Slam Dunk Volume 7 cover image is courtesy of barnesandnoble.com.

Rated “T” for “Teen”

The Shohoku Prefecture High School men’s basketball team knows that it takes dedication and discipline to be the best.  Captain and center, Takenori Akagi, dreams of reaching the finals, and this is the last year the team can make his dream come true.  Two first year players can make this dream come true or ruin this special season.  The wild and undisciplined Hanamichi Sakuragi wants to be a star, but hates to practice, and basketball prodigy Kaede Rukawa is too aloof for his own good.

As Slam Dunk, Vol. 7 (entitled The End of the Basketball Team) opens, the relationship between Hanamachi and just-returned second year problem child, Ryota Miyagi, is off to a rocky start, but before long, the two malcontents are bonding over mutual girl troubles.  Ryota will certainly need a friend, when an old rival, Hisashi Mitsui, returns with his thug friends, and they’re looking for a fight.  But if basketball players are caught brawling, it could mean the end of the team!

[This volume’s “Slam Dunk Overtime” NBA player profile features Utah Jazz point guard, Deron Williams.]

THE LOWDOWN:  Regular readers of Slam Dunk have come to expect at least one surprise in each volume of the series.  Sometimes, the surprises come fast and furious, but sometimes all creator Takehiko Inoue has to do is change the pace or, as is the case in Vol. 7, change the obstacles or dilemmas facing the Shohoku High men’s basketball team.  Slam Dunk is usually a story of love and basketball and love of basketball.  This time it is about teammates, loyalty, and bonds of friendship.  Using a violent brawl to convey the poignancy of close relationships and team unity is a stroke of genius.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Lovers of both great manga and great basketball will want Slam Dunk.

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