Chapter 603: Is this a sports comic? Funny, right?

When it comes to sports in Japan, baseball is naturally ranked first and is undoubtedly the national sport.

Secondly, there is football. In recent years, with Japan’s continuous impact on the World Cup and the hype of major football stars, the popularity has continued to rise.

As for basketball, according to statistics from some organizations, its popularity can be ranked in the top five, but the third place is definitely controversial.

At least in school, the participation rate of volleyball and tennis is higher than that of basketball. Many Japanese girls are concerned about being cute, so volleyball, tennis and even kendo and archery are very popular.

For men, basketball is almost the third sport, but it is not very popular in society. At least the number of NBA channel subscribers in Japan is relatively low in the world in terms of the average number of people.

So when it was revealed that Shingo Oda’s new work would be basketball, many people thought it was impossible.

“Baseball is so easy to draw, and it has a wide audience. Is Oda Shingo really going to go for a personalized approach?”

“No, Mr. Oda has always been very accurate in grasping the market.”

“I think he feels there’s nothing new about baseball anymore. The baseball comics before were just flooded with them.”

“Yes, it must be a rumor. Oda-sensei may release a new work, but it can’t be a basketball project!”

Unfortunately, the slap in the face came very quickly, and the official statement quickly overturned these people’s reasoning.

The official website of the Ministry of Culture announced the news:

【Oda Shingo’s new work is scheduled! 】

【Slam Dunk! 】

【May 14 (Sunday) website first launch celebration ceremony will be held! 】

The pictures on the web page are typical close-ups of basketball players and beauties.

Obviously, the previous inside information leaks were very accurate.

This official announcement quickly spread throughout the comics community.

“No way? Is it really basketball?”

“I don’t even watch basketball.”

“Basketball? There are not as many people in our school’s basketball team as in the judo team.”

Indeed, judo is one of Japan’s national sports. Even many girls like judo, and many boys even join judo in order to have physical contact with girls.

But at least the ratings of the TV station’s judo matches are much better than those of the basketball channel.

Most comic fans are a bit skeptical about what’s so great about a basketball-themed comic.

“What’s the point of watching basketball without Koshien?”

“Maybe a sports comic featuring handsome men and beautiful women?”

For a period of time, there were sports comics in Japan that focused on coolness, but they were quickly eliminated by the market.

“Will Mr. Oda write that the protagonist was born in the United States, joined the NBA, and washed away the Western prejudice against Japanese people playing basketball?”

Various speculations and ridicules have emerged.

At least even comic critics remain cautious.

“Shingo Oda is going to release a new basketball game soon, which worries me.”

“It is said that the first part of Attack on Titan will be temporarily completed. I think it is difficult for basketball comics to take over the responsibility of promoting comics that helped Springfield Bookstore establish its dominance.”

Indeed, now “Champion” and Gun-eisha’s “JUMP” are in a fierce competition, and one has even temporarily surpassed the other in popularity, while “RED” has successfully transitioned to a weekly publication. However, can this kind of sports comic have the market acceptance to take on the important task?
Are sports comics also worthy of being the mainstay of a magazine?
With Oda Shingo’s reputation, everyone believes that any comics he draws about love, adventure, passion or even weirdness are absolutely excellent.

However, the Japanese market for sports comics has been silent for many years. It is like throwing a small stone into the sea, without even a wave being visible.

But there are also some individuals who have expressed different opinions.

“It’s over, it’s over, it’s over! Our sports comics are also going to be invaded by the big devil!”

“There are so many themes like romance, passion, fighting, etc. Why are you, such a big star, trying to grab the cake in our sports category?”

Many sports cartoonists screamed in pain.

Needless to say, Shingo Oda will dominate the sports manga charts. Even if his work is not successful, his extraordinary popularity will definitely allow him to dominate the sports manga charts, which have been in the doldrums in recent years.

As for some of Oda Shingo’s haters, they publicly declared:

“Open! Open! Open! I bet 100 yen that this manga by Oda Shingo is just average!”

“See you on May 14th! I’m waiting to see how Oda-sensei will surprise everyone!”

May 14th is Sunday. New comics are released on weekends, so the number of online fans will be larger. Most Japanese high schools have half-day classes on Saturdays, so Saturdays are not the best choice.

There was a lot of discussion within the Qun Ying Sha regarding Oda Shingo’s new work.

“Damn it! He’s as prolific as a female pig! Why don’t we have authors like him?”

“I’m afraid it takes a hundred years of comic history to produce one?”

“We have no choice but to put him on display in the comic history gallery on the first floor.”

However, as Qunyingshe was a sworn enemy, the editors of Qunyingshe discussed the issue but did not make any public statement.

They had tried to show tolerance and patience to Oda Shingo before, but after he publicly declared himself the overlord, the Qun Ying She could no longer try to please him.

We remain silent, which is a very gentlemanly act!

I wish your work would flop immediately, and then I would commit suicide by hanging, cutting open my stomach, or taking poison!

Amidst the attention from all sides with completely different attitudes, Shingo Oda’s new work “Slam Dunk” was launched.

Fans flocked to the official website of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and soon saw a huge “SLAMDUNK” banner with the words “five chapters in one wave” prominently written in eye-catching fonts.

No way? The Ministry of Culture has given the first five episodes online?
“Wow! Five chapters on a website page?! This is not their habit.”

“Is the Ministry of Culture also bombarding users with updates?”

“I still remember the slow pace of Dragon Ball’s updates on the Ministry of Culture’s website, which was completely different from the five chapters in one issue of Champion magazine.”

The comic fans who discussed these things were actually a minority, as most people clicked directly in, wanting to see what the big devil had to say about sports comics.

The first few pages of the first chapter are actually in color.

In the season when cherry blossoms are in full bloom, an innocent red-haired boy’s confession is rejected.

“I’m sorry, Sakuragi-san, but the one I like is Oda from the basketball team.”

This should have been a sad story, but the bad friends were waving flags and cheering, and even throwing streamers and blowing trumpets to celebrate.

“Congratulations, Hanamichi, you broke the record!”

“I was rejected 50 times in a row in junior high school!”

Headbutt! Sakuragi Hanamichi became prejudiced against basketball after being rejected for the 50th time.

But after entering Xiangbei High School, a female classmate appeared before her like an angel.

“Excuse me, do you like playing basketball?”

Sakuragi Hanamichi was attracted to Haruko, and in order to win her heart, he decided to join the basketball team.

But his blood-inducing actions, such as banging his head against the backboard and running with the ball, are simply hilarious.

The funnier things are yet to come, when Haruko’s brother Akagi comes on stage and starts a basketball competition with Sakuragi.

Sakuragi was no match for the professional “gorilla” and in a panic he grabbed the other’s pants, leading to the famous scene of “Akagi’s anal sex”.

“Hahahaha, this isn’t a sports comic, it’s a comedy comic, right?!”

“This comic is really worth reading. It made me laugh to death!”

“Oda-sensei is worthy of being the one who drew “KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World!” His level of brainless comedy has not declined at all.”

The comic fans couldn’t stop laughing.

Even the cartoonists who originally wrote sports comics breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems that the new work of the Big Devil is not a sports-themed one, but a comedy comic?
(End of this chapter)