So not only is this my first review in the site ever but it is also an Ihaveonlyreadthisonce review. Well this is actually my second time writing this review because my phone hated me and deleted my first review... but we dont talk about that. Im not actually sure if I will reread this series again because it doesnt really give an incentive to why I should reread this manga other than to revisit the pleasure I had reading the fights and a few select moments. This should give enough idea of what the manga is like. Also I will give a preface on this review to clarify some things : This review is an evaluation of my personal experience and what Im doing by writing this review is not to give an objective analysis but to set up an expectation in which you should approach this manga not whether this manga is good or bad. First off Ill give an overview of the story. AllRounder Meguru is about two old friends Meguru Takayanagi and Takashi Yamabuki who met again after a long time in an amateur Shooto Japanese MMA contest. They both had backgrounds in Karate though they separated for a long time after their childhood. While Meguru fights for fun Yamabuki fights to get stronger. While Yamabuki sticks to his Karate roots only going for a purely knockout record Meguru is a fighter that can learn a technique from just seeing once adapt to a situation and improvise upon his arsenal without really specializing on one or two fields. This is the factor that differs them as they reach upon the proShooto world. For this review Ill be going over a few points : Characters Plot Fights and Themes. Characters The characters in AllRounder Meguru is good. They are given their own motives something to invest you with and have entertaining traits to them. However the manga doesnt really explore the characters in much depth. Reading the manga it feels there is some emotional distance between the readers and the story which makes me see AllRounder Meguru as a story that doesnt get overemotional over things. There is emotions in the story the character interactions ranges from funny absurd awkward but it rarely lingers on one emotion for too long before moving on. The most emotional moments in the story are spent without a dialogue lasting only for a half page. This is not a bad thing however. Not every story has to be one that jerks a tear out of your eye. Just be aware of this emotional distance when reading the story. On the characters themselves. A lot of the attention and spotlight are given to our two Karatekas : Meguru and Yamabuki. Coming in second are the close friends of Meguru and a few certain opponents like the old boxer guy and the leglock lunatic. And the rest are servicable. They serve as obstacles for the characters to overcome with little tidbits of character pieces to highlight them. But once they are defefated thats that and this is this. They are not exceptional characters but they are good and entertaining in their interactions. I think this line in the manga sums this part aptly Everyones got their own story. Not everyone can be winners. Plot Moving on to the plot one word to describe them is grounded. Dont expect any kind of crazy plots that boggles your head around. The story revolves around tournaments and contests as our characters try to go pro with some intermezzos that still eventually lead up to fights but they remain grounded and real even to the world around us. For example a charity and rebuilding project of an area afflicted with a recent natural disaster or some pieces of daily lives leading up to where the characters are now. Its nothing atypical but it suits perfectly well for a manga revolving around realistic martial arts world. Which brings us to the next section. Fights This is less of an analysis but more of a shill because Im still quite the newcomer to the MMA world enjoyer and a nonpractitioner myself but I must say the fights are the best aspect of AllRounder Meguru. I learned quite a lot regarding the rules and techniques its history and how fighters build themselves into the different types of martial arts. AllRounder Meguru also explores a good array of martial arts from obvious Karate to Boxing and Kickboxing to Judo and BJJ. I was surprised they were able to realistically portray Capoeira while also bringing it justice to its application in MMA yes it is possible look up Michael Pereira. It also presents MMA fights in a digestible way for the uninitiated teaching them all things MMA and treating us with the fights. From the techniques to the thinking process of the fighters to the glorious artwork of the fights. Discovering this manga during the time I was active on working out it actually motivated me to work harder and practice martial arts myself without ever fighting and its actually a great deal of fun. Sometimes just doing it for yourself can be good for you. Just as the old Karateka man said to YamabukiIm paraphrasingpracticing martial arts is good for you even if you are not fighting there is more to a fight than crushing your opponent. So hey this manga might give a positive impact to you. You might start working out or perhaps find yourself in the Hexagon one day who knows. Theme The then young Meguru once said to Yamabuki Do you want to be happy or get stronger or win? This will be the basis in which I examine the theme. Simply because of how aptly it gives a perspective into the world of martial arts of AllRounder Meguru and a perspective in which we can see the psychology of Meguru and Yamabuki. Meguru fights for fun while Yamabuki fights to get stronger. They believe that fighting fill them of the void they feel. Their lives are both unpleasant and full of hardships. And so they fought to get a reason as to why they should linger to this life. AllRounder Meguru doesnt dramatize the tragedies but it is undeniable how dark some of the things in their life are. And if you look further there are other very real things addressed within the story. Ever since the emergence of firearms martial arts has become trivialized once more as ever. The dynamics of power becomes destabilized and now its not just about sheer somatic strength or techniques but people with weapons could easily kill even the mightiest fighters. This is not the first time martial arts has been trivialized as back then martial arts has suffered under the usage of weapons amongst other things but now its gotten to the point of becoming an entertainment. So what is the purpose of learning these martial arts now? To fight? To defense yourself? To gain fame? Different people has different answers. But for Meguru and Yamabuki they find fulfillment in martial arts as it gives them a reason to fight and continue moving forward overcoming the hardships of life. Of course not all of them win and many have lost. But sometimes there is more to a fight than simply winning. When you win thats great. If you lose that sucks. But even then time continues and life goes on thats that and this is this. You will understand this when you reach the final chapter. Conclusion So should you read AllRounder Meguru? If you like MMA and realistic martial arts absolutely. Like I said it might have a positive impact on you. Just clarifying you might not see the kind of depth I see into the story as the manga itself is pretty straightforward its just a weird thing I do when examining a story. I hope this review sets up the right expectation for you when approaching the story and hopefully it might give the story some justice. I might not reread it but I enjoyed the times I had reading it from start to finish. So go ahead freebird read AllRounder Meguru. Also reaching the final chapter is worth it to see Yamabukis smile. Alright that was a tad bit creepy let me get a better one. There you go.