All-Rounder Meguru vols. 7 & 8

Yes, you read that right.  TWO volumes of “Meguru” have been released since the last one I reviewed.  Outside of four months between them too.  It’s worth noting that there’s one arc which joins these two with additional stuff making up the first half of vol. 7 and the back half of vol. 8.  Most of that stuff includes MORE TRAINING for Meguru following his loss-by-decision in the previous volume. It’s honestly a bit dull since the manga’s grounded approach to actually getting stronger and improving your technique is pretty dry, as this stuff usually is in real life.  Where it gets interesting is when mangaka Hiroki Endo mixes it up with some character development, as is the case when Meguru gets to know Muroi, a nearly over-the-hill fighter from another gym that he might fight in an upcoming match, and gets some additional help regarding nutrition from Maki.  Who totally doesn’t have a crush on him, NOT ONE BIT! What she does have is a pretty great fight with an MMA fighter in vol. 7’s first half which sees Maki pushed to her limit and resorting to some dirty tricks in an attempt to stave off a loss.

Bringing these volumes together is the arc “Ten Years,” which sees Meguru and somewhat ditzy prodigy Momoko entering a Brazilian ju-jitsu tournament.  While the tournament provides the narrative momentum for the storyline, it’s also loosely addresses Yudai’s recovery from his injury and ambivalence about continuing with shooto.  His journey has some nice moments, mainly between him and his family as we learn about how his brother got his life back on track after accidentally paralyzing a fellow judo practitioner while sparring.  Yet it feels like a sideshow to the real draw of this arc: Momoko. After getting Yudai to promise he’ll do ju-jitsu with her if she wins her branch of the tournament, we get to see what she’s capable of.  It leads to some pretty impressive fights, including one between a Canadian woman who dwarfs the petite fighter in height and muscle. There’s an exhilarating moment late in vol. 7 where we get to see the real extent of Momoko’s skill and it’s the highlight of these two volumes.  It’s a great example of what you can accomplish with martial arts, and one more reason I’ll continue to read this series. Whenever new volumes arrive.