Gothic Sports is a German manga-styled book created by Anike Hage. The protagonist is a young girl named Anya, who is adjusting to her new school. When Anya tries to join various sports teams, she is repeatedly rejected. Because of this, she forms her own soccer team, thus creating the first Gothic Lolita soccer team. The book was licensed by Tokyopop for English distribution, with the first volume released on July 1, 2007.[1] Soon after, other volumes were released.[2][3]

Gothic Sports
Front cover of the first volume of Gothic Sports.
Publication information
PublisherTokyopop
Genre
Publication date1 July 2007 - April 2010
No. of issues5
Creative team
Created byAnike Hage

Release date edit

  • Volume 1 was released on July 1, 2007[1]
  • Volume 2 was released on October 1, 2007.[4]
  • Volume 3 was released on January 8, 2008.[5]
  • Volume 4 was released in January 2010.[6][7]
  • Volume 5 was released in Germany in April 2010. It was released in Spain by Dreamers.[8][9]

Plot edit

Anya arrives at Lucrece High School on her first day and is hoping to play for one of the sports teams. She first tries to play basketball, but is rejected by the coaches and other students because of her height. Anya then decides to join the soccer team. There, she meets Julia, who is already a member of the team but never gets to play any games, because the school team is one of the best and the coach is worried that having girls on the team would weaken it.

This discrimination inspires Anya to go to the principal of the school, who agrees to let her form her own team with one condition; Her team must have a test match against the school's official team. Anya, with help from her friends, forms a team consisting of the "misfits" of the school. She starts with Luise (commonly called Loo), whom she has known since elementary school, and Felicitas (commonly called Filiz) who is known for her Gothic Lolita style of dress. Filiz's style gets the team noticed, especially when she designs the team uniforms which have a clear Gothic Lolita style: mostly black with a dark maroon stripe down one side and a smaller stripe crossing it along the top. The boys on the team have similar red stripes on their shorts, while the girls wear skirts with the red stripes along with striped stockings with lace. The girls also wear lace collars.

The team eventually attracts 11 members needed to form a team. The side consists of Delia, who acts as the coach of the team and has a close personal relationship with the coach of the official school team (in the third book he is revealed to be her ex-boyfriend); Leon, who Anya has hated since elementary ever since he accidentally killed her hamster; Kevin, a musician known for his temper; Fraternal twins Alexia and Hannes, who joined in support of Anya after she was denied the chance to join the basketball team; Ellis, who is not as strong as the other players; and Olga, who likes Renaissance fashion.

Throughout the graphic novels, there are some unidentified characters in the stories. The group is made up of a small number of students (chiefly a group of three). They are presumed to be from another school, who are interested in facing Anya's team in a match. These characters have been seen watching, taking pictures of, and discussing the fledgling team. Their identities have not yet been revealed.[10]

The books follow the school team, named "Gothic Sports", as they train and try to compete against other school football teams, including their main rivals, Lucrece High School's official team.[7]

Media edit

Graphic novels edit

The series is also licensed in French by Soleil Manga,[11] and in Finland by Pauna Media Group.[12] and in Denmark by Carlsen.

No. Original release date Original ISBN North American release date North American ISBN
01 February 2006[13]978-3-86580-194-4May 8, 2007[14]978-1-59816-992-8
02 January 2007[15]978-3-86580-194-4September 11, 2007[14]978-1-59816-993-5
03 September 2007[16]978-3-86719-128-9January 8, 2008[14]978-1-59816-994-2
04 January 2009[17]978-3-86719-129-6
05 April 2010[18]978-3-86719-130-2

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Gothic Sports, Vol. 1". goodreads.com. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  2. ^ "Gothic Sports Digital Comics - Comics by comiXology". comixology.com. Archived from the original on July 9, 2014. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  3. ^ Hage, Anike (8 May 2007). Gothic Sports Volume 1. TokyoPop. ISBN 978-1598169928.
  4. ^ Gothic Sports manga volume 2. TOKYOPOP. 2020-04-13. ISBN 978-1-4278-6433-8.
  5. ^ Gothic Sports manga volume 3. TOKYOPOP. 2020-04-13. ISBN 978-1-4278-6436-9.
  6. ^ "Gothic Sports Vol.4 Chapter 20.1 : Assistance - Mangakakalot.com". mangakakalot.com/. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  7. ^ a b "Gothic Sports Series by Anike Hage". goodreads.com. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  8. ^ "The Dreamers: Lanzamientos Editorial Dreamers Salón Del Comic De Barcelona". Archived from the original on 2022-02-17. Retrieved 2008-04-01.
  9. ^ amazon.com https://www.amazon.com/gp/bookseries/B00CJDHHUC/ref=dp_st_1598169947. Retrieved 2020-07-03. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ^ "Gothic Sports Vol. 4". nautiljon.com (in French). Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  11. ^ "Soleil Manga ::: Toutes les mangas !" [Soleil Manga ::: All the manga!]. Soleil Manga. Archived from the original on 9 September 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2009.
  12. ^ "Vanhoja julkaisuja" (in Finnish). Pauna Media Group. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
  13. ^ "Bücher: Manga :Gothic Sports 1" (in German). Tokyopop. Archived from the original on 23 May 2009. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
  14. ^ a b c "Gothic Sports". Tokyopop. Archived from the original on 23 August 2009. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
  15. ^ "Bücher: Manga :Gothic Sports 2" (in German). Tokyopop. Archived from the original on 16 August 2009. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
  16. ^ "Bücher: Manga :Gothic Sports 3" (in German). Tokyopop. Archived from the original on 16 August 2009. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
  17. ^ "Bücher: Manga :Gothic Sports 4" (in German). Tokyopop. Archived from the original on 16 August 2009. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
  18. ^ "Bücher: Manga :Gothic Sports 5" (in German). Tokyopop. Archived from the original on 2 March 2010. Retrieved 28 October 2010.