Slam Dunk vol. 15

Yes, it’s still awesome.  But…

Most Shonen Jump titles have always struck me as very calculated affairs.  That’s “calculated” in the sense that you get the feeling that every plot twist, every shocking character moment, every last minute reversal occurs in a fashion to elicit the most emotional response possible from the reader.  As the “Shonen Jump” line of manga are the most popular comics in the world, it’s proof that when this approach works, it’s the stuff of legend.  As this title has consistently shows.  When it doesn’t… Well, there’s a reason I’m no longer reading “Bleach.”

What prompted this line of thought was the resolution of the Shohoku/Kainan match in this volume.  Now you’d expect that while Shohoku would certainly struggle to defeat their opponents in the tournament, they were going to win every match on their way to the inevitable rematch with Uozumi.  That doesn’t happen as after a brutal, brutal struggle to tie the match, their fate is decided when with seven seconds on the clock Sakuragi accidentally passes the ball to a member of the opposing team.

It’s a crushing blow to the budding genius, but that move and Shohoku’s loss as a whole strike me as mangaka Takehiko Inoue finding a way to add even more tension and drama to the subsequent matches.  By having the team lose in the ONLY match they could, he has shown that they’re not invincible and now have something to haunt/motivate them in future matches.  I’m sure Inoue will be playing it both ways.  There’s also the implication that they could lose one of their upcoming matches, but I sincerely doubt that this became one of the biggest-selling Jump titles of all time because Sakuragi and co. DIDN’T win the championship.

In any event, the fact that all this calculation works to the series’ advantage is a testament to Inoue’s skill as a storyteller.  While he doesn’t skimp on the detail, he still manages to wring every bit of drama possible from the characters on display.  As we start off this volume, their exhaustion is palpable on both sides as seen through the copious amounts of sweat being produced, and each individual’s body language.  Such attention to detail draws you in, and makes their sudden bursts of strength and energy all the more exciting (see, there’s that calculation again).

So while this isn’t capital “A” art, “Slam Dunk” is a consistent showcase of how to tell a decidedly mainstream story in a thrilling manner.  Even if you can’t get into it yourself, you’ll still be able to see why it has sold over a 100 million over the course of its publication.