Crimson Hero: Volume 14

by Mitsuba Takanashi, 177 pages

Haibuki's emotional issues make him a prime target for a rival school that wants to woo him for their team.  But Yushin and the guys can't make it without him--and more importantly, they don't want to--so Yushin runs after him to apologize and convince him to return to Crimson.

This being shojo, blackmailer Kaz is as miserable as the people whose lives he's thrown into chaos.  There's some justice in that, I guess, but I still think he needs to answer to somebody besides beneficent Nobara.  But I guess since he's all reformed and repentant it'd be bad form to report his backside to the authorities now, eh?  Well, at least in a romance comic.  *the justice-lover in me still cringes, regardless*

Crimson Hero: Volume 13

by Mitsuba Takanashi, 170 pages

Kaz makes good on his threat and now nobody's happy.

Sheesh, Nobara, way to make things even more melodramatic than they already were.  Yes, volleyball is important.  But so is being honest with the people most important to you.

Crimson Hero: Volume 12

by Mitsuba Takanashi, 204 pages

Nobara's life gets complicated by the unwanted attentions of an unscrupulous boy at school who threatens to upend her whole life if she doesn't play by his rules.  Things go downhill from there.

Haibuki doesn't take it so well, does he?  And just when things were getting comfy again between him and Tomoyo.  Personally, I think Kaz (the blackmailing stalker) deserves a bit more official punishment than just getting yanked around by his shirt collar, but this is shojo, after all, and they like to gloss over the practical in favor of the emotional.

Crimson Hero: Volume 11

by Mitsuba Takanashi, 190 pages

Aiyu Gakuin's girls play for keeps, but would they go so far as to injure another player on purpose? When Tomo is hurt, the Crimson girls have to show their opponents what real teamwork is by stepping in for their vulnerable setter.

Ah, Nobara's heart is in the game, but when the whistle blows she's still stressing over keeping her and Yushin's secret, especially from Haibuki and Tomo and everyone else she's grown so close to.

Crimson Hero: Volume 10

by Mitsuba Takanashi, 178 pages

Off the court, Nobara's having a hard time keeping the secret of her and Yushin's new couple status, especially since the once-brooding Haibuki has turned a new leaf and has never been kinder to her. On the court, the Crimson High girls throw themselves into the Newcomer's Tournament against a historically powerful team that has them beat in numbers; but Aiyu Gakuin's girls can't hold a shine to Crimson's unity, trust, and teamwork.

Ooh, see? He may have meant well, but this has got to be the worst idea Yushin has ever had. Duplicity is not compatible with either his or Nobara's naturally open personalities and the two of them are only going to hurt themselves and the people they care about by hiding the truth. That, and Nobara' just going to get more confused by the suddenly solicitous Haibuki's new vulnerability.

Crimson Hero: Volume 9

by Mitsuba Takanashi, 188 pages

Ryo's beach team, the Eagles, go up against his former schoolmates from Sokai in a battle for pride. With Yushin unexpectedly showing up and cheering her on, Nobara's encouraged to go all out on behalf of her temporary teammates as well as for herself.

Hmm, the mutual-understanding scene is a little anti-climactic given all the build-up, but I'm still happy for the kiddos. But I think their little "let's wait to be official till we succeed at our volleyball dreams" in order to avoid causing more friction on the boys' team until after the championship is not the best plan they've ever hatched. Foolish, idealistic children.

Crimson Hero: Volume 8

by Mitsuba Takanashi, 198 pages

Nobara goes off on an assignment from her coach to get some training from some star player at another school. But when she gets there, she finds out he's gone rogue and is playing beach volleyball with a hodge-podge band of other mostly-older guys from the community. Can she really learn anything from these oddballs? Meanwhile, Yushin's discovering he's not so much a fan of a Nobara-less house.

A little cheezy, beach Ryo's gang of misfits, but well-meaning. It's nice to see Nobara picking up some new skills and expanding her arsenal. But her out-of-the-blue freak-out in the storm goes a little overboard with the melodrama and doesn't fit as well in the story as her previous episodes, so I'll just try to forget about it and move on with the rest of the characters.

Crimson Hero: Volume 7

by Mitsuba Takanashi, 189 pages

In-fighting is unraveling both the girls' and the boys' teams.

Those second-year boys behave rather awfully, but kids can be cruel in the real world, too. Their former teammates are more forgiving than I would be, but with Yushin leading by example it's not surprising.

Crimson Hero: Volume 6

by Mitsuba Takanashi, 178 pages

Yushin and Haibuki's friction is starting to affect their game while Nobara tries to put it all aside and focus on her own. The arrival of a new, crazy-strict coach could be just what the girls need...if she doesn't discourage them off the team first.

We get a glimpse into the home life and insecurities of some of the other girls. Tomoyo, Haibuki's ex, has settled in and mellowed considerably since we first met her, but now it's the others' turn to spaz out and lose confidence. They all need to bond as a unit before they can expect to take on another team seriously.

Crimson Hero: Volume 5

by Mitsuba Takanashi, 179 pages

Love vies with volleyball for precedence in Nobara's heart as she suddenly finds herself in the role of emotional support when her crush's love life takes an unexpected turn. Should she be happy for herself or sad for Yushin? And what's she supposed to do when bitter Haibuki suddenly decides he's had enough of Yushin's unconscious hold over Nobara? Why does life have to be so complicated?

Ooh, Haibuki's being a jerk, but so is Yushin, in his own way. They each have their reasons, but still. Clueless teenagers, all. Except that they look a lot older than sixteen, even if they are unusually tall, star volleyball-players-in-the-making. At least Yushin cut his hair so he doesn't look quite so cartoony now. The art's still a hurdle here, but I can deal.

Crimson Hero: Volume 4

by Mitsuba Takanashi, 177 pages

The Inter-high preliminaries have begun and Crimson High's girls are both stoked and insecure when they discover they'll be playing one of the region's top teams in their very first match. Meanwhile, the more established boys' team is off to a good start in their tournament.

A surprisingly realistic outcome for a newly formed team's first match. And you can't help but feel sorry for Nobara as she struggles with both her on- and off-court emotions.

Crimson Hero: Volume 3

by Mitsuba Takanashi, 181 pages

Nobara's volleyball club is official! But how is she going to afford equipment and room and board on her tiny "dorm mother" stipend without doing the unthinkable and asking her mother for help? On top of that, they've finally scheduled their first practice game, but Nobara's loyalties are tested when her little sister, who's been filling in for her back at the inn, calls her for help with a scary patron just as she's leaving for the game. Plus, Nobara's dealing with some previously unfamiliar emotions. What's a loving sister / passionate team player / growing teenager to do?

Oh, poor girl. Luckily, her housemates are warming up to her and supporting her as far as they can. Too bad for her that she's fallen for kind, bluntly-honest Yushin, who turns out to have a girlfriend already. He and his potential competition, the reserved Haibuki--who's only admitted to having once had a crush on her in elementary school--are silent about their current thoughts on the matter, though the reader sees them watching her, which is nice and helps build some realistic dramatic suspense there. On the other hand, I really dislike Nobara's mom, whose character is mostly there to be a source of conflict and isn't very developed at this point.

Crimson Hero: Volume 2

by Mitsuba Takanashi, 178 pages

Desperate to play the game she loves, Nobara goads the boys' team captain into a deal. If she and whatever scraggly handful of girls she manages to gather can score a single point off the boys in a match, they'll have access to the court for practices. But if they can't, she'll give up the idea all together.

She's a stubborn girl, that Nobara. And persuasive. "I'm the one who decides what I'm worth!" A mantra we should all take to heart, no? Such things make me put up with the cheeze and the art's slightly-off, stiff, and inconsistent anatomy.

Crimson Hero: Volume 1

by Mitsuba Takanashi, 186 pages

Fifteen-year-old tomboy Nobara's family wants her put all her efforts into school and learning everything she'll need to take over their traditional Japanese inn, but all she wants is to play volleyball. She defies their wishes and enrolls in a high school with a volleyball program only to find that her mother has convinced the administration to disband the girls' team. Not one to take such interference lying down, Nobara leaves home, moves into the boys' team's dorm as their interim "dorm mother," and goes about trying to recruit enough members to reinstate a girls' team. But with resistance coming from more than just her family, will she be able to make her dreams reality?

The set-up's a little cheezy and the figure art's pretty awkward, but I like the story of a non-girly girl with goals and who has no intention of giving up in the face of adversity. There appear to be hints of a love triangle in the making, as well, which could be either fun or annoying, depending on how things play out.