MANILA, Philippines – Slam Dunk is returning to the cinemas! The anime film titled The First Slam Dunk shared a sneak peek of its first 3DCG (3D computer graphics)-animated teaser trailer on Friday, July 8.
The 19-second clip shows the five starting members of Shohoku High School – Sakuragi Hanamichi, Akagi Takenori, Miyagi Ryota, Rukawa Kaede, and Hisashi Mitsui – playing basketball with a ticking timer in the background, featuring a slam dunk at the end.
The film is directed and written by the original Slam Dunk manga artist, Takehiko Inoue, in production with Toei Animation and the CG company Dandelion Animation Studio. The First Slam Dunk is set to premiere on December 3 in Japan.
The beloved anime’s return to the big screen was first announced by its creator in January 2021. Since then, several early looks have been shared on its social media pages.
However, this is not the first time the anime has been adapted into a movie. In 1994 and 1995, four anime movies based on the manga were released.
Slam Dunk is based on the iconic sports manga created by Takehiko Inoue which was published in the Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine from 1990 to 1996 for a total of 31 volumes. In 1993, it inspired a television anime series.
The story follows Sakuragi Hanamichi, a high school boy who learns to play basketball and enters the school’s basketball team to impress a girl he likes. Along the way, he learns to appreciate the sport. It also follows the Shohoku High School Basketball Team in their dream of competing at the Inter-High Tournament. – Rappler.com