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Takahashi has an awkward reunion with his father, who has been absent from his life for the past eight years. As father and son struggle with the difficulties of Takahashi's adjustment to life in a wheelchair, they must also come face to face with how much damage was done to Takahashi as a young boy facing the reality of growing up in a broken home.

216 pages, Paperback

First published November 17, 2006

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About the author

Takehiko Inoue

316 books1,554 followers
Takehiko Inoue (井上雄彦) is a Japanese manga artist, best known for Slam Dunk and Vagabond.

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5 stars
533 (76%)
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136 (19%)
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28 (4%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
Profile Image for Luthfi Ferizqi.
452 reviews13 followers
November 24, 2024
It’s rare for a manga to leave me feeling as gloomy and sad as the chapters in volume 6 did.

The conflict might feel familiar, like other tragic stories, but the emotions in the final chapter hit completely different.

As a father with a son, I felt the emotions in this volume hit so “real.”
5,870 reviews146 followers
September 30, 2019
Real, Vol. 6 continues where the previous tankōbon left off and collects the next six chapters (31–36) of the ongoing manga series.

Tomomi Nomiya continues his existential exploration with his new job as a mover. It is a thankless job and he is not treated well, but he’s taking it all in stride. In his spare time, he spends it with Kiyoharu Togawa and the Tigers and in the process learns more about how wheelchair basketball works.

Kiyoharu Togawa continues to train with the Tokyo Tigers to get ready for the next tournament in three weeks time. They played an exhibition game with the Makuhari Marines who are already seeded in the tournament. They played well for the first three-quarters of the game, but one of the players were fouled out and lost the game with a score of 53–62. Despite the loss, they come to an understanding that with extra training they could do well in the tournament as the Makuhari Marines are on similar par of Choufu Dreams – their rivals.

Hisanobu Takahashi continues with his physical therapy and finds out why his girlfriend comes by so often to the hospital to visit him. He also learns that his mother has mental breakdown and is hospitalized and his main caregiver would now be his estranged father. His first outing is to Chichibu District in Saitama Prefecture – his father’s potting shed. Father tires to reconnect to a very different and judgmental son that he has left eight years prior.

This tankōbon is written and illustrated by Takehiko Inoue. It mainly centers mainly on Tomomi Nomiya and Hisanobu Takahashi with their existential explorations. The confrontation between father and son is written rather well as there was a clear distinction between a young Hisanobu Takahashi who loves his father and the one today who sees his father as a loser.

All in all, Real, Vol. 6 is a wonderful continuation to a series that seems intriguing and I cannot wait to read more.
Profile Image for Gustavo.
901 reviews16 followers
January 21, 2020
Me gusta la nueva actitud de Nomiya, pensando que todo es parte de un camino que uno tiene que caminar, realmente me llegó su filosofía, me hizo pensar en muchas cosas.

Togawa sigue más o menos en la misma con los Tigers, avanzando de a poquito, e Inoue aprovecha para meter algunos datos del basquet en silla de ruedas, de una forma muy orgánica.

Por otro lado, Takahashi se pone en gil y el doctor de la clínica de rehabilitación intenta que se motive con un método algo inusual, parece que esta vez podría empezar a repuntar. Ya veremos.
Profile Image for Iqra M..
595 reviews2 followers
December 15, 2021
TW: Parental abandonment, divorce, substance (alcohol), alcohol abuse, mild violence , PTSD flashbacks

Of broken homes, uncertainties & unforeseeable futures.

Another incredible volume! This volume focuses on Hisanobu; we are shown glimpses of his past which was nice and depressing too. Hisanobu finally has the opportunity to call out his father who abandoned his family many years ago. His estranged father decided to take him away with the doctor's permission. It's part of the doctor's plans to make him more emotionally vulnerable in the presence of his father. Hisanobu has been bottling his feelings all this time. What's more, his father never explained why he left. Due to this fact, Nobu was never able to 'move on'. It's important to find closure.

Meanwhile, his mother is hospitalised due to fatigue and liver failure (she was working hard to pay for her son's treatments while battling alcoholism due to stress). It's true what the father said about Hisanobu never thanking anyone who helped him but then again, it's important to remember that as able-bodied individuals, we will never truly understand what someone with a disability is going through. We are all fighting with our own demons after all.

I am loving the character developments. I learned about disability classifications in wheelchair basketball too (how it mustn't exceed 14 points to keep the game fair)! All of the protagonists are struggling with different things. So far, it has been an incredibly 'REAL' depiction of life indeed. Also, the art style is gorgeous. I love how Inoue sensei is able to portray emotions beautifully. There's definitely something special about how the faces are drawn.

To end this, I shall quote Nomiya. I love him. Out of the three, he is the most clueless but he is always so cheery and hopeful.

"I can't see ahead but my path runs unbroken. From this moment on."

Profile Image for Leonor.
367 reviews7 followers
July 27, 2018
Este tomo está centrado en Hisanobu, la relación que tiene con su padre y cómo está llevando su condición actual.

También veremos a Nomiya, el nuevo enfoque que da a su vida en un duro trabajo como trabajador en las mudanzas.
Profile Image for Maude.
458 reviews8 followers
March 9, 2025
yeah this one hit me like a truck
Profile Image for Jacob.
417 reviews134 followers
Read
July 12, 2021
This one is pretty emotional with lots of flashbacks for Nobu about his childhood and his dad. The scenes with Nobu and his dad are pretty powerful.

Other bits I remember and liked: Azumi explains wheelchair basketball player ratings to Nomiya. Hisanobu leaves rehab to stay in the country with his dad for a few nights. Togawa is frustrated with his team like always. Nomiya is working at a moving company and trying to figure out what his path is.

This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for N.  Jay.
241 reviews9 followers
November 25, 2019
Saya habiskan dalam satu kali duduk, beruntung bisa menemukannya di toko buku bekas dekat stasiun Tebet, padahal awalnya hanya iseng lihat-lihat saja kalau ada yg menarik. Yah, meski hanya ada satu tapi ini menarik kok ceritanya.

Jika dibandingkan dengan Slam Dunk, Real lebih banyak berbicara persoalan hidup dibanding hanya berfokus pada basket kursi roda. Ada banyak kerumitan ternyata dari orang yg mengalami penurunan rasa percaya diri akibat cedera parah dan mengakibatkan ia menjadi memerlukan alat bantu seperti kursi roda lalu bagaimana ia berusaha memulihkan diri agar dapat membaurkan diri dalam masyarakat (ini yg paling berat, bahkan tokohnya yg dibahas di sini amat membenci berada di stasiun)

Masalah keluarga yg dialami Hisanobu tidak hanya hidup sebagai anak yg keluarganya bercerai, tapi bagaimana kecintaannya terhadap basket direnggut perlahan oleh ibunya. Dad problem pun adalah hal yg membebaninya setelah sang ayah pergi, dan betapa dia menumpahkan segala emosinya dalam waktu-waktu bersama ayahnya lagi setelah sekian lama tidak bertemu.

Ternyata di basket kursi roda ada pengaturan jumlah angka untuk setiap pemain berdasarkan cidera atau keterbatasan kemampuan ketahanan fisik, ini hal yg menarik sih menurutku. Dan akan menarik lagi seandainya komiknya dicetak ulang, meski saya tahu daya cerna komik yg sedewasa ini akan lambat dengan materi yg dihadirkannya.
Profile Image for Nicholas Dehler.
308 reviews4 followers
November 4, 2025
I genuinely believe this series should be required reading for the global population. It’s the most authentically human piece of media I’ve ever read. The end of this volume really broke me- Takahashi is such a dick, but Inoue masterfully lays out memories from his youth throughout the volume that lead you to understand exactly why he is the way he is and that deep down he is just deeply sad and guarded. I love seeing Nomiya interact more with the Tigers and show yo to their games. I am wondering now if he is going to step into a coaching role in the near future. It also seems like the stage is perfectly set for Takahashi to join the team and turn them into a powerhouse, but that can only be possible after he has conquered his physical and even more so his emotional trials. This manga is actually so insanely good. Any time I start to question what I’m doing with my life, I think of Nomiya and remember that it’s all part of the path.
Profile Image for Jonpavl.
28 reviews
October 28, 2025
Takahashi is my favorite character in this story, I don’t know why but his struggles really altered my perspective of life, He had everything, but lost it all in a moment, it’s rare for a narrative to make me feel empathetic and sympathetic towards a character but takehiko inoue has done it again as usual as the last time I felt this way was reading miyamoto musashi’s story in vagabond. Our life constantly changed in both highs and lows it’ll be interesting to see how he gets back up from this also the other MCs as well
Profile Image for Kiarash.
117 reviews30 followers
August 17, 2022
In this volume Takahashi confronted his past and his relationship with his father. What i like about the story so far, is the fact that it is not just a sport manga. It's about three different individuals with realistic life problems. The close up panels are also conveying the characters feelings much better.

Overall, "Real" is a solid manga.
Profile Image for tom.
22 reviews
January 6, 2024
Gritty, moving, relatable. This particular volume focuses upon Takahashi's past as he reluctantly spends some time with his father, and partially explains why he grew up to be the way he is today. Real continues to be a masterpiece.
Profile Image for murdocks.
24 reviews
October 13, 2024
i enjoyed seeing more of nobu’s backstory! it made me incredibly sad that he feels so frustrated and that he considers himself “e rank”. i hope he can build his confidence with the help of his family and make new friends (fingers crossed).
Profile Image for Dylan Michael.
208 reviews
June 13, 2019
9.5/10

Punk freaking Takahashi is forced to face himself and his past.
Profile Image for Babs.
1,439 reviews
August 9, 2019
Takahashi gets some dad time. Awkward.
Nomiya.....well.....he is still struggling to find his path....as a house mover.

Emotional stuff in this one, pretty intense.
Profile Image for dami.
97 reviews
November 8, 2023
aw this is getting real sad! i am liking nomiya’s storyline though because i see some of myself in him. the artwork is incredible lots of beautiful landscapes.
Profile Image for Natilin Alpaca Saurio.
1,272 reviews3 followers
January 1, 2024
Al principio del tomo: que buena manera de empezar el año lector :D

Al terminar el tomo:
Qué buena manera de empezar el año lector... :,(
Profile Image for abbey jayde.
33 reviews1 follower
May 7, 2025
depressing

out of the three main characters, hisanobu is my least favourite to read but i actually really enjoyed this and nearly cried in the airport…
Profile Image for Casey.
272 reviews3 followers
December 17, 2025
Hisanobu is really struggling and I love that this manga doesn't shy away from tough subject matter. The art, as always, is amazing.
Profile Image for Chydie.
129 reviews11 followers
June 28, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🩷

[Relecture 28/06/24]

Pourquoi il n’y a jamais eut d’anime pour ce manga… Parce que la manière dont je serais branchée devant mon écran si c’était animé et diffusé…

« Cette œuvre est une fiction. Toute ressemblance avec des personnes existantes ou ayant existé ne serait que pure coïncidence. » du coup Takehiko Inoue est conscient que Nomiya lui ressemble !?!? Non parce que plus on avance dans le manga, plus c’est flagrant 💀

Takahashi en fait j’ai compris pourquoi il m’insupporte. Il fait constamment de la projection, il en fait car tout de sa vie (ou à partir du moment où son père et sa mère ont divorcés) il s’est senti seul, alors il a fallu qu’il se mette dans une position où il serait meilleur que tout le monde. Pour compenser, il s’est construit une carapace avec un ego monstrueux, à faire fuir. Vraiment quand on dit scaring the hoes c’est le meilleur exemple à citer. Mais le truc, c’est que Takahashi n’a jamais eut confiance en lui, il n’a jamais été sincère ou franc… Il était juste impoli, irrespectueux, condescendant et jugeaient tout son entourage et les inconnus. Alors il projette. Il pense qu’il est une merde et que tout le monde doit penser la même chose. Il pense que les personnes handicapées ne valent RIEN alors tout le monde doit penser comme lui.
Je peux vraiment pas me le voir. Il est insecure et méchant.

« Je me dis qu’il y a bien une place pour moi quelque part. Et quand je l’aurais trouvée… Je pourrais alors prendre un nouveau départ. »

Les scènes de matchs et humoristiques font du bien. Elles sont moins chargées de traumas et de tristesse… Vraiment ça fait du bien de pouvoir rire devant ce manga.

Pas Nomiya qui va me faire remettre en questions mes prochains choix d’avenir…
Vivre l’instant présent et chercher sa voie… Qu’est-ce qu’on aime ? Qu’est-ce qu’on aimerait faire ? Où est-ce qu’on va ? Quelle est notre voie…? Je me le demande aussi finalement.

La relation entre Takahashi et son père est très triste mais aussi très complexe… Il y a beaucoup de non dit et surtout 8 ans d’absence, sans communication quelconque… Donc c’est comme si ils ne se connaissaient pas. C’est deux inconnus qui apprennent à se connaître car l’un est infirme. Donc si Takahashi ne s’était jamais fait renverser, son père ne serait sûrement pas revenu dans sa vie.

Mais c’est vraiment une dinguerie d’abandonner son enfant… Et puis il ne sait jamais pourquoi tu es partie et un jour tu reviens comme une fleur… Y’a rien qui va là dedans.

Le chapitre 36 qui te donne envie de fondre en larmes lorsque Takahashi parle a son père… Avec les flashbacks… La lettre qu’il lui a écrit lorsqu’il était petit… Ça me brise le cœur.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews

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