Slam Dunk Volume 2
Synopsis
After Hanamichi’s surprising win against Captain Akagi, he believes he’s ready to play on a real basketball team (without any training or practice whatsoever). However, Hanamichi’s lack of any knowledge of the game keeps him off to the side, practicing grueling fundamental skills, which, of course, he thinks are pointless and a total disrespect of his talent. Hanamichi’s talents not only lie in basketball but potentially other sports as well. Other sports captains are starting to take notice. Captain Tatsuhiko Aota of the Judo team is very interested in recruiting Hanamichi for his brute strength and natural skills, but will Hanamichi take the bait and join Captain Aota, or will he remain on the basketball team to become the Basketball Man? Find out all this and more in Slame Dunk Volume 2!
Review and Recommendation
The more I read Slam Dunk, the more I understand why this series is one of the most popular manga worldwide. Hanamichi, as a character, becomes more developed from just an average meathead to an actual team player with potential for basketball talent who isn’t just driven by his desire to date Haruko. Although his obsession with Haruko and interactions with her offer great comic relief to the severe moments of play provided by the team captain Akagi. The latest character to join the series, Captain Aota of the Judo team, also brings in even more comedy with his similarities to Hanamichi and his related obsession with Haruko. Despite volume two being more sport-centric than the previous volume, I still found Slam Dunk Volume 2 to be just as charming and enjoyable.
Cautions
*Spoiler Alert* (A spoiler alert is being issued because there are mentions of specific plot points that relate to the rating of this review.)
Slam Dunk Volume 2 keeps its teen rating due to minor realistic violence and crude humor. I felt volume two had less realistic violence than volume one, as many of the panels were comprised of Captain Akagi and his teammates playing basketball to teach Hanamichi more about the game. There was one slightly suggestive panel that I noted close to the end of the book. The panel depicts a group of girls playing sports in shorts that resemble underwear. Hanamichi and his friends are caught spying on the girls and removed by the P.E. coaches. Besides that particular scene, nothing else stood out to me as ill-suited for teen readers.
