| Boys of Summer | |
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Cover of Boys of Summer vol. 1 (2007). Art by Hiroki Otsuka. |
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| Genre | Romantic comedy, sport |
| Author | Chuck Austen |
| Illustrator | Hiroki Otsuka |
| Publisher | Tokyopop |
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Other Publishers
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| Original run | 2007 – 2008 |
| Volumes | 3 |
Boys of Summer is a three volume Original English-language manga written by American Chuck Austen and illustrated by Japanese artist Hiroki Otsuka.[1] It is a romantic comedy that deals with the main character's relationships with women upon his arrival at college as well as his relationship with the school's baseball team. The series is published by Tokyopop and is rated as suitable for persons over the age of 16 as it contains scenes with partial nudity.
Contents |
The first volume of Boys of Summer was released May 9, 2006, running approximately 200 pages, and is the only volume that has seen print in the US. The second volume was released in October 2007 in Hungary. An omnibus edition, collecting all three volumes, was announced but never released.
In August 2009, Tokyopop announced that the remaining volumes would be released online, as part of their new online manga program. On September 23, 2009, the serialization of the second volume started on Tokyopop.com, with a new chapter scheduled each Wednesday.
Bud Waterston is an 18-year-old male "in full hormonal bloom" with a predilection for nosebleeds. After saying goodbye to his mother and siblings he leaves to attend Wilton State University two hours away with his best friend Manny. Bud is looking forward to meeting what he imagines are legions of scantily-clad young women but things do not begin well for him. Upon arrival he gets into a car accident and runs afoul of an upperclassman. When taking Manny to baseball tryouts, he discovers that the car he ran into is owned by the manager of the baseball team and the upperclassman, Jake, is the star pitcher. After an altercation with Jake that injures Bud and reveals he possess a high speed fastball with great control, he meets the manager's daughter, the team's starting catcher Chrissie.
Later, Chrissie approaches Manny to find out more about Bud—namely why he does not play baseball with his incredible skills. Later she finds him at a party thrown by Keeley, a sophomore girl living in his co-ed dorm. Finding Keeley in Bud's lap, she storms off and Bud follows arguing with her only to discover she lives across the hall from him. Afterwards Keeley appears and apologizes to Bud wondering if he and Chrissie are involved. Bud denies it and Keeley expresses an interest in Bud.
The next day Bud and Chrissie are heading down to breakfast together when they discover that Manny has not activated his dining card—meaning he cannot enter the cafeteria. Bud gives Manny his card and resigns himself to skipping breakfast but Chrissie volunteers to buy him something elsewhere and the two of them leave. While eating they talk and eventually the talk turns to baseball when Bud suddenly realizes that Chrissie is only being nice to him to get him to join the team and leaves insulted.
That evening Chrissie's father comes to Bud's dorm and offers not to report the damage Bud caused to his car in return for his joining the team. At first Bud resists but after discovering that Manny, also a catcher, probably will not make the team due to Chrissie and calling his mother and finding out the projected rise in the insurance premiums, he shows up to practice on one condition: only Manny can catch for him.