Slam Dunk is probably the best manga ever published and the anime version is one of the best I have ever seen. Even though the series has ended more than a decade ago, many people wiill wholeheartedly agree that this franchise has stood the test of time. The story is simple but the execution is incredible, each chapter is filled with humor, action, drama, comedy and a whole lot more. The anime series was good and worthy of being considered a landmark anime, but if you have yet to see the anime then you don't know what you're missing. However there are things thatare not shown in the anime series which is why it is crucial for you to read this manga. The interhigh games are a blast! Takehiko Inoue certainly knew how to end the series with a bang! The last game is so good, every character is at their best and certainly no other title can rile up the readers emotions like this, it really feels like your watching the NBA finals. The artwork is simply great even though there are a lot of better looking manga out there, the decade old graphics still manages to go toe to toe with other more recent titles out there. The characters of this title are by far the most fully developed in any title out in the market and I'm not just talking about the main characters, I'm also talking about the supporting cast even those belonging to rival teams. The character development is so good that it is difficult to choose one character as a favorite. Each character has a well told background even those who appear in just a few chapters have a very detailed and well executed background story. You'll probably remember the names of not only the Shohoku players but also the names of their rivals, most notably "Sendoh". Overall Slam Dunk is one of the best Manga ever made and I'm sure that once you read it, you will agree with me. I guarantee that you won't be able to resist finishing the manga in a few days if not a few hours because it is that damn good. If you think the anime was great, try reading the manga and I'm sure you'll feel that the anime series could have been better, the interhigh games are one hell of a joyride!

Before I start, I must point something out. If you're expecting something like Kuroko no Basket with Zone, 100% accuracy shooting, perfect copy and other supernatural powers, stop reading right now, because it has none of that. Also, SD focuses more on the whole team, rather than just 2 characters (Kuroko and Kagami). Now, onto the recommendation. The story follows Sakuragi Hanamichi, a delinquent who is in love with a girl named Haruko and wants to impress her in some way, so he decides to join the basketball club. That was his initial reason for joining, but he gradually develops a love for the sport andstarts working harder than anyone else. Starting off from the very basics like dribbling, lay ups and defense, slowly gaining experience, you can see him improving with every match that passes. The art looks rather simple at first, but improves after some time. The matches in particular, are really well drawn. Shots, dunks, passes, player movements - everything is drawn in a way you'd understand what's going on. The characters is probably the strongest point of this manga. Sakuragi is one of the most well-developed main characters I've seen in all of manga/anime. The same can be said for the rest of Shohoku's team members. Heck even the rival teams are so well-developed, you would have a problem chosing who to cheer for. My favourite non-Shohoku character is Ryonan's ace - Sendoh. He is such an amusing and fun character that you just can't help but love. As a sport manga, it's really beginner friendly. Even if you don't know much about basketball, this manga will teach you everything about the sport. From the basics like how to dribble, how to shoot a ball correctly, passing, to advanced skills like how to grab a rebound successfully, how to screen-out and set up screens, how to avoid the different kinds of fouls (double dribble, travelling, pushing and so on) and to use fouls to your advantage. Speaking of fouls, there are a lot of them in this manga, unlike in Kuroko no Basket where there was barely any contact between the players. If you get 5 fouls, you leave the game. Fouls bring more tension into the matches (which are already intense enough) and makes them more enjoyable. When the players are tired, they are tired. What I mean by that is that their movements slow down, shooting percentage goes down and the players become more vulnerable to mistakes. This is what realism is. I also have to mention the final game (don't worry, I'm not gonna spoil it). This manga probably has the best final game ever. It hit all the right points and it was so damny emotional. I was barely holding my tears in the last 4-5 chapters of the last game and I doubt any other sports manga can make me even tear up like this. Slam Dunk is the closest thing you'll get to a realistic basketball series. I also have to mention the humor. The humor in this manga is pure gold. I dare say it's near Gintama's humor level. It also references some things from real life, mostly from NBA. That is something rarely seen among anime/manga. Highly recommended for fans of: Hajime no Ippo (it's like its basketball equivalent), Kuroko no Basket (I love Kuroko, but KnB fans must feel the greatness of this manga), Haikyuu and sport fans as a whole. I also recommend this manga to people who want to get into basketball. This one will surely help you with your basketball studies.

If you're a regular basketball watcher, or a solid fan of the sport, then Slam Dunk is a must watch for you. This piece of work is skillfully written by the famous author Inoue Takehiko, also known for his other works such as REAL and Vagabond. Slam Dunk also had outstanding sales in Japan and a successful adaptation series (along with four movies) which were sold worldwide, thus inspiring young people to practise basketball passionately. As said above, Slam Dunk is for those who are into basketball. Inoue Takehiko himself has been a basketball player in his high school days, and he is an active NBAwatcher, so you don't have to worry about technical mistakes or poorly developed games, 'cause Takehiko truly knows how to write a basketball game and illustrate it, also adding as many intensity as possible, to make a thrilling and memorable game. (There are a few matches involving such great writing). Reason why I mentioned this is, this is the basic feature a basketball series should contain, to attract readers/watchers. The characters are Slam Dunk's strongest point. A meaningful quote (from a review) by Inoue Takehiko is: "I don't force my characters to do things their personality doesn't allow, even if it means to progress the story". I wholeheartdly agree with this saying, and this is possibly why Takehiko's characters have been a successs. Now let's focus on the actual story and characters of Slam Dunk. The main character of the series, which invests more time in him is Sakuragi Hanamichi. In the beginning, Sakuragi is a punk and delinquent who socializes with others of his kind and make troubles. He gets into fighting a lot and a notable characteristic of his, he gets rejected by every female he's confessed to. Heartbroken, Hanamichi stumbles upon Haruko Akagi, a pretty girl, who makes Sakuragi fall in love with her real quick. Due to her being the sister of the basketball club's captain, Hanamichi ended up in the basketball team and that's when his journey as a baskettoman (Hanamichi's pronunciation of basketball player). Simply put, Hanamichi starts a complete beginner, starting from the scratch, such as dribbling the ball, doing lay ups and rebounding. (Also to note that Slam Dunk explains almost every important and basic rule of basketball, via DR.T, a short and amusing tertiary character who has enough knowledge in basketball). And this said, Inoue Takehiko brilliantly develops Hanamichi's gradual growing love for basketball. The Shohoku team's members are all nicely developed. Starting from Akagi, a tough, gorilla looking young boy who is the captain of the Shohoku basketball tean. Akagi has an unbeatable spirit for the sport of the basketball. This very spirit drives along the team in high morale which is very helpful and basically the core of their accoplishments. His relationship with Sakuragi Hanamichi is also one of the best things in the show, they have a cat and mouse relationship in the beginning which develops into a long term friendship. Next, we have the megane kun, which is the essential characteristic to every sports series. A megane kun who is loyal to the team and boosts their morale in times of trouble. Kogure is the vice captain of the Shohoku team and the helping hand of Akagi. They both have known each other since childhood and have a trusting friendship between each other. Rukawa Kaede is the everlasting rival of Sakuragi Hanamichi. Rukawa is always one step ahead of Hanamichi, which irritates him the most and motivates him to actively practice basketball and get better at it. At first, Rukawa gives an impression of a popular, quiet, good looking guy who excels at what he does. And he really does excel at basketball. Though slow (very slow), his relationship wih Hanamichi gives fruits. (Not going to spoil). Also necessary to say, Hanamichi also considers Rukawa a rival in love. Unfortunately for Hanamichi, Haruko is all over and drools over Rukawa, not that the latter cares anyway. Lastly, the trouble makers of the Shohoku. Ryota Miyagi and Mitsui Hisashi. Both have been delinquents and have had constant conflicts with each other. Due to a fight, Ryota is sent to hospital, resulting in a long break in bball.Ryota's quite short, and this makes him a key player for Shohoku. He excels at dribbling the basketball and giving no look passes, cause he knows where his teammates are in the court. He also shoots two pointers at times and has an unmatched speed which comes to hand Shohoku plenty of times. On the other hand, Mitsui Hisashi took a different path from Ryota. He decided to stop playing basketball (reasons stated in his arc, which it's pretty spoiler heavy), but he eventually comes back at the team after an exhaustingly long mini arc (in the anime, mostly). Though those were the main characters, which are awesomely developed, Slam Dunk also focuses on the "opponents" of Shohoku. Aces such as Sendo Akira, Shinichi Maki, Kenji Fujima, Eiji Sawakita are all equally developed and sometimes you root for their team to win. The distinct art of Inoue Takehiko is also enjoyable to watch and read. Slam Dunk actually is one of his first drawn series, and it's a very good chance to watch Inoue Takehiko develop as an artist. Overall Slam Dunk is located at the 2nd place (of sports series). It was an undescribable ride with lots of fun, funny and sad moments. It clearly deserves a 10 in my book, as these kind of series are very rare.

Slam Dunk is the most popular and iconic basketball manga around, thanks to a dynamite main character and Takehiko Inoue's clear passion for the sport. Hanamichi Sakuragi, a red-headed delinquent and complete basketball neophyte, is the heart and soul of Slam Dunk. He's great at various things (beating up other delinquents, being tall, and being rejected by girls are chiefs among them), and while playing basketball is clearly not one of them, don't tell him that; in fact, Sakuragi's brand of unreasonable confidence and swaggery is a breath of fresh air in a genre usually populated by bland genius or meek underdogs as main protagonists.He's a very easy character to root for, and it's delightful to watch him slowly transform from playing just to impress a girl into being genuinely affected by all the feelings that the game entailed. Whether it's his one-sided rivalry with the prodigious Rukawa, his constant goofs in the court, or his endearing simple-mindedness, Sakuragi will make you laugh and face-palm until eventually he'll also make you fist-pump in pride as he successfully defended a dangerous opponent, secured a key rebound, ,nailed his first jump shoot, and many more. This might seems like an unnecessarily obvious statement, but there's really a lot of basketball in Slam Dunk. It's drawn at a very deliberate pace; Inoue likes to take his time, often going over two or three volumes to depict a single match (for the final match, he went all-out and spread the match through 6+ volumes). Although there's a significant amount of humor, rom-com triangle, and off-court basketball events in the initial volumes, once the main cast is assembled it's pretty much Basketball Action all the time. Non-playing characters like Sakuragi's love interest Haruko and his amusing band of delinquent pals are inevitably demoted into the role of spectators, and character development is practically confined in the realm of basketball court as the main cast (especially, but not limited to, Sakuragi) learned to utilize/expand their strengths, overcome their weaknesses, and develop chemistry with each other. It's safe to say that if you enjoy the entirety of Slam Dunk, you're already a big fan of basketball or on your way into becoming one. Inoue's art is a big part of what makes the matches, slow as they are, so enjoyable. You'd be hard-pressed to find more passionate depiction of a basketball game on manga pages; whether it's rim-shattering dunks, ferocious blocks, or gorgeous three-point swishes, there's a range of dramatic moments native to the sport that he successfully captured. It gets increasingly beautiful and detailed, too. Homages to the 1990s NBA are abound, from the players themselves (Sakuragi and team captain Akagi, for example, were clearly modeled after Dennis Rodman and Patrick Ewing respectively), some iconic poses, and jersey color schemes. There's also a sense of real-life plausibility within the games, as the players in Slam Dunk thrived with realistic skills and athleticism rather than over-the-top superhuman traits. Questionable tactical moments do exist (quad-teaming a single player, anyone?), but in terms of the general flow of the game,it's still a lot more faithful than your typical sports manga. Slam Dunk ends rather abruptly, covering only a single tournament season, and some potential future opponents/match-ups being teased ultimately never materialized. It could've become a long-running epic a la Hajime no Ippo, but apparently Inoue had other plans. Even then, it's still a powerful and memorable journey, led by a beloved red-headed brat.

Slam, motherfuckin, Dunk. You say those 3 words & they just begin to resonate throughout the room. That’s the power this manga has. Slam Dunk is a series that, I hate to use this phrase because I think it’s stupid. “Transcends manga”. I don’t necessarily use that because I think it’s the most well written, most clever, or best manga ever. Slam Dunk doesn’t even crack my top 10 of all time (but it comes pretty damn close). So why do I use that phrase? Because I honestly think Slam Dunk is a manga that appeals to everybody. Basketball is a universally understood concept. It’spopularity may vary across regions/countries (especially given that before Slam Dunk Basketball in Japan was not a popular sport) but it’s nevertheless something everybody understands. However if Slam Dunk being about Basketball was all it had going for it then it wouldn’t be as fondly remembered as it is & most certainly wouldn’t be the 7th & 9th highest rated manga on Anilist & MyAnimeList respectively. Want proof? Just look at Takehiko Inoue’s Buzzer Beater manga, while not outright awful it’s essentially a glorified advertisement for some ESPN website in Japan at the time & it’s not even remotely remembered as well as Slam Dunk is because being about Basketball is the only thing Buzzer Beater has going for it. So what does make Slam Dunk as good as it is. Well it’s quite simple really, Inoue himself does. Takehiko Inoue may just possibly be the most passionate Japanese Basketball fan of all time. So what does he do? He takes a concept as universally understood as Basketball, gives it some fantastic characters with a lot of charisma, charm, & identifiable traits. Then takes both & writes a straight-forward narrative with hype moments throughout, characters that we get to see grow throughout the narrative, at first bad art but it quickly becomes good, & then near the end of the series phenomenal, & packages it tight so that it keeps a fast pace that makes the series incredibly addicting to read. But that’s just a generalization of these concepts. As stated earlier, Slam Dunk’s plot is simplistic. It’s got the exact structure & story beats that you would expect out of a sports narrative. Because of its cast though, the story is excelled to greater heights that it would’ve obtained otherwise. We’ve got Sakuragi, the meatheaded shounen protagonist that gets heated easily but pulls his weight when it counts, has a strong sense of teamwork & loyalty under his rough exterior, & is passionate about Basketball. Then we’ve got Rukawa, the reserved member, the star player, the one who goes through giving into authenticity & opening up to his team mates. We’ve got Akagi, the captain, the really passionate Basketball player, & the guiding figure on & off the court. Even some of the characters that aren’t super important to the narrative like Sakuragi’s 3 friends offer some great comedy to the series & they play off of each other really well. I can go on all day but I think you get that Slam Dunk has some awesome characters that are one reason that really makes Slam Dunk as good of a series as it is. As mentioned earlier, Inoue is a passionate Basketball fan & with Slam Dunk his passion oozes throughout the pages but it never comes off as cheesy. Throughout the manga you really get to feel Inoue’s passion rather it be through his detailed art, his ‘Dr T’s basketball lessons” (remember Basketball was essentially not a thing in Japan before Slam Dunk). The already mentioned characters that have just as much of a passion for the sport as the author does. It’s just a huge love letter at the end of the day. What I think encapsulates the love Inoue has for Basketball is how he goes about representing games & getting to see the characters grow. The games in Slam Dunk ar always hype, never dull, paced perfectly, & house some of the most powerful moments of the manga. But through the games we always get to see these characters grow meaning there is always some form of progression that keeps the pace going. There’s moments in Slam Dunk like Sakuragi denying the Judo club because he really has grown to love the sport of Basketball by that point. A last second unexpected loss that destroys the team’s spirts, & getting to learn bits about Rukawa’s past that help make this manga for me. If you love seeing artist evolve overtime, then Slam Dunk is for you because you get to see it in just one manga that ran for 6 years, you don’t even need to read Vagabond or Real (though I’d recommend you do that but those are for different reviews). Slam Dunk’s art at first can honestly look quite bad. There’s hardly any shading, the compositional works can be weak, the characters look ultra simplistic, & the art in generally for the first volume can look derpy if I had to put it in one word. However the art quickly improves, Inoue’s compositional pieces become significantly better, his characters more detailed, his paneling better, I think you get the point. Then, it happens. Inoue’s art becomes phenomenal by the final 6 or so volumes. Not on every page mind you, but when it’s spreads, detailed character panels, & panels of that like. Inoue’s art gets to a point that I honestly think can rival early Vagabond. In conclusion, you get to see the artistic evolution of an artist in one work & that’s awesome, easily some of the best art that I’ve seen out of weekly shounen jump. Well there you have it. My thoughts on Slam Dunk. I love this manga if you couldn’t tell, I think it’s absolutely legendary & a series that everybody no matter who they are should give this manga a chance. There’s very little to outright hate about this manga it’s so likeable thanks to Inoue’s passion for the sport being used to craft a simple yet compelling narrative throughout 31 volumes, 276 chapters, & xxxx pages worth of material (if somebody wants to tell me how many Slam Dunk actually is feel free). This manga, while not necessarily being my favorite or a manga that I think is the best. This manga gets my highest recommendation above all other manga due solely to its mass appeal & likeability. If you have not read this legendary series, get on it.

ENGLISH - History: 10/10 The story follows a gang member who will join his school's basketball team just to hook up with a girl. Slam Dunk is a complex play that deals with self-improvement, romance, and comedy. The series is not about impossible plays, dreams of greatness or epic moments, no, the series focuses on pure Basketball and its characters, characters that are nothing more than normal high school students with their problems, even the series leaves aside from sport and take the time to tell us about these. - Art: 9/10 The Takehiko Inoue drawing is excellent, something known to all, detailed and expressive, Inoue knows how to transmitso much and manages to transform manga into a sea of ​​emotions, a sea from which you are unable to leave, from which you want more and do not want to stop read. - Characters: 9/10 Slam Dunk is a work that, thanks to its human and three-dimensional characters, knows how to reach the heart of a person, knows how to touch that part of you, even if you do not feel any type of attraction towards Basketball since every moment, every dialogue, Every play, every interaction they have, is precious. The cast of Slam Dunk is very good, each one of them evolves and they all have something special. As I said before, the series is about normal high school students with their pros and cons, but when they come together they are able to give their all and even more. And it is not that the series focuses only on the main team, but that it shows us all the other teams and their players, each of whom also has something to contribute, each of them are special and are forgettable. - Total: 10/10 [Masterpiece] Takehiko Inoue is one of the best mangaka of all time and it is incredible that his first work is so, so good. Slam Dunk is a manga beauty and the best spokon ever made, all thanks to a very good narrative, excellent characters, and sublime artistry. This is my first Review, I hope you liked it, I will continue to bring more and even better ones: D Atte. Santi ------------------------------------------------------------ ESPAÑOL - Historia: 10/10 La historia sigue a un pandillero que se unirá al equipo de Basket de su escuela solo para ligarse a una chica. Slam Dunk es una obra compleja que trata sobre la autosuperación, el romance y comedia. La serie no va sobre jugadas imposibles, sueños de grandeza o momentos épicos, no, la serie se centra en el Baloncesto puro y duro y en sus personajes, personajes que no son mas que estudiantes de instituto normales con sus problemas, incluso la serie deja de lado el deporte y se toma su tiempo para contarnos sobre estos. - Arte: 9/10 El dibujo Takehiko Inoue es excelente, algo sabido por todos, detallista y expresivo, Inoue sabe como transmitir tanto y logra transformar el manga en un mar de emociones, un mar del cual eres incapaz de salir, del que quieres mas y no quieres parar de leer. - Personajes: 9/10 Slam Dunk es una obra que, gracias a sus personajes humanos y tridimensionales, sabe cómo llegar al corazón de una persona, sabe como tocar esa parte de vos, aunque no sientas ningún tipo de atracción hacia el Baloncesto ya que cada momento, cada dialogo, cada jugada, cada interacción que tienen, es precioso. El elenco de Slam Dunk es muy bueno, cada uno de ellos evolucionan y todos tienen algo en especial. Como ya dije antes la serie va sobre estudiantes de instituto normales con sus pros y contras, pero que cuando estos se unen son capaces de dar todo de ellos e incluso más. Y no es que la serie se centre solo en el equipo protagonista, si no que se nos muestra a todos los otros equipos y a sus jugadores de los cuales cada uno de ellos también tienen algo para aportar, cada uno de ellos son especiales y no son olvidables. - Total: 10/10 [Obra maestra] Takehiko Inoue es de los mejores mangakas de todos los tiempos y es increíble que su primera obra sea tan pero tan buena. Slam Dunk es una belleza de manga y el mejor spokon que se hizo nunca, y todo gracias a una muy buena narrativa, personajes excelentes y un arte sublime. Esta es mi primera Review, espero que les haya gustado, seguiré trayendo otras mas e incluso mejores :D. Atte. Santi

Slam Dunk is the highest-rated sports manga on MAL, topping other manga like Haikyuu, Ashita no Joe, and Hajime no Ippo. It has sold 126 million copies, making it 9th best selling manga of all time. Does it hold up today? Does it deserve a top 10 spot on MAL? The series' story overall is pretty a basic “we’re going to the Nationals and we’re going to win” kind of story. The main difference is its story other than it’s unique hook and good/surprising ending is that the win at the nationals is for everyone, not just their “senpai” that are going to graduate. The series'characters and basketball shine the most here. Something about the story that I do have to say though, is that it's realistic. You're not always going to get the match-ups that you want. A hyped team in a different bracket could end up losing. It's just the reality of the sport. The main character, Hanamichi Sakuragi, is someone who has grown a significant amount. At the start of the series, you see him as a delinquent, someone who gets very physical and aggressive and doesn’t even know the rules. You see him evolve from this person who plays basketball to woo a girl, to someone who loves basketball. You see Sakuragi desperately fight for victory and grow/mature with each match. The manga is good at getting you attached to his growth and emotions. He starts with the basics (dribbling, passing, lay-ups, and rebounds), and Inoue (the author of Slam Dunk) builds up and develops his character with amazing pacing and gradually growing love for basketball. Sakuragi is an overconfident character that experiences growth and matures throughout the four months that is the story. Sakuragi’s rival is someone who’s been playing basketball for a long time. He’s a top scorer in Japan and another person with a ridiculous amount of potential. Rukawa is someone that everyone in the game pays attention to, because of his ability to score about 30 points (10-15 baskets) in a game. Rukawa always shows up to practice and is hardworking. Rukawa and Sakuragi don’t get along at all. They refuse to pass to each other and they hate working together, but they have to close this gap to win games and play together. The rest of Shohoku is also well written. The captain, Takenori Akagi, is the pillar of Shohoku. He can raise the spirits of the rest of the team with his strong spirit. He keeps the morale of his team high, with beautifully written bond/friendship with Sakuragi, that grew constantly throughout the story, as Akagi relies more and more on Sakuragi. The other two key members, Mitsui and Miyagi, are also delinquents. Miyagi is a point guard with a playful personality. Since he’s the point guard, he’s the shortest player on the court at most times. You see him overcome each obstacle alongside everyone else with his ability to jump high and outspeed everyone else on the court. He also can pass extremely well, and makes the right calls. Mitsui is someone who quit basketball after suffering a leg injury. This caused him to hate basketball and join a gang. When he comes back to the team, you see him grow and surpass himself from junior high, into someone strong and able to consistently shoot threes. Mitsui and Miyagi had a bit of a rough relationship in the past. A year before the show, Mitsui’s gang ganged up on Miyagi. Miyagi knew that he couldn’t take them all, so he only focused on beating up Mitsui. These five characters come together and become one of the strongest basketball teams in Japan. They all grow and bond together, and they attempt to conquer Japan. They all grow through Sakuragi and become stronger together. They are well written and build a strong connection with each other throughout the story. The basketball in Slam Dunk is somewhat realistic. Everything that they pull off in Slam Dunk is possible in real life, but wouldn’t be possible for a high school player to do. It’s not impossible, but you wouldn’t see high schoolers able to pull off the stunts they do in Slam Dunk. The way the players respond to fouling is well written, as they slow down and play safer when they get three or four fouls. The rules are accurate though, as Inoue is a big fan of basketball. In Slam Dunk, everyone works together. The entire team plays basketball, and are strongest as the full team. It focuses on the bond everyone builds, rather than (using Kuroko no Basket as an example) just Kagami and Kuroko. The art in Slam Dunk is pretty good. It is one of Inoue’s first drawn works, so it isn’t too “exceptional.” The moments that were supposed to be impactful were incredibly drawn and you can tell that Inoue put extra time drawing those moments. Overall, Slam Dunk is a well-written piece of art, with amazing characters, good art, and well-crafted matches. It gets better and better with each match, and it could’ve been drawn out, but the author knew when to put an end to it, causing it to be a legendary manga about basketball and the characters that grew to love it.

First of all, I'm gonna make a comparison, this is not Kuroko no Basket at all, it's a whole different concept. Slam Dunk is probably the best manga (in the sports category, although I can say it's one of the best in general) ever published and the anime version is one of the best I have ever seen. The story is somewhat considered as simple, I mean, it's a sports manga, you don't need to make it complicated it, nevertherless, the execution is incredible, each chapter is filled with humor, action, drama, and comedy. The anime series was good and worthy of being considered a landmarkanime. However there are things that are not shown in the anime series which is why it is crucial for you to read this manga. The interhigh games are a blast! One thing I can reproach to Takehiko Inoue (but that's a selfish thought) is that he could have make more chapters, its ending is quite, well, a full stop. You'll understand if you read it, I really recommend it. You guys have to know that back then, in the 90's in Japan, Basket was considered as "taboo" in anything related to manga/anime, for the sole reason that basket wasn't developped at all in Japan's highschools and middleschools. The manga and animes which came later, every single one of them were inspired by Slam Dunk. This manga is so well known across Japan because it was the first to achieve so much success. The artwork is simply fantastic, if we take in consideration that it was done from 1990 to 1994. I doubt you can find a lot more "realistic" manga out there, coming from those years. The characters have something, out-of-manga concept. They still have the general lines which defines a manga, but if you compare it to other ones, you'll understand, you have the impression you can see human faces under these tired and happy "basketmans" faces. The characters of this title are by far the most fully developed in any title out in the market and I'm not just talking about the main characters, I'm also talking about the supporting cast, even those belonging to rival teams. The character development is so good that it is difficult to choose one character as a favorite. Each character has a well told background even those who appear in just a few chapters have a very detailed and well executed background story. You'll probably remember the names of not only the Shohoku players but also the names of their rivals, most notably "Sendoh". Overall Slam Dunk is one of the best Manga ever made and I'm sure that once you read it, you will agree with me. I guarantee that you won't be able to resist finishing the manga in a few days if not a few hours because it is that damn good. If you think the anime was great, try reading the manga and I'm sure you'll feel that the anime series could have been better, the interhigh games are one hell of a joyride!

Slam Dunk is one of the best selling manga in the history of Japan and one of the best rated manga on MAL (actually in the sports manga department it occupies the 1st place). Going into it I had absolutely no idea that the series I expected to be just a nice, enjoyable read would become one of my all-time favourite series of all time. Story 10 First and foremost, we are introduced to the world of Slam Dunk through the character of Sakuragi Hanamichi (more on him later) in a very surprising way. Instead of our main character having a long-term goal/dream to achieve, weare introduced to a red-haired delinquent with no passions or career prospects whatsoever. He quickly gets noticed by a girl from another class and is encouraged to join the basketball club, which he does in order to impress the girl. Personally I found it quite original compared to other shounen anime/manga even after so many years as in most of them It's all about those young people who have big dreams/passions since they can remember and following them on the way of achieving their goals, but that's not really the case in Slam Dunk. Here, it's all about the main character finding his passion. It is a slightly different take on the topic. Many people in this time and age have difficulty in finding any interests and the topic that this manga covers stays relevant even after over 15 years. Now, let's get to the meat and potatoes and talk about the pacing of Slam Dunk which is by far superb. This is one of the few manga series where you actually can't really predict what will occure in the future, because you basicaly never know if a certain match will last 10, 20 or 50 chapters, which makes the whole story a lot more engageing to watch. Moreover, you can get through chapters pretty quickly and there never really was a part of the story that felt overwhelming or boring to me. Lastly, let's just mention the final match and the ending to the entire series and it was... Wow. Last couple chapters made me feel more hyped than I've ever been reading a series and the emotional value that comes with it is honestly brilliant. The best part is that until the very last chapter you have no clue who will win the match. All in all, story-telling in Slam Dunk is as perfect as it can get with a sports manga. Characters 9 It's time to talk about my boy - Sakuragi Hanamichi who is most likely the best choice for the protagonist of this story. During the very first chapter he is presented to us as an extremely unlucky man who got rejected by 50 girls during middle school and has no other interests besides girls and fighting. However, during his junior year of high school he turns over a new leaf and joins the basketball club; at first, it is just to impress a girl he likes however, as time goes on he starts getting more invested in the sport and slowly falls in love with it. Personally I find it extremely appealing as I was able to fall in love with basketball and get much more engaged in main character's dream and development than any other shounen protagonist before that. What is more, he is a type of a funny-dummy boy which really helps in dialogue-heavy scenes as it results in a better flow of the series and more enjoynment from it. Having that covered, let's focus on the rest of the main team. The basic squad is all around extremely solid with every character having some kind of a barrier to overcome and a unique quirk to combine with that. Now the substitute players mostly weren't explored that much (aside from a bit from Kogure aka Megane-kun), but personally it didn't bother me that much. Now in regards of the players from other teams I strongly believe that the author did a good job however, not a perfect one. As different matches go on, we get a further look at different character's ambitions and pasts which makes all the matches even more exciting. But at the same time I don't feel like I grew personally attached to any of the players. For example, there was this short match between 2 enemy teams and it is by far by least favourite part of the series (even though it is still solid) as I just wasn't as invested as when watching Sakuragi and Co. play. Nevertheless, the main character's development is brilliant and the rest of the characters is very solid as well. (Also Anzai-sensei is an absolute legend both in the story and in everybody's heart) Art 9 Inoue-sensei is well-known for his extremely realistic art-style, majorly due to Vagabond and Slam Dunk. Now I have to say that I am not a person who values the art of a certain story as much as story-writing and character progression yet, it still matters nonetheless. A magnificent job was done to deliver the story in a way that is nice to look at, interesting to follow and easy to understand. With extremely good paneling and a fine proportion between text and drawings Inoue-sensei is able to pull you into this world from the get go. It definietly shines the brightest during matches as the author is able to go all-out with variety of fast-paced action sequences. Even though it is not necessarly my favourite art-style of all time it is definietly one of the best and even compared to most of the modern manga it still stands out greatly. Enjoynment 10 The last thing I wanted to touch upon in my review as we are coming to a close is whether you need to like/be interested in basketball (or any sport) in order to enjoy Slam Dunk properly and the answer is a big fat no. Every now and then we are informed about different techniques and strategies that make games much easier to understand and enjoyable to the utmost. As you could possibly see I enjoyed Slam Dunk immensely and there is no way I am not giving it a 10 out of 10. Overall 9,5≈10 Slam Dunk is a series I consider to be an absolute classic and also the best sports manga I've read up to date. It is a truly beautiful story about a boy who finds something that he loves. It may be a true inspiration for every teenager and I would gladly recommend it whether you are a fan of sports or not.

Everything about this was jus incredible, it was one smooth hilarious touching ride, one after the other. Art: each character looks unique, can recognize each of them quickly (unlike some mangas where characters jus get a hair-style change and they call it another character). Gets better and better, quite realistic drawings compared with other mangas. The people look pretty real and the guys look damn cool when they're supposed to be. The girls are pretty cute too. Story: Read to find out, don't wana give spoilers. Nothing feels extra in this, everything fits together. Be prepared to laugh lots and feel inspired with the characters' perseverance. Character:If someone asks me whose my favorite character, I find it hard pressed to name one. Their interactions are funny to see and even the loss of a single character in the Shohoku team will surely be sorely missed. The whole Shohoku team combined is my favorite character.

*NO SPOILERS heyo! This is a review of Slam Dunk, one of my favourite manga or my favourite manga series. so here we go! I read this Manga when I was 12 for the first time and it was so amazing, so I decided to read it again a while ago. And it is as amazing as I remember. -this manga is about basketball, (I assume y'all know that) but it is not just for basketball lovers. As one who never played basketball back then, I enjoyed the series so much that I started basketball. -Every game was thrilling, exciting. Every point scored makes you go like," adhsgcausjebgdnux..." anddrove my brain crazy. -The characters are really cool, tho some of them are just like "stereotypical sports anime/manga characters", they still made amazing use of the characters. -The main characters has a lot of characters development and personality. The support characters are pretty good, they have less character development and less time in the book, they still had pretty solid personalities. -The team is super lovable, I was so sad when I realised that I was on the last volume, I wish there was more of the story, I really loved the characters. -The manga has some solid art in it, every character looks completely different and each of them gives of a different vibe even if you just give a look to them. Every play was drawn nicely, thanks. -This is one manga that you can get obsessed over with your whole family, including that cousin that is 7. (well my dad recommended it for me, thanks dad) Or watching the anime with your family is also fun. -This series is amazing and I recommend it 1000%! Please read it!

Frequently, the sports in sports manga has merely been used as a plot device to facilitate other themes such as friendship and teamwork. For example, Kuroko no Basket can easily be about any other team sport such as soccer or baseball with minimal changes. It's themes is universal enough and its superhuman abilities (and other shenanigans) can easily translate to another sport. Slam Dunk is different. Yes, it has themes concerning friendship or teamwork but it hardly emphasizes on that. Slam Dunk is not merely a sports manga, it is a basketball manga. While most sports manga uses its sport as a means to tell astories of thematic variety (mind you it's not a bad thing e.g. Ping Pong the Animation), basketball is essentially the core identity of Slam Dunk. They are practically inseparable. Slam Dunk is a celebration and a tribute to the sport. It boasts human drama between teammates, underdog stories, explosive demonstrations of physical ability, and simply the catharsis of winning. These qualities are the reason why people love and follow basketball and it is also the reason why Slam Dunk is so beloved. The intensity of emotions felt at the end of Shohoku's match against the might Sannoh is no different from Cleveland Cavalier's miracle victory over the Golden State Warriors back in 2016. Takehiko Inoue's love for basketball and love for the passion of its players is so evident in the manga. Slam Dunk contains some of greatest sports matches in all of sports manga like the second game against Ryonan and the struggle against the titanic Sannoh. Reading Slam Dunk is essentially watching the sport at its finest. Every game is as intense as an NBA finals game. Every demonstration of Sakuragi's potential feels like watching your favorite rookie succeed. Every exhibition of Rukawa's dominance is reminiscent of the greats of the sport. Every clutch shot, every game-saving rebound, every comeback, Slam Dunk is a manga of outpouring emotions. It is the pure essence of basketball packed in Takehiko Inoue's vivid and detailed drawings. Nonetheless, Slam Dunk is so good at evoking these emotions it doesn't matter if you follow the sport or not. If you are a fan of basketball, reading Slam Dunk is a necessity. If you are not a fan, give it a chance, you might just love the manga and probably learn to love the sport as well.

The skills are pretty realistic, at least from a non player point of view. Unlike some manga which the main character always win the fight, or manage to gain some realistically impossible secret moves (read: kuroko no basket), or even a super jutsu that is applicable to every situation (read: naruto & bleach), this develops the character real. They face ups & downs. They need to train to get better. Now that's what I call story!

Slam Dunk is one of the best manga I ever read.When i read it,I get very excited & wanna read more & more.This manga get me wanna grab a basketball and started playing it.The manga also affected got me easily emotionally ,I happy while they won,I almost tear up when Akagi told Sakarugi and him to Akagi not to cry.The humour also is good,laugh when within the team they doing stupid things or ark restless. I don't know how to play basketball or the rules of it,but after reading it I had a better understanding about it.Properly the best sport manga that had been created,itvery details about its movement,skills,characters and the feelings that everyone got include the main team and others. Although the manga is two decade ago,but it still great until today(2020).The art is simple and very old but it get better & better and when at final I dont' even believe that art is from 1990 ,tha art became truly epic whne come to their dunking,shooting,passing and etc.It is easily to understand what they are going through,and it show basic technique and awesome one. The characters is Magnificent.Everyone have their own backgrounds & develoments including the others teams.It is not every round the MC win definitely win but they lost and lost again,and learn from their faults and turn it to be thier strength.Each characters have their own development and it is good side coz it make the story more and more excited. This manga definitely will re-reading it and it got 10/10.

Slam Dunk is a great manga. When I first got into Slam Dunk I thought it was gonna suck mainly because I'm not much of a basketball fun and lost alot of interest in the beginning so I ended up dropping it. When I finished reading Hajime No Ippo I went back to this manga and fell in love with it, the story for Slam Dunk is phenomenal and the characters are impossible not to like especially the tensai xP. Though Slam Dunk is a great manga you will be disappointed, because you will not want this series to end.

"Slam Dunk" is the MVP of sports manga, and here's why: While the underdog-to-hero plot might feel familiar, the hilarious twists and turns keep it fresh and enjoyable. Predictable? Maybe a bit, but the charm lies in the genre's classic setup. The art style is slam-dunk perfection—dynamic and electrifying, especially during those heart-pounding basketball matches. Characters are like your basketball dream team—well-rounded with quirks, flaws, and strengths that make them unforgettable. Their reactions to situations? Totally relatable and realistic, adding an extra layer of fun. Even if sports manga isn't usually your thing, the universal humor, fantastic character development, and touching moments make "Slam Dunk"a winner. Trust me, this manga is like a victory dance waiting to happen—everyone needs to jump on the court and join the fun! 🏀📚

This is my second sport manga (first is KnB) and this one totally kills it. The story isn't like 'We winnin' highschool championship' and there aren't superpowers in it. OFC they exaggerated movements but they weren't THAT exaggerated. this manga feel so real, and as a basketball fan, I deeply love this manga. CHARACTERS. The MC's character development is awesome. I really love hanamichi sm. He went from 'playing basketball for Haruko' to 'playing basketball bcs I like the game'. Hanamichi is very entertaining as an MC, with his character and traits, way of speech, expressions, etc. Other than Hanamichi, there are a handful of greatcharacters like Rukawa, Sendoh, Miyagi, Mitsui, Gori, Uozumi, etc(too much lol). ART is so amazing I'm speechless. This is my first Inoue's manga that I've read and tbh I was so in love. I was skeptical before, but I changed my mind after reading the first page of the manga xD. I really enjoy this to the point of reading it for the 5th time. I never got bored of the story and characters. If there's and 11, I'll have the enjoyment at 11 xD

holy crap..! when im reading this i was so excited and i even got chills!!! Its one of the longest series ive read so far (POT 379 these two were my all time favourite sports manga/anime), & honestly, it never bored me... they were totally awesome and theres a part that i almost cried!!! (what?) no, what i mean is i cried from laughing b'cuz of Sakuragi stupidness & cute boastfullness..LoLz.. this is the best ever.. I mean this is my best anime/manga & my favorite.. I REALLY REALLY REALLY LOVE THIS.. from the story line,characters, oh everything.. though Im not a basketballfan but through this Ive learned more about basketball.. the line art was awesome & the story were so cool.. oh man, Sakuragi is so funny & hilarious all the time & certainly hes my favorite character in this anime/manga i mean of all the characters.. hes my number 1..!! he really makes me laugh...I really love this.. Yeah.. SLAMDUNK IS GREAT.. it REALLY ROCKS.. \m/ \m/ \m/.. Sakuragi is absolutely a tensai.. but an idiot tensai...Lolz.. still he's the best..hahaha.. ill give this one a 10/10 its all becuz I LOVE SAKURAGI that much.

I've never read sports manga before since I thought they surely must be boring and predictable (with the good guys always winning). Well, excluding Hajime no Ippo, but fist fights have a kinda different feeling to them. Anyway, Slam Dunk was able to hold my attention despite my bias. It wasn't perfect, but it was an enjoyable read. - - - S T O R Y - - - The story starts off with... surprisingly little to do with basketball. Basketball is there, but the focus is more on delinquent kinda things. Sakuragi's group of friends add some humour, you can easily relate to thecharacters, and easily get into the story. After that, we get some heated basketball games where the players are filled with insane amounts of passion. The games themselves aren't really that interesting, I think, besides Sakuragi's antics and great plays. There's just something hilarious and satisfying about Sakuragi doing good at the game, as well as when he unwittingly breaks the rules. The final match is really thrilling and well done. It's just a bit of a shame the manga ends the way it does. It feels so... incomplete. - - - A R T - - - The art is simply outstanding. The basketball players are sometimes drawn with longer limbs to exaggerate their height, but, other than that, the art is quite realistic. The hair is also quite nicely detailed, but half of the characters kinda have 80s hair. - - - C H A R A C T E R S - - - Eh... there isn't really that much character development or anything. Everyone's kinda just a one man show striving to be the best. Sakuragi is the only character you really get to see grow, which makes him the most interesting. Sakuragi's best friend, Yohei, is also a surprisingly interesting character. He's not just some punk, he's the definition of a true friend. I really respect his character. One character that really disappoints me is Haruko. She started out having a very important role in the story, teaching Sakuragi the basics of basketball and helping him improve. She cheers for him and comforts him as a friend, but only has Rukawa in her heart, just like the dozens of other shallow girls. It's fine for comedy at first, but I think her feelings should've changed after a while. It's not that "the hero has to get the girl" everytime, but it just felt like what naturally should've happened with the bond they built and care they showed for each other. Haruko was just pretty pointless to include for most of the story, really. She was usually just shouting stuff like "Defense! Defense!" and "Go Shohoku!" from the sidelines. Her character looked cute, I can see why you'd want to include her in a shounen manga for that reason, but that shouldn't be the sole reason. So what if she cheers for the team and cries often? It doesn't build her character nor add anything to the story. - - - O V E R A L L - - - Overall, this was kinda addictive. The ending was a let down and the basketball games are mostly only moderately entertaining for a person who isn't into sports. It's good, but not as satisfying as it could've been.

Slam Dunk is not an objectively close to perfect manga. Sometimes there are gaps in between matches and even during matches where both comedy and strangeness take front stage. Many times it is actually incredible funny, but sometimes it is a bit jarring. The cutesy artwork style for the comedy sections also sometimes feels out of place in between incredibly good double page spreads that just get your heart pumping. But none of that matters, absolutely none of it. Slam Dunk is one of the few manga that has gotten me to actually jump out of my chair in hype, in elation. I'vesometimes almost screamed out "YES" in the middle of the night because Inoue's drawings without words filled me more excitement than I have ever felt watching an anime or movie. When the comedy works you will laugh out loud it is so good. The characters are some of the best I've ever seen, they take the tropes they are surrounded with and use them to their fullest potential, so much so that you forget about the fact they they are incredibly simple characters on the surface. The pure emotions that you will feel reading this manga are like very few others. It even manages to wrap up in a place that feels natural, giving you a form of closure that you didn't expect, but feel satisfied with. Probably the best sports manga out there, I can't recommend this enough.