The Daily Yomiuri is one of my favorite newspapers to read online since they discuss manga and anime intelligently. They recently had a review of a new basketball manga called Real, but it’s much more than just another sports story.

Real is written and drawn by Takehiko Inoue, the artist and writer behind the most popular basketball manga ever, Slam Dunk. Initially it seems like Inoue is trying to double dip and cash in on a retelling of his lucrative Slam Dunk series, but that’s not the case

Cover of Real, a basketball manga by Takehiko Inoue

From the review:

Yes, the story (which has sold 9 million copies so far) centers on the Tokyo Tigers, a wheelchair basketball team struggling to become the top of its division. Despite this being the setting, though, the story is much more of a so-called human drama in which the characters deal with their disabilities, be they physical, mental or–in the case of character Nobuhisa Takahashi–personality-based.

Let me take a moment to once again say that I’m still amazed by the breadth of topics and sports that manga has covers. Earlier I wrote about my idea on making an innovative a manga about the sport of curling, only to find out later that there already is a manga about curling called Orange Delivery. Now there’s a manga about wheelchair basketball that really addresses how people deal with their disabilities. I really think manga is one of the most expressive and culturally relevant art forms of our time.

Anyways, you can read the Daily Yomiuri review of Real here

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