My Heavenly Hockey Club: Volume 1
Written by: Al Morinaga
Art by: Al Morinaga
Published by: Del Rey Manga
I've come to the conclusion that the best bi-shonen out there are the series where the girl is surrounded by beautiful boys, and really couldn't care less. My Heavenly Hockey Club is the perfect example. Protagonist Hana Suzuki's first priority is sleep, followed by food. Everything else, boyfriends, romance, school, falls to the wayside - until the wealthy and gorgeous Izumi Oda recruits her to join Meirinkan High School's Grand Hockey Club. Of course, since Hana could care less about Oda's looks or money - and refuses to wake up early for things such as morning practice, so Oda lures her in with promises of trips to the hot springs (GHC is a traveling hockey club), Kobe beef bento, and cheesecake.
What follows is hilarity. My Heavenly Hockey Club isn't sports manga per se - it doesn't focus on an underdog who's dream is to train hard and be a champion - and in fact, aside from bringing them together on a regular basis, hockey plays a small role in the story. But that is exactly what makes volume one so damn funny. As devoted as they are, none of the club members has much experience playing the sport, and because of that and the amount of travel that they do, they're basically a travel club. But more than that, because of their affluence (Meirinkan High is a very prestigious and therefore, exclusive school) the students in the hockey club are mere, helpless rich boys. Hana, on the other hand, comes from a working class family (her parents run a tofu shop) and has experience doing hands-on activities such as lighting the gas burner for hot-pot (after Oda almost burns down his summer house trying to light it) and cleaning the bathroom.
I wouldn't go so far as to say that Morinaga makes MHHC a social commentary, but class difference does come to the forefront. Morinaga delivers it in a humorous and slapstick manner that makes it a refreshing read compared to other poor-girl-goes-to-rich-school-and-gets-tangled-up-with-rich-boys manga (like Boys Over Flowers). Additionally, for the fans and critics who take their manga - and their female protagonists - seriously, MHHC delivers a new fantasy: a heroine with her own priorities who isn't susceptible to cruel cunning.
Morinaga flexes her artistic skill in volume one placing scenes in various settings. Both pacing and storytelling are fluid. It's remarkable how everything comes together in this volume - even the absurd. Whether it's strong editing or an experienced manga creator at work, the characters and storyline are well fleshed out. Morinaga has put a lot of thought into MHHC and on so many different levels, it works.
| Rating | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| out of 10 | Click here for ratings guide | |
| 9 | Art Crisp lines, various scenarios, Morinaga delivers professional, consistent quality |
|
| 9 | Writing Silly, over-the-top slapstick that gets better and better with every chapter - and an independent protagonist to carry the story. |
|
The flagship title of DC's New 52 finally sees its second is...
