Buttobi Itto

Buttobi Itto

The story traces the high school soccer life of the main lead, Itto. Itto has been recruited by the coach of Meihou High School Football Club. As such, although his results were disastrous, he was able to enter Meihou High School, a high school whose football club was relatively well-known in the region for its strong defensive skills. Itto plays the position of striker. He is joined by two other newbies recruited to the school team like Itto. Together, the three of them form a formidable trio which completes the strong defense of the Meihou High School Football Team. Alas, the trio is also an uncontrollable lot, with no regards for rules or respect for seniors!

Read how Itto leads Meihou High School Football Team to conquer Japan's High School league and become Japan's best. Along the way, the wacky trio will find themselves in hilarious situations which are sure to make you laugh til you drop!

My impression of the manga:
I really enjoyed this manga! The drawing was realistic and there were several scenes which made me laugh out loud. I have read other soccer-related manga such as Captain Tsubasa, but I enjoyed Buttobi Itto much more. Through this manga, I began to have a better appreciation for football as a sport. In the past, I never could understand the enjoyment from watching 22 (actually 20 less the 2 goalies) chasing after one ball in a big field, nor could I understand any strategies that could be possible. However, this manga, with realistic drawings illustrated some of the common strategies used in football matches.

Some parts of the manga reminds me of Slam Dunk however, for instance, both stories talk about the desire of the teams (basketball team in Slam Dunk) to become Japan's best. Both teams were able to do so because of the injection of extremely talented newbies who would complete the team's shortcomings. Both had team captain with very strong personality and who desires to enter the national championships while they are in their final year. Some of the game results in Buttobi Itto also reminds me of that in Slam Dunk. As in Slam Dunk, Buttobi Itto also had a scene where Meihou High School battled against a team which was made up of 11 individuals from their earlier opponents. Unfortunately, that scene was not developed further and terminated prematurely.

The ending however was a disappointment. It terminated in the middle of a league championship and left readers with a feeling of incompleteness, even as the mangaka introduced the various personalities to look out for in the last chapter.