Yowamushi Pedal, Vol. 11

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 8 FEB 2016

Watanabe (Train Man) personifies the Japanese flair for taking the most mundane of pursuits fishing, cooking, etc. and transforming them into epically melodramatic manga. Here he gives bicycle racing the graphic aggrandizement treatment, and it works to spectacular effect despite being framed in yet another narrative featuring the tropey tribulations of an awkward high schooler. Nebbishy otaku Sakamichi Onoda's daily 90-kilometer rides over steep slopes on a "mommy bike" have unexpectedly rendered him a formidable cyclist, which catches the attention of some highly-skilled cycling enthusiasts. It's the same "loser gains glory in a specific field of endeavor" yarn that readers have seen a million times, but Watanabe's jaw-dropping depictions of high-speed, stamina-testing bike racing set this effort head and shoulders above others. The dynamic imagery and copious speed lines place the reader right in the middle of the action, feeling the strain of muscles and the burn of lactic acid. Unremarkable in every other way, this series is saved by the world-class frisson provided by its racing sequences.