" Gold medals aren't really made of gold. They're made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts "
Does this quote describes what this manga is about? Probably not, but I felt that it would be cool writing it before I start review. This is already 24 years old, it started back in 1990 and was publishing to 1996 (six years)
Back then, basketball wasn't that popular in Japan, very few really talked about it, but mangaka Takehiko Inoue liked basketball, and even though he was told by his editor that basketball is almost a taboo in Japan, he decided to write manga about it,
...
mostly because of his love for the same sport. Takehiko Inoue understands what sport is about, he understands the value of friends and basketball, and he puts that in this amazing art work
Hanamichi Sakuragi is teenager that just started high school, and he doesn't have any luck with girls. He was rejected 50 times in middle school, and his friends always make fun of him because of that, telling him that he is "breaking records" . He stumbles upon a beautiful girl named Haruko Akagi that asked him if he does like basketball - because he was tall, standing 6''2' . He immediately says yes, altough he doesn't know anything about it, and there is the the so called "plot" . The guy picks up basket to get attention from the girl she likes, and that's the simple story, but simple can sometimes turn out to be best.
Many sport, shonen manga tend to have great characters, the case is same with SD. Maybe the best thing about this work are characters. They are vivid, have their own personalities and you can relate to many of them. It's not just that they are vivid, but after reading few chapters you imagine them as real persons, like they truly exist, they're alive and are making a story by themselves. They are filled with joy and freshness, comedic touch and great sense of humour. For example, Sakuragi, the main character is stating himself as a "genius" all the time, he believes to be the best even though he is (at the begininng) the worst in Shohoku basketball team. That personality of his is what makes this manga so funny and enjoyable, with that attitude he sometimes get in trouble with captain of the team, Akagi Takenori ( brother of Haruko). Because of his dark skin and extremely tall height, Sakuragi calls Akagi "Gorilla" or "Gori" , and that sometimes pisses of Akagi, but to readers, in many situations, that is hillarious. Akagi is the captain, best man on the team, leader and he appreciates dedicated person and likes cleanliness, everything that Sakuragi in the beginning isn't. Haruko, crush of Sakuragi on the other hand, likes someone else - Rukawa Kaede. first year student like Sakuargi, talented basketball player who is often silent and favorited by all the girls. And that makes both of them rivals - Sakuragi doesn't like Rukawa because he sees him as an obstacle to Haruko's heart. When Sakuragi makes a mistake in a game, Rukawa always comments on him with his favourite word "Moron" comically, which pisses of Sakuragi even more. The chemistry between those two is always funny and interesting to read, with Gorilla Akagi and two other players, Ryota Miyagi and Mitsui Hisashi, the team Shohoku is full of troublemakers, laughter, and great potential to win the National Championship - which is Akagi's dream, and the center of the story. The greatness of the main character Sakuragi is not just his humour and attitude, but in development he experiences through the story. It is how he becomes more mature-like person, a realy sportsman and basketball player. From short tempered and arrogant self calling genius, which started basket just to get attention from the girl he likes, he begins to realise the importance of practicing, and starts appreciating other people, their hardwork and of course, basketball. That doesn't happen at just one moment in manga, but through the whole story.
There are many other basketball schools, like Ryonan and Kainan, and they also have their stars (some of them are Akira Sendoh, Uozumi Jun, Shinichi Maki), with explained background stories and great personallities.
I have to mention one of my favourite characters from Slam Dunk - Mito Yohei, one of Sakuragi's best friends from school. He isn't the main character, he doesn't appears to often, but whenever he said something, I liked him more. He is usually silent and cool, but when it comes to making fun of Sakuragi's bad luck with girls, he acts like a kid, he is a good fighter, and understands Sakuragi the best. He is also very happy because of his friend, finding and focusing on something he likes(basketball).
Yep, starting this manga, prepare for many great, inspirational characters and a lot of laughter, heartwarming moments and great way to get more fond of basketball, or any sport.
I don't want to talk much about art, it fits sport manga, good character design, Inoue knows how to express character's feelings through their facial expressions, from panel to panel, they can be drawn pretty funny, like caricatures (when the scene is comic), and they can be drawn pretty serious (when panel is serious). Inoue knows how to tell story with drawings, and none panel doesn't feel unnecessary or out of the place, he is a genius when it comes to telling a story with only pictures - no text.
Ultimate sport manga, the best in its own genre, and even further. It has everything in it, from comedy to sadness, from love story to inspiring sport story, everthing stored in one work.
If you haven't read the manga, the rest of the review will be something like a spoiler and my personal disliking , so if you don't want some minor spoilers, stop reading
- - - - - - - -
Okay so, the way that manga came to a close. Not the ending, but the way it came to an end. Was it rushed? The last game was perfect - it had everything, but I wanted manga to go on. Inoue introduced many characters for national championship tournament, and were they all used to max potential? No. I can't remember the name but the tall guy with an older serious guy, they were watching game between Shohoku and Sannoh and left saying that Sannoh is winning. Hiroshi Morishige, the arrogant genius who was seen playing by Sakuragi? Maybe after match with Sannoh I wanted to see more of Sendoh apperiance, Sakuragi's bothering past (the thing with his father which he wanted to forget), Kainan match, and than maybe more of Sakuragi's gang, Aota judo guy. There was a big thing for national championship, many characters introduced, and it felt like few of them were forgoten.
That's why I'm giving it a 9, I still sometimes when I'm bored start thinking about Shohoku team, and what they did after.
 Alternative TitlesJapanese: SLAM DUNK More titlesInformationType: Manga
Volumes: 31
Chapters: 276
Status: Finished
Published: Sep 18, 1990 to Jun 4, 1996
Demographic:
Shounen
Serialization:
Shounen Jump (Weekly) Authors:
Inoue, Takehiko (Story & Art) Statistics Ranked: #62 2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #54
Members: 170,399
Favorites: 16,137 Resources | Reviews
Filtered Results: 49 / 51
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Sep 16, 2014
" Gold medals aren't really made of gold. They're made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts "
Does this quote describes what this manga is about? Probably not, but I felt that it would be cool writing it before I start review. This is already 24 years old, it started back in 1990 and was publishing to 1996 (six years) Back then, basketball wasn't that popular in Japan, very few really talked about it, but mangaka Takehiko Inoue liked basketball, and even though he was told by his editor that basketball is almost a taboo in Japan, he decided to write manga about it, ... 
Nov 19, 2017
It doesn't matter that you don't like sports or don't know anything about basketball, this manga surpasses all those barriers. I started reading this manga knowing as much about basketball as the protagonist, that is, almost nothing. However, unlike other sports anime/manga where you don't even realize there are positions, or what are the rules, in Slam Dunk things are explained by demonstration or by the author himself, and when you realize, you will have learned more than you expected. Most important, and what made this manga so popular, was how hooked people got into basketball after reading Slam Dunk. The protagonist,
...
Jun 19, 2020
I've played basketball since I was 8, I'm now 21. I LOVE basketball, this manga is pure love for basketball no BS powers just a loveable idiot learning and grinding away at the game
Story:10 semi-complete, i want a sequel, The manga has a complete and well told story simply beautiful Art:10 Takehito Inoue is on par with Araki and Muira in levels of detail and inking they should be hung up in an art museum Characters: Every Player Home and Away are great and loveable. My favorite is Sendoh for his non-chalant way to play. they're seriously likeable Enjoyment:10 I'm an LA clippers fan and I've seen actual ... 
Jun 16, 2020
I'm gonna keep this short.
Why I like about Slam Dunk the most is the closeness it gets to reality when it comes to the aspects of Basketball. like they don't have this super power or something like that, and it just about a dudes playing their best. I can confidently say that the story is great, though I don't relate, I feel what the protagonist is feeling at the moment, and the last match brought me to tears (not spoiling anything). Slam dunk is an embodiment of Basketball with little exaggeration. the art is very good in their time, But I dig it. ... 
Aug 10, 2020
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've ... 
Dec 1, 2018
- Great Comedy Aspects.
-enticing story and rivalry aspects. -If you love traditional basketball you'll love this, stays true to the game without any gimmicks or super powers. -The art is great and sometimes changes for more gag like frames of the manga. -There is a great heroine who comes to like the sakuragi. - this displays how sakuragi started to play basketball because of the girl that he likes to how he tries his hardest to not lose the gaems and make everyone proud. - You see how Sakuragi's skills develop from a person who's never played basketball before to a key player in all of Japanese high-school basketball. Overall id ... 
Sep 30, 2013
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 the ... 
Oct 1, 2021
Slam dunk has got to be one of the best sports manga ever created.
While reading slam dunk you can experience greatness right before your eyes, The magnificent art can make the movements of the characters to look smooth, This manga has the best sports choreography that I have ever seen, each match can make you stay up all night because of the intense battles each team do. For the characters I gave it a 9/10 rating, Some of the characters in this manga (ex: Rukawa, Sakuragi) gives the best character development experience, however I feel like some of the characters suffer from low screen time ...
Apr 20, 2021
Slam Dunk has a really good balance of comedy and seriousness in a sports manga while maintaining legitimate knowledge regarding the sport. Love the sense of realism for this as most sports manga tend to overdo things and give them superpowers. There are also sports mangas that really strays away from the sport itself, specially the new sports manga nowadays.
Slam Dunk has good amount of knowledge regarding basketball and on what goes behind the scene. The matches are high intensity and the character development is nice, the story keeps you interested, basketball fans can relate to the scenarios in the story and non-basketball fans will ...
Nov 3, 2023
I was reading this in class once and sneezed really bad, i started crying as i wiped a pound of snot off of rukawas face with my sleeve, my psych professor kept asking me what was wrong and if i needed to step outside but i started scream crying thinking of how sad rukawa would be if he knew what i had done to him. overall the manga is fantistic emotional work about a guy playing basketball so really the title gives you what you need to know. basketballs are orange and round and the main character has red hair so he evokes the image
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Nov 1, 2020
I've always heard great things about Slam Dunk, and as a lover of basketball there was no way i wasn't going to read this manga sooner or later, but i've also always procrastinated on that because i was put off by the early chapters where it looks more like a typical bancho school delinquent story more than a sports one.
Thankfully things starts to pick up pretty soon and let me tell you, everything good you've heard about this manga is true. The creator Takehiko Inoue clearly loves basketball and you can feel his love in every page, no superpowers bullshit are needed to show ... 
Jul 12, 2016
Slam Dunk depicts the sport of basketball truthful. No Generation of Miracles but their certainly are some very skilled players in the series, that give our favorite team a run for their money. I was actually really sad when it ended. I wanted more out of the series but I was actually quite pleased with how things ended up wrapping up.
Their last game was really intense. It gave a really realistic look at what happens when you fight a really strong opponent. You start to see your weaknesses and that makes the battle difficult but if you can push yourself past your limits in ... 
Mar 24, 2022
Give my fucking time back u little piece of trash
First of all I want to say that the match against Sannoh was amazing but that “ending” is so fucking incomplete. Sakuragi finally had improved and did something in the match but bro wtf why did the writer think that leaving a sports manga in the middle of a national tournament is a good idea. I still can’t believe it. I am curious about the thoughts of the writer like why. If the match against Sannoh was the final match of the tournament it would make more sense. This manga had so much potential since the ... 
May 3, 2023
Slam Dunk Review - This is my first review so ill try my best to point things out
Initially i am not the kind of person to review anything since i simply don't really want too, but since i wanted to only review manga/anime series that has a rating of 9 out of 10 or 10 out of 10 i would do a review on it and have made that promise till that day. This is my first review formulating this and i will make sure to try my best to keep it compact and at point as much as i can, but of course it ... 
Mar 4, 2023
Nooooo.. Why is it have to end. I want moreeee. i want some more tensai Sakuragi, more rukawa, and basically anything or everything. But Shohoku vs Sannoh is just peak match. The art is amazing, you can see the big improvement in the art. This is just amazing and i read it all in 2-3 days because of how good it is. Tensai Sakuragi is just a GOATED character. I dont want it to end, but this is Takehiko Inoue we're talking about, an artist that known for the man who never finished his art. But overall i super enjoyed it and i think this
...
Dec 18, 2022
This is not an ordinary sports manga in which the protagonist cries or screams and gets stronger. I am not saying that these ones are mediocre, I am just stating the obvious.
It was a perfect read. Great experience. The progression of Inoue's art is amazing. Inoue himself must be a nice-hearted son of a ...... The story is perfect end I was in tears in certain parts of the story while laughing my ass of to the rest. There is not much to say, I would consider this a masterpiece even though this words started to lose its strength nowadays, but what can I ... 
Oct 17, 2020
I'm not a basketball fan or even a sports fan in general, but take my word when I say Slam Dunk is my favourite manga series of all time. The pure joy I get reading as well as just thinking about this series is overwhelming.
Yet you don't need me to sing the praises of this series, anyone who's even touched this series knows of its greatness. It's art, it's characters, it's plot, all areas where this plot excels like no other series. For instance the plot...the amount of times I stood up out of excitement while reading this series feeling the pure, undiluted hype of ... 
Nov 14, 2013
This sport manga about basketball is truly a classic. I watched the anime the first time back in 2010. Then I decided to read the manga in all one go. Here, I'm writing this review after 3 years. I have read this manga 4-5 times already. As I said, it's a classic. It never gets old! And once you start, you cannot stop on reading. The manga is better than the anime, as the pacing for the anime is quite slow, but it is also good watch.
Story: 8/10. Of course, this story is about a man name Sakuragi Hanamichi who is a delinquent and ... 
Oct 13, 2017
Slam Dunk - The Best Sports Manga
"One of the greatest shounen sports in history" is not a bit exaggerated, is it? Actually, not at all. Before "One Piece" robbed the laurels in 2002 as the highest-selling series by volume, Slam Dunk was the one who held that position for 8 years. And, even today, the only series that have managed to get past their success was exactly "One Piece" and "Attack on Titan". Even more surprising that Slam Dunk is, as said, a sports shounen (specifically basketball) who, although he has a good reputation in Japan, usually loses to fight and adventure shounen such as ... 
Feb 16, 2020
Slam Dunk was Takehiko Inoue's second serialised manga which ran in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1990-1996. Inoue would later go onto write Vagabond and Real but his fame as a mangaka started with this series. It is an all time classic and one of the most important manga of all time which helped popularised the game of basketball in Japan.
Story: The story is simple about a freshman in High school called Sakuragi wanting to impress a girl who he has a crush on. However, the story is executed superbly. Every game against opposing teams are all done realistically and feels real without anything too over ... |
