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This blockbuster rookie effort elevated audiences through a groundbreaking use of facial expression and body movement in a mix of computer-generated and hand-drawn animation to capture the explosive physicality of basketball. The film literally captured the characters playing the game of their lives.<\/p>\n
“The First Slam Dunk<\/strong>” started with a fateful showdown between two high school basketball teams: the Shohoku, a scrappy but strong-minded team and Sannoh\u2019s undefeated champion team.<\/p>\n If you didn\u2019t grow up in Japan or were familiar with the original manga or TV series, then you wouldn\u2019t know any of the players involved or what this match really meant to audiences. All you would see is the game itself\u2014 which slowly became one hell of a spectacle.<\/p>\n \u201cThe First Slam Dunk<\/strong>\u201d shows the game as it plays out over the course of its runtime, cutting away intermittently to dig into the past of each Shohoku player and how they formed this dominating team. In order to facilitate this unique approach, Inoue shifts away from the main character of the manga or anime series, a Dennis Rodman-like delinquent and rebound god, Hanamichi Sakuragi, to focus on the small but speedy point guard, Ryota Miyagi. His backstory was never told in manga and anime series, so it became an incredibly heartwarming entry point to the story in the film.<\/p>\n Ryota is still mourning and dealing with the death of his older brother, basketball mentor Shota (Kajiwara Gakuto). Ryota tries to seek some closure to the painful memories of his brother by continuing to play basketball \u2014 a sport they both loved.<\/p>\n Besides Ryota, the team consists of an incredible ensemble. Teenage delinquent and self-proclaimed basketball genius Hanamichi (Kimura Subaru) is the original manga\u2019s protagonist and the film\u2019s most captivating character. A wild man on the court with dyed red hair to match, Sakuragi steals the show every time he’s on screen.<\/p>\n Takenori Akagi (Miyake Kenta) is the team\u2019s powerhouse, barking orders at it and captivating the crowd with his signature play called the \u201cGorilla Dunk.\u201d Then, Kaede Rukawa (Kamio Shin\u2019ichiro) \u2014 a prospect for being a future Japan national player \u2014provokes his teammates into playing harder with his insults. Hisashi Mitsui (Kasama Jun) is a former hoodlum who turned over a new leaf to become the three-point specialist.<\/p>\n Coach Mitsuyoshi Anzai can always be counted upon to put things in perspective for his young players, pepping them up by saying, \u201cIf you give up then it all ends here.<\/p>\n \u201d<\/p>\n Inoue sets the tone for this multifaceted tale about the unique ability for a sport to help people come back from their worst failures. The game turns into an exhilarating experience, with exciting POV shots from the characters’ perspectives and impossible camera angles that can only be achieved in anime. Even after watching the film, you still hear the squeaking of sneakers, the echo of dribbling and the chanting crowd.<\/p>\n Inoue wants to provide both a satisfying entry point for newcomers, and a fleshed-out standalone film for existing fans. The Slam Dunk manga series spans 31 volumes, and the film tries to cram all that high school drama into a coherent two-hour film with a relentless set of gambits, twists, and emotional outbursts brought to the screen.<\/p>\n I haven\u2019t seen any sports film which reduced a sport into a single game that ecstatically conveys the expressions of its characters so effectively. You won\u2019t see a better animation film this year.<\/p>\n Check out more of Nobuhiro’s articles<\/a>.<\/p>\n Here’s the trailer of the film.<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/The-First-Slam-Dunk1-1024x496.jpg\")
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