The First Slam Dunk, directed by creator Takehiko Inoue, is the best anime movie. Yes, it’s better than that one, and even that other one. It’s OK if you disagree, but this is my article, so my opinion wins. Let me explain why.
I already liked basketball thanks to Dennis Rodman
Growing up, I loved basketball. I was coming of age during the tail end of the 80’s dominated by Magic’s Lakers and Bird’s Celtics, just in time for my local Bad Boy Pistons to shine. I hated Magic, hated Bird, DEFINITELY hated Jordan, but loved Isaiah “Zeke” Thomas, John “Spider” Salley, Vinnie “Microwave” Johnson, and Joe “Never really had a great nickname but was cool anyway” Dumars. But the team’s secret weapon was Dennis “The Worm” Rodman.
Rodman was a wiry dude who ran the court, defended the other team’s best player, snagged seemingly every rebound, and couldn’t be trusted to score unguarded from six feet away. He was a defensive powerhouse, athletic as all get out, and truly a basketball genius. To this day, he still has the highest career and highest single season rebound rate in the NBA, and I doubt anybody will take those records from him any time soon.
You’d think I’d like an anime basically about Dennis Rodman then
As I got older, I became a pretty big anime fan. I knew about Slam Dunk, and, well.. I just didn’t care. It seemed stupid, who would ever want to watch an anime sports movie when you could just watch the sport? Besides, my tastes leaned more towards shoujo and comedy and romance type shows. Slam Dunk was popular, but I stayed away from it.
For those who don’t know, Slam Dunk started as a manga created by the absolute legend Takehiko Inoue, who would later go on to create Vagabond and Real. At the time, though, he had yet to achieve legend status and was still trying to find his way.
Slam Dunk follows the story of Sakuragi Hanamichi, a delinquent high school student. He is tall, athletic, and good at fighting, but gets poor grades and has no luck with the ladies.
One day he runs into Akagi Haruko, and she assumes Sakuragi must love basketball due to his height and athleticism. Seeing his chance to find a girlfriend, he lies and says he loves basketball. This leads him down the path of joining the school’s team, trying to turn his lie into truth to win Haruko’s heart.
Is he the glue that holds the team together, or a wildcard that tears them apart?
As the story progresses, it turns out that Sakuragi does have a natural talent for the game. He is quick, he can jump high, and he has good instincts for the ball. He is basically Dennis Rodman, but raw. Unpolished. Undeveloped. Undisciplined. Will he become the rebound-snatching, loose-ball diving, big defensive ball-swatter he is destined to be? Is he the glue that holds the team together, or a wildcard that tears them apart?
The team captain, Akagi coincidentally, Haruko’s older brother, takes him under his wing and teaches Sakuragi the fundamentals. The team also features superstar shooting guard Rukawa, and eventually picks up speedy point guard Miyagi Ryota and three-point specialist Mitsui. Finally combined, the team hopes to win the national championship.
There is drama, training, fighting, more training, comedy, more training, basketball games, and then they train a bit.. you get the idea. It doesn’t sound exciting, but the character development is gripping.
Who cares about Slam Dunk?
However, I didn’t know any of that, or care about any of it. To me, it was just “that basketball anime”. I lived for almost 30 years in a “no Slam Dunk” zone.
However, one day in 2023, I had a lot of free time on my hands and decided to see a movie. I noticed The First Slam Dunk was playing, in the original Japanese with subtitles. Younger me would have killed to see an actual anime movie in the theater without dubs, so I decided to go, even though I had no interest in the series.
I knew almost nothing about the movie. 1) Slam Dunk was a basketball anime. 2) The main character was a redhead with a high opinion of himself. That was about it. I was even kind of tricked by the name of the film I was seeing. The First Slam Dunk may have been a prequel of sorts, not the finale to a long running series. But still, I bought my ticket and decided to go.
Me. It’s me. I care about Slam Dunk
I’m not going to lie: I was the only person in that theater. I wondered if I made a mistake, maybe this movie was trash and I’m the only person who didn’t know it. But still, I wanted to see a movie, so let’s go.
In the first five minutes, Takehiko Inoue puts on a masterclass of storytelling. Grade school aged Miyagi Ryota is playing one on one with his older brother, Sota. He’s outmatched, but he never loses his resolve, thanks to encouragement from his brother. Immediately you understand the dynamic between these two, feel the love, and the rivalry, and the support.
Their father dies, leaving their mother alone to care for the two boys and their younger sister. Sota is there to support Ryota and calls him his co-captain. They continue playing basketball together, but one day Sota has made plans with his friends. Ryota, feeling abandoned at the dock, screams at Sota as the boat departs.
“I hate you!”
“You’re a liar!”
“Don’t bother coming back!”.
I was invested. This movie had me hooked.
The emotional core makes The First Slam Dunk so powerful
You don’t find out until later, but the movie makes good on it’s setup: Sota doesn’t come back. Ryota’s story drives this movie, as we join him on his journey of grief and survivor’s guilt. If that sounds a bit dark and depressing, well… speaking honestly, it’s not all rainbows and puppy dogs. But it’s also not a miserable depressing slog. You feel for Ryota, and understand why he does the things he does. You care about what happens next, and want to see him win.
I won’t go too much more into the story, but the movie goes back and forth between Shohoku’s game against the mighty team from Sannoh, and backstory with Ryota, and it’s done very well.
The animation is the most fluid animation I have ever seen. The 3DCG animation used for the basketball games almost doesn’t feel like watching animation at all, it feels almost real. Every basketball move feels like something a real human would do on the court, and it was very impressive.
And what about the music?
I’ll just cut to the chase. The music is fantastic. The opening theme, Love Rockets, by The Birthday, is perfect setup for the feel of a big game. I was amped up and ready to play with the rest of the team. The other standout song, Dai Zero Kan by 10-FEET, kicks in perfectly during the emotional climax of the game, and hits just right. The rest of the music is not as memorable, but suits the film perfectly. I’m listening to the soundtrack as I write this post, zero regrets.
So what if I’ve never watched Slam Dunk?
The First Slam Dunk does well as a standalone movie. Ryota’s story is self-contained in the movie, and is the driving emotional core. You care about Ryota, and you want to see him win. The other characters are a little underdeveloped if you haven’t seen the show, but everything still makes sense.
In fact, I went to see the movie again the next day, because I enjoyed it so much. Since then, since it’s available on Netflix, it’s been one of those “I want to put something on in the background” movies. Sometimes I sit and watch intently, sometimes I just let the sounds and emotions wash over me while I do something else.
Afraid of subtitles? Then put on the dub. I was curious one day and the dub is actually quite good. They do a good job of localizing while keeping the spirit intact. Go for it!
It opened the door to so much for me
The First Slam Dunk inspired me to go back and watch the Slam Dunk anime, which I have mixed opinions on. Still, it was good enough to inspire me to read the Slam Dunk manga, which I have mostly positive opinions on. From there, I decided to read Inoue’s Real manga, which I previously had no interest in.. and it’s fantastic. After binging that, I decided to read Inoue’s Vagabond, which I previously had no interest in.. and it’s an absolute masterpiece. It’s very likely that these will be the subject of future posts, and I can’t recommend them highly enough.
But why did it resonate so much?
Reflecting on The First Slam Dunk, I’m realizing why it struck such a deep chord within me. Ryota’s story of loss, regret, loneliness and rebellion reminded me of several chapters of my life, including one I was going through at the time.
The story also has similar themes to other shows I’ve loved, namely different people coming together to overcome something they could never achieve on their own. Learning to trust each other, support each other, and sacrifice for the greater good. Much like Voltron and Sailor Moon, that’s ultimately what this movie is about. And it is the best example of it I’ve encountered.
The First Slam Dunk is more than just a sports anime. It’s also a powerful story about grief, growth, and grit. It’s about overcoming whatever life throws your way. Whether you’re a longtime Slam Dunk fan or someone who never cared about anime or basketball, this movie has the heart to hit you where it matters. It did for me, and that’s why it’s not just a great anime movie. It’s the best.
If you’ve ever brushed off a piece of art because you assumed it wasn’t for you, I get it. But sometimes the stories we need most are the ones we never expected to love. Give The First Slam Dunk a chance.