The Shohoku boys find themselves down by 15…and that’s not even the bad news.
Creative Staff
Story: Takehiko Inoue
Art: Takehiko Inoue
What They Say
Shohoku is down fifteen points against the Kings from Kainan, so whom do they turn to in an effort to get back in the black? Superstar Kaede Rukawa, of course. Rukawa’s natural abilities help put some crucial points on the board, and a comeback seems possible, but when Captain Akagi twists his ankle on an opposing player’s foot, Shohoku quickly finds itself without one of its biggest offensive and defensive forces. Can Sakuragi step into Akagi’s shoes and keep Kainan from running away with the game?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Shohoku’s weakness has been exploited. The team is reeling under relentless offensive pressure. Even worse (from one point of view–and only one), Sakuragi has been benched. Unless something changes, all is lost. Like the old song says, something’s got to give.
Unfortunately, the thing that gives is Akagi’s ankle.
The situation is desperate. Shohoku needs a miracle.
There are a lot of things that you do to win a basketball game. You box out to get rebounds, you make your free throws, you play tight defense, you take advantage of the turnovers you get. You move the ball and take smart shots. But sometimes all that isn’t enough. There’s one thing you can never do. You can never stop a good shooter once he gets in the zone. And at the time Shohoku needs it most, Rukawa gets in the zone. The game plan suddenly simplifies: dig in on defense, pull down the rebounds, and then get the ball into Rukawa’s white hot hands.
This is where the volume opens up the throttle. When you sense the tide turning and feel the sheer speed of the comeback, you can’t help but be exhilarated. But what’s great about the way Inoue handles this is how he turns away from the fist-pumping on-court action to show us the solemn scene that plays out concurrently in the locker room. The captain and heart of the team has to face the fact that this might be his last game. It’s intensely moving, but what matters more dramatically is that it’s the perfect counterpoint to the play-by-play action in the game. Each enhances the other; individually, they’re awfully good, but together they make up a volume that’s pretty close to perfect.
In Summary
I’m dazzled by how much excitement Slam Dunk is able to wring out of one fourth of a basketball game. Watching Sakuragi and co. charge back from a huge deficit is a joy. This is one of those volumes that just seems to get everything exactly right, and it’s incredible just how many of those volumes Slam Dunk is racking up for itself. I’d like to say I couldn’t be more pleased, but that’s not quite the case. I can be more pleased, and it’ll happen the minute the next volume turns up.
Content Grade: A+
Art Grade: A+
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: A+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Viz Media
Release Date: December 7th, 2010
MSRP: $9.99
1 thought on “Slam Dunk Vol. #13 Manga Review”