Real, Vol. 2

Real, Vol. 2

Eisner-award nominated creator Takehiko Inoue creates a dramatic tale of triumph over adversity. This is the story of three young men whose lives are profoundly changed by their involvement with wheelchair basketball. Critically acclaimed, award-winning manga artist Takehiko Inoue doesn’t pull any punches in this stunning portrayal of people struggling with serious life issues. Masterfully combining rich character development with beautifully detailed line art, Inoue, the creator of the mega-hit masterpieces Slam Dunk and Vagabond , lifts the manga medium to a completely new level of storytelling. Meet Kiyohiko Togawa, a hard-edged, no nonsense wheelchair basketball athlete with a Spartan work ethic and a keen sense of competition. Long before he ever picked up a ball, Kiyohiko was just a skinny little kid in middle school barely beginning to discover his potential to become a track star... until a vicious bout with cancer cut off his track career far too soon. Fourteen-year-old Kiyoharu’s dreams of being a famous athlete—he was one of the top sprinters in Japan—are dashed when he is diagnosed with bone cancer and loses his ability to walk. Rather than give up on sports, he trains to be a basketball player, determined to not let his wheelchair get in the way. Later on, his team captain is hit by a truck, and he, too, loses the ability to walk. Lying alone in a hospital bed, he too must learn to accept his impairment, even though it doesn’t come easy. This second volume in the manga series is a brutal, honest, piercing sports story about never giving up. The art is much more realistic than that found in most manga, and its story line practically sears off the pages. A prime example of how deep manga can be, with a tale as serious and complex as any novel or movie, this is a story that stays in the mind long after it’s been read for its powerful art, story, and theme. Grades 10-12. --Danica Davidson Takehiko Inoue is the creator of one of the most popular manga of all time, Slam Dunk , which has sold over 100 million copies worldwide. He followed that series up with two titles lauded by critics and fans alike— V agabond , a fictional account of the life of Miyamoto Musashi, and Real , a manga about wheelchair basketball. Inoue is the recipient of numerous awards, including the prestigious Tezuka Osamu Culture Award and the Media Arts Festival Award. In addition to his work on manga, Inoue has worked on television commercials, character designs for video games, and is the founder of a scholarship to foster Japanese basketball talent.