Mr. Fullswing

Mr. Fullswing (ミスターフルスイング) is a manga written and illustrated by Shinya Suzuki. It was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine, and collected in 24 tankōbon.

The main character, Saruno Amakuni, is a loser at attracting girls, perverted, easy to get into trouble, but has great strength of heart and body. He is accompanied by Kengo Sawamatsu, which work together to fulfill Saruno's dream: dating Nagi Torii, Junishi baseball team manager. To do so, he enters Junishi baseball club, only to find many obstacles, new friends and rivals, awaiting him there. And he is total amateur at baseball.

Saruno, however, determined to win Nagi's heart, and with Kengo's help, joined Junishi baseball team and struggles to find someplace and fame for himself, and for winning Nagi.

Mr. Fullswing often features Saruno running a joke, sometimes nonsensical (in a scene, it is shown Saruno bleeding a lot, but fully recovers after the prank). The joke also parodies many other well-known manga, such as Dragon Ball, Kindaichi Case Files, Gundam, et cetera.

Plot
Amakuni Saruno is a 15 year old student of Junishi High School. As a teenage boy, he desperately tries to find a girlfriend. Being fed up with seeing all the girls fall in love with high school athletes, he decides to join a sports-club himself. He starts looking around at the different sports clubs with the guidance of his friend, Kengo Sawamatsu. They go to check out the weight lifting club (of which there is only one member, a large, frighteningly buff guy), only for Saruno to see a girl that he assumes to be the manager of the club and show off for her. After sufficiently hurting himself, he helps the girl, Nagi Torii, carry some weights off somewhere, and while talking to her finds out that she is actually a manager for the baseball club, not the weight lifting club. Saruno decides to join the baseball club so he can win the heart of Torii.

In joining the club, Saruno finds himself to be very weak compared to other tryouts, surpassing others only in hitting ball. He barely manages to get into last test phase, 5-innings training. He, with other low-ranked entrees, has to survive 5-innings against team composed of high-ranked entrees. In this game, he met Chounosuke Nezu (pitcher), Mei Inukai (pitcher), Pino Tomaru (second), Aoi Shiba (shortstop), Shinji Tatsuragawa (catcher), that forms core of baseball team. In process, Saruno's team manages to pass the test with Saruno breaking the Muranaka record, hitting the school clock.

After the entry test, Saruno again finds himself underpowered against seniors of Junishi baseball club. Regular players of Junishi shows their own strengths, which makes them regular. Two weeks after intense training, the team sets out to Izu, to find more intense training awaits. It is also selection test for regular team players.

Characters

 * Amakuni Saruno (猿野天国)
 * The main character. Third baseman.  Saruno is a fifteen-year-old freshman in high school.  He is loud, obnoxious, and perverted and often cracks corny jokes.  Saruno tries several sports clubs in his desperation to find a girlfriend and finally settles on baseball in an attempt to win the affections of its manager, Torii Nagi, a polite and sweet girl who used to play softball.  Saruno acts before he thinks and constantly exaggerates his baseball abilities despite the fact that he is a complete beginner.  But although his bragging is empty, he has an amazingly powerful swing, and has the potential to become a great baseball player.  He is the only person to have surpassed Juunishi's legendary "Mr. Fullswing" Muranaka by accomplishing the same feat that earned Muranaka his record:  hitting the school clock with a baseball from the baseball field.


 * Nagi Torii (鳥居凪)
 * Baseball team manager. She is a polite, sweet, supportive, and quiet girl who used to play softball in junior high.  She loves baseball and wants to be around the sport even though she can't play it very well.  She is the reason that Saruno decides to join the baseball club.


 * Kengo Sawamatsu (沢松健吾)
 * Saruno's best friend and adviser. Their friendship is questionable sometimes, though, as they make fun, yell at and fight each other often. Sawamatsu helps Saruno train for the entrance exam to the baseball club.

Note
The school's name and the names of the 12 main characters' are connected to Chinese zodiac (Juunishi), such as Saruno (Monkey), Nezumi (Rat), Inukai (Dog), Tatsuragawa (Dragon), Shiba (Horse), Tomaru (Rabbit), Ushio (Ox), Kotetsu (Tiger), Hitsujitani (Sheep), Hebigami (Snake), Torii (bird), and Inori (Pig).

Another interesting note is that Yomiuri Giants slugger Michihiro Ogasawara has the nickname "Mr. Fullswing," but it is unknown whether this is related to the manga or not.

Volumes

 * 1) November 2001
 * 2) January 2002
 * 3) 2002-04-04
 * 4) 2002-06-04
 * 5) September 2002
 * 6) 2002-11-01
 * 7) 2002-12-20
 * 8) 2003-04-04
 * 9) 2003-06-04
 * 10) 2003-09-04
 * 11) 2003-11-04
 * 12) 2004-02-04
 * 13) 2004-04-02
 * 14) 2004-06-04
 * 15) 2004-09-03
 * 16) 2004-11-04
 * 17) 2005-02-04
 * 18) 2005-05-02
 * 19) 2005-08-04
 * 20) 2005-10-04
 * 21) 2006-01-05
 * 22) 2006-03-03
 * 23) 2006-06-02
 * 24) 2006-09-04