REAL

Takehiko Inoue made his name on Slam Dunk, then walked away from the easy version of the sport story. REAL follows a high-school dropout who put a girl in a wheelchair, a former track star who lost a leg to cancer, and an arrogant ace paralyzed in an accident, all circling the same wheelchair basketball court. It is a sports manga where the hardest opponent is the patient work of accepting a changed body. Inoue draws muscle, sweat, and the specific weight of a chair with a precision few artists match. He takes his time, which is why the wins land.