SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Manga
  • All Ages
  • Young Adult
  • Interviews
  • News

June 1, 2017 by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Review: ‘Toppu GP’ Vol. 1

June 1, 2017 by J. Caleb Mozzocco   Leave a Comment

Toppu GP 1Toppu GP, vol. 1
Writer/artist: Kosuke Fujishima
Kodanasha Comics; $12.99
Rated T (Ages 13+)

Even if readers don’t recognize the name Kosuke Fujishima, if they’ve read much manga then chances are they will be familiar with his most famous creation, the long-running series Oh My Goddess! (sometimes translated as Ah! My Goddess!). And if they’re familiar with either the manga or its anime adaptations, then they won’t be surprised to learn that Fujishima is fascinated with cars and motorcycles, which were always so lovingly drawn in great detail whenever they would appear in the narrative.

With his latest work, Toppu GP, that fascination is brought to the fore, as it is about MotoGP, motorcycle road racing.

It stars Toppu Uno, an eleven-year-old little kid with seemingly no real interest in motorcycle racing, at least participating personally—but he’s very interested in the beautiful older girl Myne, whom he calls “Big Sis.” Toppu’s father works as a mechanic and coach for Myne, which means Toppu is always at the local track. He’s so accustomed to closely watching Myne race that he’s become something of a human stopwatch, able to time her laps just by looking, and, it turns out, he’s learned a great deal about the riding and racing of motorcycles just by watching.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Together Myne and his father Teppei convince Toppu to reluctantly climb onto a motorcycle for himself, with promises of Gundam model sets (his other hobby) and, ultimately, a kiss from Myne. It turns out not only is Toppu a natural, he’s practically a prodigy. Seeing the race from atop a motorcycle is a transformative experience, but even that is filtered through his affection for Myne. “So this is what…it’s like,” he thinks to himself, “And this…is the world that she sees.”

One need not share Fujishima’s affection for MotoGP (a sport that is explained in a few paragraphs of prose between the first and second chapters) or motorcycles to find pleasure in the comic, which is a surprisingly effective medium through which to convey the excitement of motorcycle racing. Really, there are few subjects better suited to a form of storytelling that involves speed lines. His enthusiasm for the sport isn’t just effectively communicated, it’s practically infectious.

It helps that the opening pages are set in a present in which Toppu is “the youngest MotoGP world champion,” 18-year-old Japanese rider Toppu Uno. As he straddles his bike on the track before the race, he looks up to the sky and says “Big Sis, I hope you’re watching.”

From there, we flash back to seven years ago, finding ourselves with questions, the intensity of which only increase as the pages are turned. How did Toppu get from being that little boy more interested in plastic models than motorcycles to competing to be a world champion? And what happened to Myne? The transition adds an overlying degree of suspense, atop of that which is found in the various chapters that make up this volume.

Filed under: Manga, Reviews

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments
KodaKosuke FujishimaToppu GP

About J. Caleb Mozzocco

J. Caleb Mozzocco is a way-too-busy freelance writer who has written about comics for online and print venues for a rather long time now. He currently contributes to Comic Book Resources' Robot 6 blog and ComicsAlliance, and maintains his own daily-ish blog at EveryDayIsLikeWednesday.blogspot.com. He lives in northeast Ohio, where he works as a circulation clerk at a public library by day.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

January 2023

My Sister, the Cat, vol. 1 | Review

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

January 2023

SHY, vol. 1 | Review

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

November 2022

Romantic Killer, vol. 1 | Review

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

October 2022

Dinosaur Sanctuary Vol. 1 | Review

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

October 2022

No Longer Heroine, vol. 1 | Review

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

Surprise! Announcing CABOOSE

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Jump Into this Guest Post by Shadra Strickland About Her Latest Book: Jump In!

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Kiss Number 8 | Review

by Johanna

Heavy Medal

What’s Coming in 2023, A Feedback Poll, and Goodbye for Now…

by Steven Engelfried

Teen Librarian Toolbox

WRITING FOR YOURSELF FIRST, a guest post by author M. K. Lobb

by Karen Jensen, MLS

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

A Book 25 Years in the Making: Marla Frazee Visits The Yarn

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

Graphic Novels for Armchair Campers | Stellar Panels

First-Person Graphic Memoirs: 17 Recommended Titles

26 Chapter Books, Middle Grade, and Graphic Novels for Latinx Heritage Month and Beyond

LibraryPass’s Comics Plus | Reference Database Review

First Second Launches History Comics | Stellar Panels

Commenting for all posts is disabled after 30 days.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Age Level
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Neverending Search
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Summer Programming Survey
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2023


COPYRIGHT © 2023