Basketball anime about personal loss is a winner; language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
some
A group gangs up on and bullies a teen, beating him with punches that lead to blood, bruises, and bandages. An off-camera motorcycle accident, with suggestion that the character involved may have intentionally hurt himself. Teen disappears and is presumed dead, leaving his family distraught.
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Frequent strong language used by teen characters includes "ass," "a--hole," "bastard," "dammit," "goddammit," "idiot," "losers," "moron," "piss me off," "screw off," "s--t," "shut up," "sucks," "what the hell," and the phrase "stupid dummy wiener."
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It's not over until it's over -- and if you give up, that's when it's over.
Positive Role Models
a lot
Ryota has faced loss and grief and been bullied, but he faces it all with grit and unwavering perseverance. His secret is that he acts calm and collected, even when he's not. Other players on the team have personal differences, but they demonstrate that those grievances are put aside to achieve a shared goal.
Diverse Representations
some
Made in Japan by Japanese filmmakers. Has Japanese characters of a range of racial backgrounds. Some body size diversity (especially for the basketball setting), including that the lead character isn't especially tall, and an opponent is heavier. While the characters are mostly male, the team manager is a 17-year-old girl who's well respected by the male players.
Parents need to know that The First Slam Dunk is based on writer-director Takehiko Inoue's popular 1990 basketball-themed manga series/franchise Slam Dunk. The action takes place over the course of a high school basketball championship game, breaking away to give glimpses into key players' personal stories, especially point guard Ryota Miyagi (voiced by Shugo Nakamura in the original Japanese and Paul Castro Jr. in the English dub). He lives in the shadow of his brother, a promising athlete who disappeared years earlier, traumatizing their family. He also gets bullied, targeted by a group that beats him bloody. But he's a fantastic example of the importance of perseverance, both in facing life's challenges and in working with a team to reach a goal. The teen characters frequently incorporate insults and profanity into their speech, including "a--hole," "bastard," "moron," "s--t," "goddammit," and more. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
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.
What's the Story?
THE FIRST SLAM DUNK follows the intense final game of the Inter-High School National Basketball Championships, with underdog Shohoku High School triying to wrest the title away from legacy champions Sannoh Kogyo. Point guard Ryota Miyagi (voiced by Shugo Nakamura in the Japanese original and Paul Castro Jr. in the English dub) isn't just playing for himself: He's playing to represent his older brother Shoto, a talented athlete who was being scouted before his mysterious disappearance years before. Ryota feels the weight of living in the shadow of Shoto, whose skill and charm made him the golden child in the eyes of both their mother and their Okinawa neighborhood -- and whose loss has left their family barely hanging together.
Heart-pounding and heartrending, first-time director Takehiko Inoue's adaptation of his own manga proves that he has the skills of a pro. A renowned animator, Inoue particularly demonstrates a profound understanding of audio's ability to create emotional intensity. You'll already be on the edge of your seat during key moments in the game, but then Inoue drops the sound entirely, and you may find yourself literally holding your breath. And when the audio returns gradually, throbbing, your heart syncs up, making you feel the tension as if you were on the court yourself, ball in hand.
Inoue's animation also has a naturalness to it, with a couple of creative breaks in which he incorporates a different drawing style to depict a character's internal struggle. While The First Slam Dunk is excellent overall, showing the power of perseverance and teamwork (even when you don't particularly like your teammates), certain moments in Ryota's story may be confusing for some viewers. These "huh?" moments aren't a deterrence to overall enjoyment of the film, but they do pull you out of the story a bit -- but to give up during these sluggish story parts would be your loss. Plus, young basketball fans are likely to take note of some super-cool moves -- immediately after the film is a great time to suggest shooting some hoops.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the meaning and importance of perseverance. How does Ryota Miyagi specifically demonstrate this quality in The First Slam Dunk?
Ryota is considered too short for basketball. How does he overcome this perception? What are real-life examples of people facing obstacles to successfully pursue their passion?
How does the Shohoku team overcome their personal feelings toward each other to work toward a goal? Why is teamwork an important skill?
What does the coach mean when he says "losing will be an asset"?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Tara McNamara
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
