“Kikuzato is sprinting toward his new goal of becoming a more powerful runner, but each stride takes him further from his soccer days—and the friends who once played alongside him. Kikuzato's wasn't the only life affected by his accident, and ever since that day, Takekawa has watched his best friend on and off the field steadily slip away. Can these former teammates repair the rift between them, even as world events throw all their high school hopes and dreams into disarray?” (Yen Press)
The story arc across vol 3 & 4 of Wataru Midori's “Run On Your New Legs”, takes an intriguing turn that cements it as one of the most notable series running right now in the sports genre. Notably, the book takes a slight step back from the athletic focus, even shelving a few prominent characters, to address the pandemic and how it affected youths looking to pursue sports as a career. This is a subject that has often gone neglected when discussing the effects of the pandemic, given high-school/collegiate sports are not really thought about by those outside of it.
However, for students whose early athletic careers are defined by their accomplishments during this period, the result of having that taken away is nothing short of devastating. Furthermore, choosing to shuck any politicization of the pandemic relating it solely on a human level makes these two volumes an engrossing, albeit slightly somber, deviation in the sports series. While the fourth volume starts to see a possible shift in the situation, Wataru Midori handles the subject matter with a sincerity which exemplifies his abilities as a storyteller and as an empathic figure.
While there is a change in tone through these two volumes, the love and appreciation for paralympic sports still shine through, as the students look to adapt despite the lack of competition and practice space. In addition, Wataru Midori introduces a new character in this volume that appears to be poised to be a fan favorite. Juggling all the various elements of social commentary, engaging characters, and understanding of sports makes “Run On Your New Legs” a standout in the genre. However, the appeal may be limited to those who want a more direct sports story as well as those that are disconnected from stories relating to the pandemic (even though it appears that the issue may be resolved going into volume 5).
The art direction stays consistently sharp, though, as mentioned, the focus on drama and lack of competition since the inaugural release has made the series slightly devoid of action. Kikuzato is far removed from competition on the world stage and has yet to establish a ‘rival', and that there are elements that often define a sports series which are absent here could be off- putting for some expecting a traditionally structured sports manga. Regardless, the brief moments where Wataru Midori captures the heat of competition garner hope that there will be more action later in the series, capitalizing on the mangaka's strong visual direction beyond his expressive and charismatic character designs.
“Run On Your New Legs” proves to be a slightly difficult recommendation, given it does not follow a traditional route in the sports genre as well as touching on current issues which won't appeal to readers seeking escapism. Arguably, exploring this period could have been left out of the series entirely and Wataru Midori's choice to include talk of the pandemic was unnecessary. Yet, “Run On Your New Legs” uniqueness and sincerity towards sports and its characters make this one of the best sports-manga series currently running and one that fans should be checking out.
