"Gothic Sports" Volume One by Anike Hage.
© TOKYOPOP
Gothic Sports, Volume One
By: Nadia OxfordReview Date: Tuesday, May 22, 2007
It's difficult to avoid the obvious joke after hearing the title of Anike Hage's debut Original English Language manga, but Gothic Sports is not about a group of Victorian-obsessed teenagers who meet on the soccer field to cut themselves. The manga actually centres around a group of high school attendees who are all misfits in their own way, but are also determined to play the game of life--and soccer--by their own rules. With its likeable cast of characters and unique spin on the standard underdog story, Gothic Sports even appeals to individuals who wish popular sports would shrivel up and die.
The main character, Anya, transfers from her old school to Lucrece High in hopes of joining one of the school's elite sports teams. Unfortunately, she never considered the that the phrase "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game" is usually exclusive to schools with loser teams. Anya quickly discovers she's too short and inept for the all-star basketball team, and the coach of the male-centric soccer team won't let her get off the bench.
The obvious course of action would be for Anya to take her ball and go home, but instead she finds herself sharing team ideas with a small knot of like-minded friends. The school principal reluctantly grants them permission to form a "Soccer for All" club, which garners no outside attention until the team decides on definitive "gothic" uniforms. The unveiling attracts players … but not all of them are desirable. What's more, many of the members have never played soccer in their life, but the team must prove its worth through tournament play before it is allowed to wholly exist.
The chemistry between the characters helps make Gothic Sports a memorable title. Anya doesn't let criticism water down her love for sports; she simply wants to play, and she'll go to whatever strange lengths are necessary for the right to do so. Other interesting characters include Filiz, the happiest Goth on the planet, and Delia, the one super-nice, super-competitive and super-talented girl who always seems to exist in every school. Anya, however, is mistrusting of her motives at first, even though Delia insists she wants to help get the struggling soccer team onto the field.
The main theme of Gothic Sports is, of course, sports. Regardless, the manga feels oriented towards more of a female audience. The story carries a competitive flavour, but there is also a strong message about the importance of carving your own niche in a crazy world. Gothic Sports retails for $9.99.
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