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

Shimizu, Junji Episode Director, Storyboard

Reviews

Jun 18, 2025

Jasiyu

Recommended

*Slam Dunk* is a pioneering anime in the sports genre that heavily influenced many titles that came after it. The story follows Hanamichi Sakuragi, a delinquent teenager who joins the basketball team just to impress a girl. However, over time, he genuinely gets into the sport, which makes for an entertaining character progression.

For its time, the animation is quite decent. I’m surprised some people criticize it for being stiff, when it’s really not that bad. While it’s true that in non-game scenes the stiffness is more noticeable, during the important moments — like the tournaments — the animation does a great job. It has energy ... and emotion when it counts.

As for the art style, it shouldn’t be judged by today’s standards, especially since the anime tries to stay true to the realistic style of the manga. The animators may not capture it perfectly, but the drawings look good overall — especially during the games.

That said, I personally felt that the first few episodes were a bit slow and hard to get into. Some elements didn’t appeal to me, like the whole gang stuff and Rukawa’s fangirls… God, they’re so annoying! I get that it’s part of the humor, but they were just too much.

One thing I really liked was how they explained basketball rules. They do it in a fun, clear, and engaging way — something I haven’t seen done so naturally in other sports anime.

The characters are well written, with distinct personalities. However, I feel like the romance subplot was handled too superficially. I would’ve liked to see more development, especially with Haruko’s feelings. There was one episode where she seemed to accept that Rukawa wouldn’t return her feelings, but in the next, it was like she forgot and went back to the same.

In summary, *Slam Dunk* might feel slow at first, but if you’re patient, it becomes a very enjoyable anime. It’s great if you like sports, but also if you’re looking for a good laugh — there are plenty of funny moments.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Mar 19, 2021

Gaspar445

Mixed Feelings

Slam Dunk is a show full of colorful and memorable characters that is, ironically, slowed down by the basketball games they play in.

The main character, the genius himself, Sakuragi Hanamachi rides the fine line between lovable and insufferable. For 95% of the time, he is a loud and obnoxious goofball, always spouting about being a self-proclaimed basketball genius despite being a total beginner at the sport. However, because we see his constant failures and his relentless drive for improvement, Sakuragi manages to avoid being an arrogant and unlikable main character. Sakuragi's development as a basketball player is also impressive. Sakuragi's skillset is slowly built ... throughout the series and he doesn't magically become a highly skilled and well-rounded character like his rival/teammate Rukawa; his initial skill in jumping high for rebounds and endurance is realistically due to his naturally insane athleticism. These aspects of Sakuragi's character make him a character you want to root for. Despite his bravado, you want to see him overcome his obstacles and become a better player. His usual goofiness makes the short moments where he is serious and shows flashes of true brilliance that much more impactful and are the most anticipated moments of each basketball game.

The rough and tumble Shohoku High starting line up conists Akagi Takenori, Mitsui Hisashi, Miyagi Ryota, Rukawa Kaede, and of course Sakuragi. Each of them have unique personalities that entertainingly clash with each other. Their motivations and aspirations are interestingly explored, particularly Mitsui's story. Rukawa is an interesting foil to Sakuragi. The former is quiet and already an elite high school basketball player while the latter is bombastic and is just learning the game. Their rivalry is a source of lots of funny moments, but also a source of frustratingly drawn-out knuckleheaded plays by Sakuragi. The rest of the cast are entertaining as well, including Sakuragi's boisterous but loyal group of friends, Haruko, the object of Sakuragi's unnoticed love, and the opponents from other schools. The cast plays off each other very well and there is a very real sense of camaraderie built throughout the show.

Unfortunately for how much fun the episodes about training or exploring the various characters can be, the basketball games themselves tend to be not fun because of how long they are drawn out. So much time is taken up by the players on the court talking to each other, coach monologues, or a sequence where every single character in attendance react to something that happened. A large chunk of time is also taken up by Sakuragi daydreaming about how he'll embarrass Rukawa with his genius performance. These are the only times I am annoyed with how boastful Sakuragi is. The moments where the game isn't moving at a snail's pace, where something really cool happens, are teetering on few and far between. But the climaxes of each game are still satisfactory to even awe-inspiring. The highest highs of Slam Dunk are definitely found in the games, but not only after slogging through padded episodes with cool moments peppered throughout it.

If the amount of episodes for each game were at least cut down by a third, I would have enjoyed this anime a little bit more. Despite my complaints, there is still a lot to like about Slam Dunk. Slam Dunk is still a piece of anime history I don't regret watching all 101 episodes of because after watching it, it is clear that the genius basket-man Sakuragi Hanamichi's journey into falling in love with basketball set the standard that almost all sports anime afterwards go by.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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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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