The First Slam Dunk: Style in Sweat and CG
by Jonathan Beltran
There are shows and movies considered to be legendary; influential to the medium and a generational marker for the masses. Slam Dunk is no exception. Originally a manga and later adapted into an anime in the nineties, Takehiro Inoue set out to create a compelling story capturing “the feeling one gets from playing sports.” That feeling, to my understanding, is adrenaline.
Slam Dunk stars Hanamichi Sakuragi, a delinquent who consistently gets rejected by his crushes, usually because they love someone from the basketball team. Ironically he joins one in order to impress his crush, Haruko Akagi, and learns the tools and techniques of the trade as he competes. Most of the time he fails, and gets fouled out often, though much like every good shounen protagonist, you come to love the underdog; the growth, progression, and maturity for your main character. He learns to shoot and even, no surprise, slam dunk! Together with captain Takenori Akagi, Hisashi Mitsui, Kaede Rukawa, and Ryota Miyagi they form the Shohoku basketball team in the hopes of becoming champions in the Nationals. All of this, I came to learn AFTER watching the latest film and sequel The First Slam Dunk.
I knew nothing of the series going into The First Slam Dunk. A good number of friends and colleagues have told me of its quality, even so far as to claim its renown across Asia, specifically China, South Korea, and Taiwan. And when I came to its US Premiere at Anime Expo 2023 there were plenty of Slam Dunk fans - some even cosplaying in red Shohoku jerseys and basketball shoes. And to top it all off, this was going to be directed by the mangaka himself; his directorial debut. There was no doubt in my mind that this has been long awaited (twenty six years in fact).
The First Slam Dunk stars Ryota Miyagi, Shohoku High School’s premier basketball point guard, in his origin story as well as the followup basketball match between Shohoku and their rivals, Sannoh. It is important to note the pattern of this film. It begins with Ryota’s past and is followed by the aforementioned game then goes back-and-forth from there; informing each other to show the depth of his (and by extension his teammates’) passion for basketball. In other words, if you are coming to this fresh - like I did, you can rest assured that you and everyone else will be thrown in the deep with enough context to sustain you.
The film gives a bird’s eye view into Ryota’s tragic backstory - first the loss of his father and, later, the loss of his brother; the latter being the inspiration for his love of basketball - with such intimate depth that it can get too real. There is a scene involving a young Ryota fighting his mother to keep whatever was left of his brother - a jersey, trophy, stack of basketball magazines - with him protecting the box as his mother tries to pull him away from it.. Inoue’s approach reveals a level of visceral traumatic humanity in this scene not found in the original anime that paints the drama for Ryota not only in the family, but also in the court.
On the court is a sweat-inducing dirge for everyone involved - athlete, coach, and spectator. People are passing the ball to one another, shooting free-throws, stealing and saving balls; all the typical sports anime forray. What The First Slam Dunk does uniquely is provide a sense of dramatic and comic urgency with every action. Each fake-out is equally witty as it is vital, facial expressions point out who’s ready to receive the ball are personal and endearing, and even the group huddle is hilarious with team captain Akagi stating that everyone of his teammates has pissed him off for the most part. These scenes reinforce the down-to-earth tone that makes this movie, and the franchise, so distinct from its contemporaries. Ryota Miyagi relies on his teammates just as much as he does with his family - broken in their own unique way yet come back together for one shared cause.
When comparing the series and the movie, I am surprised at just how cinematic and accessible The First Slam Dunk feels. Not to say the anime series is not that, though the tone is relatively different. There is a somberness to it that can feel sobering for anyone who has watched anime for the longest time. Gone are the silly chibi’s for gags or the goofy antics, this is primarily humbling. It may have certain tropes - believe hard enough you can get past the pain for instance - though it maintains a sort of maturity different from Slam Dunk. Inoue notes of the shift as well in the storytelling process stating “[T]wenty-six years have passed since then [the publication of Slam Dunk] and my perspective and value have shifted[/increased] a lot. I learned that there is a lot of pain and a lot of things that just won’t work…Sometimes we hold that pain and sometimes we can overcome the pain. I wanted to depict the film from that new perspective.”
Now to address the elephant in the room, The First Slam Dunk opts for 3DCG animation. There are those who are wary of its choice, though I can say for the most part that it serves the movie well. This is a collaborative effort between Toei Animation and Dandelion Studios, the latter has worked on titles such as Lupin III The First, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, and scenes in another popular sports series, Haikyuu!!. In my experience it does take a while to get used to, however it will not take long. As soon as the basketball match happens the 3DCG animation really flexes. This choice allows for the viewer to feel the rush of adrenaline as players run towards the basket as if they were in the court. There are 2D scenes as well, specifically in more still, quiet moments such as conversations between characters. However there is a scene near the end - the final few seconds of the game - where the animation turns into a stenciled fever rush. When I was watching it at the Anime Expo, everyone in the audience was at the edge of their seats. Inoue and team knew where to flesh out tension and this scene alone is a monumental moment.
The First Slam Dunk is nothing short of amazing. It is a reminder of how legendary both the Slam Dunk franchise is as well as Takehiro Inoue is as a storyteller. Palpable drama can be felt from every action on and off the court while maintaining the thrill of a potential victory. In a time where anime reboots are populating the market refueling nostalgia, this film is a testament to proving its greatness.
Many thanks to Brett Myers and Anisha Chen of GKids for the invitation to watch The First Slam Dunk at Anime Expo and Scott Barretto of AMC Networks for ushering me to the press seating.
