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Sixteen-year-old Kyou Aizawa has always shared a special bond with her father through basketball. His own dreams of joining the NBA were dashed by a knee injury, and since then, he has tried to live out his aspirations through Kyou. When her father is suddenly transferred to another region, Kyou sees an opportunity to attend Seisyu Academy, renowned for its adorable girls' uniforms. However, upon opening the box sent by the school, she finds an unappealing boys' uniform instead.
It turns out that her father forged documents to enroll her as a male student so she could join the highly ranked basketball team, which stands fourth in Japan. To carry on her father's legacy, Kyou reluctantly cuts her hair short and moves into the boys' dormitory. There, she meets her roommate and teammate, Chiharu Eniwa, but manages to irritate him on the very first day. He quickly teases her about her height and questions her commitment to the sport. Will Kyou be able to cope with living in close quarters with someone so aggravating while also excelling on the basketball team, all while keeping her true gender a secret from everyone?
Power!! was published in English as Girl Got Game by TokyoPop from January 2004 to August 31, 2005.
At first glance, Girl Got Game (or for those who prefer the original title, Power!!) might appear to be just another gender-bending manga featuring a girl disguised as a boy to attend an all-boys school. However, it stands out in unexpected ways. To begin with, the protagonist is coerced by her father to join the boys' basketball team rather than making the decision independently. Additionally, this series brings more chaos and unpredictability compared to your standard shoujo manga.
The characters in Girl Got Game are surprisingly relatable despite their exaggerated traits. You won't encounter any Mary-Sues here. Initially, the artwork may seem somewhat average, but it progressively improves throughout the series.
Though romance plays a significant role, the primary genre of Girl Got Game is undoubtedly comedy. Some scenes can be quite absurd, yet whether it's through over-the-top reactions or humorous misunderstandings, there's always something amusing to enjoy. If you're seeking a light-hearted romantic comedy, I highly recommend giving this one a read.
The plot of this manga felt scattered and didn't make much sense. Take the premise for example: a father makes his daughter pretend to be a boy so she can play basketball. While it's a cute idea, it's never fully explained and feels rather forced.
Basketball becomes an afterthought by the sixth volume. I was never really satisfied with the relationship between Kyo and Chiharu. :/ Several supporting characters were introduced but then quickly abandoned. In fact, the only thing I truly enjoyed about this manga was Hayama. He was hilarious and endearing in the two bonus chapters dedicated to him.
And then there's Tokyopop, "Girl Got Game"? Seriously, what a ridiculous title. Wasn't it supposed to be 100% manga?
"Power!!" also known as "Girl Got Game" is a manga about a father who wanted a son to play basketball but ended up with a daughter instead. To fulfill her father's wishes, the girl disguises herself as a boy to attend school and join the boys' basketball team. At school, she shares a room with a boy, and they eventually fall in love with each other (this happens early in the manga, so it's not a spoiler). In the beginning, it's quite humorous because her roommate thinks he might be gay and starts questioning his own sanity. Later, he discovers the truth, but it remains their secret.
Then, the female basketball team from another school meets the male basketball team. OoOOoooo..
This is a wholesome romance manga with some drama. It's fun and exciting too. I enjoyed it a lot as a teenager, and I re-read it again ten years later. I highly recommend it!
I give it: 10/10
First off, I have to admit that I didn't plan on reading this manga. In fact, I only picked it up because I had run out of other manga to read. However, I must say that I don't regret it one bit. This manga has become one of my favorites.
I can't recall a single chapter that wasn't hilarious or that didn't make me laugh uncontrollably. My boyfriend often found me rolling on the floor laughing so hard that I even had to take breaks because my stomach couldn't handle the pain anymore.
If you're into extremely funny manga, then you definitely shouldn't miss out on this one.
The story revolves around a girl who was tricked by her father into enrolling in a high school to play basketball. The catch? She has to enroll as a boy. After she enrolled, her father moved away to the US, leaving her stranded without a way to go home. Now, she's forced to live as a boy in a dorm full of boys and abandon her dignity as a woman.
It sounds tough already, but there's more. She also has to live with one of her teammates. How is she supposed to keep her gender a secret when they're together 24/7?
Though I don't think the story is particularly original, I still loved it. The artwork is great, and the characters are outstanding. It's the perfect manga for fans of comedy, romance, and gender-bender themes.
This manga truly let me down. I was hoping for something akin to Hana Kimi, but I couldn't have been more mistaken. While both stories feature a girl who cross-dresses for some bizarre reason, the romance between her and her roommate in Power never really blossomed as I had hoped. I was genuinely excited about this manga because of the tantalizing forbidden romance angle, but now that I've finished it... well, I'm left feeling regret over having read it. Of course, this is just my personal take; don't let my review discourage you from giving it a try. We all have our own opinions. Happy reading!
Overall, this manga has plenty of hilarious moments that made it worth the read. Despite some story inconsistencies, those funny bits were enough to keep me engaged. It felt like a roller coaster ride, oscillating between mundane events and utterly absurd ones, only to repeat the cycle again. Rarely have I been so surprised by a manga. However, I wished the characters were more fleshed out. Only the newest addition towards the end had any real character development and a complete backstory. This manga showed a lot of potential but was somewhat scatterbrained. I genuinely enjoyed the few characters who got some screen time and appreciated the mangaka's humor. Just give it a read; it's quite short and will definitely make you laugh.
If I had to sum up this series in one sentence, it would be that it never took itself too seriously – which sometimes was a real drawback because certain parts of the plot or scenes ended up feeling far-fetched and hard to believe. Despite that, it's genuinely humorous and can tug at your heartstrings occasionally. I truly appreciated how the series concluded. :)
HA HA!! Oh my goodness, I laughed so much reading this manga! It was absolutely hilarious, even though there wasn't a whole lot of actual romance. Instead, it was packed with ridiculousness on pretty much every level. I truly enjoyed going through it, though. If you're looking for something that will have you laughing uncontrollably, then you should definitely give this a read. It doesn't take long to finish—I managed to get through it mostly in just one day.