From my first introduction to it, two things about TENPINZ! immediately jumped out at me. First, this original English-language (“OEL”) manga is filled to the brim with awesome-looking characters of color, especially Black characters. Secondly, the series is all about bowling, a sport that hardly ever gets love in the world of sports manga and anime. Some quick searching around showed me a few random series here and there. Many of them were slice or life or shojo stories that merely happened to involve bowling. Even more, none of them took the shonen sports style to its limits, blending in elements of fantasy into the sport and turning each moment of it into a visual spectacle. Authors Dom Jimenez and Abraham Cuzner and illustrator Lamboski pour a volume of heart and soul into this story that very few manga capture even a fraction of.
TENPINZ! follows Adrian Fisher, a 15-year-old who stumbles into the world of bowling and the unique playstyles different players and teams have. The story does a good job early on of establishing that bowling is both a somewhat lesser-known sporting community but also one that is internally strong; most people aren’t aware of how intense the competitive scene is but those who are in it take it quite seriously. For Adrian’s part, he discovers that his family, namely his father, and multiple friends have deep connections to competitive bowling. From an expository point of view this is a good foundation for the story. It lets the reader simultaneously learn about bowling in the world of TENPINZ! while learning more and more about our main cast of characters.
The first volume explains both the foundations of standard bowling (i.e. the rules) while giving the reader insight into the extra shonen flare on top of the sport. The art is strong, the paneling is dynamic, and the characters cool. This is an OEL manga to check out and follow, especially if you’re a fan of sports series. Read on for some spoiler-free thoughts and commentary.
Bowling in TENPINZ! involves competitors using various “styles” named after elements and animals. For example, Fox style bowlers bowl with a fiery passion that even extends to their personalities. They’re blunt, talk smack during games, and have intense energy about them. Crane style bowlers calm their mind, become the eye of a storm, and then throw with the rage of harsh waves. And then more sinister, dark bowling styles send chills up spectators’ spines. Those who have seen anime and manga like Demon Slayer will recognize the elemental decorations attached to athleticism in TENPINZ!; bowlers are not actually summoning waves or gusts of wind but rather are performing physical feats with the characteristics of those elements, making onlookers feel the intensity characteristic of their style’s element and giving the art freedom to express the look of that element. This is probably my favorite part of the manga. Paneling is done such that the movements feel quick and snappy. Not too much space is given to background art when the focus is action and it more than pays off.
The styling of the elemental effects themselves reminds me of Avatar: the Last Airbender. Because of how powerful the illustrations of elements feel on the page, key action sequences in TENPINZ! are elevated beyond those of most other shonen sports manga. Like sports in real life, the key to peak performance relies on a clear mind, incredible focus, and conviction toward the game. Adrian uses “Hyper-Focus” along with steady emotions to enter a sort of flow state emblematic to peak athleticism. Adding flare, both figuratively and literally, is just icing on the cake.
The story setup in TENPINZ! volume 1 is occasionally a bit rushed, but not to the extent that it’s not followable and quite entertaining. The bulk of the volume focuses on a bowling competition that serves as an introductory tournament arc for our main cast to work through. This is great, but a lot of characters are introduced early on. Each team, bowling style, and character archetype is important and distinct and I want to see them all get more breathing room in future volumes to really shine. As with any tournament-style arc, a key point to the story is watching different teams and styles fight it out. In a sport like bowling where, unlike basketball, tennis, or football, there isn’t direct contact between the two sides, there is some difficulty in making the action feel less turn-based than bowling is. When I first heard about TENPINZ! this worry was where the bulk of my skepticism stemmed from.
Luckily for us readers, TENPINZ! handles this barrier quite well. Rather than put too much stock into just the bowling itself, the story focuses a lot on the morale of each team and how their performance manifests in their faces, moods, and attitudes. Since these things also are key components of each member’s unique style, the mental battle takes the place of what might be person-to-person contact in another sport. Add in active thought-commentary from the main character and you’ve got the workings of a non-contact sport that still conveys the feeling of two teams clashing against one another. All of these bowlers are also going to school together and their interactions there, both positive and negative, make their way to the bowling alley too. Adrian, like any good protagonist, is learning more about his past and his true self all the while and that reflects further and further in his relatively fledgling bowling style.
Overall, this a great start to the series. Like with any story, there are areas where I think TENPINZ! can certainly improve. But, unlike a lot of manga and comics I give a first read, I see all the tools in place for this series to be great. I feel confident that its story will tighten up as the foundational parts of the narrative are well and fully explained. I know for a fact that we’ll see even more exciting bowling styles and techniques. And it goes without saying that the strong art will remain strong and powerful on the page.
Volume 1 is available for purchase on Amazon. Volume 2 is currently available for pre-order on the author’s site linked here. Pre-orders of physical copies of the second volume will be signed by the creator.
Images from Webtoon
TENPINZ! © 2023 by Dominic Jimenez.