The First Slam Dunk

Never read a single chapter of Slam Dunk in my life and absolutely hate basketball because you can't double dribble. Yet this film was 100% worth watching. All the players felt so real, blazing fiercely with passion and dedication to achieve victory. Their troubled pasts, challenges and training they had to undergo really amped up the final showdown, almost as if I was watching one of those intense motivational speeches on youtube. The composition went in perfectly when it needed to, encapsulating the scenes beautifully. MHA style. CGI... You will be throwing up and dying for the first 10 minutes and will (hopefully) recover from it by the end of the film. # Jokes aside, the animation wasn't nearly as bad as other CGI shows, and it rather helped provide the action of the whole court, no different to basketball highlights. Unless you're deathly allergic to CGI, I strongly recommend giving it a watch whether it's for the nostalgia or to see a thrilling shounen.

'The First Slam Dunk' is fine but is likely not what most fans were waiting for all these years. Objectively this is not a terrible movie, but readers of the manga - especially those who have reread the series recently, will find that the movie leaves much to be desired. The music and sound design were mostly very good from what I can remember, and the 3D was bad at times, but also surprisingly better than expected at times. The voice actors are NOT the same, and some changes are quite jarring and overall unsatisfying. In the end, the movie falls short somewhat in the storytelling department and the overall creative vision on that front is weaker than desired. If you've looked up interviews and other such articles about this movie, it does seem that 'The First Slam Dunk' suffered due to Inoue-san's personal desires to include and expand on storylines more meaningful to him. In other words, it is hard to escape the feeling that this was first and foremost a pet project for him, the author. Since it is unlikely the anime will continue with the release of this movie, I would encourage everyone to go read the complete manga for a full understanding of why this movie is in some ways good, bad, and lacking. Overall, this is something that I don't regret watching, but is also something I wouldn't watch more than once. The movie as a whole is odd in that it feels partially competent, but also partially nostalgia bait. It is ultimately "good" but is especially hard to recommend to fans who hold the original manga in very high regard.

I have so many emotions and reactions. The pacing of the film was really well done and I kept forgetting the time during this film. The animation is amazing in areas but in some instances can fall flat. The characters are well written but can feel rushed based on the run time and how fast some things happen. The film does a solid job of representing basketball in animation and it's understanding of the sport. The film feels very realistic despite the comedy since all the characters feel human and act their age. The film also has amazing voice acting and the voice acting really does elevate the film.

Rating: 6 This would have done just as good if it was a live-action anime since they drop all what makes, anime - anime. If you read the manga and watched the anime, this is a completely different story. Where the anime and manga are able to present to us all characters equally, the movie lacks and presents most characters in a hollow way. Music is fine but many times it was awkardly silent to make the anime seem like a real basketball game. They are playing a championship, yet there is a lack of background sound/music plus there is ZERO cheering which makes it seem like an empty crowd when in fact it is full. They make it fast paced and realistic only to ruin it with plenty of flashbacks and occassional slow-motion. If they decided on using slow-motion they could've used it several other times to create tension in the game (as they did on the anime and manga). Since they use plenty of flashbacks, it ruins the pace and tension of the game. The rivals and the rivalry seem empty and the Shohoku (the protagonist team) seems empty too. All that aised, it is good if you want to learn a bit more about Miyagi Ryouta in the whole series. I would say this movie would have done better if it focused on Ryouta the whole movie rather than compromising and failing at all. OR they could've introduce all his background at the beginning and shown the game afterwards (including more sound too). The story is nice, but if you are trying to look for Slam Dunk, this is not it. I love Slam Dunk for it's cheering atmostphere no matter how grim it might seem. All the character's interaction in the team seem so wholesome and funny (in the anime and manga). Ryouta blushes everytime when Ayako talks to him and smiles. The movie took this off and made them too serious even the way (former main character with red hair) Sakuragi interacts seems off putting. I do apreciate the bold new approach, but this could've done better in several areas. A 40min OVA could've done better. I will watch it again to focus on Miyagi Ryouta but my main complaints still stand. -lack of sound/music -hollow characters -awkard interactions

The First Slam Dunk does something absolutely genius, it adapts the ending of its manga as a standalone film. I didn’t know that going in, nor did I know anything about the manga aside from who wrote it. But I do know the conventions of sports anime filmmaking, and the way this film subverts them is downright genius. One such convention is to put you inside the protagonists’ heads. This fills time without requiring complex animation, and informs the viewer as to the character’s plan and mental state. It is not a technique without merit, but is often used excessively in TV productions as to break off tension and slow pacing. Slam Dunk avoids this at points, in absence of internal monologue, communicating the characters’ intentions by a shared glance or via carefully directed animation. Essentially, the Basketball is allowed to speak for itself. This has a unique effect. Since we don’t always know the protagonists’ intentions, every fake out and feint catches the viewer off guard, whichever team performs it. This effectively doubles the tension that otherwise would have existed, and it's only possible due to the film’s restrained internal monologuing. Occasionally, when a character is stuck in their own head or planning something, we do get an internal monologue, but that is always broken off by an opponent move or a quick execution of said plan, leaving no room for tension to break. Another cinematic convention which typically holds back sports anime, even great ones, is reaction shots. A bad reaction shot takes the focus off the players, centering attention on the sidelines rather than the action. This can entirely sever the tension of a scene, and does in many TV productions looking to fill time. They aren’t entirely useless though. A well placed reaction shot can contextualize action through the thoughts and emotions of the crowd, coaches, and sidelined players. They can enhance a narrative if interjected carefully. The scriptwriter and storyboard artists here understood exactly how to use a reaction shot, enhancing the atmosphere and stakes around the match while not meaningfully interrupting the action. Longer reactions are entirely reserved to breaks in play, and those in the action aren’t intrusive. A good reaction shot is often only one second and a single word long, this film gets that, and only interjects such brief cuts. A similar technique TV productions rely on to fill time is cuts to backstory, which typically involve less complex animation than the sports at center stage. In TV productions these all too often come at the height of tension, rendering null all of the emotion built during a match. Slam Dunk too improves on this technique, opening on the protagonist’s backstory, then intercutting between the finals match and the core cast’s backstories, splitting time about evenly between the two. By defining the emotional stakes as the match progresses and interlacing explicit characterization with displays of the characters’ playstyles, the cuts here add tension rather than break it. They too make the film feel like one cohesive narrative, explicitly connecting the character’s arcs to the sport. The viewer comes to understand what the match means to the players as it progresses. The quality of the scene-to-scene editing too extends to the shot-to-shot editing, which perfectly conveys the dynamics on court at any given moment, and ties the animation together immaculately. That animation is fantastic. Anime has been trying for decades to seamlessly blend 3D models with 2D backgrounds, and there are moments here that execute on that perfectly. It is not the first anime production to seamlessly blend 2D and 3D, Studio Ghibli accomplished that back in 2004, but it is the closest I’ve seen an anime get to achieving it with 3D character models. Those models are perfectly lit, and incorporate beautiful line art that somewhat replicate the manga’s style. There is some top tier 2D sakuga on display here as well. That walk out where the 5 core players are slowly penciled in is a perfect introduction to the team and the central match. The closing moments of that match comprise one of the most impressive sequences in anime history. All sound falls away and we’re left only with cinematic storytelling and the emotions of the characters. The characters’ line art stretches out behind them as they move. It replicates the mental state of the players, exhausted, losing control, but locked in on one goal. It replicates a flow state in the invested viewer. Perhaps Slam Dunk’s most impressive subversion of sports anime convention is that every single point scored is shown. It is standard (and often necessary) for TV productions to cut across large swaths of scoring, only showing swings in momentum or morale. This film isn't bound by the production limitations that necessitate that, and can thus portray its content more convincingly than any other sports anime. No room is left for the viewer to question the realism of a comeback because they see all of it play out. Frequent cuts to the scoreboard and clock too aid the viewer in understanding the match clearly as it unfolds. Slam Dunk again bucks convention by not explaining any of the sport’s rules. The first few episodes of most sports anime typically involve a description of the sport’s rules, for obvious reasons. Slam Dunk brilliantly sidesteps this, never explaining a single rule, but always keeping the lay viewer informed through cinematic storytelling. I’m kind of a casual NBA fan, I follow NBA news a bit, and even tune in for finals matches sometimes, but I’m not well versed in the rulebook. Despite that shallow knowledge, I was never once confused during this movie. I imagine someone even less knowledgeable than me would have inferred the relevant rules. The film’s narrative is more impactful for first time viewers in an important way, knowledge of the outcome. Viewers aware of the plot of Slam Dunk, or even what part of the manga this adapts will already know who wins. Almost all sports anime are predictable in this department, that’s just how single elimination tournaments and long-form narratives tend to interact. Slam Dunk doesn’t have this problem though. The viewer is only shown one match, over the course of which emotional stakes are built, but wider plot implications are never covered. We aren’t told if this is their last shot, or even what year some of the players are in. Because the viewer is not fully aware of the stakes, and this is a standalone film, the outcome of the match is not clear from the start. That contributes to tension, and it's something many beefier narratives, including the one on which this film is based, can’t replicate. The soundtrack is phenomenal, incorporating rock and electronic elements to generate hype I haven't felt in years, maybe ever. It's the icing on the hype cake, and it propels the narrative to insane emotional heights. This movie accomplishes in 2 hours what takes most sports manga 300 chapters. What other sports anime do to save money or time, this film does deliberately to enhance the narrative. The First Slam Dunk is the greatest sports anime I’ve ever seen. It will be the impossible standard to which I compare all sports anime for the foreseeable future. No other anime has made my heart race like this one. It’s an anime AED. Or, put another way, it’s a masterpiece.

I have been a fan of the anime since they broadcast it on television 20 years ago. This film was supposed to highlight the most important match of the series, Sannoh High, the basketball team of Akita prefecture that has been the defending national champion for 3 years and They are considered the top high school team in Japan. Unfortunately, in my opinion, this did not happen, because an in-depth analysis of the history of Ryota Miyagi was inserted into the various moments of the match. After the end of the series they made 4 films, which add nothing to the original series, where in my opinion more in-depth analysis could have been done on the most important performers. In short, after the end of the series there was a cosmic nothingness, to find out about the events of the national championship I had to read the manga and I found the match with Toyotama (first match of the championship) very exciting. The match against Sannoh is very beautiful and exciting, but in the film they cut parts to introduce the past Ryota Miyagi. The frenzy and excitement of the match doesn't live up to the manga, or the other matches in the anime itself. While I was watching the film, the cartoons of the manga came to mind, all the time the flash was continuous and the beauty of the film was lost in the memories of when I read the manga for the first time, and I discovered the dynamics of this wonderful match. If you're a fan of Slam Dunk, I still recommend watching The First Slam Dunk, but I still have a bad taste in my mouth for having waited so many years and finally recognizing that the manga is much more compelling. The shot that made me smile mockingly and melancholy was when they framed Kainan, but they were so far away you couldn't even see his face, just the color of his uniform.The clash between Eiji Sawakita and Kaede Rukawa in the film is very chaotic, while in the manga it is exciting and exciting, better edited, at the level of the normal series.Finally I can say that the beauty of this film is based a lot on the original series and the manga (the match with Toyota but if you haven't read the manga you'll miss it), however in my opinion it should have added much more. In my opinion, the most beautiful and enthralling match remains the one against Ryonan, stupendous and enthralling. The only thing that this film added and that was perhaps worth waiting 20 years for, is the high five between the two great rivals Hanamichi Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa, but taking that away the anime is 10 times better.

Slam Dunk fans, this is the one you've been waiting for. It finally animates the Sannoh game and Inoue-sensei has revised his story in a way that makes the most out of his growth as an illustrator and storyteller decades after completing the original Slam Dunk manga. The plot remains the same but he fleshed out Miyagi's character with a backstory, fitting for Shohoku's court general. If the manga is from Sakuragi's POV, this time it's Miyagi's. The animation is gorgeous, the 3D models are skinned as if drawn and painted by Inoue-sensei. But the animators have not found a good way to animate sweat with this technique. The sweat on the players’ faces look like they all had facial bukkake session before the game. Still, this is a great movie and I hope they make more, given that they are teasing us with the title "FIRST". There should be a "SECOND" or "THIRD", even.

The First Slam Dunk is a film that serves as a model for making animation in cinema. A complete masterpiece! To understand the context of this film, we need to know that the story comes from the manga and anime Slam Dunk, created in the 90s by master Takehiko Inoue. The story of the manga tells the story of a young man with red hair named Sakuragi who was rejected by 50 girls until he met a girl who likes basketball. From there, Sakuragi's character develops, starting from someone who had never heard of basketball until he became one of the best on his school team. The character is highly based on the player Dennis Rodman in his invasive style and fiery personality. All the characters on the court are based on famous NBA players from the 90s such as Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Patrick Ewing, Kevin Johnson and Reggie Miller, among many others. This film, The First Slam Dunk, is about the last game in the manga's story, where master and director Takehiko Inoue brilliantly managed to make it so that any viewer doesn't need to have any background on the story to know what the game is. For those who have read the manga, it is a masterpiece, for those who haven't read anything, it is a brilliant animation about a basketball game, animated magnificently, mixing 2D and 3D animation. Only this time, the protagonist is not Sakuragi but Ryota Miyagi, because Takehiko Inoue made a one-shot about Miyagi a few years before submitting the Slam Dunk manga to Shueisha called "Piercing". This story is shown through flashbacks in the film, giving a whole tragic background to the character. Since this story was not shown in the original manga or anime, it was the icing on the cake that the master puts in the film. The flashbacks are not cheesy, much less gratuitously thrown into the film. Quite the opposite, as a viewer, you want to know what happened and why Miyagi is so passionate about the sport of basketball. You want to know why he made a promise years ago and why he is Number 1 (a reference made in the film). You want to know who the mysterious woman is who appears in the trailer and later in the film, watching the game. You want to know the pain the character went through to give his all in the game. You want to have as much empathy as possible because you want the Shohoku team to win. The flashbacks serve to enhance dramatic moments on the court and not just to give us standard information. Regarding the game itself, the sound effects are incredible; it feels like we are actually inside a closed room, watching an NBA game. All the sounds of the ball, the sliding of the sneakers on the court, the sounds of the basketball hoops, the audience, all in perfect harmony. Once again, the master Takehiko Inoue shows, through the film, his ardent passion for basketball. In an absurd transition from the pages of manga to the director's chair, the filmmaker does a masterful job regarding the visual compositions of a game and how to insert the audience in real-time into the basketball plays. Inoue takes advantage of the high production value to transpose his beautiful work with a sense of movement in his layouts to a media where there are no constraints, capturing the game with great versatility and diversity, whether in more dynamic movements of running and feints on the court, in a panoramic view of a play and camera angles from the characters' point of view or the ground to emphasize the gravity of a dunk and especially the delirious outcome of the game. The lessons we learn from the film are also almost infinite, both in the game itself and in the film's production. What leads Master Inoue to make a film about a work he has already finished? Could this be a sign of his other works? The truth is that Slam Dunk moved an entire generation, both inside and outside Japan. There are scholarships in Japan for players to have an opportunity to go and play in the NBA in the United States. There is a book about it that tells the story of all the players who have done this and who currently play in professional leagues. I watched the entire film with a silly smile like a basketball fan, in pure satisfaction with Inoue's care with trash talk, psychological games, classic plays with his back to the basket or in transition à la Showtime Lakers, and several other characteristics that make basketball a beautiful sport. There is so much passion in this project for the way the game is played, how it feels, and how artistic it is that it is unbelievable, with the biggest highlight being the way Hanamichi Sakuragi is an infectious Dennis Rodman on the court, including a sequence that mirrors a famous play by the power forward who did everything to win as a team. In the end, the dramatic investment with the characters is so great and the euphoria with the capture of the game is so masterful that I found myself vibrating and cheering as if I were watching an NBA finals game, with a game-winner at the last second that would leave any viewer in delirium. I forgot I was watching a movie and could only breathe to say: "Phew, what a game that was!" P.S - I watched this movie like 3x times and I cannot stop. Gonna watch it again in cinema today :D

I can't say I recommend watching this movie as an introduction to Slam Dunk. Because I tried and got mixed results. That's not to say you can't enjoy this movie, in fact I enjoyed it a lot. What it does for 3D and sports action direction is something to be marveled. But the one issue is it's difficult to appreciate. And this movie deserves to be appreciated NOT just enjoyed. To simply enjoy it feels like missing the heart of the chapters/episodes of drama and trauma, of build-up and expectation that are earned throughout these characters' life journeys. And so much of it is dedicated to that drama/trauma outside of the game compared to the game itself (the build-up and expectation part). And I struggled connect the pieces all the way. But also can't quite place the purpose of certain things like to structure of stopping the single match to have the entire backstory told piecemeal. Like who even knows if I'd find the flash-back-to-flash-forward style of storytelling more or less helpful after reading it all first? So while I was under the impression that one could watch this as an introduction, this isn't a review so much as it is a cautionary tale. Perhaps others who have never read a page of Slam Dunk before got exactly what they wanted (and more?) but that should not be the expected outcome for everyone. And I do feel that having a super popular movie released years after the anime/manga is going to have the effect of garnering new attention from people like me who want to see what's up. So I hope this review is still "valid" in the minds of MAL readers. Although I have to say I'm very interested in picking up the manga/anime now. So in a reverse intentional way "mission accomplished"? It will be interesting to see how manga/anime reads after experiencing this movie in full. It got engaged in the potential of the material which is something I couldn't have said had I never tried this movie out in the first place. MAL requires me to give an overall rating which I feel uncomfortable doing since a re-watch seems to be in order after I fulfill my required reading (at least up to this point in the story). So this is an even split between how I feel now and how I think I'd feel after. Is that even okay? My actual score is blank so it's not like it will affect the aggregate score anyway :)

Was there any CGI ? I didn't even notice. I haven't read the manga yet, but I liked this movie a lot ! Even if you're not familiar with the manga (I'm only superficially familiar with it), you can get into the story straight away. The characters' motivations and the action are well-paced, and the basket matches are exciting. The sound effects immerse us in the match, giving us the impression that we're playing with the players. The story is interesting, I like Ryota's evolution, Sakuragi's strong (and he's so cool)character gives the team a boost and the ending was so gripping ! It's time to read the manga ! Also the music were perfect for the atmopshere of the movie. Rate : 9

I didn't have any built expectations coming into the film having read Slam Dunk some years ago I wasn't able to remember any key details, but I was completely blown away by the absolute realism of the gameplay. Every single scene down the floor I would find myself analyzing the the movements and actions on the court and everytime I was again and again surpised by how realistic and relatable the gameplay was. This is a SPORTS- anime not an anime about sports or an anime with sports it is SPORT within anime, and I love it. 80% of the The backstory portions were interesting but reductive and unnessecary to the film as a stand alone product I loved the art style, 10/10. the 3d animation was perfectly able to capture the movements of basketball players If you enjoy basketball, you enjoy this.

I've read the manga long time ago, it was fine. I didn't think much about it. So When the movie got announced i didn't have much interest towards it. Idk why but today i felt like i should give this a try since i loved that song from the trailer so much. For me this is one of the best thing I've seen. I loved this more than the manga. The changes they made absolutely made it better for me. I loved the change that they made in mitsui's backstory. I saw a lot of people complain about CGI, i was on their side too until i gave this a try. The animation was fantastic. The music was also fantastic, there aren't any complaints i have with this movie. I didn't have any expectations while going into it and i was blown away. If you're unsure about giving this a try or not because of animation or something else, i was like that as well but I gave it a chance and it's 100% worth it. Maybe creator's involvement in the movie really did the wonder. Try to give this anime a chance.

I haven’t really watched the original slam dunk anime nor have I read the manga,I don’t even watch sports anime, but god this film was so great.  The story was pretty good, it had some really emotional moments and it also did a really good job with some of the characters’s backstories, particularly with the protagonist Ryota Miyagi. The animation in this film was amazing, even though I’m not really a fan of CGI animation, Toei animation and DandeLion Animation Studio did an absolutely fantastic job with it. The basketball scenes, which are the essence of this film, every dribble, every pass, every block and body movements felt really fluid and realistic, and the scenes where there was no basketball were also pretty good. this level of animation should be the standard for any sports anime. Imo, this film and season one of chainsaw man are the prime example that CGI animation has a place in anime as long as it’s done in the RIGHT way.

 Definitely one of the best sports related animes I’ve seen so far.

The First Slam Dunk is a movie based on the manga written by Takehiko Inoue. What I was shocked to learn was the fact that Inoue also directed this movie. It made total sense then why this movie was so damn good lol! Anyway, I have not read the manga unfortunately but from what I have heard is the fact that the main character, Miyagi, is a minor character in the Slam Dunk manga. But of course, here he is unfolded on the big stage as the main character and I am glad he chose Miyagi rather than a "perfect" basketball character because it gets old very quickly if he is perfect. Rather I would love characters with flaws as not only do we learn their backstories, but we also learn their purpose on why they are fighting to win. 2 Characters don't eh team wanted to quit bullying so they joined basketball. Miyagi was for his family. And the other 2 we do not get much on but they all have some purpose. The movie is about Shohoku High School vs Sannoh High School, a very well-renowned basketball team that pretty much dominated in the decades past. Shohku was never on Sannoh's radar but nevertheless, with determination, Shohoku climbed into the national finals. We do get very tiny glimpses into those past games but that is not what this movie is about. This movie is about the Grand Final. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time! This movie had so many close calls. Of course that is to be expected out of a movie haha it would be very boring if it was completely one-sided. Of course, some elements were dramatized but talking with my B-ball friends is usually very intensive. The one wish I had was some more backstory on Sannoh. I am sure Sannoh players are obviously great guys and I never portrayed them as the "villains" in any sort of way. Not even the players, just the school itself would have been good as there was certainly information missing that could have elevated it more. For example, stating that Sannoh has won the past 10 tournaments, etc etc would have elevated the tension even more. Both for the Sannoh players as well as the viewers. That way it adds a conflict of interest that adds pity and pressure on the Sannoh players. Instead, it is left up for speculation. 10/10 story. The animation is also an area that is interesting. On one hand, I LOVE the style. Like the semi-realism of the animation is amazing. Like simply superb style and would not change it for the world. On the other hand, clearly the budget wasn't that high and while the animation is great, the quality could have been a bit better. That same year the best animated movie of all time released: Suzume. You can clearly tell where Suzume and Shinkai put their efforts. Kind of a mid story but amazing animation and amazing music. Slam Dunk is the opposite lol. The music is also good. Not great, but good. The soundtrack did get tense when it needed to but at the same time I felt like there was somber parts of the story that could have been heightened had it been for better background music. That is something Shinkai and his team does amazingly. But overall the animation and music is a solid 7/10. The characters in this movie are amazing. As mentioned previously, I wish we got an insight to Sannoh's characters. But the 5 basketball players on Shohoku: Miyagi, Mitsui, Akagi, Rukawa, and Sakuragi. They all are amazingly written characters with clear thoughts in their backstories and emotions. The depth they went into the characters is also amazing. An obvious focus on Miyagi but they certainly told us about the others. Especially Mitsui as well. 10/10 characters and how they are written. This brings me to my final score of a 9/10. Had it been for better animation and music, I think this would have been a solid 10/10 movie. Nevertheless this is an amazing amazingly written movie with I think the 3rd best writing in an anime movie by far. Seriously amazing writing. Thanks! -CyanCheetah

I watched The first slam dunk, was that even a anime, it felt like i was watching the real thing, the dribble, the fakes, the faces they made to communicate during the game felt so real. The lay out shots, the dumps everything was executed perfectly. The story was also really intriging even though we got different protagonist this time, He followed Ryota in this movie And it was really a fresh to see a guard story. The favorite part of the movie was the three pointers, they were so clean. And the movie has also a great animation style it felt like blending between 2d and 3d which was really freah and smooth most of the times, without any error in the animation. This was one hell of a ride man.

The BEST use of 3D I've ever seen in my life. The First Slam Dunk adapt the final match of the manga, but with the POV of Ryota : His flashback and a lot of bonus scenes were added for the movie to be watchable without even have read the manga. And EVERYTHING is beautiful in this movie ! : the music, the colors, the sub, the pacing and the storytelling for the story of Miyagi Ryota, the least developed character in the major 5... I thought the 3D will be weird but it was sublime, dynamic, smooth, the faces were expressive... Sometimes we even forgot the CGI Even though, I deeply recommend to people who haven't read the manga before to read it, (even though the movie is still watchable without it) to have the context of the match and all the stake of this match 🏀🏀 Deserved 10/10 !

This movie was special, I love Slam Dunk, as a kid I watched the anime dubbed in Arabic on TV, and later on I completed the manga, I read it about 2 or 3 years ago now but the story and characters have stuck with me that entire time, there's a real brotherhood in the main cast of characters that I always loved, the manga was so good it made me cry towards the end, and if I weren't in a packed theatre watching this movie I probably would've cried at this movie too. The CGI in this movie is by far the best I've seen in any anime, it's not distractingly 60fps smooth, but it's not trying to be a choppy 2D anime either, it strikes a perfect balance and actually enhances the experience IMO. The artistic direction this movie took was stunning, the visuals were breathtaking, and with the director of this movie being Takehiko Inoue (the author of the manga), I had no doubt that the movie would be visually stunning and true to the source material. I rarely comment on soundtracks simply because I just never really notice it unless it's crazy good, and this movie forced me to notice it, it was just banger after banger and really helped carry the countless hype moments this movie had. The match itself was poetic, without spoiling, the last couple of seconds of the match had me gripped like I'd never been before with any anime I've ever seen, even though I knew the outcome and read the manga, it was masterful, especially for Takehiko Inoue's directorial debut, sucks that it was ruined for me cause the theatre I watched it in was super chatty, but I was still hooked on the edge of my seat. The movie also has some movie-exclusive content done by Inoue, choosing to focus on Miyagi, a character that never really got the spotlight in the manga, and in this movie, he's the protagonist. The backstory was beautiful and really added some serious depth to his character, I loved it, especially because I always really liked Miyagi in the manga. The comedic timing in this movie was great, had the entire theatre laughing, and really alleviated the tension in moments where it needed alleviating. This whole movie is absolutely perfect, as a massive fan of the manga, I was completely shocked in the best way possible. This movie is an all-timer for me and definitely one I'll be rewatching in theatres very soon.

Full disclosure, this was my introduction to Slam Dunk. And as someone who had absolutely zero knowledge of this series before this movie came out, I am now 1000% more interested in watching the entire original series, now! This movie was just nonstop brillinace! I loved every second of it! And this is your resident "Not A Sports Ball Person" talking, here! I think basketball is a perfect fit for a shonen anime. The drama between all the characters and their various backstories all felt so real and left me frothing at the mouth to learn more about them! The up close action makes this a million times more entertaining than any real life sports ball game could ever hope to be. The visuals are absolutely NUTS! Like, 99% of this film's budget went into creating the most realistic fabric animation of all time on the sports jerseys, alone! And everything else looks phenomenal, too! Also OH MY GOD, THE MUSIC! THE MUSIC GOES SO STINKIN HARD, ESPECIALLY NEAR THE END! I KNOW WHAT I'LL BE LISTENING TO ON REPEAT, ALL THROUGHOUT THIS YEAR! I am a little worried that I'll find myself in a similar situation to playing Persona 5 before Persona 4, in which the downgrade in visuals and audio will make it more difficult to enjoy the show in the same way that the original fans were able to, back when it was new. But I'd LOVE to be wrong and I honestly don't think I'll be able to stop thinking about this movie until I finally go and watch the entire show. So stay tuned for that review, I guess! Others may say differently, but I think having this as your introduction to Slam Dunk is totally fine. I had no problem following along, but I definitely can see how this would've been a completely different experience for people who grew up with these characters. Regardless, this film must ABSOLUTELY be watched and can EASILY be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of whether or not you're an anime fan, sports ball fan, or none of the above! 9.5/10

I honestly liked it a lot, animations were excellent. The story was nice. My only thought is that it might be a bit of a weird watch for someone who hasn't seen the actual anime or read the manga. There is a lot more to the anime/manga and knowing how it got to that point makes it a bit more enjoyable because you see a lot of the buildup up to that point. And just how they got there as a team makes the game mean a lot more. Plus, if you're there for the gameplay, it's like 50 flashback and 50 gameplay. This game has already happened in the manga/anime so people who have already consumed Slam Dunk won't mind the flashbacks and everything (including me), but again, if you're there to watch the game and not there for the flashbacks, I can see it being annoying. Some of the flashbacks also make more sense when you've seen Slam Dunk. But again, I think that it is really good on its own if you are there to just watch it, or there as a Slam Dunk fan. I enjoyed it a lot and seeing it from a different angle than the main, but again I think you'd enjoy it more if you have already watched Slam Dunk because it seems more targeted at the fans.

Slam dunk has always been the magnum opus of sports anime. That is the opinon I have held for over 20 years now. Nothing has ever come even close to what this anime has presented short of Haikyu. I am honestly speechless at what was projected on the silver screen. If you have any love for sports anime, this film is a rite of passage you all must cross into. If I have any critique of this film it would be the 3d animation used throughout the entire film. However, 20 mins in I realised that it is exactly what was needed to tell such a grounded and human story. The toned down colour and incredibly realistic movement, action draws out each character's facial expression to a degree that I never knew I wanted especially when thinking back to the original manga and anime. Honestly, do yourself a favour and go watch it. There is a reason this movie made it into MAL's Greatest of All time. 10/10