Whistle!, Volume 10 Book

Whistle!, Vol. 10 continues where the previous tankobon left off and contains the next nine chapters (81-89) of the on-going manga series.

Since Hiba Junior High School Soccer Team defeated Kokubu Junior High School Soccer Team, Sakura Josui Junior High School Soccer Team thought to do some reconnaissance on the team. Shō Kazamatsuri decided to tag along with Soujū Matsushita, Tatsuya Mizuno, and Yuki Kojima. However, when they arrived to the school, they find the soccer field empty.

Shō Kazamatsuri, who had notice some kids playing soccer on the way, suggested that they head there where they met Ryōichi Tenjō of Kokubu Junior High School Soccer Team. He was watching the Hiba Junior High School Soccer Team practice on a Futsal court. Futsal is a variant of soccer that is played on a hard court, smaller than a soccer pitch, and mainly indoors. It can be considered a version of five-a-side soccer.

Tsubasa Shhiina managed to convince the Sakura Josui team and Ryōichi Tenjō to play a Futsal game with them. While Sakura Josui struggles with the rules of Futsal, they managed to catch on rather quick. However, just as they are getting into the game it was interrupted by the principal of Hiba Junior High School - apparently the Hiba School Soccer Team are a bunch of delinquents that does nothing but play soccer all day.

This game between Sakura Josui and Hiba is the semi-finals game and the winner who play against Musashinomori Junior High School Soccer Team - the best team in the tournament. It is also being watched by Souichiro Kirihara, the coach of Musashinomori Junior High School Soccer Team and Tatsuya Mizuno's father and Katsuro Shibusawa the goalkeeper and captain of the soccer team for Musashinomori Junior High.

The game was intense and apparently Hiba has a better defensive strategy and implementation of such strategy than Iwashimizu Techinal - the first team that Sakura Josui played in the main tournament. Even with the attacks of Shō Kazamatsuri, Tatsuya Mizuno, and Shigeki Satō combined couldn't fully dent Hiba's defensive play. However, the tankobon did end with Shō Kazamatsuri having a chance at a goal, whether he would make it would be uncertain until the next tankobon.

One character of note is introduced in Whistle!, Vol. 10: Tsubasa Shiina - the captain of the Hiba Junior High Soccer Team.

Tsubasa Shiina is a genius soccer player with the same short stature as Shō Kazamatsuri and more effeminate looking, but those comparisons end there. Tsubasa is very arrogant, blunt, sarcastic, and often fierce. He is a genius on the field and proficient in martial arts, because of his short stature and effeminate looks has many picking on him. Time will tell if we see more of Tsubasa after the match between his school and Sakura Josui ends - hopefully we will.

Daisuke Higuchi has written and illustrated this tankobon. For the most part I really liked the direction of the story. I liked that she expanded on Ryōichi Tenjō - the captain of the Kokubu Junior High Soccer Team. He mainly played soccer because his elderly custodian loved watching him play the game, but she has since died and he is debating staying in the sport.

All in all, Whistle!, Vol. 10 is a wonderful continuation of the series that seems really intriguing and I can't wait to read more.