just jump

I've kept to the promise I made to myself about not reading Kuroko no Basket (aside from an entire arc and three light novels) because I'm 100% sure I'll just cry. So instead I read another series, the Kuroba of a different era, the iconic sports manga "Slam Dunk". And I think I might like it better than Kuroba.

In terms of characters, Kuroba would definitely win. Kuroko is my baby, my bias and I just want him to be happy playing the sport he loves. Cool captain Akashi with his royal air is definitely my cup of tea too. Then you have the pretty boy of sunshine Kise, the adorable giant baby Murasakibara and the rough bad boy Aomine and the intelligent megane Midorima and the cute super manager Momoi. And those are just the Generation of Miracles; I'm not even going to go into all the other high tier members of their various teams. Its like god are you recruiting for basketball or are you recruiting for an idol group because there would be no difference. And that's definitely one of the draws of the series.

#notamodel #nofilter #cameraaccidentallyturneditselfon

But in Slam Dunk, I don't particularly like the main character. His gang fighting ways, his punkish haircut, his arrogant confidence, his weird expressions, Sakuragi didn't exactly capture my heart. You'd think with his eternal rival, the stoic cool genius pretty boy, Rukawa would have a better chance. But somehow he's a bit too detached. I mean, it's a huge deal that he even makes passes to his teammates. And as for their other teammates, they aren't exactly at the same supermodel standards that Kuroba sets up. They're sometimes stupid, and sometimes they make the weirdest faces, and they can be pretty rough around the edges.

Although lbr 'a guy proclaims himself to be a genius on a sports he hates out of spite to impress the girl of his dreams' makes you pretty curious (it made me really curious)

Bunch of basketball losers like Mitsui what are you even doing with your face

And putting aside the cast, even the basketball isn't so glamorous. The main character has no extraordinary skill. Okay he can jump pretty high, and he's got good stamina from fighting constantly but he's not a prodigy. Even the prodigy ace, Rukawa doesn't have a special quirk or ability. Sure sometimes they shout out names like 'Fly Swatter' or 'Gorilla Dunk' but really that's just adding a name to a normal basketball move. It's certainly a contrast from Kuroba (who totally follows the TeniPuri's school of god class sport moves) where every character has a special skill that pretty much raises them above regular humans. They each have some shounen fighting move like disappearing in plain sight or hawk like eyesight or perfect imitation. Then there's the super saiyan mode when they enter 'The Zone' and some ultimate showdown commences. 

Up to here if you missed the thing I said at the beginning, you might be thinking that I didn't like Slam Dunk at all. Its characters aren't super attractive and they don't have interesting, defining quirks (like Kuroko's 'misdirection' or Akashi's 'emperor'). The games are within the limits of humans without any flashy special skills. Yet this was the manga that set a standard for sports manga and skyrocketed basketball's popularity. It's because it's so real.

I love it because everything about it is real, relatable and raw. The characters are just like any other people you might find in high school. The main character only starts playing basketball to impress a pretty girl. He doesn't really have any ambitions; he's living everyday fighting or goofing off - just like a regular high schooler. It wasn't an instant moment of prodigal skill or a connection to him and the sport. Instead, he's a rookie who slowly gains one skill at a time.

And when I say skill, I mean it in the realest sense. He starts off practising the basics of dribbling, something so basic and beginner that it's often overlooked in other manga. When he gets an 'important haircut' after a loss, instead of it being really dramatic and important everyone kind of just laughs at him. It's funny because he acts like he's the main character in a series but nobody treats him like it. Still, his misplaced confidence instead gives him the drive to continue, his stubbornness and unwillingness to lose becomes his reasons for playing. (Instead of the slightly less relatable goals like wanting to win the nationals or represent Japan.) Those come later, as he -along with the readers- gets more and more involved in the world of basketball. But at the beginning, he is just like any of us, a beginner. Each skill whether it's basic dribbling, basic shooting, or basic layups, he gains them through endless practice. And what's great is that he gets better by practising a thousand times, but that doesn't mean that he'll beat someone who practised a million times. A rookie is still a rookie.

And sometimes a rookie is just what you need

With the other players, you become attached to them not because they look good or they have cute quirks. You cheer for them because you can imagine yourself as them. They overcome realistic problems, work hard and all that blood and sweat makes them real. The same blood and sweat that stains the basketball court brings it to life. The games are so intense because it's not about a contest between who has the coolest superpower. It's a game between two teams who have trained equally hard, with athletes who have practised their basics everyday, and high schoolers who desperately want to win. Nothing more, nothing less. It's a story about having a passion and working for it. It's a story about us.

Bit by bit, you start to roar with the crowd, you cry with the team, and your heart beats with them. Many pages of a game are without text, just action. Everyone is concentrating on the game, on winning, on making the next shot.

The rough retro art, the lack of superhuman abilities, and a cast with less than model looks might throw some people off. But if you can recall the feeling watching or playing a basketball match - if you can remember the excitement of cheering for your team, the intensity of the players giving it their all, the moment of anticipation as the ball travels through the air, the hysteria of a buzzer beater: then you might like Slam Dunk.