Ninja Baseball Kyuma! Volume 1

Kyuma is a young ninja-in-training who gets an unusual mission: he must trade in his sword and shuriken for a bat and glove to save the Moonstar baseball team from its losing streak. While he can run, catch and hit with astonishing strength and speed, Kyuma has one problem: he doesn’t understand what baseball is, much less how to play the sport.

With its slightly silly premise and straight-forward plot, Ninja Baseball Kyuma! offers young readers an entertaining introduction to shonen manga. While it's not the best sports manga you'll ever read, Kyuma's funny, fast-paced, feel-good adventures will leave kids smiling.

In Japan, children are introduced to comics almost as soon as they can read. In the U.S., the vast majority of manga released is geared toward teens, mostly due to its sometimes age-inappropriate humor and violence (at least for delicate American sensibilities). Udon Kids hopes to change that, with its kid-friendly sports manga series, Ninja Baseball Kyuma!

Its title, Ninja Baseball Kyuma! pretty much sums up the plot: a young ninja-in-training trades in his sword and shuriken for a baseball bat and gloves. Kyuma is the last of his clan, and trains in solitude in his mountain retreat with only his dog Inui to keep him company. Seemingly unaware of the nearby town and its modern culture, Kyuma lives in a feudal time warp. He pushes himself relentlessly to be a fearless ninja warrior, awaiting the day when he'll be called upon to use his skills in battle.

One day, Kyuma receives a new mission, but it's not what he expects: He's asked to defend the honor of the Moonstar City Club little league team on an usual battlefield, the baseball diamond. Kyuma is fast and strong, so running, catching and hitting the ball is no problem. However, he doesn't know the rules of the sport, so Kyuma's best efforts lead to some humorous missteps, like when his powerful batting just sends the ball straight up, or when he forgets to run the bases.

Despite his shortcomings, Kyuma's never-say-die attitude inspires his teammates to do better than they ever thought they could. And Kyuma? He makes some new friends and discovers that he can win 'battles' without drawing any blood.

Ninja Baseball Kyuma! a very simple story, but one that offers an appealing introduction to shonen manga for kids. It won't wow Naruto fans, but it just might create some new manga readers, and that's something worth believing in.