I have complicated feelings about finishing Kasane no Tao. Aside from just how long it’s taken me to do so, the final volume still maintains the series spirit but totally feels rushed. Also, a similar issue for volume 7 occurred that happened with La Magnifique Grande Scene volume 2, so I’m already imagining other Media Do International manga at some unspecified point getting uploaded incorrectly and you had to read right to left despite going right. (Media Do, what happened here?!?)
Overall though, it’s more feeling that a good series is suddenly over, and now I have to say goodbye to Kasane and her golf journey relatively quickly.
Volume 6 of Kasane no Tao has Kasane wondering how Chip’s doing after he learned his little sister was involved in an accident, but she’s secured the QT recommendation. As preparation, she and her fellow Irozaki member Koga are sent by Hogen to train with someone they happen to know — Jambo Otokozaki! Yep, Kasane gets to not just see him, but learn how to improve her golf game under his tutelage. It starts…by belting out Yuzu in front of Jambo and his members.
Karaoke might seem like a strange way to kick off one’s time there, but the purpose is to handle being watched…and there will be people watching. Volumes 6 and 7 shows Kasane being watched in a way she’s never had to be watched before, from the men who think she’s just a pretty face, to the media covering her every swing, to not even your average pros — some Top 100 pros eventually see how she plays golf. So in that respect, having a group of golfing buddies hearing you sing is child’s play, honestly! (And also, everyone at Otokozaki had to do karaoke, and that includes Koga, who sucks).
But while she is being shown ways on improving her golf, her stay ultimately is more a lesson on going from amateur to pro. Why not learn from one of the very best pros to do it? Heck, we even get a backstory on Jambo — from him just scraping by to learning how to commit to the golf lifestyle — that fuels Kasane to deal with what comes her way. His wife, Michiko, even ends up inspiring her, but in a different fashion — and I mean both versions of fashion! When she arrives, Michiko spends a good amount of time with Kasane, and that means bringing her to shop for food and also making sure she dresses like a girl when they do so. There is an unfortunate backstory that drives how she treats Kasane, but Michiko genuinely wants to help Kasane be the best while on the golf course.
That means donning specific battle-gear!
Though, funny enough, Kasane’s mother (with the “help” of her father…help in quotes as a secret stash being found may have been involved!) ends up also delivering battle gear as well, but one she can afford, and one that emphasizes who Kasane is now. It’s not just any young woman coming to play golf. This young woman was motivated by Otokozaki and then trained by Hogen. She wanted 100 million yen, and she’s gonna compete to get it at her very best.
The end of Volume 6 and into 7 then moves into the QT practice groups, where Kasane gets paired up with an eccentric group of golfers. How eccentric? One’s mysteriously accurate with his shot, one was a former baseball pitcher who now is a golfer, and another’s called the death god. In fact, the death god (real name Shiga) has a reputation for causing bad luck just if you look at him, so the following happening to Kasane:
- She shook his hand
- She talked to him more than once
- Was saved by him when, while climbing a tree to get one of her golf balls, she slips
Ensures bad luck will come her way! But from this series alone, that’s not something you can stress about. Well, to be more accurate, dealing with poor luck is not great, but this series has gone over how many things can happen on the course that’s out of your control. And ultimately, we’ll have to deal with any out of control situation that comes our way and handle it as best we can. So mentally, continuing to remain sharp is what makes not just a great golfer, but a great anything. And it won’t be perfect, but understanding who you are and what you’re capable of can go a long way.
So for Kasane, she certainly encounters bad luck in her group round, even having to swing at a ball in the water (and the manga emphasizes her doing this while wearing a skirt!). But, as taught by Hogen and from her own experiences, staying resolute is what pushes her through — and eventually, the luck pendulum can swing her way. And well, we move onto Day 2 of QT practice, and she’s basically going after it, despite what anyone says, because Kasane sure can golf with the best of them.
Do we see her golf with the best of them? That’s where the complicated feelings emerge. In one way, this happens, but in another way, it ends with her just about to put on a show in front of fellow players and fans. We can only imagine what her future is in our heads. The fact is, there was a goal she did want to accomplish, but the way it occurs in the final volume feels fairly rushed. First of all, I’ll admit it…if the Tao metaphor was used in prior volumes I’ll own it, but it really didn’t ring a bell to me. It also sure felt convenient for Hogen to bring up what Kasane’s ultimate goal is as an opportunity emerges that she can’t really pass up in this manner. After all, this was what she wanted, and she’ll be able to do it by taking part in it.
Then second, the way Hogen explains what Kasane can do just feels like the manga was told it was going to end soon and here’s the justifications for why this new scenario is popping up. It still doesn’t invalidate her journey to get to this point, but it feels like there’s more to the story than what was shown. One point in that is how the series basically dropped Chip like a bad habit. We really just gonna end his arc like that? Not even an update on his status? Just felt like for someone that competed with Kasane, to not know his future, even if a brief mention, felt like a big oversight.
And finally, we’ve seen Kasane grow up from the small bean she was to an extremely skilled, beautiful golfer, and it pains me that we don’t see what she does in her future, whether it is in men’s golf, or women’s golf, or how she helps her family with the money she earns. And there’s no sequel to this, so this is the best we’re gonna get.
Also, maybe the way I had to read Volume 7 also was a factor. I won’t deny it.
But in the end, Kasane no Tao was just great. It managed to explain the game of golf and have matches in a manner that was compelling to read from start to finish. Kasane’s journey from working at a no-name golf clinic to competing against the boys to her talent shining around the country was a real treat. While compared to other Media Do International localizations when this came out, this one actually was competent, but this series overall still features some average lettering issues and a couple of typos. Nothing egregious to the point where it can’t be read.
So really, unless some miracle happens and another publisher puts this out, Kasane no Tao is a worthwhile manga — not just a worthwhile sports manga, a worthwhile manga to check out despite its issues. Also as of this review each volume is only $3.99, so hey, at least it’s not something that’ll kill your wallet.
