Many thanks to Netgalley and Kondasha Comics for this!

I often find myself interested in a sports manga when it has 2 things: 1) a female protagonist and 2) a good balance of drama, self-ambition, and sports info.

There are very few sports manga I fully enjoy that fulfil all three. But, Sayonara Football does a good job despite some less pleasant points.

Good things:
- Lots of sports detail
- Ambitious female lead
- Unwilling to compromise female lead (as in, she'll do what she needs to do to achieve her dream if she has to)
- A team who believed in her (for the most part....)
- A favourite moment about the kind of football/soccer that she wants to play
- She's technically skilled even when she's not physically compatible (as she's a girl and her teammates are boys)

Not so great things - the things that I wish weren't included since they undermine the main female:
- The main female lead is really talented but because she's a girl, her wishes are almost always ignored. It makes sense in some ways because it's a boys team, but it's also a pity that in some places it makes it seem like she's really no match at all.
- Sometimes the commentary can be read as a little sexist. But at the same time, the setting of the story tends to dispel this - because it IS a boy's team, and there isn't a girl's team that she could have joined (if this was a longer manga, I'd probably ask why she just didn't go to a different school)
- Sometimes the action scenes are a little too complicated, but I loveeeee football (this, soccer kind) and so I was definitely enjoying myself reading this.

Overall, I will note that the other mana that fulfils the above criteria, was Nononono by Lynn Okamoto. The thing is, the three criteria also means that not everyone will like these manga, since sometimes the story seems almost unbelieveable. Furthermore, neither Sayonara, Football nor the other one, are shoujo manga, so you'll see traits of the shounen/seinen genre and art styles.

This was an interesting reading experience, because the author clearly knows a lot about soccer (usually my problem with soccer stories) but I just... didn't like the art? It's not badly drawn or lazy, but it's not a style I enjoy. If you like sports manga that are more about a single exceptional character striving than the team, or you're into the "girl wants to play on the boys' team" plot (I did appreciate that her teammates and coach appreciate both her skill and ability to motivate others), have at it, but I don't think I would recommend it to a more general audience.

This first issue of Sayonara, Football is good. I had fun reading it, which is already enough to give it four stars. There's humor, sport, comedy, a bit of potential drama, a credible set of characters and good rhythm. It's easy to root for the main character and the tone is light without being superficial or worse.

I don't give 5 stars because I'd need the story to be a bit more complex and original. for that, but the premises are great and I'll make sure to keep. reading this manga in the future. Actually, I'm already waiting for the second issue to be released.

Well done, recommended!

Sayonara, Football Vol 1 has beautiful artwork and some great panel shots of the actual soccer games. However the manga is slow burn that takes too long to get the development of characters going.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book in return for an honest review.

This manga is about a girl who adores football and is really good at it. She wants to join the football team but is met with a lot of resistance like misogyny. We see her fight back as she wants to get back on the pitch and go against the person she trained back when they were little. Things have changed between them and tensions are high. This manga leaves on a glorious cliffhanger making you want to read the second volume straight away.

Rating: 3⭐
Would I Read It Again? Yes
Would I Recommend it? Yes

'Sayonara, Football 1' by Naoshi Arakawa is a sports manga about soccer.

Nozomi Onda just wants to play soccer, but she is a girl and her school only has a boys team. That doesn't stop Onda from practicing with the team and practicing harder than anyone. When a rival team is coming to play the team, Onda finds the team has a boy from her past. Will Onda ever get to play?

I like sports manga, but this one might be a tough sell to Western audiences. The argument is made repeatedly that Onda is a female, and slighter in build and muscle than the boys. Still, I found it a fun read and the art of the games was pretty exciting.

I received a review copy of this manga from Kodansha Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this manga.

I really love sports manga and I was excited to try this, since this is shounen but with a girl as the main character. A sports series for boys promises a lot of playing and this was the case too, which is great. Onda Nozomi is 14 years old and loves soccer and is actually really good at it too. High school is sadly so brutal and she cannot play in the boys' team, since no girls are allowed because of physical differences. She wants a payback and wants to play and thus makes a plan to get to do that. The idea is quite simple and even cliched at parts, but it still works. This is a two-part manga, which kind of bugs me, since this could be longer! I really love that Nozomi is actually a better player than the guys and has more ambition. Only in Japan could "physical differences" be a problem though, old stereotypes die slowly.

The art is OK, although nothing special or memorable. Scale doesn't fully work and the characters are wonky at times and do impossible postures. The depiction of movement is good though and you can feel the games and ball moving, the characters running and all. This is important in sports especially if it's the core of the story. Also, no romance on Nozomi's part and I hope it stays that way!

Nozomi wants to play soccer, but her junior high doesn’t have a girls’ team and she didn’t find enough people willing to sign up, so she joined the boys’ team. Despite her excellent skills, their age group means that boys now have the advantage of greater strength on their side, and there’s no way they’re going to let a girl play in a real game. When Nozomi encounters her old friend, Namek, and finds out his team is up against hers in the first round of the upcoming tournament, she has to find a way to play, by whatever means necessary.

Nozomi was quite an extravagant protagonist, which makes sense given her refusal to back down in an environment where the odds are stacked against her. Most of the male characters however were very frustrating; their attitude towards Nozomi and girls in general left me disinterested in their flat personalities.

The story was interesting, with a lot of hilarity from Nozomi, however the next volume would probably determine whether or not the series is going anywhere plot-wise, and I am not currently invested enough in the characters for me to pick up the next one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for providing a free e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sports mangas are always so hard since it can be tricky to show the nuance of a move or tactic in static panels. This one has gotten the closest I've seen as it captures some of the magic of the dribbling, passing, spacing, and action of soccer. It's also a nice tale of growth (with some very interesting flashbacks), has a fun love pyramid (because a love triangle is just too simple?), and addresses gender and physicality versus skill in a somewhat overbearing but endearing way. Fun read and I've already purchased the second volume.

<i>arc provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review</i>

This volume was a pretty good start to the series! I hated that it ended on such a cliffhanger but I can’t lie, I do really want to read volume 2 now!

I liked our main character a lot especially as she navigated through all of the sexist people involved in soccer. I could feel her frustration every time the coach refused to let her play simply because she’s a girl even if she’s a better player than all of the boys combined!

That little plot twist near the end was great. I sort of saw it coming but it was in a good way, it was definitely what I hoped would happen. Now I just need to get my hands on volume 2 to see how it all turned out!

Overall, this was fun! I definitely recommend it if you’re into sports!

3/5 🌟

TW: sexism.

Sayonara, Football is basically the manga version of the movie She's the Man and I mean that in the best way possible. I highly suggest this series opener for libraries where Haikyu and other sports manga do well.

This was a really frustrating manga. I mean, I loved the main character and admired her ambition and talent but the fact that she couldn’t play on an official football game just because she is a girl was so frustrating. The characters kept saying that physical abilities were key and that the gap between the boys and the girl was too big. Nothing more frustrating than seeing her outplay the boys and still not make the team. I loved the ending though and I can’t wait to read the second volume to see how the story is developed and if she is going to have a chance to play against her ex-friend. It was great to see Nozomi’s refusal to let her gender define her. I really recommend this one.
4/5

Arc Copy...I can draw comparisons in mood and feel to the artist's other work in terms of the high school setting and drama but I liked the main protagonist is a female trying to prove herself in the male dominated culture of her school's soccer team.

I received this copy from Netgalley as an ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Amaziiiiiiiing, ! I just want more after that ending.

I loved it.

It is a manga about sports mainly football with a girl ( Nozomi Onda) as the best player you can imagine but she can't join the official school team because well she is a girl ! she just train with the team and she is a genius with a ball. She can't accept this situation, so she decides to do whatever she can to get in the team and to participate in the Newcomers' Tourney.
It was a cool, funny and cute manga that I didn't know that I will enjoy and love this much. I'm a fan now and I will be waiting for the next chapters.

Nozomi Onda just wants to play football (soccer), but there's one problem. She's a girl and her school only has a boy's team. The story mainly follows her trying to convince the coach to let her play and ends with someone tied up in a bathroom in the middle of a game.

I wanted to give one star purely on the fact that they ended it on an intense moment. Why?!! (Insert sad crying face). I couldn’t do it though because I loved the first volume and at the same time I was so frustrated too, dang it coach let Nozomi play! If you read enough manga’s you could probably guess what Ondo was going to do but I didn’t care it was still amazing. I can’t wait to read the other installments of the series, but I’m a little hesitant too. Naoshi Arakawa, destroyed my heart in Your Lie in April, and I could see it happening here too, hopefully I’m wrong, but either way I’m here for this ride.

I don't even know what to say!

Because I'm too busy laughing! LOL!

What an unexpected twist at the end! I did not see that coming and it was SO well played by Arakawa! Well done!

This is my first time reading an actual sports manga straight through and I LOVED it! What an epic and thrilling experience! It brought me back to the days I played soccer and made me so happy to see soccer come to life on page. I especially loved the short Mia Hamm reference! Super cool!

While this story is packed full of action (and was my favorite part! Did I mention I loved it?), I deeply appreciated Nozomi's drive to not let her gender "define" her. What I mean is that she plays for a boys’ soccer team and despite what anyone says of her being lesser because she’s a girl, she keeps playing her strongest and strives to get better. The conversation she has with her best friend about wanting to scream because of her supposed “weaker” physical abilities, I wanted to stand up and clap. Talk about empowering to chase after your dreams!

Due to this, there are some really good things to reflect on because of her struggle as well as being told she'll always be physically weaker. I think seeing a character like this can be very inspiring for young women. I know it personally inspired me to keep giving my all in the things I do (even though I don't play sports)! And to not let anyone say I can’t do something simply because I’m not a man.

I was a little confused on who exactly likes Nozomi, but I LOVEDDD the team! I'm excited to see how they will all grow together and hopefully kick Egami West's butt! I also wasn't overly fond of some of Nozomi's antics to get the coach to change his mind on letting her play, but that is minor.

Overall, this was a fantastic first volume! With that kind of ending, I'm desperate to see how this story unfolds!

*(I received an e-copy from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts expressed are my own.)*