Range: T+ Older Teen

Price: 12.99 USD

Fans will most likely recognize Takehiko Inoue's name from the internationally loved long series Slam Dunk. Real doesn't stray from the basketball roots, but this is a very different story, and a very non-traditional sports manga.

This first volume opens as afro-permed Nomiya quits high school. He comes back to clean out his desk, and this sad scene is an unfortunate reality in Japanese schools. He feels the need to puff up his chest and look cool, but the truth is he lost his only access to his only love, basketball. This all came after a motorcycle accident where Nomiya gave a ride to a girl he barely knew. Her injuries were much more severe than his, and his visits to her in the hospital lead to bitter-sweet results.

We are then introduced to Togawa, a wheelchair-bound baller himself. How Nomiya interacts on the hospital basketball court with Togawa sets the stage for a fascinating friendship and rivalry.

Where Real succeeds is not mainly on the basketball court, though the game scenes are action-packed and beautifully drawn, but in the character studies, and especially of Nomiya. As a former teaching assistant in Japan, I knew kids like Nomiya, and Inoue clearly understands how Japanese teenagers think. As much as I love fantastic manga stories, it is these rare titles that are based more in reality than fantasy that bring readers closer to the actual Japan. Ohikkoshi is another great example of this.

You don't need to be a fan of basketball to get into Real, and if you are looking for a basketball manga, Real probably isn't it. However, if you want a real look at a slice of Japanese life, go no further than Real.

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