Title: Crossover Vol. 1
Artist/Author: 瀬尾公治 (Kouji Seo)
Book Size/Pages: Small B-6, 200pp., w/furigana
Volume: 1/7
Original Serialization: Weekly Shonen Magazine Vol. 25, '02 - Vol. 29, '02
First Printing: 10/17/02
Rating: 4/4

This is the previous work of the author who is currently doing Suzuka in Shonen Magazine. I have more than half the series already as I started my magazine subscription just a few months after Crossover started, but never really paid attention as I wrote it off as just another sports manga that I didn't have the time to read. But like I've said before, I'm less discrimintory, and I like Suzuka, so I decided to start this series.

To my surprise, I enjoyed this first volume. Unlike Suzuka, this series leans more towards the sports side more than the romance side, but it still kept the relation between the hero and the heroine in the forefront.

Bonus includes a profile of Natsuki and Mizuki and two pages of fan art.

1. 檸檬 (Lemon): 緒方なつき (Natsuki Ogata) was the star of his middle school basketball team and will soon need to pick the high school that he wants to attend. All his teammates think that he should go to 藤ノ原 (Fujinohara) High as that school has one of the best basketball team in the nation. He goes and tries out. Despite being short, he's really fast and out-maneuvers the other players and catches the attention of the coach. Later as he's walking out in the snow, he meets 橘水希 (Mizuki Tachibana), who serves as the team manager for another high school's team, Mariannu. The team is very weak, but have a strong sense of unity. Today, they're going to be playing Fujinohara as the final game of the season. Mizuki invites Natsuki to come and gives him a sample of her lemon slices, something that she gives the team for good luck. It's a blowout, but Natsuki sees that the coach for Fujinohara isn't satisfied with his team's performance and is rather harsh on them. During the game, one of the players on Mariannu gets injured and with no replacement players, the opposing coach tells them it's a wash. Mizuki pleads with him to allow the game to finish out of respect for the seniors, but he pushes her aside causing her to spill her lemons.

2. 門出 (Departure): After seeing Mizuki get abused, Natsuki jumps in to play. He doesn't reverse the 150+ point deficit, but manages to score one last basket after executing his specialty move, the crossover. After the game, the coach for Fujinohara comes up to him and tells him that he's been accepted to join his basketball team. The Mariannu team comes out later and asks him what high school he's going to. He responds saying that he didn't make it to Fujinohara and will go to Mariannu instead.

3. 新入部員 (New Team Members): High school has started and at the first day of practice, Natsuki meets a fellow new member, 片山英二 (Eiji Katayama). To Natsuki's surprise, Eiji's long reach gives Natsuki some difficulties in trying to out-maneuver him. Meanwhile, the other prospective members of the team try their best to dribble.

4. 王者の理由 (The King's Reason): Natsuki and Eiji have become somewhat rivals, on the court and even for Mizuki. They decide to go and scout out Fujinohara's practice and there, they see 前田隼人 (Hayato Maeda), a new star player who is similar to Natsuki in size and specialty.

5. Basket Boys in Spa: The Mariannu team hangs out at Natsuki's aunt's hot springs as Natsuki tells stories about his experiences on his middle school basketball team. The team captain later announces that their first game will be against 笹谷北 (Sasayakita), the school that Natsuki's ex-teammates attend.

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