Inside Flap: Before drawing up a draft of each week's chapter, I have a meeting with my editor. These meetings have been fiery, lately. We get into huge arguments over the story progression and how to manipulate the characters. I really feel the desire in my editor to create a great manga, and I represent my own tastes faithfully. But when our opinions digress, I'm shocked to realize that all I care about is winning the argument. I'm a year older than him, but it makes me feel like a child.
Back Cover: Futakotamagawa High's baseball team is mostly made up of guys who have only played for three months. But the fragments of talent lying dormant within them are starting to coalesce. And now, Aniya awakens to new possibilities as a pitcher, beyond the fastball!
The Story Thus Far: New teacher Kawato has accepted his mission to reform the currently-suspended baseball team. He scrapes together nine members in time for their practice game against Yoga Daiichi High. The game is a tightly-contested one, but even the sudden appearance of Shinjo in the late innings cannot stave off a close, frustrating loss. Yet now, the new baseball team has the dream of the "Koshien" firmly implanted in their hearts.
It was an in-game fight that got the team suspended from official play for six months, a fight started by another first-year starter (like Aniya) named Enatsu. After the incident, he transferred to the infamous Megurogawa High to play baseball there. One day, Kawato rescues Hiyama from being attacked by members of the Megurogawa baseball team, and gets them to agree to a game, to settle their score. It's an Aniya-level, talent-packed squad at Megurogawa, vs. the scrappy but determined Futakotamagawa. With the tension so thick you could cut it with a knife, Futakotamagawa comes up to bat in the top of the first. But they let a perfect opportunity to score slip through their fingers, and in the bottom of the inning, the opposing team's slugger Kono bashes a home run!
Contents
Vol.96 - Mikoshiba's Anxiety
Vol.97 - Premonition
Vol.98 - Megurogawa Baseball
Vol.99 - Trick Pitch
Vol.100 - The Aesthetic of Man
Vol.101 - The Scenery From 0-2
Vol.102 - As One
Vol.103 - Superstar (For Now)
Vol.104 - Cut the Wind!
Vol.105 - Three-Month Special