Diamond no Kouzai might seem like it's about the best pitcher in the world, but it's really a manga about losing, about the losers, about feeling hopeless and jealous. It digs deep into that side of sports that most manga usually avoid. In Cross Game, when Kou throws a perfect game, we see the people who lost. They're upset, sure, but they get it. Winning and losing is just part of sports. Even if they're jealous or angry, they don't let it eat them up, and the ones who do are usually shown as the bad guys. Diamond no Kouzai flips that around. Everyone’s felt it: seeingsomeone so good it just feels unfair. You wish something would happen to even things out. You get mad when they complain because it feels like they have no right to. You even get annoyed when they try to help, because they’ll never really get it. And at the same time, you know deep down it’s not their fault, it’s on you. That ugly, complicated feeling is what Kouzai nails, every single chapter. It’s rough to read sometimes. I actually felt sick at points. But that’s why it’s so good.

It’s a really different kind of baseball manga. It messes with your emotions so much you’re not even sure if you want to keep reading, but you should.

This is actually my first positive review. I just couldn’t let this manga sit there with only negative ones.