Slam Dunk, Vol. 13

Slam Dunk [スラムダンク] #13

by Takehiko Inoue

Winning isn't everything in the game of basketball, but who wants to come in second? It takes dedication and discipline to be the best, and the Shohoku High hoops team wants to be just that. They have one year left to make their captain's dream of reaching the finals come true—will they do it? Takehiko Inoue's legendary basketball manga is finally here, and the tale of a lifetime is in your hands!

Shohoku is down fifteen points against the Kings from Kainan, so whom do they turn to in an effort to get back in the black? Superstar Kaede Rukawa, of course. Rukawa's natural abilities help put some crucial points on the board, and a comeback seems possible, but when Captain Akagi twists his ankle on an opposing player's foot, Shohoku quickly finds itself without one of its biggest offensive and defensive forces. Can Sakuragi step into Akagi's shoes and keep Kainan from running away with the game?

Genres: Manga, Sports, Shonen, Comics, Graphic Novels, Comics Manga, Fiction

184 pages, Paperback

First published June 4, 1993

About the author

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

Reviews

[Keiko, the manga enthusiast ♒︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

GORIIIII OMG!! THE LAST PANEL WAS SO INTENSE, THAT IT LITERALLY SENT ME SCREAMING GORI LOL. I'M SOOOO INVESTED. I didn't even feel like I'm just reading a manga; panel, dialogue, and all, but like I was watching this crazy action sequence that's happening before my eyes—that's how gifted Takehiko Inoue is. And don't even talk about his divine art style like it's not a given already! Gosh, he's really one of my goat mangaka!! Anyway, I love how crazy Rukawa has been in this volume! He totally led the team without Akagi's support. This is soooo awesome. I'm totally one of the crowds that have been screaming Rukawa's name.

Thank you, Inoue!!

[Jedi JC Daquis · Rating 4 out of 5]

To think that this is just the 13th (out of 31) volume in the series, and it feels like the final game? That really is something. Rukawa shines, Akagi falters. Sakuragi is well, just being Sakuragi. The real challenges for the red-headed Hanamichi starts here.

[Julie (Let's Read Good Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Oh, no! I only have two more volumes, and it will take a week to get more! I need to request more than 5 at a time!

[Himanshu Karmacharya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing. It's like I'm watching a tense basketball match, instead of reading a manga. Takehiko Inoue is a Tensai!

[Tiagoツ · Rating 5 out of 5]

TO FICANDO ILUDIDO COM A VITORIA

[Kesa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rukawa is the strongest rookie. As expected. Hopefully Akagi will leave the court soon ...

[KuddlinKyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shohoku vs. Kainan (start)🔥🔥

[Recep · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[J.M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rukawa’s too OP in this volume!

[ilhaan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rukawa is literally Michael Jordan i’m not even kidding everytime he scored i almost passed out

[Aritra Dasgupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a chapter where sideline commentators say that a new problem for Shohuku is that it's lead rookie Rukawa is too loner-some and selfish. This will hinder the team as basketball is still a group match at the end of the day.

In the very next moments, Rukawa instantly cuts down their deficit from 15 to 5, shocking the opponents, the crowd and even his teammates.

My point being, most modern sports anime help contextualise viewers by putting sideline commentators, past foes turned friends who are suddenly experts on what the team members are feeling and where the momentum is going.

But this can't obviously be true. Only the player himself knows what his feelings are.

And it's because of moments like this that I feel that Slam Dunk is the King of Sports Manga.

Honestly, this volume crystallizes what I have already been feeling for a long time. Slam Dunk is one of the best series ever made period, manga or comics or books.

[Honeypie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sa laro ng basketball:
1. May mga magagaling pero hindi hindi kapogian > pero nagiging pogi na rin in the end madalas
2. May mga pogi pero sakto lang maglaro
3. May mga sakto lang sa skills at looks
4. May mga hindi talaga sumakto kahit saan > anong ginagawa nyo dyan?! Haha!
5. May Rukawa.

I find Rukawa's character boring until this volume.
I thought he was just being a 'bwakaw' or a ball hog, but damn, mga ganitong players nakakaexcite manood (at magbasa ng manga!) ng basketball!

[Anna Kehoe]

Sakuragi has hurt their coach far to many times.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slam Dunk, Vol. 13 continues where the previous tankōbon left off and contains the next nine chapters (108–116) of the on-going manga series.

This tankōbon continues the Kanagawa Interhigh Tournament Semifinal match with Shohoku High School and Kainan University Affiliated High School. With Shohoku losing by fifteen points, Kaede Rukawa and Takenori Akagi try to make a comeback, but the latter injures his left foot and has to be replaced by Hanamichi Sakuragi.

The coach, Mitsuyoshi Anzai, then forces Sakuragi and Rukawa to guard the board together. Sakuragi tries valiantly to fill in for Akagi, and he and Rukawa manage to score various times, reducing their disadvantage to less than ten points. At the end of the first half Rukawa scores once again, evening up the game.

In the second half Soichiro Jin from Kainan enters the game, while Akagi replaces Kiminobu Kogure and easily scores.

This tankōbon is written and illustrated by Takehiko Inoue. For the most part, I really liked the direction of the narrative. The Kanagawa Interhigh Tournament moves inexorably forward in a somewhat slow pace, but entertaining nevertheless. However, I hope that this match ends soon and reveal if Shohoku High would interrupt Kainan University Affiliated High School streak.

All in all, Slam Dunk, Vol. 13 is a wonderful continuation to a series that seems intriguing and I cannot wait to read more.

[Vanessa Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

*This review is for the series as a whole with 4.5 out of 5 stars*

I’ve posted 2 articles about Slam Dunk early this year so I’m sure you guys already have an idea how I adore this series. The anime series was incredible but its manga counterpart is beyond incredible, it was AHA-mazing!

I’m not a sporty kind of girl and I don’t think I’ll be anytime soon, but I think what’s great about reading books and watching shows is that you learn and (kind of) experience a lot of things you don’t normally do in real life. And because of Slam Dunk, I learn to appreciate sports stories and eventually love them.

When I started reading this manga, it felt so nostalgic. It’s not so different in the anime so while reading it, I keep on picturing out all those episodes which I think made my reading experience even more enjoyable.

Slam Dunk showcases a great team work. What I learn to appreciate about sports stories/shows is that it’ll give you a lot of lessons about what it means to be a great sportsman. And Slam Dunk absolutely slammed dunk that part!

I usually watch the anime series first before reading its manga counterpart and as for Slam Dunk, I’ve watched it quite a number of times already and I don’t think I’ll ever stop watching it, *wink. Even after watching the anime, I can still feel the tension, the suspense, and the excitement while reading this manga.

As you can read on its title, this manga centered around the sports basketball and through it weaved a really good story everyone of us will enjoy and appreciate whether you’re into sports or not. Another thing I love about reading manga is that it will never ceased to make you laugh with its funny scenes and Slam Dunk had it big time! I lost count how many times I laughed my heart out reading this masterpiece.

The drawings were really so good too plus those facial expressions were epic, especially Sakuragi’s, haha.

This story has a main character but I love that it didn’t just center around him but the author also gave its other characters a chance to share their own story. I love the character development as well especially Sakuragi’s.

And speaking of Sakuragi, I didn’t eventually like him at first. He’s definitely trouble and I didn’t quite appreciate his annoying antics and his excessive bragging. But all throughout the story, you can’t definitely help it but like his character. As I’ve said above, Sakuragi’s character development is definitely one you should see. From being this good for nothing delinquent, he became a true sportsman. I just absolutely love his improvement not just in basketball but eventually as a person. It’s definitely hard for me to explain but I just LOVE Sakuragi. Ofcourse he can still be an airhead sometimes but I can see now that it’s one of the things that makes him quite likeable, haha.

Slam Dunk has some pretty amazing group of characters and as I’ve said in this article, they come in varieties so I’m sure a lot of readers can find some characters they can relate and love.

The anime series left off the national championship and let me tell you guys, it was already good as it is. It was full of intense scenes with a right blend of humor but the national championship parts were sooooooo good I can still feel its intensity even after finishing this manga. Actually, I cried pretty hard when they won! You should definitely read it!!!

Although the ending felt short which ofcourse makes you want to ask for more, I guess it was still a pretty good and hopeful ending, not just for team Shohoku but for the other teams as well. Besides, after that intense match with Sannoh, I don’t think Slam Dunk failed me.

So if you’re looking for an intense sports shonen manga to read, Slam Dunk should be on top of your list.

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[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The game against Kainan continues on, until Shohoku suffers a major setback that could cost them to match. Any chance at snatching victory from the claws of defeat rests in... Rukawa? Apparently? He's been Sakuragi's "rival" since the beginning of the series but hasn't been given much character development. He's the prodigy compared to Sakuragi's novelty, he's the quiet compared to Sakuragi's outspoken loud-mouth, he's the reliable one compared to Sakuragi's risky gameplay. His entire character so far has revolved around how different from Sakuragi he is, but come Volume 13 we get an entire story dedicated to fleshing him out. He's put Shohoku on his back and is attempting to carry them to victory, with the weight of the series being on whether he can keep them in the game before his back breaks and everything comes crashing down.

[Akito Dixon]

Slam Dunk, Vol. 14 Slam Dunk, Vol. 15
Volumes 13-15 of Slam dunk is still on the shohoku fight but as they fight through the kanagawa interhigh gourunament, hanamichi is still loud and reckless as ever, but his skills (especially his rebounding) are finally becoming a real asset. His rivlary with Rukawa is as intense as ever, but theres also a growing respet between them. The games are faster, tougher, and packed with drama, with every play feeling like a make or break moment. These volumes prove SLam dunk isnt just a sports manga its pure adrenaline and heart.

[N.E.C.C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOLY SHIT!!! Kaede Jordan is AMAZING!!!

What an incredible volume, i was sweating and biting my nails out of desperation. I felt like i was watching a basketball game on tv, i don't know other way to describe it. This is probably the best volume so far.

I love the way Kainan and Shohoku are playing. Shohoku is playing like this is their final game and Kainan, with all their might, they were not expecting the game to go this way. There's still a lot of time and we haven't seen everything Kainan has to offer so, this is gonna be a hell of a game.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the time of this review, I have read volumes 1-17 back-to-back. As always, I will try to only focus on the current review.

This volume was quite exciting and action-packed! We have Rukawa vs. Kiyota. Both of these players have what I think of different styles of playing. Rukawa is talented, but he lets his actions speak for themselves. Yet, it is not the quite solid foundation, but the in your face raw talent that doesn't need the extra hype. Kiyota is the talent with the hype, but it seems to be warranted hype. Then Captain Akagi faces an injury, which is just upsetting. While Sakuragi is part of this equation, Rukawa has the spotlight in this, like how Mitsui had it in a previous volume.

Verdict: Woah!

[Jared Pangier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am totally hooked on this series! Here, we see another big twist in the story: The Captain of Shohoku, Akagi, comes down wrong on another player's foot, spraining his ankle terribly. Will the next biggest player on the team be able to fill Akagi's shoes? Can the other rookie, the ace Rukawa, work together with Sakuragi to replace the captain's role in the center of the court? Will Rukawa rise up to the challenge to show that he is the BEST rookie in the prefecture? Read this volume to find out!

Now, I need to get back to my school to grab some more! No break from Slam Dunk!

[James Rodrigues · Rating 5 out of 5]

It impresses me how thrillingly this series makes basketball seem on the page. The stakes feel high, and the tension supremely rises as the game unfolds, with Shohoku having to adapt to each change that their team faces on the court. This is a superb showcase for Rukawa, who is easily the team's ace. I cannot foresee how this game will turn out, and that thrills me.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the more iconic of sports manga. It's the first series where I actually both read the manga and watched the anime. It has flawed protagonists, growing up pains, colourful characters, and beautiful meaningful relationships, all neatly wrapped around the context of college basketball.

[Andrea De Gouveia Dias · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.9
(El punto nueve por esos nueves puntos del super novato.)

Rukawa, Rukawa. Esto ya es demasiado. No puedes anotar nueve canastas seguidas tú sólito, vamos, ya sé que eres bueno, pero haces que hasta yo te tenga molestia.

[༘⋆ sherlai ₊⊹ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me, whenever Rukawa is remotely mentioned:

[Cait · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't say this was the direction I figured this match would take and I do still hope Rukawa shows some vulnerability in some capacity before the series closes. That said, I find it really sweet that he made that push for Akagi. Hopefully this match can maintain the good momentum.

[The Little Bookshop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rukawa is so cool.
Raising his fist when Akagi comes back and that high five...ugh L-O-V-E Rukawa Rukawa.
Lol

[Tobias Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rukawa

[Albus2122 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es increíble. Después de una larga pausa, regresé al manga y lo devoré: ritmo, estructura y desarrollo. Ya no aguanto para seguir esta travesía.

[Kawthar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rukawa is shining
Impressionnant

[✨Sky✨ ♏ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 stars