MANGA REVIEW | "Dogsred" - Volume Four
Hockey is not a sport for chumps! So it’s a good thing Rou and the other first-year Oinokami students made the cut, as these stars of Dogsred have proven that they’ve got plenty of gusto. However, as the fourth volume goes to show, being full of a winning spirit isn’t necessarily a guarantee for future success. In fact, it’s pressure like that that could send some folks onto a dark, dreary path.
But first, it seems like Rou’s got a crush, and it’s from a woman whose thighs could crush his skull like a cantaloupe! “Giant God Solider” Wakami Isono is taller than most Japanese men, and her muscles make her one of the most intimidating people at the school. That doesn’t change the fact that she’s head-over-muscular-heels for Rou. (In fact, she carries some old skating magazines that featured Rou in some…interesting outfit choices.)
True love isn’t the only goal these students have. With it being a hockey manga, Dogsred is about the quest to become champion. And sometimes, becoming a champ requires being in the right place and on the right team. For Koichi Genma, that place and team are America and the Colorado Avalanche. So when a scout for that team appears to talk to him, it seems like his dream may someday come true.
Sometimes, dreams die. And in the case of Higuchi, the old team captain, it has croaked harder than a bunch of frogs boiling in a cauldron. His blacked-out eyes show a man that’s not the same guy he once was, as it’s led him down a path of crime and drugs. If life’s taught me anything, it’s that associating with people like this will bring you down a similar road. Considering what Higuchi gives Kengo to “help” him with his playing, it appears that at least one player isn’t going to make it through a full season.
Thankfully, the time for the next hockey game draws near. Oinokami are set to face off against Sapporo Sekka, a high school with a notorious reputation. Everyone’s a punk, no one plays by the rules, and even the referees and teachers find ways to overlook the worst acts of indecency imaginable. With that being said, the boys of Sapporo Sekka have yet to meet Rou, who may be in the mood for some roughhousing if pushed over the edge.
Before the big game, the boys and girls of Oinokami enjoy themselves at the annual Sapporo Festival. Playful rowing, candied apples, and a gang of white tracksuit-wearing jerks are all on the menu. As one can guess, those tracksuit fellas are the very guys Oinokami are set to face off against, but not before some smackeroonies are passed around due to a takoyaki incident. And then, game time begins, and a certain former skater doesn’t like how Sapporo’s already breaking the rules and getting away with them.
A lot of the fourth volume sets up for what’s to come in Dogsred. The next game, possible romances, and even a star player about to be dragged into a bad situation. While this isn’t Dogsred at its most exciting, one can tell that what’s shown here will play many vital roles for the story down the line. But for now, it’s time we hit the ice again!
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
