Ranked #812

Crimson Hero (Manga)

Put simply, Nobara is a tomboy whose family owns an establishment that she, as the eldest daughter does not wish to take over. Her only passion is volleyball, but though she wants to pursue her dreams, she is held back by her family. Enrolling herself in a high school that she had heard was known for its volleyball team, the only way she can stay is by working as a dorm mother of an all-boys dorm, where five freshman volleyball-players lived. Having the false impression that a girls' volleyball team existed, she soon discovered that her mother had paid the school to take down the team (which was pathetic to begin with). Determined, she makes up her mind to round up members for a team, and with tremendous effort, Nobara finds herself a 6-member team. Her parents still want to bring her home (as she basically ran away), but they eventually come to an agreement that she could stay and have her way until her high school years end, giving her three years to play volleyball. Now, Nobara finds herself falling in love with Yushin, one of the volleyball boys in her dorm. However, he already has a girlfriend and is very dedicated to her. She later discovers that Keisuke Haibuki, an ill but sweet boy she knew when she was young, is also one of the volleyball boys in the dorm. Having admired her for her determination and skills in volleyball when he was little, he breaks up with his girlfriend (who had given up volleyball after an accident though she fully recovered, and was convinced by Nobara later to take it up again) because he realizes that he is falling for Nobara. Nobara will go through several trials with her team, and several alone. read more

I really liked this, which surprised me a little. I'm not an athletic girl; my experience with sports has always been in a strictly managerial fashion. Yeah, this is a manga about volleyball but, more importantly, it's a manga about a girl who gives up everything to follow her dream. That's the kind of thing I can get into.