The First Slam Dunk (2023)

The First Slam Dunk is an anime film based on the Slam Dunk manga series and is currently the fifth highest-grossing anime film of all time.

The film is directed by the manga artist himself, Takehiko Inoue, and it's safe to say this is his directorial debut. The film bounces back and forth between the modern time where the players are in the championship and the backstory for each of the different players. This is a typical trope for anime audiences but something vastly different for American sports audiences. We're used to the team going through multiple games to get to the end. It's a breath of fresh air if you're not an anime fan.

I saw the dubbed even though the advertisement said it was subtitled in English. It was the only showing for the afternoon so I didn't complain. The main character is Ryota Miyagi a troubled youth point guard. He's not tall and has a tragic backstory. He's voiced by Paul Castro Jr. who you might remember from The Skeleton Twins, he also voices Freminet from Genshin Impact. Two other Genshin voice actors are in the film, David Cui Cui voices Idrisi, but in this film, he plays Toki Kuwata. Luis Bermudez voices Luocheng but in this film, he plays Takashima.

The animation is vastly different from the anime as it has really been brought into the modern era of stylized computer graphics. The story is really top-tier for a sports film and it has typical anime-isms which can throw you out of the film for a second. I would recommend this film to anime fans or sports enthusiasts. B+

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