[Movie Review] What was depicted by Takehiko Inoue in the movie "THE FIRST SLAM DUNK"?

I was asked, "If you are going to see the movie, why don't you write a column about it?" I don't know if I can write what is desired, since I had high expectations for the movie in the first place and I worship Takehiko Inoue. But anyway, it was a film that made me glad to be alive.

I have no complaints about the film! My only complaint is ......

The realism of the game, youth, basketball. Exciting and sweaty hands even though we know the content and result because of the original story. I didn't think there was such a thing in this world as sweaty hands even though you know the outcome. Animation is amazing! I must say. The film is 100% pure Yuhiko Inoue. The staff must have fallen in love with his talent and gave everything they had to make it. It was that good.

At the same time, I still thought that we may never see the continuation of "SLAM DUNK". I would like to see the continuation, either in manga or anime form, but the film was so passionate that I could have taken it as a "thank you" from the author.

No, that's why the sequel with overwhelming box-office success! I wish, but I wonder how much time, effort, and money it takes to make something like this ....... But I have been taught by Mr. Anzai that "the game is over when you give up," so I'll wait and see what happens. It would be a waste to end it here, to be honest.

I had only one complaint about this movie. It was not the content but the publicity.

There was so little information before the release of the film that the change of voice actors somehow caused a firestorm. Although the change was hinted at in an interview on the official website, it seems that the change was not as widespread as expected. From there, complaints started pouring in on social networking sites, and negative opinions began to line up. Even when a new interview went up, the rootless facts would stand on their own.

One of them would be something like full CG (except for the matches, which are 2D). It is not full CG, and even during the matches, there are drawings for the close-up parts, so the facial expressions are rich.

I guess they didn't dare to deal with such negative comments because it might cause more flames, but they could have at least put a comment from Director Inoue: ....... If they had released a longer PV than that, the intent of the work would have been conveyed more directly.

After all, from a "Slam Dunk" fan, it is hard to see such negativity, and as expected, it was a bit deflating. I don't like to see bad comments about my favorite works if possible. I am still a little dissatisfied that they didn't do their best to address that. It must have been hard for the people making the film, including the new cast. They had to endure the beating they took until the film was released to the public. I'm still agonizing over ...... whether there was anything that could have been done.

No, but the production team was confident that it would be interesting, so maybe they were relieved. Then, as one of the fans who believed and waited, please forgive me, the writer, for writing about my dissatisfaction.

Basketball portrayal produced by pushing to the limit

I will have to write about what I liked about the movie "THE FIRST SLAM DUNK" without spoiling it as much as possible. As far as I can predict in advance, Ryota Miyagi is the main character and the content is Shohoku vs. Sanno, but it was definitely a film for fans of the original work and another new "SLAM DUNK".

The first thing that was great was that the pictures by Takehiko Inoue were moving. Or rather, the characters that he created were alive. They are moving. And they are playing basketball.

I already knew this from the previews, but as soon as the movie started, I got goosebumps from the expression of basketball. The impact of people colliding with each other, the realism of dribbling, the realism of muscle movement. I was surprised at how far CG technology has come. I was amazed at how far CG technology has come. I confess that I have not seen much of the TV anime "SLAM DUNK. I am a fan of the original manga, and while the manga depicted basketball realistically, the anime was not "basketball," although perhaps it was inevitable due to the environment and circumstances at the time. So much so that when we chatted and talked about the work we most wanted to see remade, we said "SLAM DUNK. I thought that with today's technology, basketball could be expressed in anime.

But as expected, I didn't think they would push it this far to make an anime. In the representation of basketball, it will obviously be an experience that has never been seen before. You will think, "This is what it would be like if I put the lines of the original story in the realistic and speedy atmosphere of a real game! You will think, "This is what it looks like! You will also notice how unique and bizarre the presence of amateur fighter Hanamichi Sakuragi is. His positioning is messed up, and you would laugh if you saw him doing that in a match. In fact, there were several bouts of quite loud laughter in the theater.

The manga "SLAM DUNK" was drawn by Takehiko Inoue for six years, from the age of 23 to 29. I am surprised that he was able to draw that passionate manga with that, but this movie also includes what Inoue Yuuhiko gained from that time, as he drew various manga and gained many life experiences from it. So it is not the "SLAM DUNK" of those days. So, one thing I can say is that if you want to see "SLAM DUNK" as it was before, you may not have to go see it.

Personally, I am the type of person who still thinks it is boring to animate the original work as it is, and I have no resistance to cutting or replacing things when putting them into the grammar of animation, but as for "SLAM DUNK," it is a work of more than 20 years ago, so it is natural that things would change. However, "SLAM DUNK" is more than 20 years old, so it is only natural that it should be changed. But "SLAM DUNK" was written more than 20 years ago, so it is only natural that it should be changed.

I was rather interested in seeing a new "SLAM DUNK," so the change of the main character was an interesting experiment, and the episode about Sawakita, which is not in the original work, was something that only the author could have done, so I was honestly shaken.

The new cast. From left: Kenta Miyake, Fuichiro Kamio, Sogo Nakamura, Jun Kasama, Subaru Kimura

As for the change of voice actors, I am sorry to say that those who have a strong attachment to the anime may not understand. I think it is fine as long as the voices match the pictures, which are the first thing in anime. Since the picture and the direction were changed for the movie, it was only natural that the voice actors should be new as well (so I was surprised at the fire (......)). At least, I think it is safe to say that the voice was perfect for the face and movements in this anime. It was really natural and there were Shohoku and Sanno players there.

And I was really happy that this movie "THE FIRST SLAM DUNK" was not made only for fans like me who have been following the series since the beginning. In my mind, the characters are still fresh and alive. I want people who like anime, manga, and basketball today to see that. SLAM DUNK" is still new, right?　It's interesting! I want to say that. You may not hear much about regents and yankees anymore, ....... But Slam Dunk is life itself.

There are a number of players right now who are doing well not only in the NBA, but in Division I of the NCAA. Some of them are getting a chance to achieve their dreams through the "Slam Dunk Scholarship. Such is the world now. The world has certainly changed since then, and "SLAM DUNK" has changed it. I hope you will witness the end.

(Text by Junichi Tsukagoshi)