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After
declaring that he is going to be the number one runner in all of Japan,
Yamoto gets ready to run. In the qualifying heats, Yamoto finds that
Emerson is also racing and he is in the second heat. Having fallen down
last time they raced, Yamoto is determined to beat him Emerson in the
finals this time. He comes in first place in the first heat, but is told
that he should save it for the rest of the races and not expend all of
his energy in the qualifying round, although, he did set his best time
ever. Meanwhile, Honaka goes and meets her best friend, Nana, for a
photo-shoot. Little does she know that Nana needs a shot with a friend
and plans on having Honaka be part of the shoot. Of course, Honaka is so
nervous that none of the pictures turn out very well until she is
finally able to relax. The next day, at the track, Miyamoto talks to
Yamoto about his style of racing. He has been studying Yamoto's racing
style and has compiled some interesting statistics. It seems that Yamoto
has a great start, even faster than Emerson's, but peters out at the end
of the race. In other words, he is expending too much energy at the
beginning and not saving any for the end of the race. They come up with
a plan to change his racing style so he can sustain an even expenditure
of energy. While practicing his new style of running, Yamoto confesses
to Hashiba that when he becomes the number one runner in Japan, he can
they tell Asahina how he feels again. He needs to feel that he is on an
equal level with her. One day while practicing a little extra, Asahina
tells Yamoto that he is going to hurt himself by running so much and
that he should just go home. She also tells him that he is full of it
and that she cannot trust a single word he says. Yamoto has finally had
enough and tells her to #@&% off, which shocks the hell out of her. She
apologizes and wishes him luck at the championship. During the two weeks
since the qualifying rounds, Yamoto works on his form until he is
finally expending the correct amount of energy to sustain and even speed
to the finish. But what Miyamoto doesn't tell Yamoto is that with a new
style, it takes more than two weeks to learn it correctly and he is not
as fast as he used to be . . . yet. At the Tokyo High School District
Championship, Yamoto holds back on letting all his energy out and does
not even qualify. Back home, knowing Yamoto is depressed, Asahina brings
some food to his room and cooks him a meal. As she is leaving, Yamoto
once again confesses his love for her. This still shocks Asahina and she
heads off to the shrine to think about what Yamoto said. When Asahina
doesn't return home, Yamoto goes to search for her. As Asahina ponders
what Yamoto said, she thinks about what happened to Tsuda Kazuki two
years ago. She thinks about how fast he was and how he died in a car
accident while rushing home to get his spiked shoes for a tournament.
Honaka finds Asahina at the shrine and they sit down and talk. Honaka
confronts Asahina and tells her that she knows that she is lying about
how she feels about Yamoto. Asahina finally admits that she is afraid of
loving because the only boy she ever loved died. Honaka then admits that
this is hard on her too because the only boy that ever loved loves
Asahina. She tells Asahina that she should just be with Yamoto.
Suzuka:
Volume 8 is a manga book written and drawn by Kouji Seo. This story
was Translated and Adapted by David Ury and Lettered by North Market
Street Graphics.
This book contains the following chapters:
#60 - Accomplishment
#61 - Earnestness
#62 - Wandering
#63 - Acceleration
#64 - Encouragement
#65 - Pitfall
#66 - Miscalculation
#67 - Disappearance
#68 - Loss
#69 - True Feelings
There are
also some sections in the book for: A) A Note from the Author, B)
Honorifics Explained, C) Bonus Manga, D) Translation Notes, and E) Preview of Volume
9, although the preview appears in Japanese. The book reads from right to
left and back to front, just like a book from Japan. This manga book is
intended for Mature readers (18 and older) because of nudity, profanity and sexual content.
Suzuka:
Volume 8 is another spectacular manga book in a series that I
absolutely love. It is so funny, when I initially read the first book in
this series a year or so ago, I put it back on the shelf and didn't
review it. I guess I just wasn't ready for it yet. But having recently
reread it again, and now being on volume 8, I can happily say that this
series rocks! The Suzuka books really became interesting when Yamoto
found out that he was a fast runner and joined the track team. In my
estimation, that is when this series really hit its stride. I absolutely
enjoyed the story and it chaps my hide that I have to wait a few more
months for the next book. Grrr . . . I want to read it now! Will Asahina
finally admit to Yamoto that she also loves him? I mean, look at the
feelings she has for him in the picture above from the page of the
manga. You can totally tell that she loves him, but she is torn up
inside from the death of Tsuda two years ago. Well, all I can really say
is how wonderful the Suzuka series is. The writing is terrific and the
Translation and Adaptation from Japanese to English is perfect. I can
tell how much work David Ury puts into making this story flow as well as
it does. As for the artwork, it is as wonderful as ever. I really have
no complaints at all about this series, only compliments. Overall, Suzuka:
Volume 8 is an excellent book that borders on being quite
stupendous. I will sit here patiently waiting for Suzuka:
Volume 9, but I know it is months away from arriving on my doorstep.
Man, this is killing me!
I rated
this book a 9½ out of 10. |
