SHOHOKU HIGH is back in the game! *Cue Slam Dunk opening theme*
The First Slam Dunk movie picks up where the series left off: After defeating Shoyo-Ryonan, our favorite underdog basketball team goes on to compete in the National High School Tournament (A.K.A. the Inter High), facing off against three-time defending champions Sannoh High.
Now with upgraded and updated CG graphics and smoother movements, it’s going to be a whole new experience for fans of the show.
[READ: New trailer, new voice cast for The First Slam Dunk]
But can the movie live up to the hype of the legendary sports series and the collective nostalgic haze it brings to former ’90s kids and teens?
The First Slam Dunk is a basketball boss battle played in real time
As with any action anime, every story arc begins with a new opponent who’s ready to ramp up the difficulty. Sannoh High are not only the current holders of the Inter High title, but also have some of the best players in the country such as Eiji Sawakita (voiced by Shunsuke Takeuchi) and Masashi Kawata (voiced by Mitsuaki Kanuka).
Sannoh doesn’t pull any punches with Shohoku and easily gain a 20-point advantage over the latter, triggering the main plot of playing catch-up before time runs out.
The movie utilizes pacing to make us feel the intense pressure as Shohoku scrambles to strategize and get their stuff together. The events speed up with every fast break and slow down to a crawl with every dakdak and supalpal all while the clock is still ticking. We also get close-ups highlighting panicked glances, visible fatigue, and restless movements.
It’s also Miyagi’s time to shine
In between the high-adrenaline plays, segued by time-outs and internal monologues, we get flashback sequences. The original series mostly focused on Hanamichi Sakuragi’s (voiced by Subaru Kimura) journey. But now we’ll get to know more about Ryota Miyagi (voiced by Shugo Nakamura) and his family in Okinawa. We also find out why his jersey number 7 holds sentimental value.
Miyagi even gets some much-needed landi moments with his crush, team manager Ayako (voiced by Asami Seto). While the amount of anime flashbacks can get ridiculous, knowing more about Ryota’s backstory gives us a better understanding on why he’s so determined to get that W.
We can also confirm that Kogure appears in the film and, yes, he gets to don his number 5 jersey and play. However, we are still disappointed that the memetic Boy Labo has been left out of the marketing material, especially the team poster. As a vice captain who’s extremely capable off the bench, the man deserves to be recognized!
[READ: Bootleg Kogure poster brings back Boy Labo memories]
May bida-bida pa rin (Guess who?)
The First Slam Dunk has a more realistic style but still retains that classic ’90s humor. There are no longer SD (super deformed) chibi moments but they kept the exaggerated expressions and slapstick comedy without compromising the new design.
The movie recreates classic moments from the anime series in some of the flashback sequences such as Sakuragi and Haruko bonding and that whole gang fight with Mitsui.
Plus, for the nineties kids out there: The look and vibe (there’s even a poster of Michael Jordan) still follow the anime timeline featuring retro kicks such as Nike Air Jordans, Converse Weapon Classic, ASICS GT White, and more, keeping that early ’90s nostalgia.
[READ: Can you name all the sneakers in this Slam Dunk throwback?]
This movie may be all about Miyagi but it wouldn’t be Slam Dunk without Sakuragi’s clownery. Sakuragi remains, as the kids say, “cringe incarnate,” and continues to make us laugh out loud. And yes, he still has the audacity to do the chin jiggle to Coach Mitsuyoshi Anzai (voiced by Katsuhisa Hoki). Henyo kasi siya ng basketball!
But beyond the two players, the rest of the squad gets their time in the spotlight. Captain Takenori Akagi (voiced by Kenta Miyake) gets his internal monologue on with an important flashback. Kaede Rukawa (voiced by Shinichiro Kamio) actually tries to be more of a team player. Hisashi Mitsui (voiced by Jun Kasama) struggles with his endurance but manages to still sink in three-pointers. And when Sakuragi is not being the center of distraction, he is a beast with rebounds.
To see them flex their abilities in high-definition is definitely a highlight for fans. In the screening we attended, fans came alive with cheers, yells, and even good ol’ trash-talking thrown straight at the screen.
Will The First Slam Dunk be a slam dunk for ’90s kids?
Watching The First Slam Dunk feels like you’re reconnecting with familiar faces at a reunion that’s been long overdue. The movie unlocks a core memory of watching the show in fuzzy resolution on a buntis TV set and rushing back from your banyo break when the commercials end.
The stress is real while watching and you will be tempted to scream your lungs out as if it were happening IRL since you and every viewer can enjoy the game from the best seats in the stadium.
Now if they could just release a Tagalog dub version of the movie so we could hear certain words delivered in true malutong Pinoy fashion such as the iconic insults, “Unggoy!” and “Gunggong!”
The First Slam Dunk is now showing at SM cinemas nationwide.
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