Slam Dunk

I am in really good mood to watch one more Sport genre Anime-Series

I have watched most baseball anime, then tennis, soccer.

After watching Diamond No Ace and Haikyuu! I had two more recommendations kuroko no basket and Slam Dunk.

Slamdunk being highly rated and oldest of them it looked more interesting than kuroko no Basket


There is no team work in this sport. Especially Hanamichi didn't even put the effort to learn the basic rules and calls himself genius with loud mouth... a waste of space in the court if i would say.
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His rival Rukawa plays his own plays .. doesn't matter if its team member or opponent he will steal the ball and score it.

The matched and pre-matches are too draggy and unnecessary drama!!

I could bear 30 episodes but 31-33 opened my eyes and I could watch anymore

I tried to give this anime a shot. I really did. I enjoy sports anime but all I wanted to do was hit my head against a brick wall. The main character made my ears bleed, he was so annoying. Totally hung up on a girl who clearly doesn't like him, who in turn is hung up on a guy who doesn't even know she exists. I know this is a classic anime series and I really want to give it another chance which is why I might start reading the manga instead. The characters piss me off to much when they talk. I feel ... like the main character does go through growth, considering their are over 100 episodes, he better. But, he is so whiny and annoying. Only caring about doing a slam dunk and complaining every single time. As if he is some genious when he is nothing but a glorified moron who doesn't know anything about basketball. Its annoying. I want to get pumped watching them play even if its only practice but instead each and every episode is excruciating to watch. I am the type of person who gets really into a series because I feel connected to a character. Their are many i watch or read simply because they are mainstream and they don't piss me off enough to stop but those never stand out to me and certainly are not my favorites. Their is a reason I still read bleach even though I could care less about it at all and that's because of Ichigo and Orihime. The only characters I care about at least a little in Slam Dunk is the vice captain and the main characters best friend. The main character reminds me a lit of Kagami during the first season of Kuroko no Basket. Didn't like him either. I was always drawn to Kuroko because I could relate to him as a character. Watching the anime always got me so hyped. I hate actual basketball but watching Kuroko play made me really happy. Its really the series that got me into sports anime and Slam Dunk even though I should like it, does nothing but make me cringe from episode one.

*Apologies for my english*

Slam Dunk is one of the best thing out there and for me is the best sport series. The intensity and heart pumping action it gives is unparallel to any other series. And when I say this, I meant the manga version of this series and not the anime version.(I watched the anime first btw)

Slam Dunk anime does not do the manga justice. Not even close. The reason this anime has high rating is mostly because of the nostalgic feel and "the past anime is better anime" thought process. Don't get me wrong tho, It's not totally bad. There are some shining ... moments but that's it. The main focus, the basketball matches is very boring 'compared' to the manga. Some of the characters looks goofy, the main female character haruko looks ugly. Everything the anime tries to do doesn't even come close to the manga.

"Basketball series better as a manga than as anime?" Confusing right? How can stilt pictures with dialogues be better than animated basketball matches? Well it just is. The way the anime is executed is just poor. Or maybe the manga is just too good.

SIMPLY what I am saying is Don't waste your time on the anime. It does not give you the full Slam Dunk awesomeness. Read the manga. Its a MUST READ.

Story- 9
Art- 7
Sound- 10
Characters- 9
Enjoyment- 2
Overall- 3

DO NOT WATCH THIS IF YOU LIKE BASKETBALL!

This series is not made for basketball lovers nor anyone with a basic understanding of team sports. There's no I in team but there are only I's in this series. Sakurahi plays his first match but does not even know the positions. In fact, he is given 0 instructions when he enters the match, so he just does protagonist things. No tactics, no team play, only focus on the best players doing crazy things. Since the matches run so long, this aspect becomes really grating which is frustrating as the elements outside the matches are fun. The coaches ... are more like instruction manual to tell players which move to master next. They spend more time teaching him layups than actually useful beginner skills like passing, and defending. Since the anime released in 90's, I expected the matches to last long but I would have enjoyed this more if they showed instead of told. It was like listening to an audiobook with static images. There's so much reaction and talking going on.

Having said that, everything apart from basketball is actually fun, which is ironic. The biggest selling point for me is the humor which is surprisingly not outdated at all. The VA for Sakuragi (Takeshi Kusao) does an amazing job as well. His laugh is just so infectious. I found myself laughing loud whenever Sakuragi would do his tensai laugh or over some of the physical comedy.

When I compare characters to other sports animes (Hajime no Ippo, Haikyuu), Slam Dunk's characters are not interesting. The only reason to watch Slam Dunk now is to explore classics. This may have been groundbreaking when it was released but the boring matches and one-dimensional sports writing bring it down massively.

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.