Slam Dunk: Relentless passion
It's Saturday morning and I turn on the TV to watch some anime, but there's something new being shown. All I see is a red hair guy being loud and trying to show off to impress a girl. Naive as I was at that age, I changed the channel to watch something else. Days went by and I find my brothers watching that very same anime and laughing very loudly, so I joined to discover the reason. After 30 minutes, my perception changed and, to some point, so did I.
Slam Dunk is a very special story and another masterpiece of Takehiko Inoue, an author who is not an unknown name for this blog and for very good reasons. The manga is one of the most successful shonen mangas of all time, and this not only comes from its 121 million copies sold in Japan alone but from the impact it had on people's life. That being said, let's dive into Sakuragi's journey and how Slam Dunk became one of, if not the, greatest sports manga of all time.
Slam Dunk follows the journey of Hanamichi Sakuragi, a young delinquent who is infamously known by being a troublemaker and by been rejected by 50 girls. Now, already in a new school, Sakuragi finds himself immediately falling in love with another girl, yet this girl is special. Haruko loves basketball, and impressed by Sakuragi's height, she tells him he should try to be part of Shohoku's team. But there's one big problem in her idea, Sakuragi doesn't even know what basketball is. Haruko, in an effort to teach Sakuragi something useful, explains to him one of the most famous moves in basketball, a slam dunk. Sakuragi tries it...and fails in tremendous fashion, but Haruko is still excited and she lets Sakuragi know that there might be a future for him in that sport. Sakuragi agrees but not because he is interested in basketball, but much rather in being Haruko's possible new boyfriend. However, oblivious to the circumstances, Sakuragi doesn't even think about the possibility that Haruko might already have a boyfriend, but when Yohei, one of Sakuragi's best friends, tells him that it might be the reality, Sakuragi feels the need to know the truth. Haruko is single, but she has a crush on one of the new students of the school and basketball ace, Kaede Rukawa. Rukawa is the whole opposite of Sakuragi, he is popular with girls and what Sakuragi has in enthusiasm, Rukawa has it in willingness to sleep. From this point on, Sakuragi's rivalry with Rukawa starts, as well as his path in the basketball world.
By following the simple idea of making a character be a newcomer in an unknown sport, Inoue undertakes a very specific task, which is the fact that he has to make the process of learning a new sport be dynamic and interesting to the readers. But you might say "basketball is a very well known sport, so there isn't much to teach." Well, that's true and at the same time, it isn't. Slam Dunk was first released in 1990, a time where basketball was popular in America but not Japan. In Japan, basketball wasn't practiced a lot and it was seen as a sport that very niche audiences watched. According to Inoue himself, even the publishers were reluctant to the idea of a manga based on Basketball since nobody knew about the sport. Yet, this argument didn't scare Inoue, in fact, it ignited his thrive to make this sport be known. Inoue himself was (and still is) a basketball fan, so in some way, he just wanted to share his passion and love for this beautiful sport. Inoue achieved this and went even further beyond; Slam Dunk became a monumental achievement and made basketball one of the most popular sports in Japan. However, that was not only a reality that Japanese people lived, plenty of kids around the world started to like basketball because of the anime. Even I started to play basketball because of it, I learned the basics of the sport following Mr. T's piece of advice or paying attention to an episode that revolved around the idea of doing layups. These moments are the ones people tend to cherish the most because these moments are the ones that make you establish connections with the anime. These are the moments that make you change.
"How did it happen?" It's a question that many might have asked at that time, but one whose answer is more and more clear with time. When you read or watch Slam Dunk there is something very pristine about it, you can clearly see the intentions of the mangaka and what's behind the story, which is passion. This word might sound repetitive throughout this review but it is one that truly defines the manga/anime. Slam Dunk is just the story of a guy who accidentally starts to play a new sport and finds himself striving to be better, a reality that not only he lives but one his friends also share. It's like a story even you could be part of, it's just people who like something so much that they practice it every day and they make it an important part of their life. That's the appeal of the story. You experience this passion in very different forms that are represented by the characters of the manga, each one of them with a unique relationship with basketball. You'll see a bright side and a dark one; people who will love the sport as well as people who will love it so much that they will make mistakes and stray away from it. The manga has everything you can imagine and even more. The story flows amazingly and the characters only improve that flow, they are unique and full of charisma. Even side characters like the vendor of a sports store will have personality, and every character will have something funny to say or something useful to bring up into the story. Everything in this world is alive and Inoue will portray that beautifully. He will show his comedic genius and how good he can be to evoke people's emotions through touching moments. The manga simply has it all.
Takehiko Inoue started this manga when he was still a rookie and an unknown name in this industry, but at the end of Slam Dunk, he was known for being the author of one of the "big 3" as well as an awarded mangaka. All of it was simply because he dared to do something unique, he dared to do something revolutionary. Slam Dunk is still great because everything it has to offer is unique. Many mangakas still take some of Slam Dunk's characters as the foundations for their own mangas. You just need to pay attention to sports mangas and you'll clearly identify a character with traits similar to Rukawa or Sakuragi, and that's no coincidence, it simply shows how well regarded is Slam Dunk. However, the only way to experience this is through watching the anime or reading the manga. There you'll find plenty of things to dwell on and be absorbed into. The anime is filled with personality and an amazing soundtrack, while the manga breaths through it's amazing artwork. Inoue was certainly a rookie when he started Slam Dunk, but he showed why he was made to do this for a living.
Until this date, I don't think there are many stories that can even be at the same level as Slam Dunk in terms of sports manga. The story still feels fresh, just like it's characters, even after 30 years of its release. This is what happens when you have a relentless passion, when you understand that the game will only end if you give up, and when you give everything you have just to pursue your goals.
Slam Dunk is a very special story and another masterpiece of Takehiko Inoue, an author who is not an unknown name for this blog and for very good reasons. The manga is one of the most successful shonen mangas of all time, and this not only comes from its 121 million copies sold in Japan alone but from the impact it had on people's life. That being said, let's dive into Sakuragi's journey and how Slam Dunk became one of, if not the, greatest sports manga of all time.
Slam Dunk follows the journey of Hanamichi Sakuragi, a young delinquent who is infamously known by being a troublemaker and by been rejected by 50 girls. Now, already in a new school, Sakuragi finds himself immediately falling in love with another girl, yet this girl is special. Haruko loves basketball, and impressed by Sakuragi's height, she tells him he should try to be part of Shohoku's team. But there's one big problem in her idea, Sakuragi doesn't even know what basketball is. Haruko, in an effort to teach Sakuragi something useful, explains to him one of the most famous moves in basketball, a slam dunk. Sakuragi tries it...and fails in tremendous fashion, but Haruko is still excited and she lets Sakuragi know that there might be a future for him in that sport. Sakuragi agrees but not because he is interested in basketball, but much rather in being Haruko's possible new boyfriend. However, oblivious to the circumstances, Sakuragi doesn't even think about the possibility that Haruko might already have a boyfriend, but when Yohei, one of Sakuragi's best friends, tells him that it might be the reality, Sakuragi feels the need to know the truth. Haruko is single, but she has a crush on one of the new students of the school and basketball ace, Kaede Rukawa. Rukawa is the whole opposite of Sakuragi, he is popular with girls and what Sakuragi has in enthusiasm, Rukawa has it in willingness to sleep. From this point on, Sakuragi's rivalry with Rukawa starts, as well as his path in the basketball world.
By following the simple idea of making a character be a newcomer in an unknown sport, Inoue undertakes a very specific task, which is the fact that he has to make the process of learning a new sport be dynamic and interesting to the readers. But you might say "basketball is a very well known sport, so there isn't much to teach." Well, that's true and at the same time, it isn't. Slam Dunk was first released in 1990, a time where basketball was popular in America but not Japan. In Japan, basketball wasn't practiced a lot and it was seen as a sport that very niche audiences watched. According to Inoue himself, even the publishers were reluctant to the idea of a manga based on Basketball since nobody knew about the sport. Yet, this argument didn't scare Inoue, in fact, it ignited his thrive to make this sport be known. Inoue himself was (and still is) a basketball fan, so in some way, he just wanted to share his passion and love for this beautiful sport. Inoue achieved this and went even further beyond; Slam Dunk became a monumental achievement and made basketball one of the most popular sports in Japan. However, that was not only a reality that Japanese people lived, plenty of kids around the world started to like basketball because of the anime. Even I started to play basketball because of it, I learned the basics of the sport following Mr. T's piece of advice or paying attention to an episode that revolved around the idea of doing layups. These moments are the ones people tend to cherish the most because these moments are the ones that make you establish connections with the anime. These are the moments that make you change.
"How did it happen?" It's a question that many might have asked at that time, but one whose answer is more and more clear with time. When you read or watch Slam Dunk there is something very pristine about it, you can clearly see the intentions of the mangaka and what's behind the story, which is passion. This word might sound repetitive throughout this review but it is one that truly defines the manga/anime. Slam Dunk is just the story of a guy who accidentally starts to play a new sport and finds himself striving to be better, a reality that not only he lives but one his friends also share. It's like a story even you could be part of, it's just people who like something so much that they practice it every day and they make it an important part of their life. That's the appeal of the story. You experience this passion in very different forms that are represented by the characters of the manga, each one of them with a unique relationship with basketball. You'll see a bright side and a dark one; people who will love the sport as well as people who will love it so much that they will make mistakes and stray away from it. The manga has everything you can imagine and even more. The story flows amazingly and the characters only improve that flow, they are unique and full of charisma. Even side characters like the vendor of a sports store will have personality, and every character will have something funny to say or something useful to bring up into the story. Everything in this world is alive and Inoue will portray that beautifully. He will show his comedic genius and how good he can be to evoke people's emotions through touching moments. The manga simply has it all.
Takehiko Inoue started this manga when he was still a rookie and an unknown name in this industry, but at the end of Slam Dunk, he was known for being the author of one of the "big 3" as well as an awarded mangaka. All of it was simply because he dared to do something unique, he dared to do something revolutionary. Slam Dunk is still great because everything it has to offer is unique. Many mangakas still take some of Slam Dunk's characters as the foundations for their own mangas. You just need to pay attention to sports mangas and you'll clearly identify a character with traits similar to Rukawa or Sakuragi, and that's no coincidence, it simply shows how well regarded is Slam Dunk. However, the only way to experience this is through watching the anime or reading the manga. There you'll find plenty of things to dwell on and be absorbed into. The anime is filled with personality and an amazing soundtrack, while the manga breaths through it's amazing artwork. Inoue was certainly a rookie when he started Slam Dunk, but he showed why he was made to do this for a living.
Until this date, I don't think there are many stories that can even be at the same level as Slam Dunk in terms of sports manga. The story still feels fresh, just like it's characters, even after 30 years of its release. This is what happens when you have a relentless passion, when you understand that the game will only end if you give up, and when you give everything you have just to pursue your goals.
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