badminton. Illustrating the form and movements of the players accurately took some adjusting on the part of the mangaka, but the art has improved greatly over the course of the series, and now, the subtleties of the players' shots and footwork are conveyed quite accurately. I highly doubt anyone would read this series for its art, however.

Smash!'s potent combination of sports and romance ought to garner a large following. Initially I began reading this series because of my interest in badminton. Now I read it as much for the sports aspect of the manga as the romance aspect of it. Smash!'s portrayal of the landscape that is competitive badminton is as earnest as can be in a sports manga without exaggerating too much. This series really is a great one that will captivate both lovers of sports manga as well as romance fanatics.