REAL

When you tell someone to read a manga about wheelchair basketball it sounds almost absurd, but once you get into it you realize this manga is more than just wheelchair basketball

If i had to describe real, it would be this sentence: "life is fucking hard", because this is what real is, the hardness of life, the effort one has to make to keep living, this is the reality of the world.

What i like most about REAL it's that it has more than just 1 protagonist, the series revolves around 3 persons, each one battling their own demons and battling to survive the condition their living in. The characters from REAL have so much depth and development that i'd have to say, from all the mangas i've read, this manga is the only one that actually made me cry, and it wasn't just some tears, i was actually crying my eyes out, which made me realize how much connection i had to the characters on this manga. The ways the characters are presented makes you feel what they're feeling, for example even though Takahashi is presented as an asshole and a selfish person, the more you know about him, and the more you go on into this character you start to like him, you start to feel what he's feeling on a deeper level, which many mangas fail to do, the same can be said about nomiya or togawa, they're all created on such a personal level, that i'd say this manga feels more real than most of the manga I've read.

If you wanna read something serious, something to actually think about at night or in the shower, then read REAL, I wouldn't say everyone would like it, it feels more of a book than a manga, for the simple fact that this manga doesn't follow the normal characteristics and tropes of a manga.
It isn't farfetched to say this is the best manga I've read up to date, and if you wanna have something to think about, then give it a try.

Great, great manga. Another masterpiece from Takehiko Inoue.

This is not a new Slam Dunk. It deals with much heavier and mature themes, deepens them to an unprecedented level. The love of basketball here is a background and, at the same time, a crucial aspect.

It's a background because the story, at least until now (volume 14), is not about basketball, but it's about people dealing with the various impacts of a physical disability.

It is crucial because it is in the rescue or building of love of basketball that the characters rebuild themselves from trauma and resignify their experiences with the physical disability.

Real basically deals with this: how disability, with its specificities, with its challenges, with all that it brings, is also a possibility of a rescue of the past, of a re-elaboration, a re-signification of oneself, a rescue - and a discovery - of potentialities and of what really matters in life.

The protagonist trio brings together such diverse characteristics, so different ways of dealing with how the physical disability goes through their lives. In common, the fact that their stories intersect from the (re)discovery of basketball as a turning point.

3 men, 2 points in common: handicap and passion for basketball

With Real, Takehiko Inoue signs, once again, a masterpiece. I have to point out the magnificent drawings!

Disability
Takehiko Inoue tells the story of 3 young men who have seen their lives destroyed because of disability.

Tomomi Nomiya has just been expelled from high school. Passionate about basketball, he has not played since he caused a motorcycle accident in which his passenger - Natsumi Yamashita - lost the use of his legs.
While visiting Natsumi, Tomomi meets Kiyoharu Togawa. Amputated with one leg, Kiyoharu started playing handi-basketball but he finds his team mediocre.
Hisanobu Takahashi became leader of the basketball team after Tomomi's dismissal. One day he gets hit by a truck trying to steal a bike. Surgeons tell him he's lost the use of his legs.

Inoue Sensei and his love for basketball: a recurring theme
Takehiko Inoue has already praised basketball in his mythical work Slam Dunk (I have never laughed so much).

In Real, the mangaka uses basketball as therapy. Basketball, as a lot of sports, unites and enables people to surpass themselves.
Thus these three characters must accept their handicap, face it and especially stand up against it.

Friendship, love, family
The characters may gradually face their disability but it would not be the same without their loved ones who try as best they can to help them. They also have had their lives turned upside down. Standing beside each other will enable them to overcome the handicap little by little, defeat after defeat, victory after victory.

The publication rate is too slow
The only negative point is undoubtedly the publishing rate (13 volumes since 1999). If Takehiko Inoue had declared several times that he wanted to take his time and publish at his own pace, the wait becomes very long and we end up losing the thread...

You can still start the manga which currently contains 13 rich volumes. Some chapters have been released since...

In summary
A realistic and touching manga, sometimes funny, sometimes sad.
A truly inspiring lesson, sometimes very hard, that shows that no matter what the hardships, you have to get up again and again because life is worth living.

Maybe the best manga I've ever read. Inoue's ability to make you love what he loves is unparalleled. If you don't love basketball before reading this, you will at least understand what it is like to have a passion for something.

Every part of it is superb:
-The art is as expected from Inoue
-The action is well drawn and suited for the genre
-The comedy is genuine
-The story is emotive and captivating

The only thing that's a negative is having to wait for him to finish the work, but to put it a way that Nomiya would say, "This is not despair. This is joy!"

Spoiler free review



The art:

The strictly realistic art, sets a serious tone throughout the manga. It never or rarely feels exaggerated, pretentious or flat out wacky. It depicts emotions in a natural, REAListic way, without trying to force them unto readers. Captivating, even from the cover, Inoue’s incredible artistic vision of facial expressions give characters a living vibe. The main characters are laid bare in artistic REALism, drawn masterfully in private situations and strong emotional states. Theres a deep, almost intimate connection made with them.




The Story:

Tough revolving around it the whole manga, wheelchair basketball is mostly used as a catalyst for story/events and also as a stage to exhibit character development. Most of the REAL DRAMA happens outside the court, in the lives of the main characters, how they cope with with REAL life difficult, AWKWARD, Far from fairy tale like, situations. Ambivalence, acceptance(not only of others but of oneself), REGRET, true friendship, starting over, love(in general), are just some of the major themes masterfully explored and expressed in REAL. This story is a down right, in your face reminder of the cruelties of real life. Little to no plot armor here, no magic dragon balls, no sugar coating it for readers, no tears falling on someone to magically heal them, no super emotional screams = flashy power up sequences, no super hero magic powers. The only super heroes you'll find here are personifications of REAL life, flesh and blood heroes. And the only powers here, are the ones of the human spirit, exhibited in true magnificence.
It is NOT as dark!!! depressing or gloomy as one might think when judging the "cover" or synopsis. I would even venture out and say its heart warming and inspiring. The unpretentious, unexaggerated darkness, has a natural “REAL life” feeling to it. A darkness we are used to, for its all around us. But this story isn't about darkness(its no emo manga), its about the radiant light that contrast it, this story is about the beauty of life!

I recommend everyone give this one a try, for the quality is world class.

This is divine work by Takehiko Inoue. It's like Dostoievski writing manga. The human behaviour is perfectly detailed, this is the best manga in this subject I have ever put my eyes on.
I am subjective about the basketball part, as i am a player, but i can tell you that he has some good points there, and some good points in leadership that any team sport can use.
His momentum is great, it blew me away how it kept crawling and digging in more and more misery.
This is some hardcore slice of life. If you're not ready for drama or facing your issues, then step away. If you just finished Slam Dunk, and are expecting an easy read with basketball flavor, mister Inoue will surprise you :)
Also art-wise, it's greatly done - consider his other ongoing manga Vagabond
I would put this manga in the education system , it's really food for your mind

No Spoiler Review...

I haven't been interested in manga in quite a long time. The reason being is that there isn't much out there that is novel and pushes story telling in a direction that only a medium like manga can...

I was quite taken aback when I started reading Real. The story itself is incredibly original and risky as we are introduced to the world of wheelchair basketball which in itself I have no interest whatsoever.

The appeal of the entire manga to me were the characters and exploring what pushes us to overcome soul-crushing obstacles. It is an incredibly sophisticated and touching story. Real takes an unflinching look at existential crises and how they both harm us yet make us stronger as a result. You become very emotionally invested in these characters and it is one of those stories that you feel make you grow.

This story was soo good, around chapter 70 I was worried about the story ending abruptly because I noticed there were only 90 chapters but I'm so glad the story isnt finished, I just hope that new chapters will come out soon, because I really wanna see more from nomiya and the three musketeers. they were my favorite characters. I def didn;t expect to cry as often as i did with this series but they way they depicted each characters trauma and their resilience and persistence to overcome their obstacles was so powerful, the shiratori arc with broom made me bawllllll T-T as did Nomiya at tryouts. def one of my new favorite series. also the art is amazing. nomiya was looking hot as fuck when he popped up on takahashi and showed off his 6 pack lmaooo. im also very interested in where the storyline will go between nomiya and the girl.

I use MAL for keeping track of series I want to read/watch, so this will be my first(and probably only) review. I could right pages about REAL but I'll keep it somewhat brief.

If you are on the fence about reading this series, do it. No hesitation. If one person starts this series because of this post, then I have done my job. If you are expecting Slam Dunk or Vagabond, it's somewhat a mixture of the two, and somewhat something completely different. We may never get a completion to the story, and taking that into consideration, it's still one of the greatest STORIES I have ever read(and I've read my fair share). That's somewhat of an extreme opinion and I don't think it will resonate as personally with everyone as it did with me, but I'm positive anybody that gives it a shot will gain something of value from it. I think that's the highest praise anyone can give for a story.

Story: 10
Riveting. Heartbreaking. Funny. Frustrating. Thought-Provoking. I have gone through almost every possible emotion through each sit-down. Essentially, the story resolves around 3 guys connected through basketball, or more specifically, wheelchair basketball. It's a balance of despair and hope, swirling through the pages as characters try to right their wrongs and find their place in the world after traumatic experiences. It's a pretty vague premise, but there are many subplots that really give the story its legs.

Art: 8
Definitely not the best I've seen as it's spotty at times(Due to the author working on Vagabond at the time), but it really has it's own charm. I think Inoue is unrivaled in portraying movement in his panels. He's mastered the small details, and easily makes you forget you're looking at a still page. It's not just basketball scenes where his art shines either. He can portray emotion with shocking realism, and it greatly adds to the effect of whatever feeling he wants you to feel. And in my opinion, his character designs are perfect. It's the sweet balance between being able to tell people apart while also not making them too outlandish where that sense of realism is lost. Each character has their own unique set of features, not just in their face but in their body language as well, which is super impressive considering a lot of the cast is in a wheelchair.

Characters: 10
The characters are the best part about this series, and that is saying a lot. You know a story is special when there're 3 main characters, and each are equally fleshed out with extreme care, depth and unique development. What's even crazier is that some of the best characters play supporting roles. Side characters are supposed to help the main characters grow, and they accomplish that flawlessly. However, countless of these characters receive just as much or even more growth that other story's MAIN cast gets. Everyone is a weirdo, an asshole or both, and yet, I can't help but root for them. Their flaws are so blatant, but you understand why they do what they do. They're given structure and as you watch these characters go through the ringer countless times, all you want to see is them come out on top.

Enjoyment: 10
Through each of my numerous reads, my interest has not faltered even a little bit. I enjoy it as much as I did years ago.

Overall: 10
It's less than 100 chapters, and still one of the most fleshed out pieces of work this medium has to offer. It's relatable on so many levels and mad me reflect in ways I never had before. In my honest opinion, a must read for everybody, not just anime/manga fans.

Out of Takehiko Inoue's three major works, I would say Real is overall the best. His first major work of Slam Dunk, whilst good for what it was, had too few stakes to keep investment high and Vagabond took too long to provide a major focus on character development. In that sense, Real can be considered the best of both worlds and overall an improvement on everything about Slam Dunk to the point of the predecessor's redundancy akin to what Hunter X Hunter is compared to Yu Yu Hakusho.

The plot is something fairly straightforward and summaries of it wouldn't make the series sound so interesting. If it were purely the disabled playing wheelchair basketball, the series would have nothing to keep investment high. What does allow it to shine compared to many other manga, especially of the sports genre, is it's focus on characters and their psychology. Most of the cast are given a large focus on their personal struggle and how being catapulted into the realm of disability can affect both their path in life and relationships with their loved ones, particularly well done with the character of Takahashi. There is also exploration on the guilt and regret that comes from this sudden change, with many of the transformations into a paraplegic being due to an accident caused by reckless decisions. This can be particularly seen through the character of Nomiya and his attempts to atone for his sins in a life that he ruined. These elements provide the opportunity to create great drama, which the series utilises to it's full potential with it's exploration on the temporary nature of life.
However, it's not as though the synergy of a plot with good themes and very good characters makes something a masterpiece. Unfortunately, later chapters of the series spend so much of a focus on the failures of characters to get past their problems to the point of derailing the manga's pacing and causing some story lines to seemingly go in circles.

Onto the superficial element of art, this is an aspect of the series that is truly excellent. Inoue's art is well renowned as highly detailed and realistic, this holding true for Real. His work as an artist and ability to catch the audience's attention through it has improved staggeringly since Slam Dunk, though I'd say the peak of Vagabond's art surpasses Real's, but when the former is one of the most breathtaking manga artistically that's still a worthy feat.

As for the conclusion, is Real the greatest sports manga of all time? No. That title would belong to Ashita no Joe. However, Real is a worthy second place in that category with it providing enough drama and danger to stand above the countless titles of lukewarm importance within the genre and act as Inoue's expansion as a writer after Slam Dunk. Too bad the series will likely be stuck in hiatus hell for many years.

Overall ranking - 7.5/10

Yes, this is a manga about wheelchair basketball. I've enjoyed SLAM DUNK, but this manga is so much more than just the sports itself.


The story is a roller coaster throughout. It isn't a tear jerker, but accurately depicts the highs and lows of life. The characters are very humanlike, the mistakes they make haunt them, and yet they are constantly pushing despite being set back by life. This book is inspiring, not in a traditional sports manga type of way. It inspires you to be better, and shows you that people are able to forgive themselves and move on. The art is obviously a 10, as it drawn by Takehiko Inoue.

Takehiko Inoue made his name in the 90′s with Slam Dunk, the hugely popular basketball manga. After that he was sponsored by ESPN to do another basketball manga, Buzzer Beater, but that one didn’t go down as well. So the next year he decided to switch genres and starting drawing Vagabond, the samurai epic. But I guess after a few years of him waking up surrounded by pages of samurai doing slam dunks, he realised the basketball was in him and he needed to go back to that genre before he exploded. Sitting in front of his editor and faced with pitching his new sports manga, he desperately needed some new angle.

“It’s about bask..bas…” gaze darts around the office.

“Baske…ba…baaaaa” eyes dart from newbie mangaka sweating profusely to experienced editor in chief picking his nose to the new sub-editor who only has one leg so is in a-

“Wheelchair basketball! My new manga is about wheelchair basketball!”

One thing I was worried about going into Real was that the depiction of disabled folks would come off as patronising. There can be a bit of a tendency in stories focusing on disabilities to paint the characters as selfless heroic individuals with no faults, as though they think glorifying their achievements will somehow counterbalance the lack of respect regular society gives them. This is absolutely not the case with Real. The characters are assholes. Completely and utterly horrible people. There’s three main characters, two of which are in wheelchairs. One of them is a stuck-up, self-absorbed, weak-willed bully. The guy not in the wheelchair is a temperamental, anti-social idiot. Even the third dude, the up and coming wheelchair basketball star, is an angry whining little twit.

While this goes a long way to making the characters feel like human beings with genuine personality, dreams and weaknesses, it can also mean that watching them gets a bit difficult at times. Particularly at the start of the story. Real takes the approach that these characters will learn and grow to become better people through their interactions with others over the course of the story. To achieve that though, they really shove these characters down to absolute rock bottom. High school dropout loses his drivers licence and cripples the girl he picked up and has that looming over his conscious as he tries to put some sort of life together. Top-tier student breezing through class gets spinal cord snapped in traffic accident and realises while in hospital that none of his previous relationships are worth shit. Aspiring wheelchair basketball player tries to set up team but most of the players abandon them due to his relentless ambition.

But in US Marine style, breaking them down completely allows the story to start rebuilding their lives. It’s fucking gruelling to sit through at the start. With every breakthrough a character has, something else will knock them back. Team gets back together, instantly loses first match. Guy manages to get job, company goes bankrupt. But with each knockback, the person will learn something. They’ll draw inspiration from one of the other characters in the story and this will spur them on to go further. It’s a feel-good story about triumph in the face of adversity, which you could probably guess from the fact it was about wheelchair basketball. But in humanising the characters and knocking them down so low, it becomes that much more rewarding when they do make a breakthrough.

The artwork is fantastic. Takehiko Inoue opts for a more realistic drawing style, which works well with the story. Characters do seem to sweat an awful lot, which makes the basketball matches look like the players were all bukkake’d before getting on the court. This is compounded by the fact Inoue likes to draw the characters with their shirts off to display muscles and so forth. The author has no qualms whatsoever about drawing dicks either, which is a little bit weird. This is actually relevant material, since your own body image is a huge theme in the story. It’s both a huge part of sports and your disability. Shots of the Australian wheelchair basketball player with his humongous biceps next to his stick-thin legs go a long way to demonstrating how characters come to terms with how they body will be shaped.

Where the artwork really seemed to improve over the course of the series is the visual metaphors and panel composition. Now I admit that the panel composition thing may be just me taking time to get used to his style, given the guy is kind of a veteran at this whole manga thing. But the more the manga went on, the better he seemed to get at depicting the thought process of characters using visual cues. The moment that was an absolute standout for me was when the guy in hospital remembered the game of basketball he played against the guy in the wheelchair before he broke his back and he suddenly realises there is a sport for him. There’s a fantastic flow to the way the panels show his mind naturally wander before his eyes widen when he remembers the guy in the wheelchair. As for the visual metaphor, these increase over the course of the manga and go a long way to allowing me to understand how the disability effected people. Stand out moment here was the guy sprinting in a race and seeing his leg crash into some imaginary mud and snap off.

It took me a bit to get into Real as the story construction requires the start to be gruelling reading. But once the characters started growing, it became a highly absorbing and rewarding read. It hasn’t ended yet. There's 11 volumes out at time of writing. But I can’t see it continuing on for too much longer because it really feels that the characters have gotten over the worst of their problems. Plus it’s about wheelchair basketball. Goddamn wheelchair basketball! How awesome is that! Go read Real, it’s pretty great.

What can be said about REAL, that hasn't been said yet?

It is masterfully written manga by Takehiko Inoue revolving around overcoming what life throws at you. Three main characters are trying to live their lifes and find their path.

You relate to them, because atleast once in your life you had similar thoughts. As manga progresses you progress with it. You want to join them in their fights with obstacles. You want to go out and start playing basketball. You want to start studying and live your life at the fullest possible way. You are inspired not by their victories, but by their transformation. Jorney is sometimes more important than the destination. And this is one of those times.

Favourite quote from the manga: "I just want to be a better person"

Great, great manga. Another masterpiece from Takehiko Inoue.

This is not a new Slam Dunk. It deals with much heavier and mature themes, deepens them to an unprecedented level. The love of basketball here is a background and, at the same time, a crucial aspect.

It's a background because the story, at least until now (volume 14), is not about basketball, but it's about people dealing with the various impacts of a physical disability.

It is crucial because it is in the rescue or building of love of basketball that the characters rebuild themselves from trauma and resignify their experiences with the physical disability.

Real basically deals with this: how disability, with its specificities, with its challenges, with all that it brings, is also a possibility of a rescue of the past, of a re-elaboration, a re-signification of oneself, a rescue - and a discovery - of potentialities and of what really matters in life.

The protagonist trio brings together such diverse characteristics, so different ways of dealing with how the physical disability goes through their lives. In common, the fact that their stories intersect from the (re)discovery of basketball as a turning point.

Unmissable.

What this manga revolves around can simply be described in two words, wheelchair basketball -- but that surely does it as much justice as calling nights dark.

If you've seen the movie Murderball, then this series is a essentially and almost entirely just the manga format of what that documentary has to offer in terms of issues relating to people of the disability -- but from a Japanese perspective of course. As a side note, if you haven't seen Murderball then get off your ass and do so!

Takehiko's brilliance can be seen immediately in his art. It is his own and it is unquestionably excellent and recognizable -- my personal favorite among manga artists. What makes his work so superb and endearing are his characters. Upon reading any series of his, be it Slam Dunk!, Vagabond, or this one, the immediate impression of the characters is that they are just that, characters. They have very specific personalities and their mannerism and dialogues and all other aspects to them are very specific to them. An obvious observation yes, however, this does wonders in providing a certain realism and depth concerning the ability of the reader to relate and understand the scope of what the characters within Inoue's mangas, and do so with an incredible grasp of who and what the characters represent with a certain clarity that is in my opinion genius.

Every page, and even the ones with not a single word communicate vastly the experience and environment of the characters within them and the thoughts and minds of these common yet distinct people that you will have the gratifying experience of encountering in a manga.

Fun. Emotional. Endearing. Memorable.

A manga revolving around wheelchair basketball. This is another representation of the manga form's greatest asset: variety. There are manga out there about any subject, topic or issue. There is a manga out there for everyone. Real is for everyone. Everyone with matured tastes anyway. It needs to be made clear that this manga is heavy on characterisation and not on battle royales involving hoops.

Takehiko Inoue's Real is his most mature and accomplished work. You won’t find constant court action here with secret techniques powering up people. This is a tale about three young men, the issue of disability in Japan, and of course basketball.

Nomiya is a rash outspoken school dropout searching for a purpose in life. Everything about him says he should not give a shit and just be a hooligan, but inside that rough exterior of his is a decent person wanting to make good use of his life. This is a man who acknowledges who he is, a very mature act indeed. He looks for redemption in the girl who he caused to become disabled thanks to a traffic accident.

Togawa is already in a wheelchair and a rabid basketball player. His arc is more predictable in the Slam Dunk mould of wanting to be a better player, setting his sights on a rival to use as a measuring stick for his own skills. How he got into the wheelchair is more interesting than what he's doing in it, but regardless his predicament is still engaging in a conventional sense. You root for him to succeed.

Takahashi is an antagonist introduced early on, making Nomiya's life a misery by not adhering to the spirit of sportsmanship, causing Nomiya to become an outcast by turning the school team against him. He's pretty much your typical teenager, ugly egotistical traits and all. He unexpectedly becomes the reader's guide to disability and enables Takehiko Inoue to explore the horror of having control of your own body and senses wrenched away from you. This character's arc is by far the most compelling, as Inoue slowly turns the hateful archetypical bully of the first volume into a relatable person by the fourth.

Reading this manga I kept trying to spot how Takehiko Inoue would go wrong; would make glaring mistakes or fall for convention. But he doesn’t. There's no typical genre formula for the basketball games, there's no beat by beat rundown of disability like you'd expect in some shonen genre tale with commentators spelling everything out for you. This is simply a tale led by three main characters dealing with what’s real in their lives, how to differentiate between reality and fantasy whether it be in society status or relationships, the falsities between the lines, how to hold onto truths, how to discover them in the first place.

How to deal with the cold harsh and undeniably true-to-life act of being abandoned by your so-called friends when you lose the ability to walk. How to continue to live in your new state, bearing that crushing defeat, the humiliation and loneliness that comes rushing in when you are outcast by nearly everyone in your life.

Real is Takehiko Inoue's best manga to date, it doesn’t use basketball games as a crutch, it doesnt revel in clichéd tropes of manga, it’s just simply a compelling story with a backdrop that’s rare to the manga form, so kudos to the author for going there and tackling it responsibly and creatively.

Real isn’t going to be everyone's cup of tea, because some are so used to associating manga with certain tropes. This most certainly isn’t Slam Dunk part two, but if you've an open mind and want to be pulled into the plights and trials of three young Japanese men dealing with life's challenges, drawn exquisitely by one of manga's most skilled artists, then read Real.