The First Slam Dunk (2023)
Director: Takehiko Inoue Run Time: 124 min. Release Year: 2022
Starring: Jun Kasama, Kenta Miyake, Shinichiro Kamio, Shugo Nakamura, Subaru Kimura
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
About the film:
2023 Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year
Shohoku’s “speedster” and point guard, Ryota Miyagi, always plays with brains and lightning speed, running circles around his opponents while feigning composure. Born and raised in Okinawa, Ryota is following in the footsteps of his older brother, who was a famous local basketball player. Now in his second year of high school, Ryota plays with the Shohoku High School basketball team alongside Sakuragi, Rukawa, Akagi, and Mitsui as they take the stage at the Inter-High School National Championship. Now, they are on the brink of challenging the reigning champions, Sannoh Kogyo High School.
Writer-director Takehiko Inoue adapted The First Slam Dunk (2023) from his own massively popular manga series from the 1990s, which was credited with a wave of increased interest in basketball among Japan’s youth.
About the filmmaker:
Takehiko Inoue is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for the acclaimed basketball series “Slam Dunk” (1990–1996), Buzzer Beater (1996-1998), and Real (1999-present), as well as the period drama series “Vagabond” (1998-2015). In 2012, in recognition of the impact of his work, he became the first recipient of the Cultural Prize at the Asia Cosmopolitan Awards. Before his debut, Inoue was an assistant to Tsukasa Hojo on the manga series “City Hunter.”
Inoue adapted “Slam Dunk” into his directorial debut The First Slam Dunk (2023), produced by Toei Animation and Dandelion Animation Studio. The film won the 2023 Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year.
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