Slam Dunk

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 From this side, the anime looks really outdated.

However, what amazed me the most, was that the jokes were not outdated at all.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.

This anime has almost everything. Action, comedy, tragedy, romantic tensions, manly moments, etc. The cast is pretty huge and when possible, each character or group gets their chance to shine. A great percentage of the characters each contribute something to the advancement of the story and/or get their moment in the sun so. It doesn’t have to be Sakuragi, or the rest of the Shohoku team. Even Sakuragi’s gang gets their chance to do something every now and then.

But what really touches me about this story is how strong the relationships develop. Especially the loyalty of Sakuragi’s gang and how far they go in ... their support that he gets to be part of the basketball team. Even though Sakuragi and his friends may not have the best brains, they make up for it with their hearts and this anime has a big amount of it. I know a lot of people are put off by the concept of sports anime, but I think people need to give this one a chance. The story moves at a very moderate pace and I found the characters to be very relatable and realistically portrays the culture of high school sports in Japan.

Even though Sakuragi starts basketball to impress a girl, it is fun to see how he progresses and you really start to cheer for him like he was your friend that started something. Even though he was gifted with the perfect genetics for the sport, he still has to learn from the beginning and some of his struggles are just juvenile to those that at least know the basics of basketball, but you really feel his passion at the right moments and hope that he lives up to his fullest potential.

Then you get to see the other characters not just on Shokou, but on the other team as well and how they also have their dreams and work just as hard to make them come true. There are no bad guys and everybody is relatable in their own way and each have something to prove.

Earlier I mentioned the realistic aspects of Japanese school sports culture. In Japan, many high schools are known for their sports team and some kids are recruited to a school based on their athletic ability. This is most especially true in baseball where the Koushien, the high school world series, is a very big deal in Japan. I liked how they touched this from the coach of Ryonan High School. It is true that some students join a school to join a team that is coached by this particular person and I really like how they touch that.

I really like the character design in this. Though it is a little difficult to transition from how Inoue-sensei did it in the manga, the anime works in its own that it just has this artistic distinction that still carries on today. I found the design to be very diverse and expresses many atmospheres within the story and between the characters. It can be very realistic looking, or very cartoony. Some characters have the generic anime design like Haruko, or look more realistic like her brother, nick named Gori, Gorilla for short.

In a way, Sendo’s design in the anime kind of bothered me. He didn’t really look like a high school student by making his eyes more rectangular. In the original manga, his eyes were more circular and I thought the design there he looked more appropriately like a teenager and I will sort of address this issue coming across as older as he looks a bit later. However, the anime addresses at times about characters who look older than they look at times like Maki and at times Akagi.

I really like how the anatomy of the players accurately reflect what a basketball player looks like. A slim-muscular like build meant for speed and high cardio. Of course naturally bigger players play center and very early, it shows that a certain percentage of centers and taller players like Shaq, Dwight Howard, and Wilt Chamberlain aren’t the best at free throws.

The basketball games may bring the intensity of lets say a 1990s NBA game, but it is pretty fun to watch and in certain moments, the anime will explain the fundamentals of basketball for people who have no familiarity with the sport. At least the games are not anything like the games in Prince of Tennis where their abilities equate to killing the dinosaurs. So don’t expect any silly shit like that. Inoue-sensei referenced a lot of NBA pictures from magazines and the form that the characters show in their lay ups and slam dunks is just at that high level.

Rukawa feels like Michael Jordan to me while Sakuragi is a lot like Rodman and Miyagi is like Mogsuy Bouggues.

But I heard that some time ago, Inoue-sensei got in trouble for referencing very specific pictures and was in some copyright dispute over that which I think is stupid. Anybody who does art knows that artists reference al the time.

The resolution and contrast will look a little grainy and rough, but I don’t mind it. I think it suits the delinquent and manliness of this series very well as opposed to looking it as outdated.

The first opening theme alone, Kimi Ga Suki Da To Sakebitai just qualifies for a 10/10 in the sound department. It just brings this energy and intensity that accurately reflects the nature of the series about wanting to impress a girl and also doing your best. You can feel you’re one with the flow with the drum beats and the guitar licks. It’s a song we can all relate to. I feel if people make a list of top anime songs and does not list Kimi Ga Suki da to Sakebitai, they are not a true anime fan (and the only other songs I can say this for are Pegasus Fantasy from Saint Seiya and Heart of the Sword from Rurouni Kenshin). It is just so wonderful to listen to.

Whenever you watch a high school basketball game in Japan, you are most likely to hear this song in the opening ceremony. Most times I have went to one, I would always hear this song and it shows how much Slam Dunk has had on basketball in Japan. The other theme songs also bring the same qualities that reflect the nature of the series.

Another reason for my 10/10 is just for Midorikawa Hikaru alone as the voice of Rukawa. He’s one of the best seiyuus of all time for crying out loud. He is very good at playing all kinds of characters from the enthusiastic Michael from Marmalade Boy, the romantic Tamahome from Fushigi Yuugi, the dark killer of Heero Yuy from Gundam Wing, and this time the anti-social Rukawa. He can play just about anybody. Sakuragi is played by another top name from the 90s, Kusao Takashi, the voice of Trunks from Dragon Ball Z. His voice is really more rough and scratchy. Even though as Future Trunks he sounded aggressive, he still had something of a soft voice. Along with the rough and scratchniess, at times it is appropriately comedic. In a way, it works in a well-rounded sense when necessary.

Another seiyuu I happened to enjoy was the voice of Tanaka Hideyuki as Kogure, or Megane-kun to Sakuragi. In case you don’t know, he’s the Japanese voice of Otacon and Huey from Metal Gear Solid. The design of the character has a physicality and look just like the Emmerich’s and I thought the voice just fit perfectly and I feel it was this performance paved the way for such a legendary role.

As previously stated, I sort of had an issue with Sendo coming across feeling older than a teenager, I feel that also had to do with Ohtsuka Hochuu, the voice of Jiraiya from Naruto as his seiyuu. His voice is really easy to recognize if you are familiar with that particular role, but I guess his jokey and relaxed nature does bring a youthfulness to it in some ways. Sendo does have a sense of humor and I feel in some ways, his voice does reflect that. Then again, it doesn’t go into the extremes like in his performance as Chibodee in G Gundam where he calls Domon Japanese and Saisaishi Chinese and I just like the way he pronunciates it. The cast and music just go on and on and I feel for music lovers and seiyuu buffs, that alone makes Slam Dunk worth watching.

Well, I know a good number of people on the internet are not fond of sports anime, but there is a reason why it has appeal, at least in Japan. Joining a sports club while still a student is really a big deal while it really isn’t too much of a big deal in America where us American tend to feel that sports if for douche bag jocks or whatever. Japanese schools, especially at the jr high level, encourage it more often because they feel it prepares people for society in some ways such as learning about team work, understanding senpai/kouhai relations, having a goal and working for it, having fun and hard work. To Japanese people, seeing that, they can relate to their own youth or what is going on in their lives if they are still students.

To me, the opening song was just enough and it brought me back to the days of the 90s and how I loved the players of that era.

But when watching, you will see Sakuragi grow. At times you will laugh at his stupidity and at times you will feel sorry for him. The series shows every aspect of what he goes through and you will see him grow. You will also see how his relationships with his teammates grow. He may be full of himself, but when the going gets tough, he will work hard and pull through. It’s an anime that shows that everybody has the potential at something. Some may be natural, some may need to work harder than others, but when you put your mind to it, all things are possible.

Anyway, my big issue was that it ends where it only had 2 games left from the manga. The anime already introduced characters and yet it ends without solving those issues. It is as big as a travesty as the jinchu arc from Rurouni Kenshin not being animated. But the anime ending works in a way where you see Sakuragi grow individually but the manga shows how Sakuragi develops to the point on why the team needs him. I say after watching the anime, read the remaining manga.

Slam Dunk is one of those classics of sports anime. You always hear about it and wonder if it actually is the best thing since sliced bread. Well, it isn't. But it is funny and entertaining and worthwhile if you have the patience for it.

Imagine GTO in high school and determined to learn how to play basketball to get closer to the girl he has a crush on -- tah-dah, Slam Dunk! The story has the expected sort of "learn a skill, show a skill" repetitive story line common to a lot of sports and shounen animes, but it's punched up ... by a little delinquency, a little reformation, and a tiny bit of one-sided romance. The one real downside to the story is the occasional trips into a DBZ/Naruto-esque timefreeze: sometimes one basketball game takes, like, 3 episodes and you wonder how it's possible that only 2 minutes anime-time have gone by in the last 20 real-time. ;)

The art is a little rough sometimes, kind of typical for the time period. There's a lot of panning across stills and repetitive looks at the same image. It can be a little annoying, but I kept on reminding myself when it was made (1993-1996!) and I got over it. The one thing that I noticed the most was probably the fact that the key on their court looks different from a real key in a NBA or Olympic court, but I decided to stop thinking about it a few episodes in.

The character of the main character is what makes the whole thing entertaining, I think. He is brash, tactless, rough and stupid -- and, for some odd reason, really funny. Even when he gets on my nerves, he does something random and ridiculous and retarded, and it just ends up cracking me up. He's always calling himself a genius (when he doesn't know how to do anything) and laughing in this obnoxious, cocky manner and making awful mistakes, but he's somehow loveable anyway and you end up rooting for him because he's just that charismatic. The thing that's really nice about him is just how flawed he is... he's got natural athleticism, but he's far from being a natural on the basketball court and he's loyal, strong, and dedicated, but he's also impatient and hot-tempered and loud. And he's really nicely backed up by a team of interesting, diverse guys who each (eventually) get their time in the limelight and each have their own personal struggles to overcome while striving to work together as a team.

Overall, I enjoyed watching Slam Dunk -- despite the really slow pacing of some of the actual games. It's funny in that rough, delinquent way that will be familiar to people who've seen Hajime no Ippo and Great Teacher Onizuka. If you're an American basketball-purist, you might have some issues with the show, but if you're just looking for a fun, classic shounen about some rough-and-tumble guys... you've found what you're looking for.

Slam Dunk is considered a pioneer of sports anime. All from its witty jokes to its inspiring speeches, it’s a masterpiece from the 90s. It teaches many valuable morals of life such as establishing strong bonds with each other, and to never give up. It’s an anime that’s been a part of my childhood, and I knew from its first episode that it would be hilarious.

[Story]
The plot was centered on our self-centered protagonist Sakuragi Hanamichi, a 189cm tall, 16 year old, delinquent who hates basketball. And in order to impress a girl, he attempts to play the sport, fails miserably at it, and even ... managed to pants the opponent who was the captain of the basketball team as well as the girl’s older brother. But even after all that, he still somehow managed to get on the basketball team.

The anime itself is mainly set in the Shohoku High School. It’s the home to the Shohoku basketball team, a team that isn’t considered a threat in the Kanagawa prefecture of Japan. Mainly due to its lack of skilled players, the team is really a one man team, consisting of the team captain Akagi Takenori, or Gorilla as Sakuragi likes to call him. But with the new year rolling in several new players joined the team including the superstar first year Rukawa Kaede, and our protagonist the self-proclaimed genius Sakuragi Hanamichi. The entire story pretty much revolves around the idea of making it to the nationals, since it’s been the dream of the 3rd years on the team.

Now that I mention it, dreams, and goals of all the characters really play a huge role in the anime. It’s been the major reason for a lot of the determination, passion, and character development in the show. I love this aspect because I find it relatable since in real life we all have dreams of our own, and it inspires us to work hard to achieve them. It’s also this aspect of the show that makes it one of the best slices of life animes ever.

[Characters]
The anime focuses in on a huge cast of characters, not only the Shohoku basketball team but also players from other teams as well as Sakuragi’s troupe of nutjobs. Now having a large cast of characters can be a definite problem if not done right, but Slam Dunk takes its characters and uses them to its full potential. All the characters possess intricate, diverse, and likeable personalities. But the most important reason I love this anime was the immense amount of character development the characters portrayed. When the Sakuragi first debuted, I can’t say I enjoyed his character a lot because he seemed like a really arrogant, and selfish person, but by the end of the anime, he learned how to rely on his teammates, and treat them with respect, and because of that he became one of my all-time favorite characters in anime.

Something I realized after doing some research was that the characters in the anime were actually based on real life basketball players in the 90s. Which is really cool because if you know basketball players, and watch the anime, you'll begin to figure out which character is which player in real life.

[Art]
Now for the biggest gripe people would probably have about this anime, I’m not sure about others, but I tend to hate outdated art styles, and if I hadn’t seen it when I was younger I probably would’ve never watched the show. The show was made in the mid-90s, so it’s typical 90’s art style, if you’ve watched other shows like Neon Genesis Evangelion you would probably be familiar with it. It’s usually a bit rugged, and rough since the art was hand drawn. And the character designs aren’t what we’re used to today, they actually look more lifelike. But it turned out to be not as much of a problem as it seems when I rewatched it, because you get used to the art after a couple of episodes. But if you seriously have major problems with watching animes with old art this might be a problem for you.

[Sound]
This show has the most amazing OP and EDs ever, they're old school Japanese pop music. They are absolutely excellent, they go along with the show so well, and complements the feel of sports. I've read some of the other Slam Dunk reviews and I think they deserve a lot more recognition that they're given. The BGM were pretty compatible with the anime, I'd really like to comment more about it but to be honest there wasn't much of it. Compared to modern sports animes Slam Dunk pretty much has a very little amount of BGM, but you'd hardly notice it since it has tons of sound effects.

[Overall]
Overall though, Slam Dunk is amazing, no matter if you're watching it back in the 90s or right now. The art style might be a bit rusty but the amazing story and characters definitely make up for it. And if the thought of watching a sports anime turns you off, then watch it for the comedy, I'm sure you'd enjoy it anyways. I'd throughly enjoyed re watching the series recently and it seems just as amazing as it was 10 years ago, it's truly a masterpiece, a masterpiece that inspires people for decades to go out and play some basketball.

Slam dunk is, in my opinion, the best anime i've seen.

Story
The story is a typical anime sports plot, a central character (hanamichi) who starts hating basketball but due to his love interest get's into the school's team and starst loving it. The difference from other anime is that it gives you a better point of view in what respects effort will make you the best. In most anime the central character makes a great effort and ends up being the greatest player in the world in no time, instead slam dunk shows you that you are not the only one practising, everyone else does so ... too. (I would have liked to explain more but it would turn into a spoiler).

Art
typical 90's anime art. I liked it and the characters express a lot.

Sound
Good I think, I don't know much about sound. the first opening is really great and is in concordance with the series feel.

Character
This is what makes this anime great, you just have to love every character. I've never felt so close to any anime character than to hanamichi. I mean, I felt like i could actually touch him. Also all of them make you feel their emotions. I've even cryed though it's generally a comedy.

Enjoyment
If you don't enjoy this anime.... then mm go watch one you'll enjoy, and have fun, but I think you'll enjoy it.

This anime is straight 10 in every aspects for me. I had watched first time when I was 6 six years old with its limited episodes on TV. Slam Dunk is the reason why I started playing basketball and loved that sport so much. It increases popularity of basket not only in Japan but in other countries.

The story is evolved around our tensai basketball player Hanamichi Sakuragi. At the beginning he is person who hates basketball a lot (I do not want to give its reason because of spoilers, you will figure it out at the very beginning of the serie). But that attitude ... was changed when he met with Haruko. Through the whole serie it is amazing to see how he develops from a punk to a decent basketball player. Anime gives that feeling splendidly. It is like something inside you is developing with every improvement he made. It can be emotionally or mentally.

Characters have also strong position in here. Their background and goals were given to viewers very well as well as introduction of some of them. Also their relationships are unbreakable.

In art based it really looks old school and I like it so much. So much 90s are all over it. The most lovable thing is funny appearance of their faces in some situations. It fits to the characters perfectly. I wacthed a lot anime, Slam Dunk makes this situation simply awesome.


All in all Slam Dunk is my first anime that I watched. It was the start of everything for me. And it will be always in my hearth as my first and the best anime.

Instead of writing a paragraph of review, I will basically list all the good things I thought abou tthis show:

STORY:

The story is very well presented. Instead of focusing solely on basketball, it also shows the lives of the characters; character development will develop during major story arcs and not through filler episodes. Speaking of fillers, unlike other animes wher fillers are usually unwanted, in Slam Dunk fillers are very fun to watch.

SOUND/MUSIC:

The soundtrack is great, the music somehow makes the show come alive. From comedic situations to high tense action, the music delivers.

... CHARACTERS:

The characters are especially unique in this anime why? Because they continue to develop throughout he story.

OVERALL:

This anime is the perfect casual anime for anyone who wants to take a break from mind-boggling shows like Death Note or action-focused animes like Bleach or Dragonball (DBZ can be debated :P).

I have watch this anime since forever, I started watching it when I was a kid, forgot what age I was, I started obsessed with it. I try to join the basketball team in my school but I didn't get chosen. Then, after years, I started watching it again when I'm in high school, and obsessed with it again. I felt like watching it for the first time, and it was exciting because I couldn't remember much. But after that, I started download the anime and it has been my source of enjoyment. That is how I am obsessed with this anime.

But, still there ... are things that bothered me. Especially with the art, I mean its outdated. I sometime can't stand it because I want more visual graphics because now it's 2016. My eyes gets sore when I see that kind of quality. But the manga is good art though.

The BGM is really my taste. The sound and especially the intro has been embedded in my heart. I recognize it when they play one of the Slam Dunk BGM in Running Man Korea. Haha, think I not notice it?! The guitar riff is cool and they fit really well with Slam Dunk. I really wanted to give the guys credit for the BGM.

The character is funny, even when they are serious. Slam Dunk is one of a few that can stand out each of the character perfectly and realistically. Start with our hero, Sakuragi Hanamichi, he's a newbie in basketball, and his main reason to join in is because of a girl, but slowly in the story, he started to like the game. As the story goes on, Sakuragi started improved his game little by little and end up shocking the whole nation. Maybe. But Takehiko Inoue really making his character stick to a more realistic improvement. There is really not much to expect to see Sakuragi being skillful but his athletic ability and power will certainly shock the viewer as well as the character in the story.Although I really wanted to see Sakuragi improve much better but... the story only show the 3 months of Sakuragi joining the basketball, so to say 3 months playing can't make a person skill improve much.

Overall, the anime is fine as hell. There are a lot of character who are skillful but I am not going to spoil it.Just watch the story and enjoy it as it is.

One of my favourite animes since I was around 7 years old. It's hilarious, has the perfect amount of drama, comedy, suspense and action (in it's own rights). Always love re-watching and re-re-watching episodes whenever I'm bored.
The main character, Sakuragi Hanamichi always seems to bring my spirits up as a basketball player and also makes me laugh with his comedic features.
His attitude and his drive to become better and overcome his weaknesses is also rather inspiring.
Overall a brilliant anime, one of my favourite. Though what I hated was that Inoue-sensei didn't continue and left us hanging right before the Inter-high... really frustrated. ... I hope they continue and come up with something soon with better animation quality.

Slam Dunk, the first thing it'd tell me is Basketball! :) i've been playing bball for sometime now, and this anime was out just before i was born:)

Story - Very good story even though there are some parts i dislike :) especially when some people are soo dumb and couldn't figure things out!

Art and Sound - ofcause this anime is very old, the only thing i'd say is, compare to the anime's being made nowadays, this anime's art level isn't at the top, but however, some fighting scenes used in this are still ''classic'' :)

Character - i must say, the characters from this anime ... is very good, especially hanamichi (sry if i spelt him wrong :)), he's a very funny character, i'll give you that :)

Enjoyment - i pretty much enjoyed 99% of this anime, :) i watched this ZELION TIMES :) cuz it was soo enjoyable :)

Overall - I love this anime soo much :) but nowadays, with all the new animes out such as Vampire Knight, Nabari no Ou, Bleach/Naruto, Code Geass R2, PoT NT, i dunno, much more :), i dont really have alot of time to come back to this enjoyable anime, i just ocationally watch the ending of this anime :) because its fun... anyway, this anime have alot of funny parts :) and is a very good anime to watch. i only wished they could carry on the inter-high tournament :( sadly they only had manga for that :(

thanks for reading :) this is based on my experience and is my 1st review :)

I'm a little biased, this is my favorite anime/manga of all time. And as it turns out, not just mine. Slam Dunk has been voted as being Japan's favorite manga of all time. Takehiko Inoue is also one of the most revered and acknowledged mangaka ever. Following Slam Dunk, he has created several other masterpieces, namely Vagabond which I haven't read yet. But apparently it has received some very distinguished awards. But regarding Slam Dunk, it's not like Kuroko where the characters are dramatized by the color of their hair, by special abilities only relevant in sci fi. It's a lot more realistic, and the ... emphasis is a lot more on the story and the blending of characters. It is one of my life's saddest truths that the anime does not finish the story of the manga. And the ending of the manga is bittersweet in that it's the greatest possible ending imaginable, but it might leave you begging for more as well. That's genius. I still remember to this day, reading the final chapters of the manga where the anime left off, and it's definitely the greatest story I've ever read, with the greatest art of any mangaka in regards to the drawings of the emotions, the panel distribution, taking advantage of the anticipation from one page to another. There's been nothing like it. And that's evidenced by the fact that Slam Dunk has sold over 120 million copies, being a sports manga! That's unprecedented.

The best sport shounen anime. The first time i find anime without ECCHI STUFF, OPPAI, YAOI, AND MORE SEX OR DIRTY STORYLINE,. THE BEST ANIME EVER. The comedy is not hard to make us laughing. The story is simple, but we find many twist. Each episode show how a hero born from zero. The art stile is old and mature.

The background song while Sakuragi do rebound will always ringing in your head.
The character have go through great development in every episodes. I do believe this anime will be popularize basketball much more all over asia. The only way to enjoy this anime is believing ... that "the best thing from falling is there will be only one choice: getting up.

Slam Dunk is probably one of the most beautiful sports anime I have ever come acrossed. It is one of those animes that will be forever be memorable once you have watched it.

For those looking to understand basketball, this is the anime for you.
For those who are just looking for a good laugh, this is it.
And for those who just want to be moved, I greatly recommend this anime and it's a thriller.

Though, it may seem like just another typical sports anime at first, it is not. Slam Dunk is one of the few animes out there that can actually make ... the viewers cry, laugh, and fall in love with not one but all of its characters-- not because of their extremely good looks or their perfectly good charm(though that wouldn't hurt) but though their individuality, friendship, teamwork, passion, and determination to reach a team goal.

UPS:
- Simple fun characters with realistic goals!
- Creative and memorable comedy
- Suspense that could make you heart actually pound
- Moving. very moving.
- great audio great illustrations

DOWNS:
- The anime ended quite differently from the manga. The manga, obviously, being the one with the better end.
- It's a little outdated.

Slam dunk is one of the anime which is pretty well known. In my opinion this anime is over hyped with no content to support it. First the story, the story in itself feels a little dull. I said dull because in over hundered episode the story could have been amazing. I will not spoil the story, but trust me this anime have a little content for a 101 episode anime. The matches are long ( episode wise), smallest match I ever seen in this anime was 5 episode long. You feel bored in half way through the anime. The character development feels well paced ... and character are good. The characters helps put the comedy element to the story.

In the end, the story feels stretched, but it feels a little good because of the character in the story. I would refer this anime if you have nothing to do and want to pass time.

The manga and anime started the basketball trend in Japan during the 90s and i decided to see how good it was. This was my first sports anime and I didn't expect much from it. Knowing that it was from Toei also didn't help much. But after the first three episodes, I was hooked for the ride. The characters were the thing that made me like the anime and also learned some nice basketball terminology along the way. The journey itself was filled with pretty intense matches and twists. It teaches some pretty valuable lessons that you can use in your life. Not to spoil ... more, but after you finish it you should definitely start the manga because the anime doesn't cover the entire story.
If you like basketball, then this is for you. If not the characters will hook you up for the ride to come. You won't regret it!

******this review contain minor spoilers ******
-This is REAL basketball
-This is NO magic basketball
-This is how REAL shounen anime should be
-I've not read the manga but am going to read

I was debating with myself whether i should watch this. BUT luckily i did. This anime is really classic and really enjoyable unlike some other basketball anime.This anime is about real skills and not about magic,fantasy or super power.

Story (7)
A novice basketballer, Sakuragi Hanamichi, from Shohoku High School who knows nothing about basketball and even hate it and looked down on it at first. But the girl that he likes recommended him to ... play and so that was how his basketball life begun. He joined the basketball team shortly after that. In the anime you will see how much he had improved from a newbie to a national basketball player. And you will see what his team and him had went through in the road to become national champion. In terms of hardship and perseverance.

Art(7)
The art was not bad. Im very fussy about anime's art. I rarely watch anime from early 2000 not to even say early 1990s ( about 20 years from no ) because the it was very HORRIBLE . Well, the art is good considering that it is from 20 years ago. But of course there are some imperfections . The art is drawn by hand back then unlike now mainly computers. But i cannot compare animes from different generation. Nevertheless, the art is simple but it is surprisingly good as well!

Despite that i am going to critic about something. Which the way they block people! It is really funny and horrible at the same time. The way they block people looks like they are dancing!...

Sound(8)
This anime's opening song are AWESOME. Believe or not, i have not skipped a single opening in this anime. I usually skip anime's opening or ending song as i find them time consuming since we can listen to the full version whenever we like. Unless i really like the song. However, the ending songs are not that comparable ( for me )

Character(8)
Sakuragi Hanamichi ,is a typical shounen anime's main character. Which have characteristic such as:
-Simpleton (stupid)
-thickheaded
-Not good in studies
-Dream big
-Feel irritated easily
-Weak against women
-Like to pick fights
-Center of attention
-Stubborn
-Not popular
-Can change face easily (personality)
-Have rival
-Have a lot of potential ***
Judging from above what else i have to say about him? Haha

Rukawa Kaede the other main character. Who is the rival of Sakuragi Hanamichi. He is different from Sakuragi Hanamichi as he is really skilled , have experience , cool headed , a guy with not much word and most importantly handsome, popular.

I shall not say about other character. You should explore them yourself. The other character are interesting as well! Everyone has a unique personality and skills. Really worth to check out.

Enjoyment(8)
I would give a 9 if the preliminaries does not have so much fillers(recaps). A recap would pop up in the middle of a important part. And it was really irritating. And during Kainan and Ryonan match it was wayyyy too long. I think that it dragged for more than 30 episodes?.

This anime title is really good in my opinion. As the title does not have the main character's name. If not there will be NO thrills and excitement. As everything will go as the main character's way. Since it is a shounen anime.

To be honest i only find it really interesting in the middle from epidode 40 or so. After that it really make me think what is going to happen next as it is REALLY unpredictable!

Overall(8)
This anime is really good! I have nothing much to say about this as you have eyes to watch it yourself. And judge it yourself.

Enjoyment?! wow~! i dont like sports let alone Anime sport series! and this is the only exception for me to watch sport anime or sport in general!! This anime leaves me a memory i cannot forget..it made me smile, laugh, cry, sad, etc. This anime makes me love Basketball and Japan even more!! and it also influence a positive mind set in my life. i watched it more than 5 times...the only Bad thing about this anime is that it stopped at 101 episode :( wish it could continue like the manga did. And i don't read manga..

Did you ever had the feeling that something grabs your attention so hard that its hard to let it go? I had this feeling while watching Slam Dunk. For me,that is the best sports-related anime tied with Hajime no Ippo. I'll rate by rating points above.
Characters-I liked all Shokohu basketball team,exept Rukawa. That guy got on my nerves ever since the begining as he has Sasuke-like personality. Hanamichi is god!
Sound-I enjoyed the OST.
Story-The story-hmm,I was never the biggest fan of basketball,but still it ruled.
Art-Since I'm a great fan of old style art,I can't say a bad thing for it.
Enjoyment-I enjoyed ... it from the begining till the end.
Overall its a great anime. A pity that there is not many like it.

This is one of those gems of the old that I have slept on. It is almost 20 years old and this is by far one of the best sports anime I've ever watched. At first i thought I'd tackle a challenge: watch an entire anime series with around 100 episodes. There were many anime out there around this length that i just could not commit to. Before long, I became hooked. Having watched 10+ episodes a day, i finished within a week.

This anime not only entertains, but it contains factual information on the basics of basketball. The character designs were well crafted ... and realistic. The music selection is great and the art work for it's day was probably outstanding.

If you are a basketball fan and like anime, this is the right anime for you.
(side note* This anime also made me very happy because it also pays homage to the Jordan brand. And i happen to love Jordan sneakers.)

I didn't want to write a review but i felt i had to when i read the top reviews of Kuroko no Basuke comparing it to Slam Dunk, saying it might be better. Jesus Christ people, you are comparing a Classic work of the Past to a over hyped, overrated show. We have believable characters with strengths and weaknesses, who can't make half court shots here, who can't make shots while in a position like you are doing the hoola hoop. Likeable characters, development. Granted the art and sound isn't the best but it's from the 90's. It annoys me to no ends when a ... show that's only good for it's flashy moves and art is said to be as good as or even better than a show in which they actually play basketball. It's obvious i liked this show and if you watched Kuroko, please actually WATCH this show before you compare them, because then you'll see what they have in Kuroko isn't basketball. It's magic tricks with a basketball and of course magic tricks will amuse some people. If you actually well informed, then you'll be able to tel the difference between the magic trick and actual basketball.