Embers Manga – More Than A Blue Lock Clone

When the Embers manga first came out, many people said it was a Blue Lock clone, so I ignored it. But after talking with a friend who judged it as that without even reading it, I figured that I should at least see what the manga is about before passing it off as a knock-off of the most hyped sports manga of today.

Much More Grounded Story

The Embers manga doesn’t take after Blue Lock; if anything, it’s very similar to Slam Dunk. It follows a young man, Haitani, a thug who never lost a street brawl, as he tries to find something he’s passionate about. Now, he IS passionate about something, which is not losing. So you can imagine his frustration when his teacher challenges him to a duel and beats him. Naturally, the confrontation wasn’t a fight (even though I kinda wanted to see the old man throw down with Haitani), but a football duel of sorts.

If you know anything about football, you know that people skilled with the ball cannot be beaten by an amateur. That’s exactly what happens, and it throws Haitani off his game. Now, the teacher sees the boy’s physical prowess and agility and encourages him to learn the basics of football. Slowly but surely, the basics are drilled into Haitani, but he still can’t defeat the old man in his game.

That’s when the teacher proposes another solution: Play an actual football match. Even though he’s a delinquent, his crew loves Haitani, and they are happy to support their leader in a football match. Alas, he meets his match in Takami, a short but very capable football player who outwits Haitani and beats his team. The battle was close, though, as Haitani’s natural physical prowess and insane reflexes and instinct gained from fighting turned him into a dangerous defensive player, one that could easily steal a ball and pressure another player, which Takami witnessed firsthand. However, Haitani and his team still lost their first match. Frustrated, our protagonist decides to become better, so he enrolls at a high school where the best football players go.

The Art is Astounding

We all know how Blue Lock tends to go crazy with the visuals in that manga. Sotaro Nishii, a mangaka who worked on Wisteria, uses a lot more grounded imagery. One that greatly adds to the visual presentation of the story, be it by depicting Haitani’s overwhelming presence and aura or by depicting certain players as animals that correspond to their abilities, Haitani being a wolf, Takami an eagle, etc.

Embers
© Kei Kurumazaki / Sotaro Nishii
© SHUEISHA Inc.The art shows a lot of force and power, which I like in my sports manga because it adds a level of explosiveness to a scene. That’s important to me, well, because football on its own isn’t all that exciting IRL, let alone in a manga. However, with moments like the one shown in the picture above, a certain level of hype appears. That carries on through the match as these key interactions build up on each other, concluding in a “finale,” aka the final goal, which always looks and feels spectacular because the hype behind each step that took us there ends up in a beautifully striking, visual catharsis.

The Writing Is Nuanced and the Cast is Interesting

Being the best striker in the world is not the goal here, although there is a funny scene that I think makes fun of that. The Embers manga is your standard “I want to be better” sports story but with very captivating characters.

In 7 chapters, we get our protagonist, Haitani, who learns about a new passion and even bonds with people he usually doesn’t associate with, all while fighting the prejudice of being seen as just a thug. Then we have Takami, a young man crushed by the weight of expectations, slowly breaking down under all that pressure.

Then there’s Inanaki, a star player of this A-team who finally meets his match in Haitani, who’s a natural counter to his play style. Like all egoistical players, Inanaki absolutely does not deal well with a loss to a new player of all things and makes a scene. He is the type that revels in the systematic destruction of other players and their spirits, so getting a taste of his own medicine hurts his pride a LOT.

There’s still a lot of this cast we haven’t met, but those we have are all written well enough already to keep me interested in a story. Hell, the coach of the A-team is a girl with a very firm leadership and stern stance. She gets in an altercation with Inanaki, who gets physical with her. Instead of doing the typical “the boys have to save the damsel in distress” trope, Yukizuki shuts that man down herself. Not with violence or anything like that, but with words that tear apart Inanaki’s overinflated ego.

Should you read the Embers manga?

Yes, if you’re a fan of football, a good sports story, or just really good art in general, Embers is a manga for you. I hope people stop labeling it as a Blue Lock clone, as this story goes in a completely other direction with the setting, the characters, the story, everything. And, although I just watched the anime, I haven’t touched the Blue Lock manga; Embers has a much more appealing story to me. After all, sports are about teamwork.

You can read the manga for free right now on the Manga+ website and their app. If you want more manga recommendations, click here, we’ve got you covered.