Full-time comic artist

"Bang!"

He dunked!

"Amazing!"

"It was a real dunk!"

Chapter 148 "Coach, I want to play basketball"

Today, Hibiki Higashino will conclude the Mitsui Hisashi arc.

The comic has reached its final two pages.

But he couldn't bring himself to write.

This will be the highlight of the entire chapter, and even more so, the entire Slam Dunk manga. Hibiki Higashino doesn't know if his drawing will have a stunning effect on the readers.

When the depraved Mitsui sees Coach Anzai again, filled with embarrassment, can he express the emotional shift in his heart?

Hibiki Higashino once heard of such a case.

The Black criminal, who had acted nonchalantly and indifferently in court, was suddenly struck by the judge's question: "Did you attend Nautilus High School?"

These words caused the Black criminal to weep bitterly, filled with remorse.

The Black criminal realized that the judge was actually his good friend from high school.

The young judge's dream is to become a judge, and his dream is to become an excellent neurosurgeon.

He saw in this old classmate the innocent, carefree version of himself who was full of hope for the future.

Therefore, he couldn't accept himself as he was at the time, and eventually he repented and changed his ways.

Mitsui's journey was similar.

When he saw Coach Anzai, he was reminded of his former self, the best player, whose dream was to dominate the nation – Mitsui Hisashi.

When Mitsui realized this, he couldn't stop crying.

Higashino hesitated, unsure if his few shots could convey the intended mood.

"Oda, what do you think of the ending of this chapter?" he asked his assistant, Oda.

"Fantastic!" Oda gave a thumbs up. "I'm still thinking about it, and I'm still so excited my scalp is tingling and my whole body is trembling. It feels like I'm seeing the World Martial Arts Tournament for the first time!"

As a die-hard fan of Akira Toriyama, being able to compare "Slam Dunk" to "Dragon Ball" is the greatest compliment Oda could give.

"I am very moved to be able to participate in the production of 'Slam Dunk'!"

When Oda saw the storyboard for the new chapter, he was truly shocked beyond words.

Will my future self really be able to draw comics like this?

Such delicate emotions are built up layer by layer, and then brought to a sudden climax, followed by a moment of silence, leaving much to savor.

I simply don't have the ability to do that.

Oda thought he would never draw sports manga in his entire life.

"Really?" Higashino Hibiki suddenly realized.

He looked at the image of Mitsui Hisashi kneeling on the ground, tears streaming down his face, as depicted in his calligraphy.

"Then let's leave it at that."

……

Jump will be released on September 9th.

This episode reveals the reasons behind Mitsui's downfall.

He was hospitalized with a fractured kneecap, and after his condition improved, he often went to the Shohoku basketball team on crutches.

Akagi's progress was accelerating; he learned to dribble and to utilize the technique of pivoting his feet.

Mitsui watched enviously from the sidelines, but could only stand still and practice dribbling.

The college league is about to begin, but Mitsui's injury will take another month to heal, so he won't have time to participate in the qualifiers.

He kept it from the team members, telling them that he had recovered.

However, during practice, when he jumped and landed, his knees couldn't withstand the force, which aggravated his condition.

In the end, he still failed to make it to the preliminary round of the college league.

At the official match, Mitsui watched the Shohoku basketball team fight hard on the court. He remained silent and eventually left the court with his cane.

Since then, Mitsui has never appeared at the basketball court again.

As Kanda Takehito walked and looked around, he suddenly realized, "So that's how it is."

"Bang! Bang!"

Suddenly, a sound came from inside.

He looked up, and before he knew it, he had arrived at the stadium.

Kanda Takehito walked in without thinking and found that it was the Tokai University basketball team organizing a practice match.

The team was divided into two groups, red and yellow, with a score of 65-71.

It seems the competition has been going on for quite some time.

He stepped onto the second-floor viewing platform and began to watch silently.

There are still quite a few people around.

"The basketball team has another practice game today."

"This is the third session since the start of the semester."

"I heard that the college basketball tournament is about to start."

Kanda Takehito looked up and calculated that there were still two months until the All-Japan University Basketball Championship.

"Are you starting preparations so early?"

"You, you're also a member of the basketball team?" Kanda Takehito heard someone speak to him. He looked over and saw a female student excitedly standing on tiptoe with her hands clenched. "Good luck in the game!"

“No.” Kanda Takehito shook his head.

Since he cut his hair short, more people have started talking to him.

"Oh." The female student lowered her head in disappointment.

Kanda Takehito looked at the basketball court; although it was just a practice game, it was being played very intensely.

With only five minutes left, everyone on the field was drenched in sweat and breathing rapidly.

He watched as the red-haired player, over 190 centimeters tall and wearing a red jersey with the number 10, dribbled towards the opponent's basket and was stopped by the player in the yellow jersey with the number 3.

Player number 10 is tall and strong, yet very agile.

Player number 3 has a solid foundation, doesn't rush in, and plays a very tight defense.

Both teams displayed formidable skills in defense and penetration. One team dribbled with composure, constantly using feints to probe the defense. The other team's defense was unwavering, their outstretched arms firmly blocking player number 10 under the basket.

The other eight players were marking each other closely, all of them were very tense, demonstrating a good competitive spirit.

Kanda Takehito was surprised to find that the Tokai basketball team was very strong, and in his opinion, they might be able to break through the preliminaries and enter the official 40-team university basketball tournament.

The only sound in the stadium was the screech of basketball shoes on the floor. The audience held their breath, all focused intently, afraid of missing any crucial information.

Sure enough, not long after, player number 10 faked his way past, arrived at the basket, and dunked the ball.

"Flower Festival!"

"Flower Festival!"

Kanda Takehito heard the cheers around him; the audience was applauding player number ten.

"So his name is Hua Chao."

Even after Hanacho scored, Kanda Takehito remained calm and composed, directing his team to retreat and defend, leaving no openings.

In this practice match, Kanda Takehito actually saw the end. Under Hanacho's command, the red team reversed the situation, overtook the score in the last minute, and maintained it until the end.

Every player on the field did not give up in the final moments, pushing their physical limits and running tirelessly across the field, trying to tear apart the opponent's defense.

"It's just a practice match... and they're putting in so much effort." He heard someone remark.

"Basketball games are so interesting, I will definitely be there to cheer you on during the qualifiers!"

"Yeah! Everyone's working so hard."

"Try your best..." Kanda Takehito lowered his head.

He watched as the Donghai basketball team left the court for a rest, and then he walked out of the gymnasium himself.

The words of Togo, "If you don't know what to do, then go back to playing basketball," involuntarily came to his mind.

……

Bird Autumn Studio.

Sasaki has arrived.

Today, he's not just here to discuss storyboards or urge me to finish the draft; there's another important matter.

"The first volume of Slam Dunk will be released on September 21st."

He sat on the sofa and spoke to Hibiki Higashino, who was diligently drawing manga.

"Congratulations, Akino-sensei!" Oda said excitedly.

Tanaka's gloom vanished: "Congratulations!"

Yoshii Yamahisa remarked, "Two and a half years have passed since the first edition of the first volume of 'Hikaru no Go' was published. Time really flies."

At that time, he was very happy for Higashino Hibiki, but as the volumes of "Hikaru no Go" were released one after another and he heard about the good results, he gradually became more calm about it.

The swishing sounds from Higashino Hibiki's men stopped.

He looked up and stared at Sasaki with surprise.

"That's great news! Thank you so much, Mr. Sasaki!" Hibiki Higashino was immediately invigorated.