Slam Dunk

Hanamichi Sakuragi, infamous for his temper, massive height, and fire-red hair, enrolls in Shohoku High, hoping to finally get a girlfriend and break his record of being rejected 50 consecutive times in middle school. His notoriety precedes him, however, leading to him being avoided by most students. Soon, after certain events, Hanamichi is left with two unwavering thoughts: "I hate basketball," and "I desperately need a girlfriend."

One day, a girl named Haruko Akagi approaches him without any knowledge of his troublemaking ways and asks him if he likes basketball. Hanamichi immediately falls head over heels in love with her, blurting out a fervent affirmative. She then leads him to the gymnasium, where she asks him if he can do a slam dunk. In an attempt to impress Haruko, he makes the leap, but overshoots, instead slamming his head straight into the blackboard. When Haruko informs the basketball team's captain of Hanamichi's near-inhuman physical capabilities, he slowly finds himself drawn into the camaraderie and competition of the sport he had previously held resentment for.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Sakuragi, Hanamichi Main

Kusao, Takeshi Japanese

Mitsui, Hisashi Main

Okiayu, Ryoutarou Japanese

Miyagi, Ryouta Main

Shioya, Yoku Japanese

Rukawa, Kaede Main

Midorikawa, Hikaru Japanese

Akagi, Takenori Main

Yanada, Kiyoyuki Japanese

Sendou, Akira Supporting

Ootsuka, Houchuu Japanese

Mito, Youhei Supporting

Morikawa, Toshiyuki Japanese

Anzai, Mitsuyoshi Supporting

Nishimura, Tomomichi Japanese

Akagi, Haruko Supporting

Hiramatsu, Akiko Japanese

Ayako Supporting

Hara, Eriko Japanese

Nishizawa, Nobutaka Director

Kakudou, Hiroyuki Episode Director, Storyboard

Takenouchi, Kazuhisa Episode Director, Storyboard

Matano, Hiromichi Episode Director, Storyboard

Reviews

Dec 15, 2007

ChrisVarick

Recommended

You know that feeling when you don't really want to watch something but when you start doing it, amazingly, you have lots of fun? Well I do because that is what Slam Dunk is doing to me. It is about this basketball team in Shohoku highschool and its main character, Sakuragi, who tries to complete himself as a basketball player and gain the love of a girl, named Haruko. Sounds cheesy but, believe me, it is nothing you have experienced before.

Now, from the first few episodes, you can obviously see that this anime, which received huge acclaim at its time, has a clear goal to ... spread the popularity of basketball in a country where basketball was almost non existent. For true fans of this game, who are hoping to see some great moves in this series, a disappointment awaits. The problem is that Japanese studio emphasized areas of basketball which aren't necessarily the most important and beautiful. For those true fans, it would be like watching a "learn-how-to-read" video when you're 20 years old. From this side, the anime looks really outdated.

However, what amazed me the most, was that the jokes were not outdated at all. If you don't like the basketball scenes, watch it as a comedy and, trust me, you won't be disappointed. Through time, you get used to the characters and even start enjoy their stories. We've all movies about American high school teams who MADE it. This was something new for me and I did not give up on it. Love, basketball, friendship, competition and lots of laughs - this is what you can expect (and should receive) from Slam Dunk.

I can say this easily: there will be basketball fans who will hate Slam Dunk and there will be non-basketball fans who will love this anime. Just give it a try and if you'll have fun a few times - it was already worth it.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Jan 7, 2009

Cruzle

Mixed Feelings

Slam Dunk! Is a sports comedy anime telling a story of a school basketball team and a newcomer Sakuragi Hanamichi, who basicly joins the club just to get the attention of a girl after being dumped by girls way too many times in the past. And as you might guess, Sakuragi then truly gets interested in basketball after hard training and finding himself - what a surprise - a rival in both basketball and girl attention aspects. The story itself is pretty decent, maybe a bit too predictable though. The animation and sounds (music, voice actors etc.) in this anime is average, considering the fact ... that this anime has seen plenty of years already. The characters are pretty much ok too but I found them a bit dull and simple in the long run. There should have been more depth to characters fit in 101 episodes in my opinion.

Slam Dunk! Was a huge disappointment to me since I heard alot of people complimenting the manga. Now don't get me wrong, Slam Dunk! is funny, atleast for the first 30 episodes. After that is just keeps on going way too repetitive and slow and to be blunt I think this anime has like 60 episodes too many. Personally I almost had to force myself to watch the last 20-or-so episodes just out of the custom not wanting to leave anime half watched.

So if you are looking for a good sports comedy anime you should start with Hajime no Ippo or Prince of Tennis instead. That atleast is my opinion of the matter. If you are looking for an anime that you can watch you left eye closed and maybe even skip a few episodes here and there and still know where the plot's going then go with Slam Dunk!

-C

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Dec 12, 2023

Keith06

Not Recommended

To be honest "Slam Dunk"quite frankly, doesn't even come close to capturing the brilliance of its source material.

Let's talk animation, or should I say, the lack of it? "Slam Dunk" somehow manages to make basketball, a sport filled with energy, athleticism, and dynamic movements, look like a game played by wooden dolls. The characters move with all the grace of a sack of potatoes, and the animation lacks the fluidity needed to convey the intensity of the sport. It's as if the animators decided that conveying the excitement of basketball was optional

The character designs are another disaster. Takeo Inoue's manga gave us memorable, expressive characters ... with distinctive features. In contrast, "Slam Dunk" anime seems to have taken those well-drawn characters and given them the ugly stepchild treatment. Faces are poorly proportioned, expressions lack nuance, and the overall aesthetic feels like a rushed afterthought. It's as if they dug up an early 90s reject for this adaptation.

Now, let's talk about the narrative, or lack thereof. "Slam Dunk" manga was a masterclass in character development, sports storytelling, and capturing the essence of the game. The anime adaptation, however, is a watered-down, half-hearted attempt that fails to capture the nuance and depth of the original material. Important character moments are rushed or omitted entirely, leaving viewers with a hollow shell of what could have been.

The soundtrack, if you can call it that, is utterly forgettable. Instead of using music to elevate the emotional impact of crucial scenes, "Slam Dunk" settles for generic tunes that fade into the background like elevator music. It's a stark contrast to the emotional resonance that the manga conveyed through its carefully chosen soundtrack.

In conclusion, "Slam Dunk" the anime is a disgrace to the legacy of one of the greatest sports manga ever created. It's a lazy, uninspired adaptation that fails to capture the magic, energy, and brilliance of Takeo Inoue's work. If you're a fan of the manga, do yourself a favor and steer clear of this abomination.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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