Welcome back to my famed, adored and treasured Anime discovery series. A long public series of one singular film before this one. So as the authority on all things Anime and especially all things Basketball, we’re all in the right hands to know the lowdown on this film. The First Slam Dunk captures everything I needed in a sports movie, impossible challenge, high stakes and dead siblings.
From online buzz, I went in with pretty high expectations on this one. I was ready to be blown away or very disappointed. I did turn up five minutes late to the screening, just to see Ryota’s brother head off in the boat, with an emotionally intense goodbye. I was worried I missed more of the setup but thankfully I was filled in by the flashbacks interspersed throughout the basketball game that the film centres around.
The story is pretty simple, a majorly important game for two rival high school basketball teams. In between watching the game, you gain context on the Shohoku players, with the focus being on Ryota and his journey to the game.
I didn’t expect to get so emotionally invested in not only the characters but the game itself, I felt a similar level of tension to Top Gun Maverick and the pure anticipation of whether or not they would be successful. I think a comparison to that film is pretty high praise, considering the difference in actions, one is a high speed, high stakes, action packed plane adventure and the other is the exact same thing that but on the basketball court, and without the planes.
I am so impressed by the flashbacks in this film, they are executed so well in the way they manage to centralise Ryota and his story while also giving you context and depth to all of his other teammates.
The story of Ryota and his family is one that feels familiar but is done so well that I will forgive any reliance on previous stories. Ryota comes up against the pressure to live up to his brother’s expectations, honouring him as the one who took his place as the basketball star of the family. He also has to grapple with his mother not being able to fully support him. Their relationship is quiet and a lot is left to be filled in by the audience, the work is put in place for us to understand the depth of their feelings.
The rest of the cast don’t get as much focus as Ryota but they have just enough backstory that you believe them as people with more than you’re shown. You see the perspective from Ryota but don’t feel that the others are just pawns in his story. If anything, it makes me more interested to get to know these characters more, either through a sequel or to delve into the source material. I of course am not at that stage of Anime understanding yet so will wait for the sequel or build up curiosity until I can face reading Manga.
The context of the other teammates is also done well though, not cheaping out on their importance to the team in their own way. They all come up against their own challenges within the game, showing growth and progression from the flashbacks or even the beginning of the game. As you learn more about the team, you see them come together more and more until they feel like a unit.
The opening titles of the film is a shot of the team walking towards the camera, all together but until you meet them all and know more about them, you don’t feel that team dynamic. They then later show a very similar shot, of them coming back onto the court after a timeout. This same shot feels so different to watch at this stage. You understand the stakes of this walk onto the court, the passion and determination, mixed in with that all important feigned confidence.
The animation is the only part of the film where I had moments of question. For about 95% of it, I was hugely impressed with its blending of 2D and 3D styles, along with the sketchbook and crayon type styles it blends in. There were a few small shots or scenes, mostly involving people where I thought the sheen on some of the characters took me out of the style and the blend faded into a bit more of a generic looking 3D style, strangely it felt most prominent on Akagi while I was watching.
I can’t fault any of the technical animation though, it was some of the most seamless movement of action that I’ve seen. The actual basketball game was framed so perfectly to show you exactly what was going on while having that unique animated edge of being able to get in close, change timings and perspectives perfectly to show the flow of the game.
I won’t speak on the final story points of the film but the sequence leading up to the final buzzer, I had my hands interlocked so tight that I was about 2 pascals away from snapping off my own fingers. Also I did look up what the unit of measurement for pressure was, and it is pascals, now I know how to properly measure my pressure, and that’s a world of opportunity.
Helping to add to that pressure is absolutely perfect sound design. Obviously the word perfect is pretty definitive and hard to measure but its also the only word in my limited vocabulary that I can use to sum it up.
I had the privilege to watch this one with Dolby Atmos, so I got that 360 degree, 128 audio channel Anime gasp. The basketball sounds were as if it was recorded in real time and the effects around it to put you in the environment are so some of the most subtle and effective one could even think to imagine and dream up all at the same time. It felt a little bit like a Dolby Atmos advert at times for how well it was utilised.
Similarly, the music was composed and mixed so well into the story, heightened the tension or emotion of the moment. It played a big role in the film in this way. From the limited Anime that I have seen, it seems like they’re unafraid to let the music have its time, knowing that a few simple notes played over a nice looking, well written scene is effective enough to convey the emotion. We don’t need a cacophony of frowning violins to always tell us how to feel.
I heard this film being described as a great getaway Anime and I think that sums it up pretty well. It does all the things that movies do but in an Anime way. I think people can find Anime daunting to jump into, because the people who are into it, can recommend about ten shows immediately that you must watch or else. Starting off with movies like this is the best way to get into it. Having an accessible story, wrapped up in about two hours, with all the action and emotion you need. I’m not saying this is my getaway because my list of everything else is too long now. My plan right now is to save it all for retirement and just go all in at 65. I won’t speak a word of English again, move to Kyoto and thrive.
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