REAL, Inoue's other basketball manga

Walter

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
While at Kinokuniya, I picked up the first three volumes of REAL, Inoue's "other" basketball series.

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Less a series about the sport itself, REAL focuses on the antiheroes of society -- the downtrodden, the looked-down-upon, the marginalized -- who without a focus in life to cling to like sports, would fall in the cracks of society. Much of the series examines the psychological impact of those unable to compete on the main stage of basketball because of some varying life trauma. Whether it be access to courts, loss of limbs or loss of spinal mobility, something keeps each of the main characters from the sport. It becomes an eternal struggle for them to cope with this loss, pushing them to compete in what many consider a "fake" sport, wheelchair basketball, and make it become a REAL sport.

Its tone is far more serious than Slam Dunk, which may be a little jarring to those fresh from the series expecting some kind of thematic continuation. Three volumes in, it's clear that REAL is far more interested in developing each of its disabled characters than it is about the game of basketball. I'd recommend it to any fan of Inoue's hungry for something a little deeper than Slam Dunk, but without that Vagabond edge.

Here's the link to Viz' site regarding REAL, which has more detailed information on each volume: http://www.viz.com/products/products.php?product_id=7336
 
Another one I'll definitely need to pick up at some point, it even feels more immediately accessible to me than Slam Dunk being so much shorter, a work in progress rather than something long finished, and it's parallel "sister-serialization" with Vagabond. I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I should just set aside the money because I'm eventually going to have all of Inoue's work, whatever it may be.
 
I just don't know where to get it but it sounds good. Sense its not often we got manga about the handicap
 
Bunnet, what I would do if you want to get it is to not think of it as something large you have to invest in all at once. Get the first volume whenever you can scrounge together the spending money and continue to buy it on a long term schedule (one a month or something). After all, it's going to be months between releases, especially when they catch up to the Japanese volumes, so you might as well get used to buying them months apart. You'll still catch up before they can finish releasing them.
 
Aazealh said:
Get to work then.
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I can't work, I wish I could and working through get a permission to do so. I'm a foreigner who just happens to be passing by an falling in love with American woman and been living with her ever sense...four years now. So yup that why
 
Bunnet said:
I can't work, I wish I could and working through get a permission to do so. I'm a foreigner who just happens to be passing by an falling in love with American woman and been living with her ever sense...four years now. So yup that why
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I am also a foreigner who has been here for 13 years and I'm also in the process of getting a residen alien card and I am working, you just have to know how to look. You don't need a permission because there are jobs that pay cash. So coming from someone who has the experience in that, you can get a job. So no more excuses sir.
 
Th3Branded0ne said:
I am also a foreigner who has been here for 13 years and I'm also in the process of getting a residen alien card and I am working, you just have to know how to look. You don't need a permission because there are jobs that pay cash. So coming from someone who has the experience in that, you can get a job. So no more excuses sir.
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You totally have to show me where too look because man I been looking for a job and can't find anything
 
I got volume 4 shipped yesterday (along with Berserk 29 and Vagabond 29) and I have to say it's one of Viz' best efforts.

They now have an appendix section with translations of words shown in the backgrounds and explanations of cultural things. In one instance, a character references some 70s television show, and the appendix explains the significance of it and why he'd bring it up particularly. Another entry has the full translation of a letter written to one of the characters. Within the actual chapter, it just gives a one line summary of it.

Very cool :serpico: I wish Viz had gotten a hold of Berserk. I can just imagine how useful that appendix could be for all the Puck cultural references shown in the manga. :sad:
 
Also, as I was reading volume 4, it struck me that the character Tomiya bears a striking resemblance to Inoue. I wonder if it was intentional or not. Interestingly, it struck me only when the character was having to take odd jobs, trying to find his purpose/role in life. He says he's a poet, and not cut out for the real world. I wonder if Inoue went through a similar period before deciding to become a mangaka.

I'll post a side by side comparison shot when I get home.
 
Walter said:
Also, as I was reading volume 4, it struck me that the character Tomiya bears a striking resemblance to Inoue. I wonder if it was intentional or not. Interestingly, it struck me only when the character was having to take odd jobs, trying to find his purpose/role in life. He says he's a poet, and not cut out for the real world. I wonder if Inoue went through a similar period before deciding to become a mangaka.

I'll post a side by side comparison shot when I get home.
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If Inoue ever makes a biography we'll know for certain. It could be that he went through some stuff and maybe some of the characters do have inspiration from acquaintances of Inoue. Just as Miura said that some college friends were inspirations from some of the characters in the manga. I"ll wait for that comparison when you get the time to post it.
 
Walter said:
I got volume 4 shipped yesterday (along with Berserk 29 and Vagabond 29) and I have to say it's one of Viz' best efforts.

They now have an appendix section with translations of words shown in the backgrounds and explanations of cultural things. In one instance, a character references some 70s television show, and the appendix explains the significance of it and why he'd bring it up particularly. Another entry has the full translation of a letter written to one of the characters. Within the actual chapter, it just gives a one line summary of it.
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That's very cool! I'd pick up REAL myself, almost ordered it all with my Berserk/Vagabond 29s since there are so few, but I feel l should read Slam Dunk first, and I'm gun shy on ordering those yet because of it's false start here a few years ago.

Walter said:
Very cool :serpico: I wish Viz had gotten a hold of Berserk. I can just imagine how useful that appendix could be for all the Puck cultural references shown in the manga. :sad:
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Th3Branded0ne said:
Yeah, such a shame we're missing some stuff we could have gotten with those handy appendixes.
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"An appendix would cost too much money and totally sink our profitability! Can't we just stick that stuff in boxes over the artwork? Just because were raking in tons of cash on Berserk doesn't mean we can afford any more extra pages, we're already using them for Hellsing ads anyway!"
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:miura:​

Walter said:
Also, as I was reading volume 4, it struck me that the character Tomiya bears a striking resemblance to Inoue. I wonder if it was intentional or not. Interestingly, it struck me only when the character was having to take odd jobs, trying to find his purpose/role in life. He says he's a poet, and not cut out for the real world. I wonder if Inoue went through a similar period before deciding to become a mangaka.
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Very interesting, sounds like me at heart. :badbone:

Walter said:
I'll post a side by side comparison shot when I get home.
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Well? :griffnotevil:

Th3Branded0ne said:
If Inoue ever makes a biography we'll know for certain. It could be that he went through some stuff and maybe some of the characters do have inspiration from acquaintances of Inoue. Just as Miura said that some college friends were inspirations from some of the characters in the manga. I"ll wait for that comparison when you get the time to post it.
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All this talk of an Inoue biography almost makes me feel like reviving the the bio I was doing on him for the Vagabond Inn... almost.
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Yeah I see the resemblence you were talking about. On that link I put in the Inoue's News archive, he says that all of his characters have alittle bit about him.
 
I really need to pick this series up whether I've read Slam Dunk first or not, especially with it being a sibling of sorts running concurrently with Vagabond, and now everyone in Vagabond dealing with a handicap!

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グリフィス said:
I really need to pick this series up whether I've read Slam Dunk first or not, especially with it being a sibling of sorts running concurrently with Vagabond, and now everyone in Vagabond dealing with a handicap!
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I cannot recommend Real highly enough. Slam Dunk is a completely different beast, and although it too is excellent, Real is even better IMHO. I bought the first volume purely because of it being Inoue's work, and even though I knew nothing about basketball or handicapped people involved in the sport I was soon caught up in it. I now own the first five volumes am am eagerly awaiting number six (Amazon 20th Oct).

I know that it is up to volume eight in Japan, does anyone know of when volume nine might be released or what the release schedule may be?
 
Grovel said:
I cannot recommend Real highly enough. Slam Dunk is a completely different beast, and although it too is excellent, Real is even better IMHO. I bought the first volume purely because of it being Inoue's work, and even though I knew nothing about basketball or handicapped people involved in the sport I was soon caught up in it. I now own the first five volumes am am eagerly awaiting number six (Amazon 20th Oct).
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Well, that seals the deal! I love basketball, knew if I ordered a couple I'd get a addicted, and have been resisting long enough. I better do that while there's only five to get instead of ten or more.

Grovel said:
I know that it is up to volume eight in Japan, does anyone know of when volume nine might be released or what the release schedule may be?
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All I can tell you is that on Inoue's official site it only lists up to volume 8 with no release date set for 9.
 
I like REAL a lot, but I wouldn't say it's better than Slam Dunk, personally. As a story, they're very different. Slam Dunk is a shounen manga, so it has higher highs and not very many lows. REAL is more honest and not afraid to explore those lows.

I could go on forever about the comparisons between them, but it's really fruitless. They're both very, very well done series. I just happen to personally be more attached to Slam Dunk. But then, REAL hasn't concluded yet. And Ive only read 5 volumes.
 
Thinking about getting this for myself for Christmas, but again... Inoue's basketball mangas keep canceling each other out for me. Should I read REAL when there's less than half of Slam Dunk available in the US?
 
Every Inoue fan should pick up Real. Im currently up to vol 6, and it just started to get really good, similar to when Vagabond begins to take off.

There's also the chance you'll see more Vagabond jokes like this:

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:troll:

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The sketch is referencing this character, who really does look a lot like Jisai (even has a somewhat similar role for one of the main characters).
 
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