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The First Slam Dunk

The First Slam Dunk is a 2022 Japanese animated sports film written and directed by Takehiko Inoue, produced by Toei Animation and DandeLion Animation Studio. This film is an adaptation of Inoue’s renowned manga series, Slam Dunk. The film was released in Japanese theaters on December 3, 2022, and garnered significant attention for its faithful representation of the original manga series and its dynamic and vibrant animation style.

In 2023, The First Slam Dunk was a huge success as it received the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year. The film achieved significant commercial success as well, grossing $279 million worldwide and ranking as the fifth highest-grossing anime film of all time.

Synopsis & Summary

In the original Slam Dunk series, the protagonist was mainly the red-haired Hanamichi Sakuragi. However, in this film The First Slam Dunk, Sakuragi takes a back seat as a supporting role or character. Instead, a short but swift Ryota Miyagi, the main antagonist of the film and starting point guard of Shohoku High School basketball team, is the main character in the film. Through a series of flashbacks shown in the film, we get to learn more about the life story of Ryota Miyagi. Most importantly, the film explores the personal tragedies that drove and influenced him to become who he is today.

Miyagi Ryota is originally from a remote, tropical Japanese Okinawa Prefecture. At the age of only nine, Ryota loses both his father and older brother, Sota. Sota was a huge influence on Ryota's love for basketball. Therefore, the death of his loving, supportive, and athletically gifted brother had deeply affected Ryota in many ways. Ryota spends his early middle and high school years “fighting to escape his brother’s long shadow” (Medium, 2023). Attempting to distance the family from their trauma, Ryota’s mother moves with Ryota to Shohoku in Kanagawa Prefecture, located south of Tokyo. However, Ryota continues to struggle both in life and basketball because he couldn’t live up to his gifted and athletic brother by just following his steps into competitive basketball. Much of the film shows Shohoku High School’s intense final basketball match against the renowned rival, Sannoh High School’s team, while exploring the character development of all starting Shohoku High School's fives mainly through the perspective of Miyagi Ryota.

Cast

Character Name / Japanese / English

Fukatsu Kazunari / Nara Toru / Johnny Yong-boshi

Masashi Kawata / Mitsuaki Kanuka / Daniel Walton

Mikio Kawata / Mitsuaki Kanuka / Bill Butts

Minoru Matsumoto / Yoshiaki Hasegawa / Corey Lee

Satoshi Ichinokura / Yasushi Iwaki / Mark Swint

Masahiro Nobe / Satoshi Tsuruoka / Jaylen K Cassell

Sota Miyagi / Gakuto Kajiwara / Adam MacArthur

Kaoru Miyagi / Mie Sonozaki / Allycene Packard

Miyagi Anna / Kuno Misaki / Kinley Moody

List of Musics/Songs

The First Slam Dunk Soundtracks:

1. Moving Logo by The First Slam Dunk Film Partners
2. Love Rockets (Movie Version) by The Birthday (Opening Theme)
3. Kikkou by 10-Feet
4. Sota’s Room by Satoshi Takebe
5. Zone Press by 10-Feet
6. New Coat by Satoshi Takebe
7. Press Toppa by 10-Feet
8. Saikyou Sensyu by 10-Feet
9. Katenai Team by Satoshi Takebe
10. 4point by Satoshi Takebe
11. O.R. by 10-Feet
12. Kanaerareteirunegai by Satoshi Takebe
13. Orenonamaewoittemiro by Satoshi Takebe
14. Ringshikamienai by 10-Feet
15. Mutyuu by Satoshi Takebe
16. Kikyou by Satoshi Takebe
17. Saiki by 10-Feet
18. Last Night by Satoshi Takebe
19. Supaer Ace by 10-Feet
20. Fuseki by 10-Feet
21. Syohoku by 10-Feet
22. Saikyousannnou by 10-Feet
23. Hahauesama by Satoshi Takebe
24. Ike by 10-Feet
25. Basukejinsei by Satoshi Takebe
26. Eikounotoki by Satoshi Takebe
27. Shisyu by 10-Feet
28. Victory by Satoshi Takebe
29. Dai zero kan (movie version) by 10-Feet (Ending Theme)

• The opening theme song of the film is Love Rockets by The Birthday. This song is played when the starting five players of Shohoku high school’s basketball team are first shown on the screen. The song gradually intensifies as players are sketched and appears on the screen one by one, portraying the unique characteristics of each player. The song sets a lively and compelling tone for the start of the film. The song’s vibrant style portrays the nature of high-intensity basketball games and the passion of the characters. This energetic tempo and melody are designed to draw the audience into the film from the beginning of the film, creating an immediate connection with the viewers.
• The ending theme song of the film is Dai zero kan by 10-Feet. This song is played at one of the pivotal moments in the film, where the main protagonist, Miyagi Ryota, finally splits the double team defense with his talented dribbling skills after many attempts and points scored on. The song perfectly aligns with the game changing moment of the film, mirroring the highs and lows experienced by the characters in the match. The dramatic and fierce tone and melody of the song help revive the mood from a down and hopeless atmosphere to an uplifting and cheerful moment. This intense nature of the song heightens the emotional impact of such an impactful moment.

Home Video & Online Streaming Platforms Release

The Slam Dunk was a very well-known basketball manga or anime, especially amongst the 1990s Japanese youth. The Slam Dunk TV anime, which had 101 episodes, was an international hit, but it wasn’t a hit in North America. Eventually, in the United States, at least some of the episodes were on streaming platforms such as Crunchyroll and Amazon, however, there was still no way to watch Slam Dunk in the United Kingdom. Unlike the original anime series of Slam Dunk, the film The First Slam Dunk had taken the first huge step to become more accessible for more people across different countries by becoming available on one of the widely used streaming platforms today. As of June 10, 2024, the film The First Slam Dunk is now available on one of the biggest online streaming platforms, Disney +.

Review & Reaction

• According to an article, a critic, named DoctorKev from Medium, who watched the film commented that he “left the cinema absolutely buzzing, with [his] heart thumping and bowels churning… The First Slam Dunk deserves to be widely experienced, even by those, like me, who normally say “but i don’t like sports anime”. You’ll like this one. Trust me.” Furthermore, he describes the film to be filled with “spurts of intense action where sweating, gasping bodies collide and basketballs launched from player to player are plunged into baskets with unexpectedly dramatic flair. So densely kinetic are the action sequences that the more sedate and thoughtful flashbacks act as much-needed breathers”. He further praised the film by commenting that “the final moments of the match are so tightly-wound that I felt my stomach churning in anticipation of the next crazy twist or audacious strategy. I’ve never been so invested in a sports-related story in my life”.
• Another critic, named Calum Marsh, from New York Times gave a positive review on the film. He highly praised the film’s delivery in that “the flashbacks are well-written and add off-the-court dramatic interest, but it’s the basketball action that is the movie’s claim to excellence.” He further admired the overall visuals and portrayals by commenting that the film “expertly staged and beautifully rendered using a combination of computer-generated imagery and traditional hand-drawn animation, it’s often so spectacular that I am eager to watch it again.”
• A head film critic at IndieWire, named David Ehrlich, praised the film and gave it an overall B+ grade. He highly praised the iconic directional style carried out by the writer and director of the film, Takehiko Inoue. Ehrlich commented that “Inoue exploits the medium’s temporal elasticity to create a level of character detail that would seem impossible to sustain with live-action.” He further spoke highly of Inoue's approach by mentioning that “the level of detail that “The First Slam Dunk” reserves for its ensemble can’t hope to match the level of detail seen in its animation, but even in broad strokes the character arcs curve together beautifully”. He concludes that “no movie has so literally reduced basketball to “just a game”, and no movie this side of “Hoop Dreams” has so ecstatically conveyed why it’s also so much more than that.”