Slam Dunk has long been a part of the anime world since the sports anime franchise first hit the ground floor running in 1990 as a manga from legendary creator Takehiko Inoue. Ending its initial run in 1996, the series would go on to receive its own anime series along with several movies. Most recently, the franchise made a comeback thanks to the movie, The First Slam Dunk, which wasn’t just a hit at the box office but is considered by many anime fans to be one of the greatest representations of sports anime. Luckily, you can now check out the movie whenever you want if you have a subscription to Netflix.
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So what makes The First Slam Dunk a must-watch for anime fans? The movie itself uses a new style of animation that blends computer-generated animation with a 2-D style that makes the action look exceptionally smooth. The story itself is rather simplistic, focusing on a single high school basketball game that takes the opportunity to dive into certain characters via flashbacks. If this movie has you wanting more of the Slam Dunk franchise, there are plenty more series and movies to devour that were spawned from the mind of Takehiko Inoue.
Slam Dunk Hits Netflix
If you want a breakdown of The First Slam Dunk, here’s how Netflix describes the sports anime story, “Shohoku’s ‘speedster’ and point guard, Ryota Miyagi, always plays with brains and lightning speed, running circles around his opponents while feigning composure. Born and raised in Okinawa, Ryota had a brother who was three years older. Following in the footsteps of his older brother, who was a famous local player from a young age, Ryota also became addicted to basketball. In his second year of high school, Ryota plays with the Shohoku High School basketball team along with Sakuragi, Rukawa, Akagi, and Mitsui as they take the stage at the Inter-High School National Championship. And now, they are on the brink of challenging the reigning champions, Sannoh Kogyo High School.”
As of the writing of this article, there has been no future projects confirmed for Slam Dunk, though it wouldn’t come as a surprise if something were unveiled in the future. Slam Dunk remains one of the most well-known sports anime franchises in the world and this latest film is sure to cause an uptick in interest for the series.
Want to see what the future holds for Slam Dunk? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook for the latest updates on The First Slam Dunk and the ever-expanding world of sports anime.
