 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | VIZ MEDIA | | | ▪ | AUTHOR / ART: | | TAKEHIKO INOUE | | | ▪ | FORMAT: | | JAPANESE / B&W | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 224 | | | ▪ | RATING: | | OT | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 01/219/2010 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 01/15/2010 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | SCOTT CAMPBELL |
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. This is drama, tragedy and fast breaks on wheels. Life goes on, and it’s time to get Real. Within Real, very different personalities have only one thing in common - their passion for 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 mega-hit masterpieces Slam Dunk and Vagabond, brings the medium of manga to a completely new level of storytelling. In volume seven, there are decisions to be made, and they need to be made quickly. With the Tokyo regionals coming up, Kiyoharu Togawa is at a crossroads. Should he stay with the Tigers just when they are starting to come together as a team, or should he go to the Dreams, where the level of play is so intense it will surely boost his already formidable playing skills? It’s an important turning point for Togawa, and the decision he makes could affect the rest of his life! This is a really intense volume – especially on the visual side of things. It really is a challenge to get great sports action to play out right in a manga because it doesn’t get to “move” like in anime. The artist has to work even harder to bring out that energy in the visuals and entertain the reader. Inoue manages to do this flawlessly with Real – this volume showcases that talent like never before. The basketball action is amazing, and very well-thought out. Beyond that, the visuals are still amazing anyhow, even when in a standstill or not as much of an exciting moment. The art shows a lot of talent – it’s hard not to respect the artist for what they’ve managed to accomplish with this fine read. But the intensity never stops with just the visuals – the story keeps up and keeps the reader guessing at every turn. It’s always a question of whether a character will give up or be unable to make the cut when it comes down to it – this is a story of overcoming great strife, and it stays true to that idea throughout. One of the best continuing attributes that this series has is the fact that the characters themselves are some of the most believable and realistic representations of human emotion that I’ve read in a while – the author really has everything bang on in this series when it comes to portraying people and their honest emotions. Characters that are this in-depth - tied into a story this entertaining – create a mix that is hard to put down. It’s fascinating to read and always a pleasure to experience – it’s really good story-telling with visuals to match. Also, if it hasn’t been said before, the larger format of the book makes it so the images can be larger, and this really helps add further worth to the manga. Bigger pictures mean more room for detail and a better ability to see those details. All in all, it’s a great series with a lot of thought and ingenuity put into its creation – I look forward to future volumes. A bit about the author for you: Takehiko Inoue is the creator of one of the most popular manga of all time, Slam Dunk, which 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.
IN SUMMARY:
Real is a truly mature work of art – it’s one of those books that us “past their teens and still interested” people can pick up and know was written for us. Not all manga is for the younger generation, and Real proves it every time. Fantastic read with amazing art. |
