Slamdunk: An Anime Review

It's a great time to be a basketball fan: the Lakers-Celtics rivalry is alive once again in the NBA, a new generation of stars is coming into its own, and Slam Dunk is finally being released by a US publisher that's financially solid enough to continue putting out the series. But in the age of Kobe, Lebron, and Boston's three-headed monster, can a relic straight from the Jordan era still succeed? As this volume shows, fascinating characters and high-flying action are timeless qualities (even if the guys do have funny haircuts). Hanamichi may not have the mind-blowing superhuman skills we normally associate with shounenprotagonists—what, he doesn't even have spirit powers?!—but watching him grow into a sportsman and decent human being is still just as exciting. Of course, being a good sportsman means having the mental toughness not to quit—and that's the dilemma still unresolved from the previous volume. Fortunately, it takes just a little bit of provocation to get Hanamichi back on the team (which also proves how much his character runs on instinct), and the next few chapters involve a varsity-vs.-newcomers match that finally brings some actual gameplay to the series. Even through the filter of almost two decades, these scenes are as electric as ever—then again, that's also why we have TV channels like ESPN Classic—and having Hanamichi on the sidelines ranting like a loon adds a touch of humor as well. Naturally, the humor explodes into full-out insanity once he whines his way into the game and starts wreaking havoc; even non-sports fans can appreciate the slapstick quality of a misplayed dunk. The second half of this volume enters more unconventional territory, focusing mostly on conversation rather than action. Some may find the judo team recruitment storyline a letdown from the thrills of the scrimmage game, but those who are paying close attention to the characters will find plenty to like. Gamesmanship and rivalry abound in the confrontation between judo captain Aota and basketball captain Akagi, but the real highlight is in the showdown between Aota and Hanamichi—a truly nail-biting battle of dimwits, with a couple of judo moves thrown in. Although these man-to-man confrontations these are generally played for humorous effect, they still reveal a lot about the characters—the longstanding animosity between Aota and Akagi, for example, or just how much of a stubborn, rule-flouting goof Hanamichi is. As scenes like these prove, great battles don't have to involve magic swords or ninja powers; sometimes it can just be high school boys being high school boys. But even at its most high-school-boyish, this series continues to impress with solid artwork that stands the test of time. Sure, there are occasional lapses into gag-strip style, and the school-punk character designs are generally considered comedy material these days (thinkCromartie High School), but artistic fundamentals like visual flow and a sense of motion are always present. Nowhere is this more evident than in the basketball game, where the page layouts open up wide for thrilling moments like Akagi's monster dunk or Rukawa's fast-break moves. Even incidental moments of action, like Hanamichi facing off against a bunch of street thugs, are rendered with attention to detail. A careful eye for light and shadow are what make these visuals work—Takehiko Inouealways make sure to let black, white and gray balance out on each page—and the wide variety of facial expressions among the cast bring each scene to life, whether it's an intense game or day-to-day school banter. In a series like this, it's usually the one's actions that do the talking—but that doesn't stop Hanamichi from opening his mouth to make embarrassing outbursts. Although the dialogue is simple, most of it is fun to read (aside from maybe one wordplay scene that overexerts itself), thanks to the lively characters who express themselves with honest words rather than canned lines. And while basketball scenes are noisy by nature, Inoue resists the temptation to overload the page with sound effects, the result being that even when they're translated and replaced with English sound effects, it really doesn't interfere with the artwork (which naturally stands out much more). This volume even comes with a sprinkling of bonus content, but sadly, the glossy color pages are not devoted to Inoue's artistic technique—instead they feature point guard extraordinaire Steve Nash and the art of shooting a free throw, the usefulness of which may vary depending on the reader. Although Slam Dunk is marketed as a basketball series, it's the stuff that happens off the court that really make up its heart and soul. Each character has a story to tell and a goal to reach for, and ultimately, the court simply provides a stage for them to act out these universal struggles. Just because Hanamichi Sakuragi's special ability isn't supernatural—and just because his chosen battlefield doesn't involve fighting to the death—doesn't make him any less compelling as a hero. If anything, he'll have to try even harder than the average superpowered martial artist to master a sport that demands just as much finesse as raw strength. And if his attempts to prove himself result in a few goofy comedy moments, all the more fun. With solid characters, eye-popping action, and a classic underdog story, Slam Dunk is what all manga series (and basketball players) should aspire to be: the complete package.

Sakuragi Hanamichi, an infamous thug and also a hopeless romantic., is now in high school. Trying to impress the possible love of his life, Haruko, he ended up joining the school's basketball team. He has no knowledge of the game so he starts out with basics which he truly hates. With his passion for Haruko to drive him, he elevates his game and quickly becomes a significant member of Team Shohoku. Though what really drives him is trying to outplay teammate Kaede Rukawa, which is Haruko's love interest, unfortunately. Though a struggling team, late additions of veteran members have boosted them to the Final Four. Facing teams such as 17-years champion Kainan and arch-rival Ryonan, they endured every moment and ended up with second place and a ticket to the National Pkayoffs. The manga picks up where the anime left-off.

Slam Dunk is basically a story of teamwork, loyalty, perseverance and commitment to the game. Shohoku team members all have hopes of making it to the finals but is hindered by members who give up easily. The plot line is very good and is very well-woven.

Overall, Slam Dunk has a great story and certainly features a theme that is most definitely emphasized on this anime.

Rating: 8

Slam Dunk characters are well created and and realistic have physics during play. Motion is definitely a key in a sports anime and Slam Dunk does not fail to deliver on that criteria. Ball transition, dribbling, shooting and the glorious slam dunk are worthy rivals to the real-life highlight reels. Character design is yet another strong point, featuring realistic player modellings and height advantage. Ball physics or how the ball can act in real life is well rendered and doesn't fall off to the weird department. NBA bloopers are abound with parodies of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson to name a few.

The downside, Slam Dunk is pretty old-school and if you don't like old animes, you would not appreciate the coloring. Slam Dunk has a few flaws when it comes to player's poses when they make a successful lay-up. You would find it ridiculous or just weird.

Overall, Slam Dunk has great fluid motion and exciting animation plus the great animated plays. For an old anime, this is very excellent. Try the manga if you want to suffer.

Rating: 9

Sound

The Slam Dunk sound department has no noticeable flaws and will make watching Slam Dunk an auditory masterpiece. Realistic sounds and foley effects added seamlessly along with great lyp-synching are perfect and will not be noticeable even for the most discerning viewers. On-court sounds and player dialogues are good and makes tense moments even more exciting. Hearing the ball "swish" through the net in favor of the team is a soothing sound for those hardcore viewers. Dunks are highlighted by great "launch" sound sequences that are primarily gives the feeling of above-the-rim action.

Sakuragi Hanamichi himself has a few special BGMs that can only be heard during special events and moments like a "heartbreak scenario", a "genius' moment" or a "winning play".
Also look out for his song "Tensai Basketu-man" which he usually sings and hums when he's happy.

Slam Dunk's opening "Kimi ga Suki da to Sakebitai" is performed by Baad and the ending "Anata Dake Mizumeteru" is performed by the great Ohguro Maki.

No audible flaws are noticeably present on Slam Dunk. A quality sound experience although play-by-play commentaries are missing.

Rating: 10

Presentation

Slam Dunk is the first basketball anime (I think) and features a great plotline that doesn't require a genius to figure out. Thus making Slam Dunk predictable in terms of who will win (Shohoku only has one significant loss and that is against undefeated Kainan).

The creators must really have great sense of humor making a total wack like Sakuragi the hero. The comic relief, commonly the Sakuragi Squad and Judo Guy, are real laugh-riots are can get you laughing for some time. On-court humour are always abound with players from all team serving as clowns. Even Kainan's serious captain Maki gets his share of punchlines in this.

You will definitely enjoy this watching this as nice plays and great humours are all-over the place and will make viewers stay tuned just for that. Aside from that, the longing to see the succeeding events will grasp the viewer's interest for a long time to come.

Overall, Slam Dunk is great anime with a sensible meaning but creatively woven into the interesting plotline and engrossing animation. A must-see for retro-anime lovers and fans of the sports genre but will appeal to everyone including little children. A must-have.

*Though I say retro, this is a mid to late-90s anime so its not really that old.

Rating: 9