When hearing the word dodgeball, many people likely recall memories of playing during school PE classes or recess. However, in the world of “Honoo no Toukyuujo: Dodge Danko,” dodgeball is not merely a game. It is depicted as “Toukyu” (dodge battle), where pride is poured into every single throw, thrown with full force, and caught head-on. This work is a sequel to “Honoo no Toukyuuji: Dodge Danpei,” which was serialized by Tetsuhiro Koshita from 1989 to 1995 in “Monthly CoroCoro Comic” and other publications. It is a modern hot-blooded dodgeball manga featuring Danko, the daughter of Danpei Ichigeki—who engaged in passionate battles as the previous protagonist—as the new main character. Readers familiar with the previous work will surely be intrigued by the premise of “Danpei's daughter as the main character?”, and even those unfamiliar with it can easily enter the story as a sports manga set in modern times.

Danko, at the center of the story, aims to create the strongest dodgeball team. To do so, she must first solve a major problem. At the setting, “Shin-Tamagawa Integrated Elementary and Junior High School,” the former “Toukyu Club” has been disbanded because it was considered dangerous. Still, Danko does not give up. Carrying the soul inherited from her father, Danpei, in her heart, she aims to revive the Toukyu Club and starts moving to gather members. This is the interesting part of this work: it is not just the classic trope of an established powerhouse team aiming for national dominance, but a story that begins with “reclaiming a club that has disappeared.” In other words, her first opponent is not just rival teams, but modern values that view Toukyu itself as dangerous. It feels as though the underlying theme of the story explores what happens when you bring the classic hot-blooded spirit directly into the present day.

In the previous work, “Tamagawa Elementary School” was the main setting, but in this work, it changes to “Shin-Tamagawa Integrated Elementary and Junior High School,” and junior high school characters also appear. This change is surprisingly important, conveying that it is not a sequel that simply swapped the protagonist from Danpei to Danko. A major feature of “Dodge Danpei” was the appearance of characters with physiques so powerful they hardly seemed like elementary school students, but this time, a setting is prepared that naturally incorporates the junior high school age group into the story. While retaining the dynamism characteristic of the previous work, the setting itself is reconstructed to fit modern times. Rather than simply reproducing the nostalgic world as it was, the intrigue unique to a sequel lies in the concept of “How would we bring that heat into the current era?”

What personally appeals to me in particular is the setting where the Toukyu Club is disbanded for being “dangerous.” In classic hot-blooded works, simply challenging something with all one's might was often depicted as cool in itself. However, in modern times, safety and consideration for those around are naturally required as well. Into this situation comes Danko, who has inherited Danpei's soul, so there is no way nothing happens. When traditional, intense passion collides with modern common sense, rather than simply denying one or the other, I am curious about how Danko will get her “Toukyu” recognized. The recruitment of members to form the strongest team also looks enjoyable not just as a simple search for companions, but as a story of conveying the charm of dodgeball to each individual.

In “Honoo no Toukyuujo: Dodge Danko,” there are “things passed down” that can be enjoyed precisely because one knows “Dodge Danpei.” On the other hand, it is impressive that the protagonist, the era, and the school have changed, making a fresh start as a story of a new generation. Most interesting of all is that it was not Danpei himself, but his daughter Danko, who inherited the Toukyu spirit. How the passion passed from parent to child evolves into new forms while colliding with the changing times—there is an expectation different from a simple nostalgic work. It is a work that feels nostalgic for those who were obsessed with “Dodge Danpei” in the past, and can be enjoyed as a dynamic, hot-blooded sports manga for first-time readers. Will Danko gather companions, revive the Toukyu Club, and build the strongest team? It is a manga that makes you want to follow where that single throw leads.