Slam Dunk is an animated series based on Takehiko Inoue’s Manga. The series follows Hanamichi Sakuragi, a teen that develops feelings for a girl named Haruko Akagi and resolves to join the Shohoku High School Basketball Club to charm her, even though she was madly in love with another Shohoku player, i.e Kaede Rukawa.
As Sakuragi begins to understand how to play basketball, he develops an interest in the sport.
The series, directed by Nobutaka Nishizawa and produced by Toei Animation, ran on TV Asahi from October 16, 1993, to March 23, 1996. Toei packaged the episodes into a set of seventeen DVDs, that were released in Japan between December 10, 2004, till May 21, 2005.
| Written by | Takehiko Inoue |
| Magazine | Shōnen Jump |
| Demographic | Shonen |
| Volumes | 31 |
It’s more famously known for its amazing Manga visuals and drawing style.
Slam Dunk is worth watching because of its amazing story and characters. It has the perfect amount of comedy, drama, action, and suspense.
There is a lot of sports Anime out there, is this the best? Let’s find out.
Production of Slam Dunk Anime
Inoue was inspired to create Slam Dunk since he enjoyed basketball since high school. Inoue was astonished when he began receiving messages from fans who indicated they started playing Slam Dunk because of the manga.
“Basketball was a taboo in this world,” his editor told him. As a result of these letters, Inoue resolved to draw better basketball games in the series. Inoue’s goal with the series was to show the emotions of some athletes, such as their thoughts when they win, lose, or progress in their sport.
When he first started producing Vagabond, he saw that when he was doing Slam Dunk, he had a simpler outlook on life because he was more focused on victories and success.
The Personality of Slam Dunk
He is short-tempered, noisy, arrogant, aggressive, impolite, and immature throughout the manga. He begins to see himself as a “genius,” despite the fact that he has not developed any skills.
From slide tackles, tripping, and not dribbling the basketball against Akagi, to low-blows and headbutts against members and Aota, while being unaware that both are considered illegal fouls in their respective sports. He redeems himself by imitating Takenori’s standing rear naked choke (sleeper hold) after being dunked on the head and then chokes Sakuragi.
Sakuragi wins the fight with an over-the-shoulder throw, a highly skilled and powerful technique.
What is Slam Dunk about?
Before we get onto my review, let’s take a quick look at the synopsis to get you acquainted.
Hanamichi Sakuragi, famed for his fury, gigantic height, and firey-red hair, enrolls in Shohoku High, expecting to finally snag a girlfriend and break his middle school rejection record of 50 times.
His infamy precedes him, though, and he’s avoided by the majority of students. Hanamichi is soon left with two unshakeable thoughts following certain events: “I loathe basketball,” and “I need a partner.”
One day, a girl called Haruko Akagi approaches him without knowing anything about his antics and asks him if he likes basketball. Hanamichi falls head over heels in love with her right away, blurting out an emphatic affirmative.
She then takes him to the gym and asks him if he can execute a slam dunk. To impress Haruko, he attempts the leap but overshoots, smacking his head into the blackboard.
When Haruko notifies the basketball team’s captain of Hanamichi’s near-superhuman athletic powers, he gradually finds himself lured into the camaraderie & competitiveness of the sport he once despised.
Is Slam Dunk Anime worth watching?
In my opinion, Slam Dunk is worth watching.
From the initial episodes, it’s clear that this Anime, which earned widespread recognition at the time, had a clear goal: to popularise basketball in a country where it was virtually nonexistent.
True lovers of this game who are wanting to see some fantastic movements in this series will be disappointed. The issue is that the Japanese studio focused on aspects of basketball that aren’t always the most important or beautiful.
It would be like seeing a learn how to read film when you’re 20 years old for true fans. From this angle, the animation appears to be quite old.
What surprised me the most was that the jokes were not at all out of date. If you don’t like the basketball sequences, view it as a comedy and you won’t be let down. You grow accustomed to the characters and even begin to love their stories as time passes. We’ve all seen movies about successful American high school teams.
This was a new experience for me, and I didn’t give up. Slam Dunk promises (and should provide) love, basketball, camaraderie, competition, and plenty of laughs.
In short, there will be basketball fanatics who despise Slam Dunk, and there will be non-basketball people who like it. Just give it a shot, and if you have enjoyed the first few episodes, the entire show will be worth it.
Here’s a review on Slam Dunk:
Is Slam Dunk based on a True Story?
Yes, it seems that Slam Dunk was based on actual events, apparently, there was a real Sakuragi who used to live in Japan, he was well known for his durability and strength as a player.
This is for those who didn’t know about the story yet.
Hanamichi Sakuragi (The inspiration behind Slam Dunk came from a working-class household) without his mother’s love, he used violence (street fights) to solve his problems.
As a young boy, he was tall (1.75m at age 12), and his bouts helped his body gain strength and resistance.
After a battle with students in the University of Tokyo’s sports zone, the basketball coach gave him a spot on the squad.
Hanamichi of 1.89m height, was the only one not terrified by the professionals and scored 33 points against the National Team of Japan at age 17: 10 shots, 3 nailed, 1 triple, 1 shot with no nomenclature, and 2 free shots.
When Japanese basketball was in disarray, he was called The Hope. A year later, his father got sick. Hanamichi returned to Tokyo, but it cost him everything. He got off the bus in Tokyo and was about to cross the street when a fast automobile hit him.
His iron body couldn’t withstand the impact. He collapsed and was hospitalized. Before they could operate, the 18-year-old died of an internal hemorrhage.
His death was a great loss to Japanese basketball. Takehiko Inoue modeled Slam Dunk in his youth.
Even though this legend passed away in such an unexpected and unfortunate way, surely his legacy will thrive throughout Japanese basketball history.
What Sports Anime is most successful?
Haikyu!!, in my opinion, gets the top rank.
You’ve surely heard the name Haikyu!! by now, it’s crazy popular, and those who don’t even like sports Anime are well acquainted with this series.
This sports Anime, unlike Slam Dunk, is based on volleyball instead of basketball, however, you don’t need to be a volleyball connoisseur to enjoy the Anime. Fans enjoy the program because of how the characters grow and how their relationships alter as they’re friends, teammates, and classmates in different school years.
Many sports Anime concentrate purely on an individual’s abilities, whereas Haikyuu is all about team cooperation.
One of the main reasons Haikyuu!! is so appealing because of its clean content. Despite being a sports Anime, it places a strong emphasis on teamwork among the players. As a result, the Anime genuinely develops its protagonists, portraying them as being tested but ultimately developing from the experience.
Not only does this improves them as players on the court, but it also makes them more intriguing to watch. The show does not appear to be just another sports Anime; it appears to be more important. That is most likely why it has achieved such rapid success.
Conclusion
- Slam Dunk is an animated series based on Takehiko Inoue’s Manga. It’s worth watching because of its amazing story and characters.
- Slam Dunk is about Hanamichi Sakuragi who enrolled in Shohoku High, expecting to finally snag a girlfriend and break his middle school rejection record of 50 times.
- It’s clear that this Anime, which earned widespread recognition at the time, had a clear goal: to popularise basketball in a country where it was virtually nonexistent.
- There will be basketball fanatics who despise Slam Dunk, and there will be non-basketball people who like it. Just give it a shot, and if you have enjoyed the first few episodes, The entire show will be worth it.
- It seems that Slam Dunk was based on actual events, apparently, there was a real Sakuragi who used to live in Japan, he was well known for his durability and strength as a player.
- He died in an unexpected and unfortunate way, surely his legacy will live throughout Japanese basketball history.
- Haikyuu is the most successful sports Anime, and it’s based on volleyball.
Other Articles
- What Does OVA Mean In Anime? (Find Out)
- What Makes Miraculous Ladybug An Anime? (Explained)
- INTJ Anime Characters (Fully Discussed)
.