BABY STEPS

DESCRIPTION

CAST

CHAPTERS

ANIME RomanceBaby Steps
ONE SHOT ComedyM.H.B!
ONE SHOT ComedyMagazine Ohanami!!

REVIEWS

• 

  baba13

  75/100
  From Baby Steps to Giant Strides

  Baby Steps is such a great and frustrating manga, as there’s so much potential, yet Jump editorial failed this series. If I were to compare it to other sports manga, it’s like what Slam Dunk did for Basketball, Haikyuu for Volleyball, Major for Baseball and Hajime no Ippo for Boxing. What Baby Steps nails down is similar to its contemporaries, which gives you a new sense of respect for the sport it is portraying. You feel like you have an understanding of what these athletes go through by following Maruo's journey so intimately. I think what it portrays well is akin to Major, that overall sense of grit. It’s like being on the ground level and witnessing how chaotic a match of tennis can truly be (that sense of unpredictability). I think one reason I love sports manga is that it can portray the perfect underdog story like it does with Major and Ippo.

  One aspect I love about Baby Step is its sense of realism. It feels more like Ippo and Major than something like Kuroko no Basket or Prince of Tennis. Even during the matches, there are visible signs of fatigue, muscle ache, adrenaline, and a more accurate depiction of the Zone than I’ve seen in a lot of sports manga, in which Kuroko no Basket makes it seem like a sort of superpower. I loved learning new techniques of tennis and old techniques, appreciating that sense of culture, and realising why sports can unify people and be so multi-cultural. It really helps that what Baby Steps depicts is not just solely Japan but the global scale, like what Major did for Baseball. From ITF Future Series, ATP Challenger Tour, ATP Tour 250, ATP Tour 500, ATP Tour Masters to the Grand Slam. I think it at least gives you a sense of what players go through when they have to go to a higher level. Not being the usual best in Japan which is more typical for sports manga.

  Eiichirou Maruo is a refreshing protagonist. He’s definitely a highly gifted person going through so much in such a short time span, his resolve and his remarkable memory and eyes. However, he doesn’t overcome easily, quite the opposite, he loses a considerable number of times. How he becomes so good at tennis in such a short time span seems ridiculous and probably unrealistic to a certain degree, yet the author makes it feel believable. He’s the type of dude you want to root for, you understand his frustrations, which makes those heavy emotional moments hit hard.

  There's something special about an incredible match. Where both parties learn and grow in the process. In a nutshell, it's character growth through action and even the opposite, a regression. There’s so much that can be said, but it’s best just to experience it. Another element a sports manga needs to execute is interesting side characters and opponents. Hikaru Katsuki does this in spades. There are a lot of interesting and compelling characters that Maruo meets and befriends. However, this is not an ensemble like Ippo; it’s closer to Major, which is Gorou’s journey. From both Japanese and foreigners, she does a very good job of fleshing them out while keeping the central focus on Maruo.

  The romance between Natsu and Maruo was surprisingly handled very well. It’s not the stereotypical childhood friend; it’s not rushed into a romance so quickly; nor is it dragged for hundreds of chapters; it’s just well-paced. You get to care about both of these characters considerably. Natsu is a very good character who has her own goals and aspirations, and the two on-screen are wonderful to see. It might be because a female author wrote this series, but whatever the case, both sexes are well represented.

  I should state that this manga isn’t flawless; sometimes she leans into shounen aspects, and even as a novice, I could tell that certain techniques seem higher level than they actually are. And if you're unwilling to accept the idea of a sports manga dedicated to tennis and coming of age, then it’s probably not for you. I adore it, but I'm pretty open when it comes to sports manga. I think you should at least give it a shot, even if it's not a sport that you enjoy. Maybe you will appreciate it more as you read the series or watch the anime.

  The art style is very nice, and the author clearly evolves as she continues the series. There are beginner hiccups, like the character design for Maruo, but she progressively gets better. The dialogue is kept to a minimum, the panelling is very well done, and the pacing for the matches is slow but very deliberate and well-timed. The art when it comes to actual matches is fantastic; I very much love those spreads, and she always does a good job at making them feel impactful. Especially when she conveys a sense of momentum, but even during the emotional elements, it’s very well handled.

  In conclusion, Baby Steps has been a series I’ve been following for at least a decade. I can’t recall if I read it after the anime or just before it, but immediately it captured my eyes. I’ve been following the fan translation scene for a long time, but at a certain point, it became complete radio silence. Only recently did I discover it had been officially translated, so I reread 300 or so chapters and then progressed through the new content. In this reread, I recall those old memories; it’s truly a journey. It’s sad to hear about the cancellation of this incredible manga. Jump editorial couldn’t appreciate it, and I knew this before undergoing this reread and finishing the series. It’s still sad to see potential just wasted in that fashion. It could have been an extra 200–400 chapters pretty easily; however, the 464 chapters that we have are definitely worth it. I have a feeling the author knew well beforehand, so she was able to scrap something up. The ending that we got didn’t feel like an ending, more like a beginning of a new arc. I’m glad it didn’t get cancelled earlier because here it feels like a decent compromise considering the circumstances. As a whole, I would highly recommend this manga.

  8.5-9/10 (if the series didn’t get cancelled)

  7-7.5/10 (however will be the final result taking the ending into account)

  Continue on AniList
• 

  Paturtle

  90/100
  Baby Steps delivers rare authenticity in sports manga—a fallible protagonist, tactical matches, and meaningful choices.

  _Quite a few spoilers within this review. Do take care if you're worried about that._

  One of the highlights of reading this year for me -- 100%. I always found myself reading more and more, for so many hours.

  Maruo Eiichiro routinely loses matches. A lot. He is not an infallible protagonist. Seeing him try so desperately to hang onto a match, not knowing if he'll actually win or lose until the moment it's decided, is something that is surprisingly rare in sports manga.

  And it's this level of genuine human behavior that drives the story forward. When both players on the court have strengths and weaknesses, and can evolve based on each other, you get truly satisfying matches.

  Some of my favorite moments are just pages and pages of back-and-forth dialogue during a match, dissecting each person's playstyle and poking holes into the fiber of their very being.

  Then, when they evolve right back to overcome that threat, where do we go from there? What does our protagonist do when he's faced with an insurmountable wall? Time and time again, he has to square up against an opponent that simply outclasses him. How, as an author, can you keep that interesting?

  And for that matter, how many elements of a sport can you include without it becoming pure nuance or getting bogged down in uninteresting detail?

  As it turns out, you can include a fucking LOT. And that's the key.

  Hikaru Katsuki does a fantastic job at pacing throughout the major story beats and gameplay elements. Basically every game, set, and match matters in some way. There is zero filler, and every story beat that veers off to the side for even a moment is carefully brought back into the main plotline in some way.

  It all culminates into my two favorite arcs -- the All-Japan Junior and the All-Japan Championship.

  

  Here, we get to see everyone come together -- personal motivations, playstyles, circumstances, and all. Araya, Ide, Okada, Nabae, Kanda, Ike, Takuma, Natsu, and even Aki.

  These tournaments, where all these young talents and professionals get to come together and bring everything they have to the table is genuinely some of the best payoff I've seen in sports manga.

  Every character starts somewhere and is grounded in the universe, has enticing backgrounds and compelling gameplay strategies, and grows from facing each other over and over again. And our protagonist, Eiichiro, is just the catalyst for it all. Using him and his growth as a player as a lens, we get to see it all unfold spectacularly.

  ...However, tying things together like this takes a long time.

  After these tournaments, and all the payoff from them, we essentially get to see Eiichiro at his worst. He's failing to succeed as he tries to make his entrance into the pro tennis scene. He encounters trial after trial, and nothing goes his way.

  This arc itself is great foundation for the next 400 chapters to come, but the story ends much sooner than that -- by this point, we've got only around 100 or so chapters left until the story gets axed due to complications with the publisher.

  Truly, I wish this series could go on forever.

  I could talk about a specific plotline that I didn't think paid off well: (his opponent for his first Futures match in Australia). Or how in the latter half of the story, I wasn't always happy with how new elements of his gameplay were integrated: (the funny ass Okada + Samba moment that led into a really short and unsatisfying "here's a music player" and Eiichiro just started using rhythm with his change-of-pace in games immediately after without much effort or payoff).

  But, honestly, Baby Steps has given me a ton of interesting things to think about. Why would I waste time complaining about such minor details, when I've been generously given so much more?

  It's given me a world of characters and all their hopes and dreams. I got to see them all grow up and train hard, facing the harsh realities of the professional sports world. And along the way, I've seen firsthand how they overcome so, SO many forms of adversity.

  I have so much appreciation for Hikaru Katsuki and the world she's crafted. I just wish it got a proper ending, some 300 chapters later than it did.

  I'd be lying if I said this was manga was perfect, but it handles every fundamental so well over 10 years without missing a beat. The world of Baby Steps is carefully drawn and written in such a way that you almost forget it's fiction.

  And for that, and all the lessons I've been grateful to take away from it, I can only hope you give it a chance.

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