Baby Steps is such a great and frustrating manga as theres so much potential yet Jump editorial failed this series. If I were to compare it to other sports manga its like what Slam Dunk did for Basketball Haikyuu for Volleyball Major for Baseball and Hajime no Ippo for Boxing. What Baby Steps nails down is similar to its contemporaries which gives you a new sense of respect for the sport it is portraying. You feel like you have an understanding of what these athletes go through by following Maruos journey so intimately. I think what it portrays well is akin to Major that overall sense of grit. Its like being on the ground level and witnessing how chaotic a match of tennis can truly be that sense of unpredictability. I think one reason I love sports manga is that it can portray the perfect underdog story like it does with Major and Ippo. One aspect I love about Baby Step is its sense of realism. It feels more like Ippo and Major than something like Kuroko no Basket or Prince of Tennis. Even during the matches there are visible signs of fatigue muscle ache adrenaline and a more accurate depiction of the Zone than Ive seen in a lot of sports manga in which Kuroko no Basket makes it seem like a sort of superpower. I loved learning new techniques of tennis and old techniques appreciating that sense of culture and realising why sports can unify people and be so multicultural. It really helps that what Baby Steps depicts is not just solely Japan but the global scale like what Major did for Baseball. From ITF Future Series ATP Challenger Tour ATP Tour 250 ATP Tour 500 ATP Tour Masters to the Grand Slam. I think it at least gives you a sense of what players go through when they have to go to a higher level. Not being the usual best in Japan which is more typical for sports manga. Eiichirou Maruo is a refreshing protagonist. Hes definitely a highly gifted person going through so much in such a short time span his resolve and his remarkable memory and eyes. However he doesnt overcome easily quite the opposite he loses a considerable number of times. How he becomes so good at tennis in such a short time span seems ridiculous and probably unrealistic to a certain degree yet the author makes it feel believable. Hes the type of dude you want to root for you understand his frustrations which makes those heavy emotional moments hit hard. Theres something special about an incredible match. Where both parties learn and grow in the process. In a nutshell its character growth through action and even the opposite a regression. Theres so much that can be said but its best just to experience it. Another element a sports manga needs to execute is interesting side characters and opponents. Hikaru Katsuki does this in spades. There are a lot of interesting and compelling characters that Maruo meets and befriends. However this is not an ensemble like Ippo its closer to Major which is Gorous journey. From both Japanese and foreigners she does a very good job of fleshing them out while keeping the central focus on Maruo. The romance between Natsu and Maruo was surprisingly handled very well. Its not the stereotypical childhood friend its not rushed into a romance so quickly nor is it dragged for hundreds of chapters its just wellpaced. You get to care about both of these characters considerably. Natsu is a very good character who has her own goals and aspirations and the two onscreen are wonderful to see. It might be because a female author wrote this series but whatever the case both sexes are well represented. I should state that this manga isnt flawless sometimes she leans into shounen aspects and even as a novice I could tell that certain techniques seem higher level than they actually are. And if youre unwilling to accept the idea of a sports manga dedicated to tennis and coming of age then its probably not for you. I adore it but Im pretty open when it comes to sports manga. I think you should at least give it a shot even if its not a sport that you enjoy. Maybe you will appreciate it more as you read the series or watch the anime. The art style is very nice and the author clearly evolves as she continues the series. There are beginner hiccups like the character design for Maruo but she progressively gets better. The dialogue is kept to a minimum the panelling is very well done and the pacing for the matches is slow but very deliberate and welltimed. The art when it comes to actual matches is fantastic I very much love those spreads and she always does a good job at making them feel impactful. Especially when she conveys a sense of momentum but even during the emotional elements its very well handled. In conclusion Baby Steps has been a series Ive been following for at least a decade. I cant recall if I read it after the anime or just before it but immediately it captured my eyes. Ive been following the fan translation scene for a long time but at a certain point it became complete radio silence. Only recently did I discover it had been officially translated so I reread 300 or so chapters and then progressed through the new content. In this reread I recall those old memories its truly a journey. Its sad to hear about the cancellation of this incredible manga. Jump editorial couldnt appreciate it and I knew this before undergoing this reread and finishing the series. Its still sad to see potential just wasted in that fashion. It could have been an extra 200400 chapters pretty easily however the 464 chapters that we have are definitely worth it. I have a feeling the author knew well beforehand so she was able to scrap something up. The ending that we got didnt feel like an ending more like a beginning of a new arc. Im glad it didnt get cancelled earlier because here it feels like a decent compromise considering the circumstances. As a whole I would highly recommend this manga. 8.59/10 if the series didnt get cancelled 77.5/10 however will be the final result taking the ending into account