Takehiko Inoue's Real: Volume 4

Real Volume 4 cover image is courtesy of barnesandnoble.com.

Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”

Tragedy brings three different young men together, all of them united by their love of basketball.  Kiyoharu Togawa AKA “Vince,” lost his leg due to cancer, and now, plays wheelchair basketball.  Hisanobu Takahashi is a natural athlete, smart student, and all-around popular guy, but now, he is a paraplegic.  Tomomi Nomiya is a high school dropout dealing with the guilt of paralyzing a young woman in a traffic accident.

Real, Vol. 4 focuses on the trials and tribulations of Kiyoharu Togawa.  His wheelchair basketball team, the Tigers, looks like it is going to fall apart just as its fortunes begin to rise.  The narrative recalls the early days of Kiyoharu’s cancer and the aftermath of losing his leg.  The story also looks back at the three people:  Kiyoharu’s girlfriend, Kumi Azumi; a dying teen, Hitoshi Yamauchi; and Tora Katsuda, wheelchair basketball warrior and tattoo artist who helped Kiyoharu start to move past his grief.  Meanwhile, Tomomi Nomiya struggles to find his calling and a job at which he can succeed.

THE LOWDOWN:  What gives Real its astounding verisimilitude is the art by creator Takehiko Inoue (and his staff).  The style skews towards realism; the reader will feel like he’s right there, experiencing real life.  Inoue’s panel compositions and page design also take the reader into the heart of the matter – the raw emotions, intimate feelings, and the mercurial psychology of the characters.  Real is a comic book that is like a great novel – you just can’t stop reading until you’ve savored that last page.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Obviously, readers interested in wheelchair basketball will like this series, but Real is a great drama for fans of great true-to-life drama.

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