It’s no secret that the anime industry is at its peak right now, and the commercial success of anime movies worldwide is proof of this. However, unlike Demon Slayer, Dragon Ball and One Piece, 2023’s brightest prospect is not a shonen, but rather a throwback to one of the best sports manga ever, Slam Dunk.
Written by Takehiko Inoue, The First Slam Dunk is a revival of the artist’s magnum opus that for many people in the 90s became one of the seminal pieces in the anime world when the medium started making strides outside of Japan. What’s most perplexing about it is that Slam Dunk had been completely out of the limelight until last year, when the rebooted film began posting the kind of numbers that have turned into an all-star candidate that can match contemporary anime like Jujutsu Kaisen.
Why Is Slam Dunk So Popular?
As mentioned, the 90s were instrumental in making anime what it is today thanks to legendary works like Cowboy Bebop, Berserk, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Sailor Moon, as well as ongoing sagas like Pokemon or the aforementioned Dragon Ball and One Piece. Right up there with these is Slam Dunk, which featured a grounded basketball story, as opposed to the fantasy-driven plots in nearly every other series.
Nevertheless, despite making its debut after Captain Tsubasa, plus in a sport that is admittedly not as popular as soccer, Inoue did lay the foundations for what even in this era is a compelling sports anime. Simply put, it would be hard to imagine Haikyu!!’s mass appeal had Slam Dunk not come first to normalize this epic, albeit very relatable sports story.
Slam Dunk stars Hanamichi Sakuragi, a young man with a criminal background who falls in love with the sport after only joining the high school team to impress a girl, Haruko Akagi. With this premise, Inoue managed to create an underdog tale that paid off the anime arcs some of his contemporaries were writing at the time, only with a different coat of paint, that of a coming-of-age story that’s as universal as it gets for any type of media.
Pairing that with basketball being one of the sports that finds itself more at home in film, contrary to soccer, Inoue added excellent animation work that still rendered Slam Dunk’s games in great style, without sacrificing the aspirational vibes all shonens have. If movies like Creed 3 can borrow from anime in 2023, what made Inoue such as genius was realizing that manga could do the same 30 years before.
The First Slam Dunk Has Been A Hit In Japan
Suffice it to say, nostalgia has played a big role in The First Slam Dunk’s comeback. That’s because many of the 90s anime gems never really left, instead, most have stayed around in some form, with Ghost in the Shell getting multiple over three decades, so when Inoue announced in 2021 a movie was coming, the news felt like Michael Jordan’s return to the Chicago Bulls, the team whose colors inspired Shohoku’s uniforms.
In Asian markets alone, The First Slam Dunk has earned over $120m at the box office, already cracking the top 20 ever for anime films, despite a limited release. Regardless, much like the original series, basketball’s growing popularity since 1996 could see it benefit from a wider audience and newcomers that wouldn’t be lured by other anime.
Nevertheless, The First Slam Dunk also adds plenty of novelty by changing its protagonists from the redheaded Hanamichi Sakuragi to star point guard Ryota Iwasaki, whose own backstory will make the team’s journey much different, it adds new rivalries, and overall changes the plot quite a lot.
It’s also not as if The First Slam Dunk didn’t take advantage of more modern animation techniques as the movie’s trailers showcase a new blend of 2D and 3D art that strengthens a show that had plenty of flair going for it. Just looking at the trailers, the newer art styles make this 90s classic transition into 2023 flawlessly.
When Will The First Slam Dunk Release?
As usual, although The First Slam Dunk premiered last December in Japan, its rollout in other countries has been slower, mostly being released in Asian countries. In South Korea, particularly, Slam Dunk managed to beat Demon Slayer’s unprecedented success.
Sadly, at the time of writing, The First Slam Dunk lacks any confirmed dates for when its European landing. One Piece Film: Red, another Toei Animation movie did not take as long as other anime films to come out in the United States, but for now, it’s widely believed Slam Dunk will arrive in Europe first.
The latest rumors have The First Slam Dunk debuting in European countries such as France or Italy closer to summer, whereas American audiences might have to wait until late 2023, or even 2024 to watch this basketball gem.