All Rounder Meguru - Hiroki Endo
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| Image generated by AI |
All Rounder Meguru is a rare kind of manga. Not because of its theme—martial arts—but because of how it treats it. Hiroki Endo, known for his raw and human stories, delivers here a work that is both technical and visceral, realistic and restrained. A manga where fighting is never gratuitous, always grounded in an inner journey.
We follow Meguru Takayanagi, a quiet high school student who practices MMA (Mixed Martial Arts). Around him orbit a childhood friend turned rival, training partners, opponents, and a routine filled with effort, falls, and pain. No over-the-top tournaments. No superpowers. Just people who sweat, doubt, and keep going.
What stands out in Meguru is the accuracy of its tone. Everything rings true—the movements, the emotions, the silences. Endo romanticizes nothing. He shows the strikes, the injuries, but also the slow progress, the complex relationships, the failures. Sports aren't a magical solution—they're a path. And that path is filled with fatigue, ambiguity, and hard choices.
The artwork, precise and fluid, perfectly supports this sobriety. No flashy effects. Bodies are drawn like tired machines—powerful but human. The eyes carry fear, desire, concentration. There’s particular attention to the details of holds, movement, breathing. You can tell the author knows his subject.
This manga moved me deeply because it doesn’t lie. It doesn’t sell a dream. It speaks of teenagers trying to exist, to find their place and their strength. It speaks of brotherhood, solitude, and willpower. It’s a story of slow construction. You’re not here for the knockout—you’re here for everything before it: the doubts, the training, the pain you learn to accept.