The First Slam Dunk (Vietnamese title: The first slam dunk) is one of the most successful anime in recent times, having a great effect on not only the fans of the brand but also the mass audience. Not only sweeping the box office but also bringing home prestigious film awards, The First Slam Dunk is a must-see movie this April.
For the first time, the “sports anime monument” stepped on the big screen
In 1990, the manga Slam Dunk was first serialized in the popular teen magazine Weekly Shonen Jump!. Not only helping to strengthen the magazine’s position, the series has so far been favored by anime fans as one of the four pillars of Weekly Shonen Jump.
With the anime series ending in 1996, many viewers regretted that this wonderful story did not continue for longer like other popular Japanese anime/manga franchises. During nearly three decades without a new episode, Slam Dunk still holds a firm position in the hearts of the audience, as well as in the sports genre in particular and the MA (manga-anime) world in general.
In 2020, when the information about the movie version of Slam Dunk was made, fans of the film and the story – now all grown up, couldn’t help but be excited. In particular, this film is directed by Takehiko Inoue himself as the director, screenwriter and production supervisor. The audience has a lot of expectations for a new Slam Dunk, but still retains the burning sports spirit of the original work.
When it was released in Japan at the end of 2023, when the fever from director Shinkai’s new work Makoto Suzume had not cooled down, The First Slam Dunk immediately jumped to No. 1 at the box office. The film maintained this great achievement for 8 consecutive weeks, not even the blockbuster Avatar: The Way of Water directed by James Cameron could not overtake The First Slam Dunk’s position. The great success of the film made the world’s media admire, perhaps Japan is really a “different” market that Hollywood blockbusters cannot easily succeed in.
Besides Japan, The First Slam Dunk also created a great fever in Korea when it premiered in early 2023. Initially, although the achievement was not so excellent, thanks to the word-of-mouth effect of quality, The First Slam Dunk impressive comeback from the 3rd opening week to take the throne at the box office. The fever called The First Slam Dunk covered the whole country of kimchi, attracting many ages to theaters. The group of moviegoers who go to the cinema the most are men in their 30s and 40s, a difficult group to conquer with many other films. Famous Korean artists also expressed much love for the film.
The basketball game is full of enthusiasm, blowing up the sports spirit for everyone
Belonging to an already well-known franchise, many people have expressed doubts that The First Slam Dunk will only be a movie to please fans, while being distant and confusing for the mass audience. However, director Inoue Takehiko proved otherwise. Whether the audience has never known basketball or Slam Dunk, they can fully enjoy this movie.
The First Slam Dunk does not tell new developments, but is set in the match against Sannoh – one of the “legendary” matches for Slam Dunk fans. Interspersed in the battle are flashbacks of the characters’ memories. The story this time is told from the point of view of the small defender Miyagi Ryota, instead of the impulsive redhead Sakuragi Hanamichi. In the original version, Ryota didn’t have much acting space. The audience knows almost nothing about his past compared to the rest of the prominent members. Choosing a new perspective helps the film not be boring for old fans, but also not difficult to understand for new fans. Audiences hardly need to preview the old version to enjoy this movie.
Choosing a way to alternately tell the past of the character and the happenings of the football match is a wise choice of author Inoue Takehiko. From there, he was able to emphasize the enormous influence basketball had on the lives and ideals of the members of the Shohoku team. Whenever important situations occur, a part of the past is revealed, explaining why the players have such psychological developments on the field.
The most appreciated by the audience of The First Slam Dunk is the film’s sports language. Team Shohoku and Sannoh’s match was like a real basketball game. There is a team that takes the lead, and there is a team that constantly sticks to it, both fighting for every point. There are times when the weak falter and falter, there are times when the strong brag. And there are times when the follower is filled with determination, there are times when the leader is bewildered and scared. All of these are very real happenings that every athlete – not only basketball, will encounter when going out on the field. Thanks to that, the audience is more and more anxious to watch each and every action of the match. What will Shohoku do when he is leading by nearly 20 points? How will the “giant” Sannoh deal with a determined Shohoku? Until the last moment, the audience still had to hold their breath in suspense to watch the dramatic and unexpected phases of the film.
Another point that makes The First Slam Dunk strong points with the audience is the understanding of the film crew with basketball. Previously, Slam Dunk impressed the audience thanks to the reality of the series/movie, not perfecting the team. As for the movie version this time, with only 124 minutes, director Inoue Takehiko can hardly tell all about the process of growing up step by step, through each victory and defeat of the team. He included in the film the hits, the “tricks” that only basketball players can recognize. Many basketball players when watching the movie commented, the film made detailed and meticulous to each ball play. Hanoi Buffaloes player Ngoc Son shared after the premiere: “The film is similar to what I myself experienced when I first started playing basketball, very honest and touching my own emotions.”
The picture, sound is the perfect complement to the movie reaching the 10 . point
When releasing the first images, The First Slam Dunk made the audience suspicious because the animation style was different from the previous version. If fans are too familiar with the 2D style that makes up the film’s brand, this 3D version makes them feel strange and “unnatural” compared to the movie/story that was their whole childhood. .
However, when it came to theaters, the choice of 3D animation style proved to be a very wise move by director Inoue Takehiko and the film crew. This 3D style contributes a lot to making movements smoother, more detailed and realistic, especially with a sports movie like The First Slam Dunk. That helps audiences fully feel the beauty of basketball, as well as immerse themselves in an excellent cinematic experience at the cinema.
The sound and music of The First Slam Dunk received a lot of praise from the audience after its premiere. When the music plays, the audience knows that they are about to step into an extremely spectacular ball. Along with that, the silences in the sound are cleverly arranged to help push the audience’s explosive emotions to the highest level in the climax segments. The sound is the perfect complement to the already good The First Slam Dunk, even more excellent.
In particular, on the morning of April 14, original director Inoue Takehiko also greeted the Vietnamese audience on the occasion of the film’s premiere in Vietnam. On his personal page, he wrote: “Hello Vietnamese fans, how are you? Thank you for always supporting me during the past time. I am very happy because today is The First Slam day. Dunk premieres in Vietnam Creating something never before seen is both challenging and fun for creators. I hope you enjoy the first appearance of a Slam Dunk you see. never seen before”.
With a Rotten Tomatoes score from the audience of 95% and 8.5 on IMDB, and high scores on many domestic review sites in Japan and Korea… The First Slam Dunk claims to offer a great experience for everyone. audience when it hits theaters this April, breaking all stereotypes about an animated film.
