Sayonara Football

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Sayonara Football is a sports manga by Naoshi Arakawa, published in Magazine E-no from 2009-06-20 to 2010-08-20. It's been licensed by Kodansha for an English translation, Éditions Ki-oon in France, and Tong Li Publishing Co., Ltd. in Taiwan.

Onda Nozomi is in her second year on the middle school soccer team but has yet to play a single game because she is a girl. Growing up playing soccer, she has the technical skills, endurance and the elegance. However, as a girl, she can't overcome the physical difference between them and she can see all her teammates who she grew up playing soccer with getting further and further away from her. Even her younger brother, Junpei, who is also on the team, is starting to rise above her. Her sensei knows that Nozomi is an amazing player but since soccer is such a physical sport for boys, he can't let her play. Nozomi isn't the kind of girl that gives up so instead she practices harder than anyone in the hopes of one day playing in an official game.

Tropes used in Sayonara Football include:
  • Determinator: She plays soccer even if she'll never actually play in an official match
  • Meaningful Name: Nozomi means 'rare or seldom' in Japanese
  • Passionate Sports Girl: This defines Onda, she lives to play soccer
  • Sweet Polly Oliver:She tied up her brother and cut her hair to take his place. Need I say more?
  • You Go, Girl!: She has the technical skill to outplay the boys, its just that they are physically superior than her