Back of Book: 

Shouta Kikuzato’s hopes of starting on his school’s prestigious soccer team are derailed when a terrible incident costs him his leg. Now in his first year of high school (again), Kikuzato has resigned himself to never reaching his athletic dreams. But when Chidori, a passing prosthetist, notices Kikuzato’s artificial limb- and speed-as he races through the train station, the specialist proposes a Chidori will build Kikuzato a brand-new leg designed solely for speed. All Kikuzato has to do is run!

Book Number: One 

Genre: Young Adult | Manga | Contemporary | Sports 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

The start to a series of manga featuring a disabled runner and his journey to acquiring a new leg.

Shouta Kikuzato used to be one of the best soccer players in his grade. That is, until a terrible accident that cost him his leg. Now, he's back in high school with little to look forward to until he bumps into Chidori, a passing prosthetist. They strike up a deal: Kikuzato gets a free leg as long as he helps Chidori test out his new prostheses.

I personally really enjoyed the start to this series. I love the disability rep, the highlighting of the Paralympics, as well as the characters. Kikuzato is a tad moody (I mean, who wouldn't be after losing a leg), but I find him endearing. His companion, Usami, is literally so precious and adorable and I can't wait to see him be the biggest cheerleader in Kikuzato's life. Chidori is the perfect balance of goofy, weird, and con artist. I can't wait to see what other strange adventures this trio finds themselves in.

The race was a pretty fun intro into Kikuzato's deal with Chidori. It was also a great way to introduce some other characters that I assume are going to show up again in future volumes. A fun, friendly competition featuring a guy who has only used a blade prosthetic once, what could go wrong?

Overall, a great start to the "Run on Your New Legs" series. I can't wait to dive into the next volume and figure out what's up with Take and hopefully get more of the charming Tsuchiya. I'm not one hundred percent hooked, but I'm really digging what I've read so far.

Back of Book: 

After obtaining an artificial leg built for sport from Chidori the shady prosthetist, Kikuzato resolved to become a para-athlete. To strengthen his body so he can run again, Kikuzato wants to join the track-and-field club, but it’s not so easy: His former soccer club friends have lost interest in him, his new clubmates don't know how to approach him, and his overprotective mother won’t let him join any new clubs! With no easy ways to get faster, is the solution...to challenge everyone to a match?!

Book Number: Two 

Genre: Young Adult | Manga | Contemporary | Sports 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

The second installment of "Run on Your New Legs" which follows a disabled boy and his journey to mastering his new leg.

After his first race, Kikuzato is hooked on running. Now, he must work alongside his friend Usami to join the after school track and field club. But even more importantly, he has to convince his overprotective mom that the shady Chidori isn't a scammer and that his new leg is indeed trustworthy.

I'm really enjoying watching Kikuzato's journey as he learns how to navigate life with his new running leg (also called a blade). He joins the track and field club to practice on his new leg, and is assigned secret assignments from Chidori to scope out his fellow para-athletes. The sections in this installment are really fun, and I enjoyed them immensely.

Despite its stereotypical nature, I love the message of "when you fall down, you got to get back up again" or "falling (failing) is good." Growth can be such a difficult thing to manage, and I appreciate when it is promoted in such a natural healthy way. Kikuzato, his mother, and his ex-best friend Take, all have a bunch of healing and growth that that have to go through after Kikuzato's accident, and it is nice to explore the different ways they cope when tragedy strikes.

The ending chapter is really quite something with Kikuzato's mission from Chidori being nothing like he expected and whilst there he encounters a Paralympic athlete. These events may be highly unlikely in the real world, but they are super fun in fiction. The surprise ending is also quite fun and has me excited to see what Chidori's past holds.

Overall, the second installment of "Run on Your New Legs" was even better than the first, pushing more fun characters, even greater knowledge about prostheses, and even wilder Chidori schemes. My excitement is ramping up by the volume and I'm interested to see where Kikuzato's leg takes him.

Back of Book: 

Kikuzato is sprinting toward his new goal of becoming a more powerful runner, but each stride takes him further from his soccer days—and the friends who once played alongside him. Kikuzato’s wasn’t the only life affected by his accident, and ever since that day, Takekawa has watched his best friend on and off the field steadily slip away. Can these former teammates repair the rift between them, even as world events throw all their high school hopes and dreams into disarray?

Book Number: Three 

Genre: Young Adult | Manga | Contemporary | Sports 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

The third installment of "Run On Your New Legs" has Kikuzato testing out the beta version of his prosthetic leg, bring him one step closer to acquiring a blade of his own. 

After meeting a para athlete, Kikuzato is newly inspired to push the limits of how fast he can run. But this takes him further and further from his past life as a fantastic soccer player—which also increases the distance separating him from his ex-best friend, Takekawa. As some relationship continue to deteriorate, Kikuzato finds himself growing closer to those who are willing to support him through his journey while he learns how to run on his new blade. 

This volume focuses a ton on Take and Usami. Take's tale tells about how he wanted to keep in touch with Kikuzato, but how Kikuzato refused his support. This led to them drifting apart and Take having to join the soccer team on his own. I couldn't imagine how difficult it would be to try to continue doing something that is just coated in memories of your best friend that is no longer in your life. Kikuzato's accident truly changed many aspects of their lives and I can empathize with how difficult it most have been for both of them. Usami's arc in this volume was very cute and endearing. He spends so much time trying to cheer up Kikuzato; he even goes as far to read self-help books on how to cheer up those dear to you. Usami is truly such a wonderful kid and he makes me want to hug him. The way that he supports Kikuzato is just gold, and I hope that everyone has a friend like him in their life. 

The final third of the book takes a different turn, with COVID-19 hitting the world. This causes many rifts in the character's plans, especially when races start getting cancelled and school sports are shut down. I think it was very brave of the author to include the struggle against coronavirus in their manga, as it makes it very relatable to the teens who lived through COVID around the same time that these characters did. I was a freshman in high school when COVID derailed everything, so I can really relate to what these kids are going through. I am very interested to see how this series progresses now that COVID has been introduced. 

Overall, I am enjoying "Run On Your New Legs" more and more with each installment I read. This series has been covering some really realistic and informative topics, and I'm excited to see what the next volumes entail. 

Back of Book: 

Kikuzato, a high-schooler with a prosthetic leg, continues his dreams of being a para-athlete. Even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and arguments with his father, Kikuzato stands proud at the start line for his first competition. 

Book Number: Four

Genre: Young Adult | Manga | Contemporary | Sports 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

The fourth installment in the manga "Run On Your New Legs" that features a disabled boy on his journey to become a para athlete. 

With COVID-19 shutting down school, Kikuzato and the track and field team have to get really creative with how they practice. Their meetings are now done online, the team is saddened by the cancellation of many races, and their physical get-togethers have been greatly limited. Stuck inside, Kikuzato awaits his new leg with a new desperation. 

I was a bit scared that the introduction of COVID would destroy the beauty of this story, but I feel that it actually enhanced it. COVID was hard on everyone, but I think that athletes had it pretty rough. And it was only made worse for para athletes, such as those that are blind, that depend on other people to compete and train. I love how this volume explored how COVID affect all types of para athletes, not just the characters in the story. 

Rin Mori is a great addition to the cast of characters. She seems like such a sweet girl, and it is great to see Kikuzato get all flustered around her. Since Mori is in a wheelchair, getting even more disability reps in this story is wonderful. 

The camaraderie shown between Kikuzato and his teammates is truly beautiful in this volume; I think it's the strongest it has been in the entire series. I feel I got to know the entire team on a much more personal level in this installment, which really helps me get a better feel of this friend group. Usami is still so precious, and he just makes me so happy every time that I see him! 

The arc that Kikuzato shares with his father in this volume is also sweet. His father reminds me of my dad in various ways, so I can feel the strain of their relationship personally. I won't go into too many details, but it makes sense that a strained relationship blows up when one is confined in tight quarters. 

Overall, I am very pleased with how this story has evolved over time. I am excited to see what happens in the final volume and experience the rest of Kikuzato's adventure. I mean, he has to get his new leg before the series ends, right? 

Back of Book: 

As schools reopen and clubs reconvene after COVID-19 closures, Kikuzato is eager to try out his new leg. But even with the improved fit, his worry about falling like he did in his first public race plagues his training for the next. Running is as much a mental game as it is a physical one, and between his fear and his fight with Take, Kikuzato isn’t seeing the improvement he hoped his new leg would bring. If he means to succeed, Kikuzato must answer one question for “Why am I running anyway?”

Book Number: Five (Last Book) 

Genre: Young Adult | Manga | Contemporary | Sports 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

The final installment of "Run On Your New Legs" in which Kikuzato finally gets to race on his new legs in a competitive race. 

With COVID regulations now in place, the track and field gang return to school and prepare for their individual races. Kikuzato is training hard for his debut run as a para athlete, but he still greatly fears falling down during the competition. Kikuzato much face his fears and discover for himself why he is truly running. 

This final volume is mostly made up of Kikuzato's race. There, he gets to meet other para athletes and reconnect with others he has met previously, such as Date, Doujima, and Tsuchiya. I was glad to see Kikuzato find a place where he feels he belongs and face his fears of falling in public. 

Once again, I love the message of "when you fall, you get up again" and "don't be afraid of failing." It can be so hard to keep pushing through the hardships and overcome ones fears, so I really love the positivity that this manga series pushes in these regards. 

It was really nice to see the camaraderie between Kikuzato's track mates as well as his fellow para athletes. It also made me really happy to see him make up with his old soccer team. They had a very strenuous relationship throughout this series, so it was nice to see Kikuzato face his past demons. I'm glad that him and Take came around in the end. 

Overall, "Run On Your New Legs" was a sweet, informative manga series with enjoyable characters and comical character interactions. It was very fun to read about Kikuzato and his friends, and I won't be forgetting Usami anytime soon. These are for sure being added to my diverse reads recommendation list; I love all the authentic representation in this series. If you want an informative, character driven manga series, this is a good one.