Day 4: Toppu GP by Kosuke Fujishima

Artist Kosuke Fujishima best known for his hit series “Oh My Goddess!” steps into the sports genre with his latest series “Toppu GP.” He introduces readers to the world of motorcycle racing grand prix (MotoGP) as Toppu Uno gets ready to take part in possibly a historic run in the season’s final competition. However the story then dives into the past to show how the young man earned his wheels.

The young Toppu was always at the local racing tracks. His dad was the mechanic for the boy’s older childhood friend Myne Arai. Myne gained quite a reputation after leaving many of her opponents in the dust and she definitely caught the eyes of Toppu. While he did have a crush on the racer, Toppu also had an uncanny ability of processing the technical and mechanical information just by watching the races. His talent proved useful when his dad gave him a minibike to try out on the tracks. The boy reluctantly took it for a trial run after mentioning that he would rather return to his room to finish up his model sets. The disdain for joining the race flew by fast as soon as he hit the throttle. While he knew what to do through watching Myne, the power and emotions of being in the seat was nothing he could understand as a spectator. Toppu’s first lap around the racetrack would be just one out of the many that led to his grand pursuit to be the best in the scene.

“Toppu GP” is definitely a series different compared to some of Fujishima’s previous works like “Sakura Wars” and “Paradise Residence.” His matured talent shows in the meticulous details of the illustrations from the many speed lines to each of the motorcyclists’ uniforms. Interested readers who know little about motorcycles or the racing scene shouldn’t be afraid of picking up because the book provides educational information either through character interactions or post-chapter inserts. Fujishima still shows off some of his supernatural art in the manga to represent some of the force and passion in the story. It is sometimes a daunting challenge for creators to go outside of their comfort zone to make something exciting and new. While there’s only Volume One out on the shelves, it seems that Fujishima definitely stepped up to give his readers a series worth adding to their collections.

For more information on “Toppu GP,” visit Kodansha Comics’ page. The publisher also has all of “Paradise Residence” while Dark Horse Comics has “Oh My Goddess!” in single volume copies or omnibus versions.