SHONEN JUMP

One of the Biggest Manga of All Time Makes Its SHONEN JUMP Debut This November!

Takehiko Inoue's Slam Dunk is one of the most read manga of all time — and it will be published by VIZ Media in paperback starting next year. But you don't have to wait until 2008 to experience Inoue-sensei's action-packed, hysterically funny basketball manga, because the first chapter will appear in the December 2007 issue of SHONEN JUMP, hitting newsstands on November 6, 2007. It's the latest step in SJ Evolution! (More info at SHONENJUMP.com/evolution!)

As announced at Comic-Con 2007, Takehiko Inoue's Slam Dunk is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest manga in history — and now it's going to join the full line of English-language SHONEN JUMP titles, along with Naruto, One Piece, Dragon Ball, Rurouni Kenshin, Death Note and all your other favorites!

The manga tells the story of one of the most unlikely basketball success stories ever, Hanamichi Sakuragi. As the manga begins he's been turned down by 50 — no, make that 51! — girls in a row. With his eyes on impressing yet another potential date, he stumbles into basketball practice with little sense of what the game is about. He takes to the game begrudgingly at best — is this the making of a champion, or a fast break to another heartache?

VIZ Media and SHONEN JUMP are working on the English edition of Takehiko Inoue's Slam Dunk directly with the creator himself, in order to launch for a new generation of readers. We had a chance to interview him recently. Here's an excerpt — and look to future issues of SHONEN JUMP for more one-on-one with Inoue-sensei!

SHONEN JUMP TALKS WITH MANGA GREAT
TAKEHIKO INOUE


SHONEN JUMP:		So, how is your jump shot?

TAKEHIKO INOUE:		Not bad — if there is no defense.

JUMP:		Have you met any cool NBA basketball players, and if so what are they like?

INOUE:		I've met and talked to a few. Michael Jordan was highly sophisticated, from his fashion to conversation, every inch impeccable.

JUMP:		How is basketball in Japan different from basketball in the United States?

INOUE:		In America, you can play basketball pretty much anywhere in town, like in the backyard of a house or at a playground. In Japan, on the other hand, school gyms are pretty much the only place you can play, so there is a huge difference when it comes to people's familiarity with the sport.

JUMP:		We understand that your Slam Dunk manga helped increase the popularity of basketball in Japan. How does it feel to have had such an influence on popular sports culture?

INOUE:		It's a pleasure more than I, as a manga artist, could have dreamed of. I could not have imagined a life without basketball during my high school years, so I hoped I could show my gratitude.

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