|| Hat Trick ||

2 volumes
shounen, sport
Publisher: JUMP COMICS
ISBN: 4088721918, 4088725727
Mangaka: YAMASHITA Toushichirou

Other manga on this site by Toushichirou Yamashita: No Trap

Hat Trick (n): When one player gets three or more scores in a single game, as in ice hockey or soccer.

Plot:
This series sets the stage for Yamashita-sensei's later series "No Trap". The hot-headed Hino Ataru is a high school student at Kitafukuoka High, picking fights and making grudges. He has a long, embarrassing history with Nakahiro, the soccer captain. So when Nakahiro not only saves him from a potential beating, but then drafts him onto the soccer team, Hino is not too pleased. An attempt to buddy-buddy with the team's cold, star player (Ryoudou) backfires, and a rivalry is formed.

What I thought:
The art is a style I'm beginning to enjoy more than flowery shoujo, but it's not quite the shock-jock factor of some shounen stuff. Well, except when Hino takes it upon himself to liven things up. *grin* Not exactly Shakespeare, but a fun story.