Aozakura Bouei Daigakkou Monogatari

A manga about a young man from a poor family that decides to attend the National Defense Academy of Japan to save money. There he learns discipline and duty as he begins his journey to becoming a commanding officer.

We’ve discussed this on an older episode.

This is one of the few manga I read regularly in Weekly Shonen Sunday. I like the comradely the protagonist gains with his fellow students as they train under the watchful eye of their seniors. It’s also an interesting look into the daily life at the National Defense Academy, which actually exists in Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan. It seems very similar to the United States Military Academy West Point. While might seem like this propagandized entertainment but I think Hikaru Nikaidou does a good job of balancing the brutal schedule the students face with the merits of strict training.

~dakazu