Hideo Nitta

This is a graphic novel I ordered for use in my secondary science classes. Nitta describes the adventures of Megumi, a star tennis player who struggles in her physics classes. With the help of her friend Nonomura, Megumi uses tennis to understand physics. In addition, each chapter of anime is followed by a section of text and mathematics which explains in detail topics which were introduced in the story. The anime portions of the text are likely to engage students who are reluctant to study physics, and the explanatory sections will help all students better understand what happened in the narrative.

One problem with the text is the fact that, like all of the manga guide books, the plot centers on a struggling female student who is rescued from ignorance by a male student. This reinforces sexist stereotypes which are harmful for my female students. Rather than telling the story of a struggling female student who only understands physics when her male friend explains it through tennis, the authors could have told the story of Megumi, a star athlete who uses her tennis expertise to explain physics to the reader.… (plus d'informations)