Toei Animation's critically acclaimed anime film The First Slam Dunk is headed to Netflix. The streamer announced on social media this week that the animated sports film, which was based on Takehiko Inoue's manga series titled Slam Dunk, will arrive in just a few short weeks on August 25th.
The manga was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump from October 1990 to June 1996, and was adapted into an anime television series by Toei Animation, which aired from October 1993 to March 1996. The series follows the Shohoku High School basketball team.
The film, which was written and directed by Inoue, and produced by Toei Animation and DandeLion Animation Studio, follows Shohoku High School point guard Ryota Miyagi as he and his teammates challenge the inter-high basketball champions, Sannoh Kogyo High School at the Inter-High School National Championship. The film is an adaptation of the final match depicted in the manga and features original flashbacks and a new epilogue, all centered on Ryota.
The First Slam Dunk was released in theaters in Japan in December 2022 and ranked No. 1 in its opening weekend, scoring about $9.50 million. By June 2023, the film had earned about $103.5 million in Japan alone.
GKIDS released the film in the United States and Canada with both an English dub and with Japanese audio and English subtitles in July of last year. It earned over $625,000 in its opening weekend in North America.
By the end of its theatrical run, The First Slam Dunk grossed $279 million worldwide, becoming the fifth highest-grossing anime of all time. It also won the Japanese Academy Prize for Animation of the Year.
GKIDS released the movie on Blu-ray in North America in June 2024. But soon those with a subscription to Netflix will be able to enjoy it.
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 had a brother who was three years older. Following in the footsteps of his older brother, who was a famous local player from a young age, Ryota also became addicted to basketball.
In his second year of high school, Ryota plays with the Shohoku High School basketball team along with Sakuragi, Rukawa, Akagi, and Mitsui as they take the stage at the Inter-High School National Championship.
And now, they are on the brink of challenging the reigning champions, Sannoh Kogyo High School.
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, The First Slam Dunk sits at a perfect 100% with 43 critic reviews. "A heart-pumping, breathtaking, wonderfully crafted manga adaptation, The First Slam Dunk shoots and scores," the critics consensus reads. General audiences were equally impressed with a 98% Audience Score.
Are you looking forward to streaming The First Slam Dunk on Netflix?