I have always been a fan of Slam Dunk ever since I was young. It was around the late 90s or early 2000s when I and my cousins fell in love with it. We'd play basketball after school, then our younger cousin would call and shout from our grandma's place, Slam Dunk has started!. Then, I and my older cousins would then run home and find ourselves with much anticipation in front of the TV.
It's really nostalgic talking about Slam Dunk, but why am I traveling back memory lane again? Well, it's because mama and I recently watched the movie The First Slam Dunk and it brought back all the feels.
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Before I talk about the movie, let's travel back time for a bit.
When the TV series of Slam Dunk ended, my cousins and I have always wondered why there wasn't any continuation. We were really looking forward to the Interhigh games, but to no avail. Around 10 years or so later, I got the chance to read the manga and finally knew how the story ended. It was sad that it's over, but the ending was really satisfying... at least for me.
Another 10 years passed and I was flabbergasted when I heard the news of Slam Dunk actually going to continue the remaining part of the manga and bring an end to the anime. I really love the game between Shohoku and Sannoh not only because it was exciting but also because my favorite character really shone!
Yes, one of my favorite characters is Ryota Miyagi. I created this fan art about two years ago when I knew of their comeback. I even made a post in this community back then. You can check it HERE.
I knew from the manga, that I'd be so much into Miyagi again when I see the anime version, but I didn't expect the anime to actually have a flashback of Miyagi's life... Now, let me tell you about it...
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Aside from the most awaited Interhigh match, the movie focused on the life of Ryota Miyagi. He and his family once lived in Okinawa (the southernmost island of Japan). He and his older brother enjoy playing basketball.
His brother Sota was his inspiration, so when he lost his brother, he struggled a lot and was at a loss. He just tried to immerse himself with basketball since it was the only thing that connects him to his late brother. Then his family decided to leave the island and live in Kanagawa.
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And in the new place, he found Shohoku... of course, it was a roller coaster at first, but everything fell into place. (If you watched the series, then you'd understand the movie better, although the movie provided some flashbacks as well.).
As a long time fan of Slam Dunk, I'm just so happy to see the final chapters of the manga animated. It was the kind of ending that I've always wanted to see for this story. Well, there are additional scenes which weren't originally in the manga (Ryota's life story), and there were information especially with the ending that weren't included (especially about Sakuragi), but it was understandable since the focus of the movie was Miyagi.
I still enjoyed it very much. The game was exciting to watch. You laugh a lot, you cry, you hold your breath... the animation style was also to my liking, although I wouldn't mind the old style. My mama commented that the characters look so much more handsome than the original series. hahaha I wanted to see Sendoh and Fujima in this art style though, I wonder how they might have glowed up even more. <3
Ahh.. I feel like watching Slam Dunk TV series again. I've watched all 100+ episodes twice since it was released on Netflix. haha It's funny how there's a lot of anime to watch, but I sometimes end up re-watching my favorites. They're just so comforting... Do you do that as well? :)
Anyway, I'll end this post here. Thanks for checking it out and see you around! ^^
To track my progress in this quest, allow me to write it here:
1a @tegoshei/youkai-apaato-no-yuuga-na-nichijou-manga--its-an-enjoyable-read-so-far
1b @tegoshei/maquia-when-the-promised-flower-blooms-definitely-a-must-watch-film
1c
2a
2b
3a @tegoshei/re-theanimerealm-sbisub
3b
3c