Review: SLAM DUNK Volume 31

SLAM DUNK, VOL. 31
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Takehiko Inoue
TRANSLATION: Joe Yamazaki
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Stan!
LETTERS: James Gaubatz
COVER: Takehiko Inoue with Matt Hinrichs
ISBN: 978-1-4215-3338-4; paperback (December 2013); Rated “T” for “Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN

Takehiko Inoue is an acclaimed manga artist and creator and also illustrator.  His most famous work is Slam Dunk, a shonen manga which focuses on the Shohoku Prefecture High School boys basketball team and their pursuit of victory.  Slam Dunk was originally serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan from 1990 to 1996.  Slam Dunk was so popular that it apparently helped popularize basketball in Japan and East Asia.

The spirit of the series is defined by the view that winning isn’t everything in the game of basketball, but who really wants to come in second?  Shohoku High School basketball team does not want to come in second, and they believe that they have the dedication and discipline it takes to be the best.  Captain and starting center, Takenori Akagi, dreams of making it to the finals of Nationals, and this season is his last chance.  Hotshot freshmen, like superstar Kaede Rukawa and basketball novice, Hanamichi Sakuragi, could make Akagi’s dream come true.

Slam Dunk, Vol. 31 (entitled Shohoku High School Basketball Team; Chapters 270 to 276) is the final volume of the series.  Shohoku made it through the Prefectural Tournament to Nationals to play for the national championship of Japan.  In the second round of the tournament, they face the defending national champions, Sannoh Kogyo (of Akita Prefecture).

After a good start, underdog Shohoku falls behind Sannoh by 24 points, before a furious rally cuts the deficit to eight points.  Sannoh eventually returns the lead to 18, but another rally brings Shohoku within eight of tying the game.  Hanamichi Sakuragi drives his team to fight back, and Kaede Rukawa’s talent brings the points.  Then, Sakuragi severely injures his back diving for a loose ball.

After a free throw, early in this volume, Shohoku has the lead down to five points with a little over a minute left in the game.  Both teams know that they have to give their all, because only one of them is leaving the court victorious.

So the Slam Dunk manga has come to an end with Slam Dunk Volume 31.  I’m not ready for it to be over.  Because it apparently helped popularize the sport of basketball in Japan, Slam Dunk is obviously a classic manga.  It makes one ask, “Is there a better sports comic book?”  Is there another sports manga doing for a sport what Slam Dunk did for hoops in Japan?  Could there ever be a basketball comic book or manga better than Slam Dunk?

Much of Vol. 31 has no dialogue or exposition.  Takehiko Inoue uses graphical storytelling – illustrations and lettered sound effects as graphics.  Inoue captures all that is grand and exciting about basketball as well as (if not better than) the best sports photographers.  Reading Slam Dunk is as invigorating as watching a real, live basketball game, and I don’t know if I’m ready to give that up.  I guess this isn’t really a goodbye, as VIZ Media will keep this iteration of Slam Dunk in print.  I hope so; Slam Dunk is basketball depicted as art.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

Psyren: Infiltration

I read Psyren, Vol. 13

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin (which has free smart phone apps and comics).

Toriko: Gourmet Casino!!

I read Toriko, Vol. 18

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin, which has free smart phone apps and comics).

Slam Dunk: Career

I read Slam Dunk, Vol. 30

I posted a review at ComicBookBin.

Psyren: Blood and Determination

I read Psyren, Vol. 12

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin (which has free comics).

Toriko: Shining Gourami!!

I read Toriko, Vol. 17

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin (which has free smart phone apps and comics).

Slam Dunk: Talent

I read Slam Dunk, Vol. 29

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin (which has free comics).

Psyren: The Two Test Subjects

I read Psyren, Vol. 11

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

Toriko: Reunion with Terror!!

I read Toriko, Vol. 16

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

Slam Dunk: Two Years

I read Slam Dunk, Vol. 28

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin (which has free smart phone apps and comics).

Psyren: Alien Sky

I read Psyren, Vol. 10: Alien Sky

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

Hunter x Hunter: Answer

I read Hunter x Hunter, Vol. 30

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

Itsuwaribito: Kuroshiro the Black Castle

I read Itsuwaribito , Vol. 8

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

Toriko: Zebra!!

I read Toriko, Vol. 15

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

Slam Dunk: Shohoku in Trouble

I read Slam Dunk, Vol. 27

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

Psyren: The Living Island

I read Psyren, Vol. 9: The Living Island

I posted a review at ComicBookBin (which has free smart phone apps and comics).

Slam Dunk: Power Match

I read Slam Dunk, Vol. 26

I posted a review at ComicBookBin.

Hunter x Hunter: Memory

I read Hunter x Hunter, Vol. 29

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

I Reads You Review: HUNTER X HUNTER, VOL. 25

Creators: Yoshihiro Togashi; Lillian Olsen (Translation and English Adaptation)
Publishing Information: VIZ Media – @VIZMedia, B&W, paperback, 208 pages, $7.99 (US), $9.50 CAN
Ordering Numbers: ISBN: 978-1-4215-2588-4 (ISBN-13); 1-4215-2588-7 (ISBN-10)

Rating: “T+” for “Older Teen”

Hunter × Hunter is a shonen manga (comics for teen boys) from writer/artist Yoshihiro Togashi, the creator of Yu Yu Hakusho. An adventure and fantasy comic book, Hunter × Hunter debuted in the Japanese manga magazine, Weekly Shonen Jump (March 3, 1998).

The main character in Hunter × Hunter is Gon Freecss. Gon discovers that his father, Ging Freecss, whom he thought to be dead, is actually alive and well. Gon dedicates himself to being what his father is – a great Hunter. Hunters devote themselves to tracking down priceless items and treasures, mystical places, magical beasts, and even other people. Those who pass the grueling qualification exam to become a Hunter also get access to restricted areas and amazing stores of information.

Hunter × Hunter, Vol. 25 (entitled Charge) continues the “Chimera Ant Story Arc.” As the midnight hour approaches, the Hunters are ready to make their charge against The King, brutal ruler of the Chimera Ants. The heroes have snuck into the capitol of East Gorteau. Shoot, Meleoron, and Knuckle will lead the first charge. Gon and his best pal, Killua Zoldyck, will lead the second charge, while Ikalgo will be the third charge and Morel the fourth. Chairman Netero and Zeno will sneak into the thrown room to assassinate the King. The narrative also offers revelations about Netero’s origins.

Outside the royal palace, Neferpitou, one of the elite Royal Guards, makes the first stand against the invading Hunters. Inside, the shape-shifting Youpi awaits. However, something reveals a surprising side of the King that no one could have predicted.

It has been over four years since I last read a Hunter × Hunter graphic novel. In an earlier review, I described the series as a “‘Bizarro’ Naruto,” filled with weird characters. What really makes Hunter × Hunter look unusual is the quirky style of the art, which looks like the kind of art one might find in an American indie or alternative comic book or even a small press superhero or fantasy genre series.

The page design and also the graphic design of the composition in each panel are also unique. That peculiar visual aspect draws the reader into the action, rather than freeze them out, the way a style, inappropriate for a genre, might. There is a kooky, surreal aspect that made me more interested in the story the deeper I got into it, while early into this volume, I was not at all interested.

Hunter × Hunter is rated for “older teens” (T+), but its strange character will make it appealing to shonen readers of all ages.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Review: SLAM DUNK Volume 23

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SLAM DUNK, VOL. 23
VIZ MEDIA

CARTOONIST: Takehiko Inoue
TRANSLATION: Joe Yamazaki
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Stan!
LETTERS: James Gaubatz
COVER: Takehiko Inoue with Matt Hinrichs
ISBN: 978-1-4215-3329-2; paperback; Rated “T” for “Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN

Takehiko Inoue, born in 1967 in Okuchi, Kagoshima, Japan, is an acclaimed manga artist and creator. His most famous work, Slam Dunk, which focuses on a high school basketball team, was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan from 1990 to 1996. Slam Dunk was so popular that it apparently helped popularize basketball in Japan and East Asia.

Slam Dunk focuses on the Shohoku Prefecture High School basketball team, which has the dedication and discipline it takes to be the best. Takenori Akagi, team captain and starting center, dreams of making it to the finals of Nationals, but, as a third year (essentially a senior), this is his last shot at a championship. But to win, hotshot freshmen, like superstar Kaede Rukawa and basketball novice, Hanamichi Sakuragi, must learn to play together as a team. If winning isn’t everything, why is second place less desirable than first place?

As Slam Dunk, Vol. 23 (entitled A Rank vs. C Rank) opens, Shohoku High has made it to Nationals. They arrive in Hiroshima City with being champions on their minds. But the team is in for a shock. The magazine, “Weekly Basketball,” has Shohoku High listed as a “C” rank team, while their opening round opponents are “A” rank. Speaking of opponents, their opening round opponent is Toyotama High from the Osaka region. Toyotama is a scoring machine, and Shohoku is about to run right into the buzz saw of a run-and-gun team. Can they keep up or come up with a winning strategy?

Recent volumes of the Slam Dunk manga have focused on the action of individual basketball games between Shohoku and their opponents. Volume 22 was a change of pace, in which creator Takehiko Inoue offered readers character drama These vignettes that opened up windows into the various characters’ pasts as either basketball players or as some other kind of participant in the game.

Volume 23 returns to the hard court. Just as other such volumes have, Vol. 23 reveals Inoue’s love for and knowledge of the sport. As one of the world’s great manga artists and comic book creators, Inoue perfectly captures basketball, a game in motion, in still images that seem to move on the very page on which they appear and sometimes seem to shiver over to the next page. Inoue’s grasp of the figure in motion and his ability to depict and to pose bodies in action is high art.

A