[Book Review] Midori no Makibao

Hello everyone. I am Naseka.
I define myself as a philosopher and book reviewer.
I define myself as such.

Speaking of spring, it is the start of the horse racing G1 season.
Speaking of May, it is the G1 rush at Fuchu (Tokyo Racecourse).
And speaking of the last week of May, it is the festival of horse racing, the "Japanese Derby (Tokyo Yushun)."

Ever since I got hooked on the charm of horse racing in college,
starting with horse racing games and video sites,
my sense of the calendar has become deeply ingrained in my body,
set exclusively to the JRA race calendar.

What I look for in horse racing is the performance as a sport
and the drama surrounding the horses and people.

Therefore, not only the race in front of me,
but also tracing back the history of horse racing
is one of my pleasures.

I want to look back on races that touched my heart every year as the season approaches,
and the work I am introducing this time is also a work
that I want to re-read every year.

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The duality of gag and serious

It is a well-known fact that it is not just boys who read Weekly Shonen Jump
(I will ignore the voices saying "their hearts remain those of boys"),
but even though it is a work from nearly 30 years ago,
taking up a horse racing work in that magazine
was quite ambitious, or perhaps
it was challenging.

Of course, it might have been thrown in with the premise of being weeded out
because it is exposed to fierce survival competition,
but since it survived so firmly,
its potential is truly magnificent.

I do not know if it was out of consideration for the fact that elementary school students also read the magazine,
or if it was purely the author's preference,
but there is a lot of gag... and a lot of crude humor components.
(It is probably the author's preference)

If it were just this, honestly, it would be a work for lower elementary school students that is unreadable,
and due to the mismatch with the relatively adult theme of horse racing,
it might not have gained popularity.

However, once it comes to a race,
(although there are sometimes stupid horses),
it is very serious and earnest.
There are many developments that burn with intensity,
which is the royal road of boys' manga.

Of course, it was the latter element that captured my heart.

However, I have read it so many times
that I have even memorized the flow of the crude humor,
which is something I cannot help.

The drama of horse racing

With a protagonist (horse) that wins every race by a landslide,
it might be fine in reality,
but it lacks interest in manga.

Speaking meta-analytically about this,
it might be a device to make the work interesting,
but the development of winning and losing continues.

It is not like Deep Impact in the real world,
where it does not go on a winning streak.

However, horse racing is a sport where
in major races,
more than 15 racehorses
compete fiercely,
and the people involved, such as the horses themselves and the jockeys riding them,
all have
various life dramas.

It is precisely because the winning horse changes from time to time that
the drama held by each camp
stands out.

The author's love for horse racing is felt throughout

And what could be called the greatest charm
of this work
is the homage inserted throughout the story, which can only be understood by those familiar with real-life horse racing.

It goes beyond simple puns on people's or horses' names,
and you can feel the traces of famous races
in phrases used in the commentary.

Above all, for me,
what I cannot help but talk about
is the Kikuka Sho, the third leg of the Triple Crown.

That legendary commentary during the finish line scene
could only have come from someone who truly feels the romance of horse racing
and loves it.

Living in the world of "blood sports," a term sometimes used as a synonym for "thoroughbreds,"
they run carrying not only their own hopes
but also those of their parents and siblings.

Children avenge the regrets of their parents,
and younger brothers avenge the regrets of their older brothers.

If someone with no interest in the drama of horse racing
were to read this work,
they might be put off
by the absurd world of the story.

After all, it is a world where horses not only talk,
but walk proudly on two legs.
(Plus, there is the author's specialty: dirty jokes)

But while it makes you laugh where it should,
it also firmly ignites the reader's heart
during the intense moments.

That Triple Crown victory by the horse with the white shadow roll
will remain one of the greatest scenes
in the history of horse racing manga.

Thank you
for reading.

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