Scores
Main Cast: 9.5/10
Side Cast: 8.7/10
Plot: (9.5/10) x 2
Purpose: 10/10
Art: 8.8/10
Thoughts: (9.6/10) x 4
Overall: 94.4/100

Story
Slam Dunk is filled with an abundance of charming and well-written characters that mesh beautifully together. Although the side cast does have a few throw aways, they do serve a purpose in building up the important characters. In fact, I’d say Slam Dunk’s biggest strength is how they build up these characters and make you care about their journey - their failures, theirs growth, and their goals. Leading to my point in that while Slam Dunk does portray basketball in a smart and exciting way, the beauty of its plot lies within its characters.
A cast so deep that it doesn’t need the main character for it to be engaging. With each character in its main cast being so well written, it feels like the main character is the Shohoku team.

Characters aside, the basketball action is grounded yet exciting in its own way. It goes without saying that since this is a grounded sports manga, the stakes aren’t all that high in comparison to other shounens. But I would argue that this plays as a strength as it makes room for anything to happen within a match. A good example of this can be seen through the main character, Hanamichi Sakuragi, a complete novice in basketball. An aspect of his character that is well implemented as you feel the impact of both his achievements and his failures.

With a combination of amazing characters portrayed thoughtfully in a grounded sports medium, Slam Dunk’s plot is truly something special. A story of growth, teamwork, a love for basketball, but at the same time, a lot more than just basketball. Serving as a great sports manga, but an even greater shounen manga that any fan of the genre can enjoy.(even those who might find the genre a little dry)

Art
Slam Dunk has amazing art throughout but more so towards the end of the series. It’s more noticeable when it’s serious while on the other hand, more cartoonish when it’s trying to be funny (Which it was). There’s also good use of paneling which was very important for the matches. Making each match feel as intense as it should have been if not more. While, also making each action feel realistic and impressive. The art also portrays shooting form in a very impressive way. You truly notice if a form is beautiful not just because they say it is, but because it can be seen. In short, great art that’s style fits the tone and shows understanding of the sport.

Thoughts
Going into Slam Dunk I was already familiar with the anime. Though I did enjoy it, it was not to the level as the manga readers who’ve hailed it as one of the greats. Now having read it, I have to say that I do agree. Do things like buying into the hype, recency biases, and nostalgia play a role? Though I’d like to to think not, perhaps a little. That being said, Slam Dunk is an amazingly beautiful manga that can be enjoyed by lovers of the shounen genre and even beyond. The Shohoku team has a starting line up of amazing characters with inspiring stories. Especially the main character, Hanamichi Sakuragi, whose journey to becoming a basketball player has made him an all time favorite character.