Yowamushi Pedal should become essential reading. Wonderfully written, this sports manga features a truly wide variety of characters that leave you wondering which team to root for while always essentially backing the protagonist team.

You have the protagonist of Onoda, a fellow otaku whose previous biking experience included riding a "mommy bike" solely to buy anime merchandise. He's a nerd which is commented on frequently but also just as frequently forgotten. Although he is prone to being nauseatingly optimistic at times, the character carries the story without leaving you to forget about background characters.

To some, or maybe most; the manga artwork is much too rough in comparison to the cleaner anime adaption but I personally enjoy it. The expressions conveyed are spot on, rivaling Oda's grasp of dramatic character expressions in One Piece. The lines are sketchy but not sloppy, the unique style leaves you still wanting more.

The greatest part of Yowapeda is the fact that you never know who will win. Sometimes it's the underdog, sometimes the seasoned professional, other times the fallen hero. You just don't know and that's what keeps you reading.

If you haven't started Yowapeda after reading this honestly all I can say is GROSS GROSS GROSS GROSS.

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Just today, I told my sister she had to read this manga called Yowamushi Pedal and naturally, she asked, what is it about? When I said "Cycling", she gave me an unimpressed look.

Cycling? How exciting does that really sound? In all honesty, if someone told me I had to read this AMAZING manga, that was super adrenaline pumping and awesome and had a really exciting plot and great characters, but said it was about "Cycling" I think I would put it on the waiting shelf AKA mangas-that-i-plan-to-read-but-probably-never-will.

But I still gave this a try because I happened to see some cool fanart of it and the characters' designs really intrigued me.

And I totally don't regret it. This manga impressed the socks off me and I'm going to explain exactly why.

There's one main reason: the pure ENERGY and EXCITEMENT of the storytelling. The feeling is almost indescribable; there's just this huge rush of excitement and anticipation when you read the manga. It's so fast paced and intense.

Important note though, the art can be off-putting at first, and that's just putting it lightly. But as the story progresses, you'll realise the art style is actually perfect for the manga. The roughness, the strong, sharp strokes, the occasionally grotesque faces, and whatever else you thought was 'ugly', suddenly they become the manga's gem. Without this unique art style, I can say for sure the manga wouldn't be able to carry out its story to the fullest.

By the way, what do you think of when you think of cycling? Leisurely rolling past sunflower fields with a shi tzu in your wicker basket? (yes I actually imagine this) Your fuzzy childhood days of riding a tricycle with a helmet on your head? A fun day out at the park enjoying the breeze in your face?

Well, welcome to Yowamushi Pedal, where those visions get thrown out the window like a 10KG rock. We get swept into the insanity of competitive road racing, where the bikes go even faster than cars. And just like any other competitive sport, cycling is no exception to the blood, sweat, and tears, all the pain and intense emotions, of fighting to win.

And that's the second charm of the manga. It will change the way you viewed cycling. It is interesting, something you haven't experienced before. And it's bloody exciting, did I already mention that?!

Of course, I also have to give special mention to the characters. They're a hodgepodge of super weirdos, super psychos and just some genuinely cool or lovable people. You won't get bored with this manga's cast.

Room for improvement? Perhaps if I were to nitpick, the proportions for the characters' bodies can be a bit off sometimes. But honestly, it doesn't bother me because I'm too busy pressing 'next page' to pause and say, Yo, your head's too big.

Overall, I recommend anybody looking for an interesting new read to give this a try. Maybe shounen isn't your thing, maybe sports manga isn't your thing. Maybe cycling sounds lame. It doesn't matter. Yowamushi Pedal has a special charm and interesting plot that will surely captivate you if you give it a chance. Like I did!

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