is a Japanese

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

series written and illustrated by Daisuke Higuchi. The series was published in

Shueisha is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Shueisha is the largest publishing company in Japan. It was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The ...

's ''

Weekly Shōnen Jump is a weekly Shōnen manga, ''shōnen'' manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the ''Jump (magazine line), Jump'' line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many Action (fiction), action scenes and a fair ...

'' from February 1998 to October 2002. The series was adapted into a 39-episode

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

television series broadcast exclusively by

Animax , stylized as ANIMAX in all caps, is a Japanese animation satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. Launched on July 1, 1998, Animax is the first 24-hour network in the world dedicated to anime.The Anime Biz' - ...

across Japan. In North America, the series was licensed for English language release by

Viz Media Viz Media, LLC is an American entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California, focused on publishing manga, and distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series. The company was founded in 1986 as Viz, ...

. A sequel, titled ''Whistle! W'', ran in

Shogakukan is a Japanese publisher of comics, magazines, light novels, dictionaries, literature, non-fiction, home media, and other media in Japan. Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but ...

's ''Ura Sunday'' and ''MangaONE'' web platforms from September 2016 to April 2021.

Plot

''Whistle!'' is about a

middle school Middle school, also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school, is an educational stage between primary school and secondary school. Afghanistan In Afghanistan, middle school includes g ...

boy named Shō Kazamatsuri. He transfers from Musashinomori School to Sakura Jōsui Junior High School for better hopes to make the soccer team, since he never got a game at his old school due to his small stature. Yūko Katori, his teacher, introduces him as a former star of the famed Musashinomori team, causing his classmates to be wrongly ecstatic. Right after that, one of the players, Tatsuya Mizuno, reveals that he was never a regular. In other words, since he never got the chance to play, Shō is a poor player. Shō struggles to improve his skill so he can make the team at his new school and to ignore the drastic disadvantage he has due to his height.

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Daisuke Higuchi, ''Whistle!'' was serialized in

's manga magazine ''

'' from February 24, 1998, to October 8, 2002. Shueisha collected its 212 chapters in 24 volumes, released between July 3, 1998, and March 4, 2003. In North America, the series was licensed for English release by

. The 24 volumes were released from October 12, 2004, to January 5, 2010. A sequel manga, title , started in

's ''Ura Sunday'' manga website on September 26, 2016. The manga went on hiatus in April 2019 due to Higuchi's health issues. The series resumed publication after nearly two years on February 8, 2021, and finished on April 5, 2021. Shogakukan collected its chapters in five volumes, released from to May 19, 2017, to May 19, 2021.

Anime

A 39-episode

television series adaptation aired in Japan on

from May 5, 2002, to February 3, 2003. The opening and ending themes are "Double Wind" and "Sweet Days" respectively, both performed by Minako Komukai. In 2016, a new Japanese audio track for the anime was aired.

Video games

Games include: Game Boy Advance and PlayStation versions.

Stage adaptation

A stage play adaptation was announced in February 2016 for a late August to early September release.

Reception

The ''Whistle!'' series has received good reception. A review by Greg McElhatton of Read About Comics stated that the ''Whistle!'' manga had good drawings that showed the characters move around with the soccer ball during matches. David Welsh of Precocious Curmudgeon said the series is very interesting that those who do not have soccer background will enjoy reading the manga, as well as with the realistic illustration used. Scott Campbell and Holly Ellingwood of Active Anime have remarked that the art is clear since all the "line and detail has obvious care and attention given to it, resulting in well-managed visuals for a well-flowing read.", while praising Sho's character development as the readers "see him strive against so much to obtain what he worked for is uplifting." Eduardo M. Chavez's review on ''Whistle!'' Volume 1 noted that although it does not look good for characters to run away from their problems, Sho's inner determination to play soccer is the main highlight of the series.Anime on DVD, Whistle! Volume 1.
Retrieved on June 11, 2008.

Notes

References

External links

*
''Whistle!''
at

Marvelous Entertainment (MMV) was a multinational corporation that produced animation, music, video games and television series. MMV is known for its involvement in the Story of Seasons (series), ''Story of Seasons'' series. They merged with AQ Interactive in 2011 an ...

* {{Studio Comet Animax original programming Association football in anime and manga Fictional association football television series Anime and manga set in schools Shogakukan manga Shōnen manga Shueisha manga Viz Media manga