The First Slam Dunk is out for a limited release in North American theaters. The film is a sequel to the popular anime Slam Dunk, which aired in the mid-1990s. I caught a screening on opening weekend and wanted to write an in-depth movie review of The First Slam Dunk. But before I do that, let’s recap what the original anime is about.
Prequel to the Movie
The anime follows a young man named Sakuragi, who is depressed after being rejected by over 50 girls in his middle school. After meeting Haruko, Sakuragi becomes motivated to join the Shohoku Basketball team to impress Haruko. The team captain is Haruko’s brother, Akagi, a starting center with a dunk resembling a gorilla.
However, not all is perfect, as Sakuragi develops a rivalry with a kid named Rukawa. A prodigy who is the same age as him and a player Haruko is crushing on. Eventually, the two freshmen join the Shohoku team and become a part of the starting line-up along with a flashy point guard named Ryota and Mitsui, a sharp 3-point shooter.
The anime follows Sakuragi’s basketball journey as a rookie. Beginning with him going through basic ball-handling drills and learning to shoot free throws. By the end of the anime, he trains extensively with the coach and Haruko to perfect his jump shot. What makes Sakuragi a part of the starting lineup is his athleticism. Having superior sprinting and jumping abilities compared to his peers. He has earned the nickname Rebound King.
I must admit that I started watching Slam Dunk during the pandemic because, throughout my life, so many people have recommended the anime to me. But I never had time between work and school. Then the pandemic happened, and I finally watched the anime, loving it so much. Eventually, the anime would get canceled, and I immediately switched to the manga to finish Slam Dunk.
I just watched this movie last weekend and could not be happier. A perfect ending to the anime. There were some older fans in the crowd who, I’m sure, have been waiting over 20 years to see the ending animated. Overall, a great movie, a must-see if you have watched the anime but never bothered to read the manga. Here is my review of the film, following the different aspects. Just a warning that there are spoilers ahead.
Quick Synopsis
The film drops off where the anime basically ends. As Shohoku faces off against Sannoh in a tournament match. New to the plot, though, is that we view the story from the perspective of Shohoku’s point guard, Ryota Miyagi. We learn about his background story, which OG fans weren’t aware of. We get flashbacks of his life throughout this match, but the overall plot is the same as the manga, following the same formula for how the game plays out.
Characters who stepped up
Ryota Miyagi
Ryota is struck with such a heavy burden after losing his father and brother (Sota) before reaching 10 years of age. He has a distant relationship with his mother, who tries to forget about Sota by throwing away his championships and jersey. But that doesn’t stop Ryota from continuing to share his love for the game of baseball with his deceased brother.
Anyone under 6 feet tall who plays basketball is destined to become a point guard. Ryota’s ball handling is superb. He always does his best to find the open man and make the best play to score a basket. My favorite scene with Ryota would be the training montage we see when he revisits his childhood home, where his family used to live. I loved everything from the ball-handling drills to the running on the sands of the beach.
Hanamichi Sakuragi
Sakuragi blossoms into a legit player in this game against Sannoh. He puts his body through hell to jump in the paint, grabbing rebounds for a second-chance bucket. Even when he gets injured, he insists on rejoining the game. On top of that, he learns to put the team first, even feeding assists to his rival Rukawa late in the 4th quarter. Showing how far he’s come as a player.
My only gripe with the movie is that they do not show the ending sequence of Sakuragi rehabilitating to play basketball again. The anime starts with him falling in love with Haruko, but in the end, he falls in love with the game of basketball.
Hisashi Mitsui
Mitsui didn’t get much of a speaking role in this film, most likely because we already knew his backstory from the anime. But he deserves a shout-out for keeping the Shohoku team alive during the second half with his 3-pointers. Without Mitsui, the Shohoku team would’ve lost the game. My favorite moment is when he’s exhausted and says he can only see the basket. It reminded me of Devin Booker saying the same line in the 2021 NBA playoffs.
Direction
Takehiko Inoue did a great job translating the final chapters of the manga into a feature film. Even with the addition of Ryota’s backstory to the film, it never took away from the main plot. It just made fans care a lot more about Ryota, a character they didn’t know much about going into the movie.
The second half of the game was so well-directed that viewers felt like they were also in the basketball game. The audience I watched the film with was so engaged with the movie that they’d gasp when Sakuragi blocked a shot or sprinted down the court. The two-hour length of the movie felt like the perfect amount of time for a basketball game.
Cinematography
The biggest problem OG fans were concerned about was mixing CGI and transitioning from 2D to 3D animation throughout the entire movie. I thought it was a bad idea when I first watched the trailer. However, after watching the movie, I can say that it looked amazing from beginning to end. The CGI looks much better than the latest Dragonball Super film.
When looking at the cinematography of the basketball game, it was so well done. It felt like watching a live basketball game. Slowing down major scenes like saving a ball from falling out of bounds. While also speeding up plays like breakaways in transition or showcasing a dunk. A scene that really stood out to me in the film was during the second half of the game, where emphasis is placed on a drop of sweat before it hits the floor. Marking the start of Shohoku’s comeback.
Ironically, some of the best moments of this movie didn’t have any sound added to them whatsoever. For example, in the final play, Rukawa feeds Sakuragi the ball to score the game-winning shot. The film went into silence as the ball left Sakuragi’s hands and spiraled mid-air before falling through the hoop and winning the game for Shohoku. I found myself speechless watching this, even though I knew who won from the manga.
Needless to say, the cinematography used throughout this film is more than enough to keep you on the edge of your seat.
Most Heartfelt Scenes
Some of the most heartfelt moments in the film happen between Ryota and his mom as he tries to establish himself as a basketball player. His mom feels indifferent about watching games as it reminds her too much of her deceased son, Sota. The rift causes the two to grow apart. However, they reconcile after Ryota writes a letter to his mom explaining that he continues to play basketball to honor his brother’s legacy.
Another heartfelt moment comes when Sakuragi learns of the intensity of his back injury. After Coach Anzai benches him, Sakuragi insists on rejoining the game. Telling Coach Anzai that his prime and the best years of his life were happening now. You feel the intensity of Sakuragi’s words as you realize he’s no longer playing basketball to impress Haruko. But because he genuinely loves the game.
The Message that comes with this Movie
After watching this movie, it taught me to find the light in the dark moments of life. For Ryota, after losing his older brother, Sota, that light was basketball. It was the only light he had before joining the Shohoku team and making friends for the first time.
When we lose a loved one, we take breaks from our passions and sometimes even quit them. Whether it’s to take care of our families or because we lose interest in those passions. We all need a break after suffering a tragedy. But life goes on, and we should continue to pursue our dreams, or we’ll regret it later.
Impact First Slam Dunk has had on me
The anime made me love the game of basketball even more. Sakuragi reminded me of myself, as I was not a natural at basketball and had to work hard to learn the fundamentals before playing competitively. Just like Sakuragi did.
In this modern era of reboot culture, I often roll my eyes when the film industry tries to reboot an IP. But in the case of Slam Dunk, I’m happy to see fans finally get a proper ending to the anime after nearly 30 years. I love that they did not reboot this film to be in the modern era.
You can see this through little details by having players like Rukawa and Sakuragi play in Air Jordans, which makes sense as MJ was and still is the most famous athlete. Further inspiring more people to become sneakerheads after watching this movie.
The film provides closure to older fans who have waited 27 years for the finale. While also introducing a whole new generation of kids to the classic anime. Slam Dunk gave me my first taste of a sports-based anime, and it’s encouraged me to try new shows like Blue-Lock, which I love. The film had an everlasting impact on me, and I’ll definitely rewatch it again
Closing Thoughts
So overall, that’s my in-depth movie review of The First Slam Dunk. I enjoyed this film and the new plot twist they gave fans with Ryota’s backstory. I consider myself one of the lucky ones who only had to wait a year to watch the finale. If you haven’t had a chance yet, go check out The First Slam Dunk in theaters. You won’t be disappointed, I promise.
For those of you who watched the film, what were your thoughts on it? Let me know in the comments. If you like this post, check out the recent My Hero Academia post covering my favorite characters. Thank you so much for reading, and as always, until next time!
