Farewell My Dear Cramer Review: Girls Who Are Better at Soccer Than Anyone Around Them Finally Find a Team Worth Playing For
by Naoshi Arakawa
*Affiliate link — I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Quick Take
- Girls' soccer in Japan, told with the same technical seriousness as any boys' soccer manga — Naoshi Arakawa (Your Lie in April) takes the sport and its players completely seriously
- 10 volumes, complete; the finest girls' soccer manga in English
- A sequel to the author's earlier soccer manga, readable standalone
Who Is This Manga For?
- Readers who want sports manga about women athletes depicted without condescension
- Soccer fans who want a team sports manga with genuine tactical content
- Fans of Your Lie in April who want Arakawa's craft in a completely different genre
- Readers who want completed sports manga that covers a full competitive arc
Content Warnings & Age Rating
Age Rating: T (Teen) Content Warnings: Sports competition intensity
Standard T-rated sports manga.
Yu's Rating
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Story Depth | ★★★★☆ |
| Art Style | ★★★★★ |
| Character Development | ★★★★☆ |
| Accessibility for Non-Japanese Readers | ★★★★★ |
| Reread Value | ★★★★☆ |
Story Overview
Nozomi Onda is one of the best midfielders in her region. She has been playing with boys because no girls' team around her plays at her level. She enters high school at Warabi Seiwa, which has a girls' soccer team with a new coach trying to rebuild it.
The team becomes a gathering point for other talented players who similarly had nowhere to go — Suo Atsumi, a striker who has been playing for the wrong reasons, and others whose skills exceed what they had been allowed to do.
The 10 volumes follow Warabi Seiwa's rise through regional competition as a team that was assembled from players who did not fit elsewhere.
Characters
Nozomi Onda — Her specific skill set — reading play before it develops, connecting teammates — is the series' primary tactical showcase. She is not a striker; she is the player who makes everyone else work.
Suo Atsumi — The striker whose specific emotional relationship with scoring and with the game gives the series its most complex character arc.
Midori Soshizaki — The team's goalkeeper, whose presence and growth provide the series' defensive perspective.
Art Style
Arakawa's art is exceptional — the match sequences have the spatial clarity that good sports manga requires, showing formations and movement rather than just individual moments. The character designs are distinct and the emotional sequences between matches are handled with the same craft he brought to Your Lie in April.
Cultural Context
Women's soccer in Japan has had a complicated recent history — the national team (Nadeshiko Japan) won the FIFA World Cup in 2011, creating enormous attention for the women's game, but the domestic league structure has faced challenges. The series engages with the specific situation of women players in Japan — the lower professional infrastructure, the way talented girls are redirected or overlooked — as background to the competitive story.
What I Love About It
The match tactics. Arakawa clearly researched how soccer actually works at a technical level — formations, positioning, the difference between different player roles — and this technical content is integrated into the narrative rather than presented as exposition. Watching Onda operate as a midfielder who makes her teammates better is more interesting than watching a striker score goals.
What English-Speaking Fans Say
Western readers who found Farewell My Dear Cramer describe it as filling a gap — girls' sports manga with the same technical seriousness as boys' sports manga is rare. Arakawa's name brings readers expecting his dramatic quality; the sports context surprises them. The anime adaptation (2021) expanded the series' Western audience.
Memorable Scene ⚠️ Spoiler Warning
The match that determines whether Warabi Seiwa advances — where Onda's specific tactical vision is tested against a team that has identified and prepared for her — is the series' most complete soccer sequence.
Similar Manga
- Haikyu!! — Team sports, individual growth within ensemble
- Whistle! — Soccer, similar team-building structure
- Your Lie in April — Same author, completely different genre
- Chihayafuru — Women's competitive sport at this level of seriousness
Reading Order / Where to Start
Volume 1 — the series is readable without knowledge of the author's earlier soccer work.
Official English Translation Status
Vertical published the complete 10-volume series. All volumes available.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- 10 volumes, complete
- Best girls' soccer manga in English
- Arakawa's art brings exceptional match sequence quality
- The tactical content is genuine
Cons
- Some familiarity with soccer tactics helps
- 10 volumes moves quickly through what could have been a longer story
- The team-building setup requires patience before the competition begins
Format Comparison
| Format | Notes |
|---|---|
| Individual Volumes | Vertical; standard |
| Digital | Available |
Where to Buy
Get Farewell My Dear Cramer Vol. 1 on Amazon →
This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
*Affiliate link — I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Written by
Yu
Manga Enthusiast from Japan
I grew up in Japan and manga literally saved me during a tough time in elementary school. My English isn't perfect, but my love for manga is real — and I want to share it with you.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.