My Heavenly Hockey Club Manga Editions Guide

My Heavenly Hockey Club Manga Editions — One English Release, Here’s What You Need to Know

My Heavenly Hockey Club (極楽・青春ホッケー部), created by Ai Morinaga (森永あい), was published in English by Del Rey Manga, and that’s the only English edition that has ever existed. There are 8 English volumes total.

The original Japanese series was published by Kodansha and ran for 14 volumes between April 2005 and December 2009. The series is complete in Japan — it has a definitive beginning, middle, and end.

Del Rey Manga was the manga publishing division of Del Rey Books (a Ballantine Books imprint under Random House). It published a number of titles throughout the 2000s but eventually ceased manga operations. When that happened, many of its licenses — the legal rights to translate and sell specific manga in English — transferred to Kodansha Comics USA. However, not every Del Rey title got picked up in that transition. A title that loses its license this way and doesn’t get picked up by another publisher is sometimes described as being in limbo — no one currently holds the English publishing rights, so no new editions can be produced.

What does that mean for My Heavenly Hockey Club? It means there’s one English edition, it’s out of print, and no new printings are expected unless the title gets relicensed — something that hasn’t happened as of now.

The series itself is a comedy sports manga centered on field hockey, aimed at a teen audience with no mature content concerns. It follows Hana Suzuki, a girl who loves sleeping and eating more than anything, as she gets roped into joining the field hockey club at a wealthy school. The club members are a group of eccentric rich kids, and the comedy comes from the clash between Hana’s laid-back personality and the absurd situations the club gets into. It’s lighthearted, funny, and a distinctive entry among sports manga because it leans so heavily into comedy rather than intense competition.

Del Rey English Edition at a Glance

Here’s a quick reference table for the only English edition of this series:

The English volumes follow the standard single-volume paperback format typical of Del Rey’s manga releases from that era. Like nearly all manga published in English, these books read right-to-left — meaning you open the book from what would be the “back” of a Western book and read panels from right to left across each page. This is the standard format for translated manga and preserves the original Japanese reading direction. Del Rey releases generally included translation notes and maintained solid production quality, so if you find copies in good condition, they hold up well as physical objects.

The big number to pay attention to in that table is the gap between 8 English volumes and 14 Japanese volumes. That’s the central question for anyone considering buying these My Heavenly Hockey Club manga editions, and it deserves its own section.

Is the Full Story Available in English?

This is the most important thing to understand before you start buying volumes: the English release has 8 volumes, while the Japanese release has 14 — and the English edition does not cover the complete story.

Here’s why that’s the case. Some manga are released in English as combined editions (sometimes called omnibus editions, where two or more original volumes are bundled into a single thicker book). If Del Rey had done that, 8 English books could potentially contain the content of all 14 Japanese volumes. However, Del Rey Manga’s standard practice was to release individual volumes matching the Japanese releases one-to-one, not combined editions. The 8 English volumes cover the content of the first 8 of 14 Japanese volumes.

This means the English edition covers roughly the first half to two-thirds of the complete story — but not the ending.

One important caveat: the available information does not confirm exactly where volume 8 stops in the story — whether it lands at a natural break point or cuts off mid-storyline. This is a genuine gap in what can be confirmed, and it’s worth flagging honestly rather than guessing. If you’re the type of reader who needs to know that a stopping point feels satisfying before committing, this uncertainty is a real consideration.

What does this mean for you as a reader?

• You can enjoy a substantial portion of the series in English. Eight volumes is a decent run, and the comedy-driven format means individual volumes and storylines can still be enjoyable even without reaching the finale.
• You will not get the complete story in English. If reading the ending is important to you, that’s a significant consideration before investing time and money in tracking down out-of-print volumes.
• The remaining story exists only in Japanese. Volumes 9 through 14 of the Japanese edition were never officially translated into English.

This is an unfortunately common situation with manga that was licensed by publishers who later closed. Many series were partially released before the publisher wound down operations, leaving titles incomplete in English. Some were later picked up by other publishers and completed; My Heavenly Hockey Club was not among them.

For readers who are okay with an incomplete English run — particularly those who enjoy the comedy and characters and don’t mind that the story doesn’t reach its conclusion in English — the 8 available volumes still offer a fun reading experience. But it’s better to know this going in rather than discovering it after you’ve hunted down all 8 books.

Finding My Heavenly Hockey Club Manga Editions — Price and Availability

Since Del Rey Manga is no longer in operation and the title hasn’t been relicensed, there are no new copies being printed. Every copy of My Heavenly Hockey Club you’ll find is from the original print run, which means you’re looking at the secondhand market — buying used or leftover copies from other sellers and readers.

Here’s where to focus your search:

Online Resellers

Major online retailers sometimes still have copies listed — either leftover stock from sellers who’ve had them sitting in inventory, or used copies from individual sellers and third-party shops. Availability fluctuates constantly with out-of-print titles, so checking regularly is worthwhile.

Used Bookstores

Both physical used bookstores and online used-book platforms can be surprisingly good sources for out-of-print manga. Manga from this era shows up fairly regularly in used book circulation because it was widely distributed during its original run.

Secondhand Manga Specialists

Some sellers specialize specifically in out-of-print manga and maintain curated inventories. These can be good places to find individual volumes you’re missing, though prices may reflect the niche market.

General Tips for Hunting Out-of-Print Manga Editions

• Buying individual volumes is usually easier than finding a complete set. If you’re patient, you can piece together a collection one volume at a time. Complete sets command higher prices because of the convenience factor.
• Condition varies widely. Since these books are all from original print runs that are now well over a decade old, you’ll see everything from like-new to heavily read copies. Check seller descriptions carefully.
• Earlier volumes (1–3) tend to be more common than later volumes. This is typical for manga series — more copies of volume 1 are printed and sold than volume 8, simply because readership naturally tapers over a series run.
• Set price alerts if a platform offers them. Out-of-print manga inventory is unpredictable. A volume that’s unavailable today might pop up next week.
• Be realistic about pricing. Out-of-print manga from defunct publishers exists in a collector’s market. Prices can range from very reasonable to surprisingly steep depending on the volume, condition, and current demand. There’s no fixed going rate — it depends on what’s available at any given moment.

One thing to keep in mind: because this title occupies a relatively niche position (it wasn’t one of Del Rey’s biggest sellers), it doesn’t typically command the extreme prices you’d see for an out-of-print volume of a hugely popular action manga series. That said, niche can also mean fewer copies in circulation, so availability can be spotty.

Digital vs. Print for These Manga Editions

The question of whether a legitimate digital edition exists is important for any out-of-print manga, because digital availability completely changes the buying equation.

For My Heavenly Hockey Club, there is no confirmed digital edition currently available through major English-language manga platforms. Some former Del Rey titles were later made available digitally when Kodansha Comics USA assumed many of Del Rey’s licenses, but this didn’t happen uniformly across every title, and My Heavenly Hockey Club does not appear to have been included.

Because digital catalogs can change over time, it’s worth doing a quick search on platforms like Kindle, Kobo, or other authorized manga retailers to check for yourself — a title that wasn’t available digitally previously could appear later if it gets relicensed. But as things stand, physical copies through the secondhand market are your primary legal option for reading this series in English.

Regardless of format, remember that the English release covers 8 of the 14 Japanese volumes, so the same content limitation applies whether you’re reading physical or digital.

Which Approach Is Right for You

Here’s a quick summary to help you decide based on your situation:

You Want the Complete Story in English

This is the toughest scenario. The complete story isn’t available in English — only the first 8 of 14 volumes were translated. Before committing to a purchase, make sure you’re comfortable with that limitation. If reaching the story’s conclusion is a dealbreaker, this may not be the right series to invest in right now (unless you read Japanese or are hoping for a future relicense).

You’re on a Budget

Patience is your best tool when collecting out-of-print manga editions. Keep an eye on used book listings and grab reasonably priced copies when they appear rather than paying steep prices for immediate availability.

You’re a Collector

A complete physical set of all 8 Del Rey volumes has genuine niche appeal. It’s an out-of-print title from a publisher that no longer exists, which gives it a certain collectibility that widely available manga doesn’t have. The 8-volume set is manageable to display, and the Del Rey editions have a clean, straightforward presentation typical of mid-2000s manga publishing — simple spine designs, consistent trade paperback sizing, and translation notes included. If you enjoy collecting out-of-print manga, this is a satisfying set to track down.

You’re Just Curious

If you’ve heard about this series and want to see what it’s like, start with volume 1. Don’t invest in trying to find all 8 volumes before you’ve confirmed you enjoy the series. The comedy-forward tone means you’ll know pretty quickly whether it clicks with you. One volume is a low-commitment way to test the waters before dedicating time and money to finding the rest.

My Heavenly Hockey Club is a genuinely fun, goofy sports comedy that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The field hockey setting gives it a distinctive flavor in a genre dominated by baseball, basketball, and soccer manga. If the premise sounds appealing to you, it’s worth the effort to track down — just go in with clear expectations about what’s available in these My Heavenly Hockey Club manga editions and you’ll have a great time with it.