The First Slam Dunk

This great anime movie about basketball was recently released in the US. It is one of the best movies of the year, if you are interested in either of these subjects. It is an amazing anime work of art, and a great sports movie ( one of the best basketball movies ever made, which is pretty startling for a country where basketball is far from being a popular sport. If you love this sport, you will love this movie). And even if you aren’t a fan of the game, you will love this artful story. The film won the Japanese Academy Prize for Animation of the Year and grossed $259 million worldwide. The art of basketball is beautifully portrayed but this doesn’t feel like animation, it feels like watching an incredible Olympic Mens’s basketball final game- close up and slow motion -with a skillful narrative about the main players lives. The beauty and energy of Japanese anime, done by the famous Takeihiko Inoue, combines hand animation and CGI into an artistic film that all movie goers will enjoy. The film is adopted from Inoue’s 1990’s manga comic, which makes the genre especially interesting. The movie takes during the course of one championship game, but shows flashbacks into the lives of the players. Voiceovers by the characters, and the flexibility of animation allows the film to show intimate details of the character’s psyche. The tone and theme of this movie reminds me of the original Karate Kid. But instead of an underdog Karate student and his coach, this is about a whole team and similar wisdom. But basketball is the vehicle for character development in this film. There is a blend of pathos and passion in the lives of these characters, and a there is a beautiful rhythm to this film. The films emotional quality, and technical mastery of anime are likely to make it a classic.