Real, Vol. 1

by Takehiko Inoue

Overview

Eisner-award nominated creator Takehiko Inoue creates a dramatic tale of triumph over adversity. This is the story of three young men whose lives are profoundly changed by their involvement with wheelchair basketball.

Critically acclaimed, award-winning manga artist Takehiko Inoue doesn’t pull any punches in this stunning portrayal of people struggling with serious life issues. Masterfully combining rich character development with beautifully detailed line art, Inoue, the creator of the mega-hit masterpieces Slam Dunk and Vagabond, lifts the manga medium to a completely new level of storytelling.

A motorcycle accident, bone cancer, a speeding truck crashing into a boy on a stolen bicycle—tragic life-changing events turn the worlds of three young men upside down. These three very different personalities have only one thing in common—their passion for basketball.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781421519890
Publisher:	VIZ Media LLC
Publication date:	07/15/2008
Series:	Real (Manga) Series , #1
Edition description:	Original
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	44,772
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Takehiko Inoue is the creator of one of the most popular manga of all time, Slam Dunk, which has sold over 100 million copies worldwide. He followed that series up with two titles lauded by critics and fans alike—Vagabond, a fictional account of the life of Miyamoto Musashi, and Real, a manga about wheelchair basketball. Inoue is the recipient of numerous awards, including the prestigious Tezuka Osamu Culture Award and the Media Arts Festival Award. In addition to his work on manga, Inoue has worked on television commercials, character designs for video games, and is the founder of a scholarship to foster Japanese basketball talent.

Editorial Reviews

Basketball-obsessed manga superstar Inoue (Vagabond; Slam Dunk) returns with a series about wheelchair basketball. Nomiya is a young thug recently kicked out of high school who yearns to play basketball. When he meets the wheelchair-bound basketball prodigy Kiyoharu Tagawa, the two begin hustling pickup games at local outdoor courts. In the meantime, Takahashi, the newly appointed captain of Nomiya's former school basketball team, is hit by a car and paralyzed from the waist down. This first volume feels less dynamic than Inoue's previous manga series, and it would have been a better idea for Viz to follow Del Rey's example and simultaneously release volumes one and two for readers to get a better foundation for the story. Inoue's illustrations are consistently gorgeous-volume one features ink watercolor paintings of his characters. His sense of action and drama is solid, but this opening book feels as though Inoue is figuring out how to get the different parts of his story to fit together fluidly-something to be remedied by volume two. Those who enjoyed Inoue's other famed basketball manga, Slam Dunk, and anyone moved by triumph over great obstacles are encouraged to give it a read. (July)

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Publishers Weekly

Gr 10 Up

A compelling story of tragedy and struggle, Real is sure to appeal to teens-especially to male readers. Like Inoue's "Slam Dunk" series (Viz Media), the novel centers on basketball, but this time the focus is on wheelchair athletes. Tomomi is an angry and troubled high school dropout. He is plagued by guilt over a motorcycle accident that left his passenger paralyzed and has made Tomomi a social outcast among his former teammates. Kiyoharu is also struggling, having lost a leg to bone cancer and now confined to a wheelchair. Although Tomomi and Kiyoharu are very different, they share an intense love for the game, a passion that brings them together. A third tragic event, which results in a basketball bully losing the use of his legs, is introduced near the end of the book. It is sure to play an important role in future volumes. Inoue's black-and-white drawings are detailed and realistic, enhancing the grittiness of the story and helping to bring both characters and action to life. Real will make a welcome addition to libraries looking for manga for more mature readers, and it is sure to leave teens hungry for more.-Lara McAllister, Halifax Public Libraries, Nova Scotia

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