The manga, by creator Mizuno Mitsuhiro and artist Ryosuke Tobimatsu, was originally published in Japan by Shogakukan and has been licensed for North American release by Noir Caesar with print and digital distribution by TOKYOPOP. The series depicts the on- and off-the-court dramas of a young Japanese basketball player in his quest to become a top-ranked scorer. DEEP 3 was originally serialized in Japan in the manga magazine, Big Comic.

This is the story of a young basketball player willing to do whatever it takes to get back on track. Demian Kawai has devoted himself to basketball with the goal of becoming the top scorer in the National Basketball Organization. For now, competition at the high school level is tough, especially if you can’t measure up to the other players. 

Despite his promising future, Demian is struck by a case of the yips, causing his arms to stiffen up and risking his chances to reach the big leagues! Now Demian will have to dig deep to power ahead in his climb to greatness.

Sports manga (and anime!) are an anomaly for me. I dislike playing and watching most sports. I tried to play sports in school (soccer, volleyball) and was terrible at it, and never enjoyed myself. I kept myself in shape with ballet instead.

But there’s something magical about sports manga. I get really, really into the games, the strategies, the camaraderie, the teamwork, the losses and successes…and Deep 3 is no exception. I really enjoyed this first volume in what will be an ongoing series.

Demian’s Japanese mother is in the US trying to be a dancer for the NBO, while Demian is back in Japan, training to be the best basketball player he can be so he can someday be in the NBO too, like his father, Earvin Johnson.

There’s a lot of pressure here. Demian’s dream is huge, and he trains all the time for it; he has the weight of his father’s legacy on him; he has his teammates to inspire and rely on; and, of course, they’re playing to get into the Interscholastic Tournament and then go even farther!

Demian’s already dealt with one tragedy that kept him on the bench–in a previous year, he suffered from an Achilles tendon injury that wiped him out. Now that he’s back in action, he wants to make up for lost time and show everyone the phenom he’s always been meant to be–but now he’s dealing with a case of the yips.

They do explain what the yips are when Demian goes to the doctor’s office. In Demian’s case, his arms twist or lock up, especially when he’s trying to dunk or shoot close to the basket. But I wanted to know more.

This study, while focusing primarily on golfers, says that the yips are psychological and physical.

In golf, they appear as involuntary movements and/or freezing during a stroke (1–6). These movements have been described as jerking, twisting, and/or a tremor, while freezing is a hesitation prior to executing a swing (1–6).

The yips have been categorized in a variety of ways. They have been described as “physical symptoms (dystonia: type I), psychosocial symptoms (choking: type II), or a combination of both (non-categorized)” (6). One study categorized the yips as dystonic and non-dystonic where dystonic yips had a “jerk, twist, or posturing” (7), and non-dystonic forms appeared as “pushing or steering” the ball while putting (7).

A famous example that is somewhat recent is with Simone Biles, who suffered from the “twisties,” another variant of the yips, but in the world of gymnastics. While Biles did take significant time off from gymnastics to deal with this condition, when she returned, she performed incredible feats.

One can only have the same hopes for Demian as he struggles with the pressures he’s always felt, plus this new diagnosis of the yips. His doctor says there is no cure, and that it is a condition one sort of lives with. This is just another thing Demian has to contend with as he struggles to fulfill his dreams.

Despite these setbacks, Demian also has wins here and there, giving him enough confidence to persevere–he just can’t figure out how to keep his performance consistent or reliable.

There are numerous nail-biting scenes that alternate between Demian succeeding and failing, and how his teammates rely on him (and the shame he feels for letting them down). There are a lot of close calls in the games that make them interesting, and the manga ends on the introduction of a Japanese high school with formidable basketball players who like to both talk the talk and walk the walk. With incredible highs and lows, and surprises up the players’ sleeve, Demian is determined to turn things around. The manga ends with him shouting to his teammates: “We haven’t lost yet!”

I definitely want to see how they do in the next manga! What a way to leave it!

The art in this manga is really well done. Characters are unique and thoroughly expressive, and the action is well depicted. Demian even looks beautiful sometimes! The combination of a vivid, intense storyline with gorgeous art really makes this manga come out on top.

Mitsuhiro Mizuno, the story creator, shares a special essay at the end of the manga about how, as a child, he wanted to be like Michael Jordan, and talks about a few Japanese players that went on to play in the NBA despite shortcomings like height or differing abilities from the US players. Just like the manga itself, these are brief stories of overcoming adversity, and you can see where Mizuno formulated his story. I recommend giving this short essay a little read for a more complete look at the manga.

The artist, Ryosuke Tobimatsu also has a few panels he drew at the end talking abotu the challenges of drawing basketball scenes, and the difficulties living (and drawing through COVID). While only a couple panels long, it gives you a look into his art and humor. I think, while he’s never played basketball, he did a tremendous job drawing it.

I enjoyed myself way more than I expected to with this manga, only because personally, I am not a big fan of sports. They’ve always been in a realm bigger and outside of myself, and I’ve never been able to crack it. Manga is the closest I can come to doing so. And Deep 3 makes you feel all the things while rooting for Demian and his team members. Highly recommended.

---

Deep 3 will release March 10, 2026, but is up for preorder right now at TOKYOPOP and at Noir Caesar. You can also preorder it from a variety of online book retailers.