Rebound, Volume 18

Back when I read the first installment of Harlem Beat (predecessor to Rebound) in Mixx Zine issue 1-6 in June of 1998, I was stunned by the notion that a sports manga would be so enjoyable and entertaining. The author, Yuriko Nishiyama, shared her love of basketball in this 18 volume series, and I could not imagine I would still follow and enjoy this series almost a decade later. Rebound volume 18 takes place a year later in the story. The high school seniors are graduating, and a new Johnan High School basketball team is being formed. The author focuses on the friendships that were formed on the court in both streetball and high school basketball, and uses the wide cast of characters to give a fond farewell to the long time followers of this manga series. This final volume is a nice wrap up, with cameo appearances by many characters from the early volumes in the series. Kudos to Tokyopop for releasing this volume in time for Christmas, and finally wrapping up the series.