The First Slam Dunk

Just came back watching the film in cinema, it was phenomenal. Haven't read the manga or seen the anime, I went to watch it because I saw it playing in local theaters and ZERO seats had been sold to any viewing, so I went to watch this just to support it... damn like out of pity. This is definitely a film best experienced on the big screen with proper soundscapes. The booming sound effects and soundtrack overall are really impactful and integral to the action scenes so I imagine some of the hype and immersion dies down watching this from your laptop or tv. The story is great, the characters are all so damn likeable, emotional beats are heartfelt, soundtrack is FIRE, and yet maybe the most impressive element was the action scenes. My god. It looked so good, and with all the deep thumps of the ball hitting the floor, steps, squeaks along with the action camera movement. First time 3D/2D combo actually looked and felt good. Even though the main event of the film is an ongoing match, there is an emotional arc for one of the team's players whose journey we follow up to the current game via flashbacks. The film is from his pov. So storywise, you really do get an overarching, well, story told even though we're also following the game. Every important moment was really well built up, I felt all the tension even though I'm seeing the characters for the first time. I don't watch basketball but the stakes were always laid down so clearly, and the strategies clearly explained and shown that I could follow the game with ease and excitement. Directorial debut? Damn. Why was the theater empty. Recommend.

The movie was good and frustrating at the same time. It is nostalgic to see the team playing again. The game's pace was great, as well as the music. I don't know about the animation in some parts; it was great in others not. I don't think the CGI was able to capture the players' feelings accurately. I don't like the drama, and I do not see any need for it. Salam Dunk is primarily a sports comedy anime. The movie was about Miyagi Ryouta, which is frustrating, especially since other characters were neglected. And for those who read the manga, they will see the difference. The studio tried to present something other than Slam Dunk, they tried to make it more, and that was not necessary. Slam Dunk is a great anime/manga and didn't need to be something that it's not. The part about Miyagi back story was very dull, and the storyline was monotonous and slow I almost slept watching it.

Watched in the movie theaters. Don't let the CGI put you off I thought it was well done. I will say I did want the original voice actors too but these voice actors did great. Everything about the movie was great. The designs of the characters, music, story, pacing, you can see a lot of love was put into this. Tears of joy ran down my face towards the end of the movie, I'm going to rewatch it again when I get the chance. ---- Apparently this review needs more info ---- This review needs more information! Here are a few ideas of what you may want to include: Is the story unique? If it was predictable, did you enjoy it anyway because you like this genre/set-up? - Definitely some extra when you compare it to the manga. You would have to see it to know what I'm talking about. Do you think the art style is fitting for the story? - 100%, aside from the CGI there were some scenes in 2D animation and it fits Slam Dunk super well. Were the characters well-rounded? Did they have flaws and strengths, or were they unusually strong/smart/stupid? Did the characters react to situations and events in a realistic way? - Very in line with their personalities as expected. Do you think others will enjoy/dislike this series, even if you didn't? Why? - Others will enjoy if they aren't so hung up on it being CGI or the different voice actors.

This movie just give Slam Dunk series an edge compared to the other sports series/anime. For me it is the first time for a goated manga to be have an anime and movie that really this masterful of adaptation. What makes this movie so really damn good is the art style and medium of animation (3d and 2d animation) used to really capture that Inoue realistic manga art style that brings the emotional and motivating mien of each scene. I can really feel the passion of every person who work on this project because of how they give attention on animating even in every small details of this show, the sweat, audiences, side characters, facial expressions, the music scores even the sudden silence within the movie really gives more emotional experience watching it. What amazes me most not only as an anime but as basketball fans is how meticulous they are with the moves, like screens, Mitsui moving without the ball like I am watching Stephen Curry and clips of Reggie Miller and Ray Allen this show is really ridiculous even the animation in the first travelling call in the movie is so detailed. I strongly recommend this movie not only with people who were a fan of the manga and anime but for me I would recommend this to people who are fan of basketball and movies in general who don't even know about a damn thing about the manga and the anime.

Honestly the CGI was reallly good compared to what we expected. the characters and the movements were really good drawn. If there is something disappointing about the movie it would be some moments where the facial reactions were not that strong. Compared to the manga, there were some scenes where i felt the characters didnt react strong to what's happening on the court. An example is when Sawakita scored in the last 10 seconds, I couldnt feel the shock as I felt it in the manga or in the original anime in other matches. I also wish they included the reactions of Kainan players and other rival teams like in the manga but they didnt. We didnt get to see what happened to Shohoku after the Sannoh match or any update about Sakuragi too but since the movie was more focused on Ryota, they removed that. These are points I wish they did happen but it doesnt deny the fact that the movie was really good in the remaining aspects and I recommend youn to explore them yourself since they are many .The death match is really one of my favorite anime matches in all sports ever (so exciting and emotional) and I highly recommend watching this movie after watching the series and you will witness one of the best character developments ever.

This was great. I just came back from watching it, and I recommend this 200% Animation I was slightly worried on whether or not the CG would affect how the characters moved, but it was done really well. I'm glad they added some 2D for that. The characters all moved so fluidly, and it was amazing. At times, I thought that this was a real match because of how real the movements of the characters felt. Story & Writing The movie takes a slight departure from its source in how the story is approached. I don't mind that they changed the main character and added some drama, but I think they slightly overdid it in the drama section. The pacing of the drama kind of hampered my enjoyment of the film. I think the drama was mostly very good (except for one goofy crying scene. That scene was a bit too extra); I just think had it been implemented better with the pacing or movement of the film then I think it would have been perfect. Very good story and writing, but the pacing of the drama kind of holds it back. The tense moments were done perfectly, and I really enjoyed the humor. Regarding the humor, it was reduced by a decent bit to make way for the drama; I don't mind, but I wonder how other avid followers of the work will feel about that. I thought the ending was fantastic. Music & Sound The music was amazing and fitting with the speed of the players. The dribbles, basket, and shoes all sounded super real! It was absolutely immersive. I don't remember a single moment where I thought "That didn't feel right." It was perfect! Overall What really drew me towards the film was the fact that Inoue Takehiko (the mangaka himself!) was the director! How often do you see that??? I will reiterate once more. I recommend this movie 200%

Having just finished reading the manga and watching the movie right after, my suggestion to people who are doubting if they should watch this movie and skip the manga, PLEASE DON'T SKIP THE MANGA AND WATCH IT AFTER YOU HAVE READ IT. While the movie is good, it simplifies a lot of the detail, drama and tense moments of the actual match. I think one would appreciate this movie more having read the manga. That being said, I thought Ryota's backstory was well fleshed out in this movie and it was emotional to not spoil much. Art and animation wise it was really good. I know people have allergy towards 3D CGI animations but this was very well done imo and Inoue's art is expressed rather nicely.

This movie, despite being titled "The First Slam Dunk" covers the final match of the original manga. The movie follows point guard Riyouta Miyagi instead of the protagonist of the manga Sakuragi Hanamichi. That is in no way a down point, as Takehiko Inoue delves deeper into Miyagi as a character, interspersing flashbacks of his life and how he played basketball with his brother before he passed in an accident. The VA's do a fantastic job, I watched this in both dub and the sub in theaters. I was surprised at how good of a job the young actor they had play child Miyagi did, very high marks there! The Sannoh match is just as good on screen as it was in the page, and it's elevated even higher with the phenomenal score that really gets you hyped when the team starts to dominate or come back. If you're not into sports, I still highly recommend this movie as well as the original manga. I'm not really into sports either.

When I first saw the trailer for this movie, a wave of disappointment came over me as it looks so different from the anime and the obvious use of CG for the film. However, I still decided to go see the movie even with some doubts and have to say it blew me away. Even knowing the outcome of the film, I was still on the edge of my seat especially during to last 20 minutes of the film, which is animated amazing. The music is also surprisingly good, and really fits with the tone. The new protagonist was a bit off putting as Sakuragi is in my opinion much more interesting, however the film does a good job at making Miyagi feel more alive than ever, and Sakuragi still gets many good moments throughout the film. Overall its amazing, and I loved every second of it!

A review coming from someone who has never seen the original series and doesn't even like basketball. This is a masterclass in filmmaking. Starting with the animation. Of course, I'm sure you've already heard how stylistic, smooth and phenomenal the animation is; it is one of the best looking clashes of 2d and 3d animation styles I've seen, so much so it was hard to tell at times what was cgi and what was traditional animation. But what really stood out to me about the animation, was how it uses the merits of animation to pull off camera movements that are simply not feasible in Live-action. The way the camera weaves, ducks, dives, pans, tilts and zooms all in smooth drawn out sequences to really put us in the middle of the action with the characters was simply breathtaking. Those sequences, as complex and as close to the characters as they are, is only possible with animation, a camera cannot capture those movements that well. Maybe one shot like that, but it takes tons of planning, rigging, blocking and money and is simply not feasible to make a movie where most shots are this complex. But with animation, the limitations of the camera are shattered. It's a breath of fresh air to see an animated movie, especially an animated movie that has no fantastical elements, use the merits of being animated to this extent. The sound design was also incredible, showing a surprising level of restraint in what needed sound and what didn't. By blocking out certain sounds in certain moments to emphasis the importance of certain actions, it creates a very focused narrative and adds to the hype. And I'm not just talking about moments where they mute the sound or choose not to have music, but choosing when you hear the crowd or how loud they are, or how heavy the breathing is; instead of having all of these elements play all at once, they masterfully choose the right moments and volume to create a narrative with the audio. The writing and editing go hand in hand for this movie. Now, I know the anime, and by extent the manga, did most of the heavy lifting for this movie, but the way the editing process stitched the story together is simply stunning. While I'm sure the manga gives ample time with each character, having never read or seen that, this story was still able to give me the nuance of every character with just their facial animations, very restrained flashbacks, almost all of which connect to the main character and progress his story, and it was enough for me to get invested in every one of them and see their growth. Unlike most anime, where every backstory and motivation has to be explained to us like we're fucking toddlers, this movie gives us just enough to piece together these characters and allows us to experience their nuance and make out own assumptions, without interrupting the pacing with pointless exposition. All of this is the power of editing. I have never seen the show, but I know they changed the main character, so I don't have much so say on that, but I think his story and his framing device for the other characters was genius. But of course the most difficult part of this movie was always going to be balancing the emotional core of Ryouta's backstory with the action of the game. Unlike most sport movies, all of this movie takes place over a single game, intertwined with flashbacks to the characters stories. Balancing these two aspects, making it seem like neither one interrupts the other abruptly, or making it so we are just waiting for the scene to be over to get back to the action, or the drama, is an incredibly difficult feat. But this script is so tight and the editing is so well paced, that I hardly even noticed the transitions between scenes. It all just flows so damn well culminating in of of the most hype inducing, surprisingly subtle, emotional and pure spectacle of a film that I am just left in awe. Shit made me want to watch basketball and I hate basketball. Maybe I should watch more sport animes.

I don't know the reason, but the last game of the basketball manga 'Slam Dunk' was never adapted into the anime series. Every cloud has a silver lining and that gap is used to create a movie dedicated exclusively to that game, to close the series and relive it for those who already knew it, or to discover it to the new generations. I think that even anyone who hasn't watched the previous series can enjoy the movie because it intersperses a game that is perceived as important with the story of one of its players from his childhood until that moment. About this I don't remember if the manga touches on the story of Ryota Miyagi, his brother and his life in Okinawa, if not the truth is that it's touching and has charm. About the game, well, the usual, very good, very entertaining and exciting, I don't specially care about basketball and this makes true again that idea of the best genre of manga/anime is probably sports; any sport is made to look like a matter of life and death, intense, exciting and entertaining. A better option than watching a random NBA game.

Slam Dunk captura a essência do basquete em sua forma mais crua e intensa. O que se destaca neste filme é a precisão com que retrata as nuances do esporte, desde a tensão das jogadas até o desenvolvimento dos personagens em quadra. A direção faz um ótimo trabalho ao criar cenas dinâmicas, onde o ritmo da animação eleva a adrenalina das partidas. Cada movimento é coreografado com detalhes impressionantes, tornando as partidas vibrantes e emocionantes. Miyagi traz um frescor ao papel principal, com seu estilo ágil e determinado, além de um arco emocional forte que conecta ainda mais o espectador à história. No entanto, a narrativa pode parecer familiar para quem já acompanha o gênero de animes esportivos. A história segue a fórmula clássica de superação e trabalho em equipe, sem grandes surpresas. Mesmo assim, o impacto emocional dos personagens, em especial do protagonista, mantém o público engajado.

The First Slam Dunk tries to be an entry point for newcomers, aswell as a somewhat new experience for old fans of Slam Dunk itself. The question is, does it work and is it good? To answer the question: It is good at what it does, but for a manga reader, an anime-only or a newcomer of Slam Dunk it has some issues. The Good: - The original mangaka, Takehiko Inoue, is the director of this adaptation, so you can clearly see his passion for basketball in this movie - The shift of main characters from Sakuragi towards Miyagi and his additional backstory brings a bit of fresh air in this over 30 years old franchise - The new backstory was also competently done narrative wise - The soundtrack is well fitting, especially the 10-FEET songs, and it is used accordingly to enhance the scenes - As a guy, who dislikes CGI, I have to say the scenes are awesome in motion, the game feels very fluid for the most part. I had one instance, where it was choppy/laggy, but that could've also been the fault of the broadcaster. - The design is also well suited for the CGI approach, though I would've preferred 2D in some scenes - The climax of the game was very well done the entire hall went wild for the last 15 minutes of the movie The "Bad"/Moot: The focus on Miyagi clashes a bit with how the game progresses. The first thing is, you have a flashback - game - flashback ... structure as the story goes on and the tension goes up it can be quite annoying. The second thing is the first half of the game gets rushed a bit, which is somewhat fine, but you lose a bit of characterization of the opponents and some development of the main cast. The third thing is the importance/impact of the MC in the game, because the movie adapts the manga, where Miyagi isn't the main character it inflates his importance and downplays Sakuragis. The last thing is the epilogue could've been handled better, as only one character had really a conclusion. Furthermore, I assume most people, who saw this movie with me, were newcomers, and I think a bit of introduction for the characters wouldn't have hurt, you still get the gist of most of them but the relationships on the other hand is another story. Conclusion and TLDR: Well produced movie with fluid animation, good tension building, banger soundtrack, that sadly fumbles with its plot structure and it's character focus. Despite what I said above, I would recommend it to newcomers and for anime-onlys, aswell as manga readers, I recommend it just for the second half of the game itself. With that said I give it an 8+.

I'd been waiting for this movie for over 20 years, and I managed to catch it on the first day of screening in Japan right before returning to my home country. We knew that Inoue-sensei's a literary genius but I didn't think he'd be such an amazing director as well. Besides the massive hit of nostalgia, the movie's angle was very refreshing and the pacing was just right too. I was a little skeptical initially about the inclusion of 3D art models for the movie but it surprisingly blended in really well. Slam Dunk's classic character building was also weaved in seamlessly into this 2-hour movie. Perhaps, the only issue I could think of would be that audiences without any knowledge of the original story would be a little lost throughout the movie, but then again, there's only so much information that you can squeeze into a movie adaptation. I can't help but feel that this movie's a hat-tip/thank-you letter to all Slam Dunk fans out there, in the most beautiful way possible. Thank you for this movie.

This movie's absolutely phenomenal, and you do not need to be a basketball fan to enjoy it fully. Even at pure face value, the quality of animation this film flaunts is amazing. You might have genuine issues distinguishing this film from reality. It's just that well animated. As for an in-depth review, I might be a bit biased. Slam Dunk's both a manga and anime I've been familiar with my whole life, and as a lifelong fan of basketball--I remember wanting to be a commentator for my home town Phoenix Suns in 3rd grade--the series holds a very special place in my heart. However, I should note I'm not a basketball player, nor have I ever been one. I've played the occasional pickup game, but I lacked both the physical and mental talents necessary to excel at the sport. But I've always been a fan of basketball; it's my favorite sport. And it always will be. Yet, being a fan of the sport isn't a prerequisite to enjoying what this movie has to offer. At its core, this movie does a masterful job at making you care about what's happening on the court, whether you're a basketball fan or not. Though this is an adaptation of the last arc of the manga series (the anime had a different ending) it gives newcomers enough context to understand why we care about the team's desire to win the game, beyond the obvious "Winning feels good." What I really loved is that this movie gives each member of Shohoku--the protagonist team--enough time for an audience to become familiar with them without taking away from the fast-paced action. Everything in the narrative is framed around the game, which makes each shot, rebound, steal, block, and dribble feel all the more impactful. All of that with an animation style which I hated the idea of (fully 3d) until I saw it play out on the screen. It was then that I realized: I'm an idiot, these animators know what they're doing. I can't put into words just how amazing the animation looks, but I'll just say that there are shots that genuinely look true to life. That's all that really needs to be said. You owe it to yourself to check out this film if you're a fan of animation. I can go on and on about what makes the story great, why this film's focus on Ryota is a genuis move, or why Sakuragi is the best protagonist in shonen--though he's more of a supporting character here--but I don't want to take up time you could be spending watching the movie. So go on, give it a shot.