Book Review: Slam Dunk Vols. 9 and 10 by Takehiko Inoue

Slam Dunk Volume 9 by Takehiko Inoue

The Shohoku High team is in the playoffs, thanks to some non-team fans taking the most of the blame for the fight that broke out in the last issue. The coach still thinks some players need some discipline, so he benches Hanamichi, Rukawa, Ryota, and Mitsui. At least, they are benched for the start of the first playoff game. The boys still have issues to work out and Hanamichi needs to figure out two things: how to shoot free throws and how not to foul out of games.

The story is definitely improving since the last issue, with more focus on basketball and less on personal dramas. The comedy works well too.

Mildly recommended.

Slam Dunk Volume 10 by Takehiko Inoue

The team advances to final four contention with a big game against Shoyo. The Shoyo school team is dying to play against their rival Kainan but must get Shohoku out of the way. Shoyo's team is huge, almost all six-footers. Shohoku has momentum coming in. The game starts as a blow-out in favor of Shoyo but the Shohoku squad starts slowly making it back from a big deficit by leaning into the strengths of the individual players, making a better overall team.

This whole issue is only half of the game, which may sound like the game is dragged out but it really is not. The action is exciting and the players' dynamics are finally starting to coalesce into a team. Can they win and move on to the next level? While I think the answer is a given, I'm still going to read the next one.

Mildly recommended.

Book Review: Slam Dunk Vols. 7 & 8 by Takehiko Inoue

Slam Dunk Volume 7 by Takehiko Inoue

Ryota Miyagi, the new hot-head player for the team, looks like he will another problem child like manga protagonist Hanamichi Sakuragi. Worse yet, they seem diametrically opposed to each other. That lasts until they discover they have more in common--romantic failure and unrequited love. They are ready to team up just in time for a gang of thugs to brawl with them in the high school gym.

This story started well but the teen violence at the gym was a lot to take. I found it a little unbelievable and very unlikeable. Hopefully the fight ends by the next issue.

Mildly recommended.

Slam Dunk Volume 8 by Takehiko Inoue

The big brawl morphs into a backstory for the leader of the thugs, Mitsui. He was an up-and-coming player who could have played for any team but wanted Shohoku because the coach inspired him. A persistent injury kept him out and he takes his anger out on the team. Once the coach finally makes it in to the court, Mitsui breaks down and asks to be back on the team. Can Shohoku have three hotheads on one team?

While the backstory made Mitsui more sympathetic, it wasn't enough for me to justify or excuse his bad behavior. Also, it feels like adding more drama for the sake of adding more drama, not as a natural outcome of the storyline. This manga is skating on very thin ice, I'm not sure I'm going to stick with it.

Not recommended.

Book Review: Slam Dunk Vols. 5 & 6 by Takehiko Inoue

Slam Dunk Volume 5 by Takehiko Inoue

The exhibition game goes on with Hanamichi Sakuragi in for Captain Akagi. Sakuragi's bravado on the sideline is not all hot air. He plays smart, making some good passes and getting the team close to tying. Maybe they can even win? The manga ends with two minutes to go, Akagi back, and Sakuragi having to play alongside his first-year rival Rukawa.

The game is exciting with lots of action and dramatic moments. The author is very able in presenting a basketball game in this format, which seems like it would be difficult.

Recommended.

Slam Dunk Volume 6 by Takehiko Inoue

The big game (which is only a pre-season exhibition) finishes. The ending was more dramatic than I was expecting. The last third of the issue introduces another upperclassman, Miyagi, who wants to play for the team. He was out of school because he was in the hospital from injuries gotten at a fight he started. Can the team handle two member whose tempers (and propensity for violent outbursts) make them less than ideal?

The game part of this manga was much more interesting than the introduction of the new character. The school seems a lot more violent than it should be. Hopefully the next game will start soon.

Recommended.

Book Review: Slam Dunk Vols. 3 & 4 by Takehiko Inoue

Slam Dunk Volume 3 by Takehiko Inoue

Hanamichi, the first-year, first-time basketball player for Shohoku High, continues his training in fundamentals of the game. Team captain Takenori Akagi gives him some special attention and training on lay-ups. Hanamichi is less enthusiastic because he thinks the move isn't flashy (so he really doesn't know basketball). He becomes much more enthusiastic when team-follower and little-sister-to-Akagi Haruko helps Hanamichi practice before school. He's been dying to walk her home from school. The love interest is just a side-plot, since the team is about to face one of the best in the area, Ryonan. Hanamichi assumes he'll be a starter and the star of the team but things don't work out that way. The game is just about to start at the end of volume 3.

Recommended.

Slam Dunk Volume 4 by Takehiko Inoue

The big game starts but Hanamichi Sakuragi is a benchwarmer! He has a lot of childish commentary and antics as he watches the game and waits his chance to be put in as the coach's "secret weapon." The game itself is interesting, with the Ryonan team dominating. Haruko is watching the game, so Sakuragi has more to show off for than himself. Will Sakuragi's cheerleading get the Shohoku High team in high gear? Will he ever get into the game?

I still can't decide if Sakuragi is too annoying to be a real hero. It seems like if he did do well, that would just feed his ego. He really needs to grow up more. I'm interested enough to keep reading.

Mildly recommended.

Book Review: Slam Dunk Vols. 1 & 2 by Takehiko Inoue

Slam Dunk Volume 1 by Takehiko Inoue

Hanamichi Sakuragi has just moved up to high school. He leaves behind a long list of romantic rejections. He also brings his hot-headed attitudes (he is a red-head), sometimes losing his temper and headbutting fellow students he finds annoying. In high school, a girl named Haruko likes the looks of him. He thinks she's cute. The only problem is she is totally into basketball and thinks that Sakuragi will be a great player for the school's team. Sakuragi is in good shape but doesn't play athletics. And the last girl he was interested in turned him down for a guy on the basketball team! He tries out for the team, doing anything and everything (including polishing the court floor) in order to get on the team. Sakuragi thinks the team captain is a gorilla and has a bit of a disrespectful attitude...until he learns that the captain is Haruko's big brother.

The story follows a familiar problem--having a hard time fitting in at high school. Sakuragi is a little bit unlikeable as he has trouble managing his temper and dealing with his classmates. The humor is fairly good and the high school drama is well done, so I will try some more of this series.

Recommended.

Slam Dunk Volume 2 by Takehiko Inoue

High school freshman Hanamichi Sakuragi faces a new challenge to his basketball ambitions. He wants to join the team to impress cute girl Haruko but team captain (and Haruko's brother) Takenori is more interested in the new first year talent and potential star Kaede Rukawa. Haruko has her eye on Rukawa. Sakuragi would like nothing more than Rukawa to lose to Takenori. Also, he'd like to play on the first-years-versus-starters game that will pit Rukawa against Takenori. If that was not enough drama, the head of the school's judo team tries to recruit Sakuragi. He's very persistent and also thinks the judo team will win nationals before the basketball team.

It's another exciting outing for Sakuragi. The manga acknowledges Sakuragi's personal problems and shortcomings in a light-hearted style that makes this fun to read. The drama feels a bit exaggerated though that's typical in manga (and often in good storytelling).

Recommended.