Yuunagi ni Mae, Boku no Ribbon

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After Rintarou sees a woman performing rhythmic gymnastics with a ribbon, he becomes determined to learn the sport himself and doesn't give up. He fights for his passion and finds his purpose in life.

What I love most about this manga is its answer to the question: Why is he doing this? Why does he endure all the negative consequences and limitations? Because he enjoys it. That’s it—and I love the simplicity of that wish. He doesn’t care about winning competitions, he just likes doing what he loves. It’s an unspoken invitation to others: to support him, and to find their own passion in life. That’s ... what real inspiration looks like.

He takes something and makes it his own, imbuing it with personal meaning, without trying to forcefully change the system. His goal isn’t to bulldoze his way to the top or win just for recognition. His goal is to pursue what he loves, and he finds a new, personal path to do that. That’s admirable, and that’s what I love most about this manga.

Objectively speaking, the characters could use a bit more development, and the story is essentially a retelling of the film Billy Elliot, which I saw a long time ago but honestly couldn’t really connect with. Still, the story follows a classic structure—and classics endure for a reason: because they work.

The story is really emotional. Rintarou’s determination ends up shaping not only his own life but also the people around him—not just in terms of sports, but also in how they deal with their own fears, goals, and dreams for the future.

The art style is fantastic and fits the story perfectly. The dancing poses are dynamic, and the characters' emotions and expressions are so vividly and beautifully drawn that you truly feel what they feel.

Yuunagi ni Mae, Boku no Ribbon really spoke to me on a personal level. It’s the combination of all its individual elements that come together to form something special. It’s a deeply emotional story with a fitting art style, and I recommend it without a second thought.

Set in 1984, Hiroshima, ‘Yuunagi’ is a powerful manga packed with emotion—a boy finds a new passion in Ribbon Gymnastics Dancing. However, it is a sport that was (and still is) seen as ‘for girls’; meaning he will face many hardships trying to persue this new passion.
Backdropping this story is a family life where the main characters mother has recently passed away, leaving his father harsher and colder than before; and his sister picking up the pieces. The dynamics between these three characters are very well established and I am excited to see them explored further into the story—already, the sister has surprised me with ... the realistic and heartfelt writing of their relationship.
Another notable character is the Gymnastics Teacher, who wonderfully encourages our protagonist to follow his dreams despite knowing he will face some ridicule for them. I enjoy how she does not sugarcoat her feedback and thoughts, but still is a truly kind and motivating teacher. I see the character writing as the strongest part of the story, and as this is a very character driven tale it works immensely well!
Of course, another highlight is the gorgeous artstyle—you can see from the cover of the MAL page that Kurokawa is masterful at beautifully depicting motion and elegance in their characters.
The delicate artwork and storytelling combine with the raw emotions at play to bring this manga to life in a truly special way—definitely one to read!

While this manga has a great art style and decent pacing, the main issue with the story is that it is too similar to a very famous British movie from the year 2000 called Billy Elliot. In 1984, a kid from a working class home during hard economic times confronting several family issues is trying to express himself in an activity heavily associated with women. Unlike Real Clothes, which is a manga heavily inspired by a movie called The Devil Wears Prada but only for its beginning, this manga seems like Billy Elliot throughout the whole two volumes. Since even the starting year of both ... stories (1984) seem to be no coincidence, I imagine the author was trying to make some sort of homage or reference, but there is a limit to how much you use from your source of inspiration. The problem isn't even plagiarism. It is more that you are setting your work to be directly compared with a famous critically acclaimed movie. While the people who will probably read this review will most likely lean more towards this manga, I particularly prefer the British movie.