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Reviewed by Barb Lien-Cooper Being a big fan of creator Takehiko Inoue’s manga Real, a more realistic, adult take on the sport of basketball, I also got hooked on his basketball saga for teens, Slam Dunk. Slam Dunk kicks it old school (it’s been around since the 1990s), but kick out the jams it does. This is manga that consistently delivers the goods. In this volume, our loutish, lovable, arrogant, loud, yet somewhat noble hero Hanamichi Sakuragi learns the basics of basketball. Specifically, he learns the art of the lay up, a relatively simple, common way to make sure the basketball gets in the basket. Until he tries it, that is. Then he learns the hard way that what looks simple actually takes almost as much skill as the flashy shots. The problem is that Hanamichi thinks that he’s God’s gift to basketball. He thinks that learning the grand master of all basketball tricks, the slam dunk, will make him a star and get him the girl. And, knowing this sort of series, it just might. But also knowing this kind of series, Hanamichi is going to have to learn to walk before he can run. He’ll have to learn to NOT be a hot shot and a wanna-be superstar before he can be one. He’s gonna have to pay his dues and learn to just be a member of the team. Perhaps the metaphor of the simple lay up, the “common shot,” might be a helpful one in explaining to the non-manga half of sequential storytelling (i.e. comics fanboys and the non-manga related American comics industry in general) why manga readers read manga instead of American comics. American comics have become all about the “slam dunk,” the show-off shot that really doesn't help the team or win games. In the case of comics, the “slam dunk” consists of big, violent events, “continuity porn” so thick and cumbersome that only long term fans can even understand a story arc, and plot twists that claim that they’ll change the superhero’s life forever, but never really do. The slam dunk of comics is admittedly show-y, but it leaves behind almost every other aspect of what makes a story work for a reader: great dialog, astute pacing, character interaction, characters we care about, and the characters’ psychological journeys. In fact, the slam dunk of American comics even precludes interesting plots because everything has to be so big and gaudy. The slam dunk might look good and might be impressive, but in the end, it just doesn’t get the job done. Now take a manga such as Slam Dunk. Ironically, Slam Dunk is all about the simple lay up. It’s not the flashiest manga out there. It’s not the most action-packed (let’s give that one to Naruto). It’s not the coolest manga out there (let’s give that to Death Note). But Slam Dunk knows what works in terms of great storytelling. The creator knows exactly when to be funny, when to be dramatic, when to dwell on a scene and when to up the pacing. He also knows how to make his characters both average (i.e. just like you and me) and memorable at the same time. He also knows that a simple story about a common guy who never catches a break FINALLY getting a bit of good luck and starting to come into his own can be just as compelling as a $170 million dollar superhero movie. He knows that sequential stories need to be somewhat self-contained and self-explanatory in order to catch the casual reader who might come in at volume three or five or even ten or twelve. And most of all, Takehiko Inoue knows that when you love something as much as he loves basketball and you show exactly what it is that makes the sport or the art form or whatever you like so special to you that by showing that love, you can easily bring other people into the fold. Even those who don’t initially share your interest in that hobby or sport or subculture you love, which is quite a feat. One of the many reasons that manga sells is that it’s obvious to manga readers that most manga creators just seem to love doing what they’re doing. Love might be a trite word to use here. But love is the common shot; the shot that makes the audience happy and satisfied and coming back for more. You can impress people for awhile with the slam dunk, but the common shot, while not glamorous, is what wins the game. Using the common shot, creator Takehiko Inoue’s Slam Dunk has sold over 100 million copies worldwide. Interested in writing for MangaLife? We're always looking for talented reviewers and columnists, so drop us a line! Charles Webb Editor-in-Chief, MangaLife.com |
1 September 2010
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