Wow, I can't believe it. This manga is bland as shit. The writing, characters, dialogue, and every aspect seem to be stolen from popular sports manga, but the creator doesn't understand what made those series good. I guess they just skimmed through those manga and tried to recreate it in a series called "Harukaze Mound"
Even though I hate baseball because it's a boring sport, other aspect are also lacking or excessive. So it's not just about the topic. because there are many good manga with niche topics like Akane Banashi or Hikaru no Go (I haven't read it, but it's probably good enough to succeed). so, what does this manga have? If I don't care about baseball, the answer is nothing. It's terrible and frustrating to see how people with low manga reading skills think this is good.
Let's go through the real reasons why I don't like this manga and even think it's bad, one by one.
1. Characters
The characters in this manga are boring, lack personality, and are unforgettable. I don't know who should I root for because they have nothing to think about. And worst of all, their designs are blander than the noodles I ate at a roadside stall without seasoning. It's terrible that a manga with many characters has character designs that are not diverse and lack distinctive features to tell who is who. And of course, the series fails to develop the many characters introduced. I'll give an example of a character who should be the most prominent, Ibuki, who is clearly a discount Hiruma from Eyeshield 21, but lacks any charm and charisma that Hiruma had. This is because the author doesn't understand what makes the character Hiruma good, other than trying to copy the success of popular series.
If you're going to read this manga for the characters but not for baseball, you've come to the wrong series.
2. The Story
Incredibly empty and lacking substance. Throughout the past 16 chapters, I barely knew what they were doing besides playing baseball, because there was absolutely nothing like that. This manga is no different from watching sports news that's less fun.
3. Art
Good and likely the only thing carrying this crappy series on its shoulders. However, the design is mostly boring for such good art.
4.Overall
Boring, uninspired, unambitious, and empty, 4/10
Only those who have never read an actually good sports manga would think it's good.
