In the anime world, viewers have witnessed alien battles spanning the cosmos, supernatural shenanigans threatening the Earth, and a man transforming into a series of chainsaws. Aside from diving into wild territory for the biggest anime fights, the sports world has also been covered quite thoroughly, as Slam Dunk represents one of the biggest series portraying basketball. After a decades-long hiatus, the series is looking to return to anime via a new film this December in Japan and a new trailer has landed.
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Slam Dunk first arrived as a manga series in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1990, with the series receiving over one hundred television episodes thanks to its anime adaptation, along with a handful of feature-length films. With the anime coming to an end in 1996, it has been quite some time since Toei returned to this action-packed world of basketball, and this new movie looks to be making for the lost time thanks to the new animation style being employed.
Like Space Jam…Not Really
Toei Animation shared the new trailer that brings some familiar faces back to the basketball court, aiming to bring Slam Dunk back into the public eye following a hiatus that spanned decades:
The new trailer also revealed the main cast for the film, which will include the following voice actors bringing the basketball players and their supporting cast to life:
- Shugo Nakamura as Ryota Miyagi
- Jun Kasama as Hisashi Mitsui
- Shin’ichirō Kamio as Kaede Rukawa
- Subaru Kimura as Hanamichi Sakuragi
- Kenta Miyake as Takenori Akagi
Shueisha, the publishers behind Weekly Shonen Jump and so many beloved anime franchises that have been released over the years, released an official description for Slam Dunk, if you haven’t had the opportunity to dive into one of the most beloved sports anime of all time:
“Hanamichi Sakuragi is a delinquent with a long history of getting dumped by girls. After enrolling in Shohoku High School, Hanamichi becomes interested in a girl named Haruko who loves the game of basketball.”
The new film is slated to arrive in Japan this December, though a North America, and global release, has yet to be confirmed by Toei at this point.
What is your favorite sports anime? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Slam Dunk.
