But as we see in the final confrontation, she's willing to take the lead action-wise, if the need calls for it. Wiz is a smart and crafty mage who is just as likely to try to logic the situation out as go in guns blazing. It also helps that Bosma's pair of main characters work well together, even if they don't exactly get alone. There's just enough winks and nods and the idea that the primary fight is one of hoops that it pulls the story outside the traditional framework enough that anyone not as invested in Shonen stories could (and definitely will) still enjoy this one.
That's not too far from Dororo or Bleach, but Fantasy Sports approaches things in a way that's fresh and unique. The story is Shonen at its heart, and follows the pattern to the letter, even if the details along the way are very different: Somewhat unhappy youngster with adults who stifle him/her encounters a monster that is impossibly large and powerful, yet finds a way to win. However, Bosma understands what he's trying to do and makes it work with nary a hitch. In the wrong hands, this could go terribly wrong, with too many winks and nods, in an attempt to show how clever the creator is. ("Well, if all the boys is all dead, I guess that makes me Cap'n now, don't it?") Bosma, who works on Stephen Universe for Cartoon Network, throws in the winks and nods that have been a hallmark of modern animation for kids here, mixing the homage to Japanese comics with a flavor that's entirely Millennial. There's the deadpanning skeleton guard, who plays the part of the modern-thinking, self-aware henchman. Wiz flips the bad guy-an ancient mummy who morphs into a gigantic, NBA-styled player for the game-the bird at one point.
The sport in question is basketball, and they're playing horse.
First, the co-main character-and the one who must rise to save the day-is the plucky girl, not a young boy (though visually, she's a bit ambiguous, with no obvious curves and a hairstyle that's similarly suited to either gender). Yet on the other hand, there's so much about this that is perfectly modern. It wouldn't be out of place in an anthology with Tezuka, and the influence is clearly shown on Bosma's artistic sleeve. On the one hand, it's got the vibe of the early years of Manga, with two comically sized characters paired together, a boss whose chin could double as the letter "V", gigantic eyes on Wiz, and lots of semi-posing when the characters go to speak. This is such a strange beast, but it's absolutely brilliant. She'd love to change partners, but isn't given a choice, and now they're an unlikely tag team in a basketball game of life and death in the delightful Fantasy Sports #1. Wiz, an intern with the Mage Guild, is paired up with a grizzled veteran who barrels his way through missions.
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