Nobara is the heiress of a traditional Japanese restaurant. Being the soon-to-be owner, it requires the feminine characteristic or what they call the Yamato Nadeshiko. Nobara, however, does not possess any femininity unlike her younger sister. She tries so hard but it is not her real self. She finds the thing she is good at: playing volleyball. Some people believe in her, and she grew a passion for it. Even if her mother strongly opposes it, she continued to pursue her dreams.

The drawing is alright and it really shows the personalities of the characters. I really like strong and passionate female characters who are breaking barriers and stereotypes.

I've been reading reviews here that they don't like the manga because it was all about volleyball. I think they miss the whole point.
I think that people should read books like this once in a while, and get a break from the usual pretty-pretty girl because in real life, sexism exists. People will expect things you can do or you can't do just because you are a girl. Sexism is not okay. Sexism is never okay. If you want to prove them wrong, surprise them! ( )

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Actual rating: 3.5 stars

Crimson Hero is one of the manga series I started back before I knew not to begin unfinished series. I’d gotten through everything that was already translated, but then had to wait several more years for the ending. I was so excited to come back to this series, because it had been one of my favorites. I’m such a different person now than I was then. I shipped it like burning before, but that’s gone. However, I did still find much of the story touching and love the focus on volleyball.

What Crimson Hero gets completely right is its priorities. There’s definitely romance in the series, but the volleyball always comes first. The real heart of the series is teamwork and trying your hardest to succeed. This series has a lot of heart and Crimson Hero always got to my feels whenever the teams of Benino High were giving their all to the game. Relationships are put on hold for the sake of volleyball. Everything is, basically. It’s truly a sports manga, not a romance one.

Sumiyoshi Nobara, the main character, excels at volleyball, in large part because of her determination. She’s a natural, but that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t work at it. In fact, all of the characters put in a ton of time to get as good as they are at volleyball. You see the sweat and the pain in Crimson Hero. There’s no doubt that the teams don’t deserve it when they win. They’re underdogs you can’t help but root for and you mourn with them when they lose.

Nobara’s mother wants her to take over the family business, but she demands to play volleyball for the rest of high school first. When her mom refuses her, she leaves home and accepts a job as house mother to the boys’ volleyball dorm. Though she never had to do chores or cook, Nobara works hard. She puts together the girls’ volleyball team again, having learned it was shut down due to lack of interest. There is so much fight in this girl and I love her for it.

Unfortunately, the series does descend into melodrama from time to time, most especially at the very end. I don’t want to spoil it, but someone gets hurt and it’s just so typically manga. I think the series was stronger without that. And, while people do get hurt in real life, just how it happened and the way everything played out afterwards was so stereotypical and I really didn’t like that.

The other aspect of Crimson Hero that really upset me was the chapter set three years after the rest of the series. Nobara has fulfilled her promise to her mother and is now working at the family’s restaurant. She’s not even playing in a local team or anything. Volleyball is over. I know she promised, but she was so talented and loved the game so much. It breaks my heart she’s done playing. It just sucks. Plus, I thought her mom was learning to understand how much the game meant to her, but apparently not.

If you’re looking for a good sports manga, Crimson Hero is worth a try. It wasn’t as emotional a read for me as it was when I was younger, but I still really enjoyed it. ( )

Still good! I'm really enjoying the sports manga. ( )

Still good! I'm really enjoying the sports manga. ( )

One of my favorite shojo that I read for my class. Sports manga yay! ( )