Warning: Contains spoilers for The First Slam Dunk.Slam Dunk’s new movie, The First Slam Dunk, has finally been released in the West, and it proves that the series is still the king of sports anime. Slam Dunk is a classic sports series about Hanamchi Sakuragi, a delinquent who takes up basketball to impress his crush, but as time goes on, he starts to love the game genuinely and becomes an invaluable member of Shohoku’s underdog team. Slam Dunk, along with Dragon Ball, was one of the biggest manga of the 90s, and 30 years later, it’s still one of the most popular and successful anime franchises of all time.
The most recent entry into the Slam Dunk franchise has been the theatrical adaptation of its final arc, The First Slam Dunk, and it’s more than a worthwhile entry into the franchise. Being an adaptation of a story that’s long since proved itself as an amazing work is one thing, but the new additions to the story and the directing style of Takehiko Inoue, the original creator of Slam Dunk, all help to elevate things even further. The First Slam Dunk is an incredible film from start to finish, and it perfectly proves why Slam Dunk is still regarded as one of the biggest sports anime of all time.
The First Slam Dunk’s Story Is An Emotional Masterpiece
The biggest thing of note about The First Slam Dunk is how much of an emotional masterpiece its story is. The hook for The First Slam Dunk was that it would cover the unexplored backstory of Ryota Miyagi, and that idea turns him into a tragic figure who’s spent his life trying to grapple with his brother’s death. All of it, of course, leads to a scene of Ryota finally achieving emotional catharsis and the will to move on with his life, and in addition to being one of the standout scenes of the film, it’s a perfect way of capping off a splendid effort to give Ryota much-needed depth.
Ryota gets the most development in The First Slam Dunk, but the rest of the cast still gets plenty of time to shine. Akagi’s joy at having his dream team, Mitsui’s refusal to give up, Rukawa becoming a team player, Sakuragi being the heart of Shohoku and showing how much he’s grown to love basketball, it all gives the cast tremendous depth with what little time there is to spare. Naturally, it works better for anyone who’s read the manga, but it’s still structured in a way that more than gets the point across for newcomers, so seeing it all play out is a true testament to Takehiko Inoue’s storytelling.
The First Slam Dunk’s Direction Is Among The Best In Anime
One of the biggest things that can make or break animation is its direction, and The First Slam Dunk’s direction is among the best of any anime in recent years. In addition to perfectly balancing 2D animation and stylized 3D animation, every scene shows off incredible direction through shot composition and masterful transitions. The music is also noteworthy, as the film always knows when to either blast its soundtrack or leave everything dead silent for dramatic effect, and the latter was especially effective for emphasizing the down-to-the-wire final seconds of the match and making the return of the soundtrack a perfect symbol of Shohoku’s victory.
The First Slam Dunk’s excellent direction makes perfect sense with the knowledge that Takehiko Inoue wrote and directed it. Not only would Inoue know better than anyone how to bring his own story to life, but Vagabond has already proven that he’s a master of character work and art direction, so he essentially just translated his ability as a mangaka into film, resulting in a film with just as much craft and attention to detail as his manga. That, plus the excellent story, made The First Slam Dunk a great film to watch, and it’s the best showing of why the series still stands above so many other sports anime.