The First Slam Dunk - Movie Review

Chris Stuckmann reviews The First Slam Dunk. Directed by Takehiko Inoue.

[Kincaidu]

Never did I expect you to review this.
I cried like 6 times watching this.
Took us 30 years for Sannoh match to be finally animated and it was so worth the wait!

[RaphaelMYT]

Takehiko Inoue is INSANELY talented! Going from Manga to directing is not a simple transition but to do it perfectly ON HIS FIRST FILM is just pure insanity!
I also loved that he didn't adapt his work 1:1 but reworked the story structure so that it functions beautifully as a film!

[xTahoe]

Slam Dunk is the reason that basketball had a massive surge of popularity within Japan in the 90's/2000's and is considered to be the best sports manga ever. (maybe Hajime no Ippo might be more popular, but a ton of ppl love slam dunk)

[Takaratt]

Slam Dunk has such a special place in my heart because it was the first manga I read from beginning to end as a high schooler. Such a great story, and I don’t even like basketball lol!

[RMahna]

The way they captured the last 20-some seconds of the match was incredible. Pretty much exactly how I imagined it when I read the manga.

[LU_Taita]

I never read/watched Slam Dunk prior to watching this in the theater. I ended up going two days in a row, it's so good!! The action is so well directed, the music is hype as hell, the emotional beats are strong. As the movie started I wondered how they were gonna stretch 20 minutes of a basketball game over a 2 hour runtime but they pulled it off, the pacing is perfect. And that last minute is amazing! Everyone was holding their breath. If you're unsure about watching this without prior knowledge of SD, don't be. It's 100% worth the ticket.

[asianchen]

My mom, 62 years old, was emotional over this movie. It was already so mind-blowing for her that we were able to watch it in the states, but to see that this movie has so much heart made us cry. We were avid watchers in the 90s and 2000s and this anime brings back such fond memories. I really hope they'll consider reanimating the entire manga since it's finally ended, just like with Fruit Basket and Black Butler.

[JR]

This is not just a great anime movie. It’s honestly one of the best sports films ever made. It basically is the anime version of Hoosiers, Hoop Dreams and Remember The Titans in one. You don’t need to be a fan of the show because I didn’t know much about the series and I would put this as my best film of 2023. It is the type of feel good popcorn movies Hollywood used to make.

[Billmao]

I'm both surprised and happy to know someone who has no prior knowledge can enjoy this movie this much, because the First Slam Dunk felt to me answered the prayers of the fans' of the manga/anime that concluded more than 2 decades ago! The game against Sannou never made it to the 90's anime and to see it come alive on the silver screen was such a moving experience for me.
It must have been more than 10 years when I last read the manga but when the scenes are reenacted I could recite the dialog, recall the exact frame from the book, and see how faithfully the story was recreated. It feels like hanging out with old friends after many years but everything still feels so familiar as if they've always been there. It was truly one of the happiest moviegoing experience.

[jayPi]

Takehiko is a living genius! I was so emotionally invested reading the Slam Dunk manga. It’s definitely one of the best manga ever. Amazing art, outstanding story, incredible characters and now I can’t wait to watch The First Slam Dunk in theaters. Thanks for the review Chris ❤

[ygsr]

I was shocked by how great this film was as someone who couldn't care less about sports anime. The 3DCG was used to do some insane stuff that probably hasn't ever been done in anime before.

[bujo]

This manga inspired a WHOLE GENERATION in Asia to start playing basketball, I read this match like a million times, this movie is a masterpiece, glad you liked it!

[celestecantu]

This is the ONE review I wanted to see on this movie! I confess I feared my love for the manga was clouding my judgement, but I did consider this film to be legitimately great. Your perspective is invaluable! I am so glad you loved it! So now excuse me, I will run off and recommend it to everyone I come across, hahaha.

[jinnimoo]

I'm glad the movie is well received even with those going in completely blind. But some moments are truly appreciated with more character context. All the Sakuragi and Rukawa interactions were the result of a complex relationship built over the course of the series. The emotional significance of Rukawa actually passing the ball to Sakuragi in the final moment and their high five is the ultimate highlight for fans who have stayed with the series.

[Redfield]

Thank you for reviewing this film, Chris.

It is every bit as good as you say it is and it needs to be seen.

It's a masterpiece through and through.

[Will_Roose]

I got to see this in Japan while studying abroad, and even though I couldn't understand the dialogue (non-Japanese speaker), the film is a testament to how visual storytelling can still keep you on the edge of your seat. Very excited to rewatch this with English subtitles.

[killingspeerx]

The last 10 min of the movie was one of the best and most intense moments in fictional work. I read the manga and I remember the sequence vividly, yet when I saw it in the movie it felt like watching it for the first time. So well made, PERFECT.

The movie overall was fun but not perfect. Hope we get a Slam Dunk remake

[jjstarrprod]

As someone who's working in animation myself (although in 2D), this movie is pure wizardry ! Some of the shots done in cell shading had not only some insane characters animations but also some unseen camera movements, that follow the ball inbetween each players. That was absolutely nuts !

I'm really glad that with this film, the world is about to finally discover the work (and the truly monstruous talent) of Takehiko Inoue. The man has been one of the sacred monsters of the manga scene ever since the 90's, and like his contemporary Togashi with Yuyu Hakusho and Hunter X Hunter, he's one of the rare mangakas who can boast to have not just one, but 2 magnum opus under his pen (Slam Dunk and Vagabond, with Vagabond being consistently in the top 3 of most legendary adult mangas, with Berserk and Vinland Saga).

Also, if we saw a bunch of studios film taking note of Into The Spiderverse in 2018 and making several formidable answers to it (Dreamworks Bad Guys & Puss in Boots 2, Netflix's Arcane and Entergalactic, Nickelodeon TMNT Mutant Mayhem), I'm pretty sure The First Slam Dunk is Japan's Toei's answer to the call of the Spiderverse !
And goddamn if that's true, I only want to shout out THANK YOU, SPIDERMAN !

[MomentsWithZhi]

Just came back from theaters watching this. I didn't expect to love it this much. This called back to everything that made the original anime so great (humor, unique characters, amazing character development, and great basketball of course) and took it to a new level. A new level of emotional depth, a new level of basketball action scenes (seriously phenomenal), and new grounds in terms of the relationship between characters. If you're a fan of basketball, visual art, movies, sports, or just looking for a good anime film; please please please watch this. This kind of art needs to be supported so more of its' kind can be created.

[zainhasbi]

Glad you enjoyed this movie chris, I already watched it on the theater in february and I've been itching for a rewatch but the blu ray just doesnt get released cause this movie just keeps getting more and more screenings because of how good it is

Honestly, even tho there's across the spider verse and other animated movie, the first slam dunk is still my favorite animated movie this year, glad you gave it an A+