Publisher: Shonen Jump
Mangaka: Kento Terasaka
Lettering: Brendon Hull
Read On: Viz Media
Another sports manga published by Shonen Jump is here, and this time it explores golf and work ethic. Green Green Greens treads tons of familiar territory but has just enough of a hook to keep golf and sports fans engaged, for now at least.
The series follows second-year high schooler Haku Yaesaki as he looks up iconic sports stars while calling them “lucky” for having so much money for such easy lifestyles Haku is undoubtedly talented athletically, as evidenced by an early race with a star baseball classmate, but doesn’t apply himself and shows no passion whatsoever. Most manga readers are familiar with this character, as everyone knows someone who is full of potential but just wants to take the easy road through life, even if it isn’t fulfilling (On no, it’s me).
Of course, Haku discovers that a fellow classmate is an incredible golfer and tries it himself. Most can probably guess where this is going, but it appears that our protagonist has potential once more, and the first page of this manga actually gives a glimpse at how close he will be to golf stardom at some point in this series. It’s all predictable, but Mangaka Kento Terasaka gets some credit for delivering it in a few fun ways, even if this chapter is full of tropes.
The art throughout the chapter is nice but doesn’t particularly stand out with any neat stylistic choices or stellar backgrounds. It feels like a pretty safe issue artistically, but that isn’t necessarily a negative. The golf action is interesting, and Terasaka makes some great use of framing and the gutter space between panels to keep every swing feeling kinetic. It’s an easy chapter to follow along with, and the gives it a great sense of pacing.
Green Green Greens won’t astound anyone, but it’s a nice first chapter to a sports manga, much like Shonen Jump’s other new sports series, Two On Ice. It doesn’t feel like this will be the next Prince of Tennis, Blue Lock, or Haikyuu, but for now, it’s serviceable and that’s all we can really ask for.
