“Shouta Kikuzato's hopes of starting on his school's prestigious soccer team are derailed when a terrible incident costs him his leg. Now in his first year of high school (again), Kikuzato has resigned himself to never reaching his athletic dreams. But when Chidori, a passing prosthetist, notices Kikuzato's artificial limb— and speed—as he races through the train station, the specialist proposes a partnership: Chidori will build Kikuzato a brand-new leg designed solely for speed. All Kikuzato has to do is run!” (Yen Press)
Japanese sports manga can take competitions seldom explored through the mainstream and induce them with a universal appea. This extends to paralympic sports with the highly acclaimed “Real” by Takehiko Inoue being a prime example of how the genre highlights ‘niche' events. Furthermore, these works act as an endearing celebration of the competitive spirit and how many athletes push past their disability in an attempt to reach greatness. Enter “Run on Your New Legs” by Wataru Midori, which tackles the world of paralympic sprinting complemented by exploration on the leading tech in prosthetics.
Working within the sports manga genre, “Run on Your New Legs” lands the mark with a strong lead, an entertaining supporting cast, and the beginnings of an opportunity for Shouta to be reborn and make his mark. In particular, prosthetist Chidori adds comedic charm in his mix of ambition and pursuit of innovation in the prosthetic market to push Shouta into the role of a world contender. Wonderfully eccentric, Chidori and Shouta play off each other in a way that is immediately engaging and promising to the development of their relationship in later volumes. Shouta himself is calm and collected but also somewhat reserved due to his disability, setting him up for a rewarding rebirth as a professional athlete.
However, “Run on Your New Legs” is still just finding its ground, and it does have the unfortunate side effect of being an introductory first volume into a much larger story. Consequently, it is difficult to ascertain if the series will have staying power when the competition begins to heat up and Shotou develops personally. The work certainly makes a strong first impression, but it will take a few volumes to get the larger picture of what Wataru Midori can accomplish.
The art of Wataru Midori is complementary to the sports genre, though the lack of competition in the inaugural release means that the mangaka still has a way to impress. Volume one contains a single race that ends abruptly, yet the few panels highlighting sprinting do a superb job of catching the movement and intensity. Conversely, Midori's work on facial features is expressive and playful, adding a nice levity to the work that will endear the reader to the various characters. Much like the story, the potential is there, but the series needs to grow more to prove its merit.
As solid as the initial volume of “Run on Your New Legs” is, it is difficult to have a strong opinion on the work based on what, basically, amounts to an introductory story. Fans of sports manga will likely want to jump onto the series from the start, but those who don't read many titles in the genre may want to wait for a few volumes to see how the fandom receives the work. In short, the series is promising, but it is too early to sing its praises among the plethora of standouts in the competitive genre.
