Ryota is known as the speedster at Shohoku High School. He’s definitely smaller than you might expect for a guy who made the basketball team.
His older brother, Sota, fit that mold far better. And he probably would have been an easy all-star if he hadn’t died eight years ago in a fishing accident. But Ryota knows how to use what he’s got in a game, how to keep cool, how to break free when the opposing team least expects it.
Of course, this game with championship-level Sannoh Kogyo High School is anything but average. Their players are all huge and considered the best at their positions. And after Ryota and his teammates flashed with a strong start, the opposing coach got his boys to box in Ryota to the point that he can barely move.
Shohoku’s “big man” looks small next to the Sannoh player. Their usually eagle-eyed guard is a step behind. Man to man, the Sannoh Kogyo players make Ryota and his compatriots look second rate.
But there are four quarters in a basketball game. And this isn’t just a “big man” sport. It’s a team sport. The fact is, the Shohoku High School teamis made up of a bunch of guys you might not expect.
And they’re as unpredictable as they come.
The one thing that Ryota Miyagi excels in is that proverbial sticktoitiveness and perseverance. He’s always been smaller than others. And he’s always carried a chip on his shoulder for not quite living up to his brother’s skills or strength. It’s Ryota’s underdog effort that makes this movie shine and encourages young viewers to keep pushing forward toward worthy goals. (Even though Ryota’s anger issues are not so laudable, as we’ll talk about in a moment.)
The movie certainly praises the idea of supporting others and working as a team. The ball players work together, give their all and lift up the sagging players in their midst. They fight through as one.
In a flashback after Ryota’s father passed away, we see his mother weeping before the man’s altar. At that point, Ryota’s 12-year-old brother, Sota, stepped up to embrace his mom and promised to help in any way he could.
Sota coaches Ryota in his ball playing and gives him words on encouragement and advice. After Sota dies in a boating accident, there’s a void that Ryota can’t figure out how to fill. But in time, both he and his mom reach out to each other for love and support.
We get a few glimpses of the Eastern spirituality that’s part of Japanese culture. Ryota’s mom, for instance, kneels and weeps before an altar bearing a picture of Ryota’s deceased dad.
We also see a ball player praying at the steps of an outdoor shrine. In fact, when that player later loses in the big game, he remembers that moment and realizes that, in its own way, the loss was an answer to his prayer.
In an odd sequence, a player falls down hard on the court. And while he lies there in pain, a tiny cartoony devil lands on his back and whispers for him to stay down and give up. He doesn’t.
A female teen assistant to the Shohoku team is obviously quite fond of Ryota. But their only physical contact is when she writes something on his hand to encourage him in a difficult moment.
Part of Ryota’s persona is to always look cool and cocky to those around him. In a way, it’s a defense mechanism. That said, he isn’t one to back down from a bully. At one point, Ryota is challenged by a group of bullies and ends up in a shoving, punching, head-butting battle that leaves several people with bloody noses and mouths. As for Ryota, he ends up sprawled out on the ground.
Ryota also rages in frustration at one point and wrecks his motor scooter. We don’t see the crash, but we do see him driving recklessly. After that, he’s shown in the hospital with bandages and a neck brace. His sister tells him that he was near death after the crash.
There are several moments in the heat of the game when players hit people or objects while leaping to retrieve a ball, or they crash heavily to the wooden court floor. In one such collision with a table, one of Ryota’s teammates gets up with an injured back—feeling painful jabs and twinges. The coach and others implore him to stop playing, but he pushes on through sharp pain. It’s also pretty evident that Ryota’s team as a whole is completely exhausted, but they all soldier on.
We don’t see the boating accident, but Ryota remembers locking eyes with his brother as Sota sails away for the last time.
[Note: This Japanese-language film is presented in both English-captioned and English-dubbed versions. We watched and reviewed the subtitled version. The English-dubbed version may include harsher language, including uses of “god—mit.”]
There are a dozen uses of “d–n,” three uses of “b–tard,” and one or two uses each of “a–” and “h—” in the dialogue.
In addition, exclamations of “stupid,” “dummy” and “you p-ss me off” are all in the mix.
None.
None.
I’m no basketball fan. Let me get that out of the way right up front. But the fact is, you don’t need to be one when it comes to this movie. Yeah, this is a film about a basketball game that’s derived from a popular Slam Dunk Japanese manga and anime franchise. But hey, you don’t even need to like anime all that much in this case.
The First Slam Dunk is, quite simply, a brilliantly crafted film. It jumps back and forth between the events of a big game and snippets of players’ lives on the way to that momentous courtside meet-up. This is not only a great sports story, but a story of family, a tale of tenacious effort and an examination of loss and grief. This pic is involving and emotional on many levels.
Are there some bits that might keep your family out of the cinematic bleachers? Yes. Like many a sports event, the language (dubbed or captioned) can get a little edgy at times. And there’s a school bullying scene that’s quite rough and tumble. But none of that content is more than the sort of stuff you might grumble over at a live high school game.
If you enjoy underdog tales and unconsciously sitting on the edge of your seat with sweaty palms and sympathetically flexed muscles, this pic is a, uh, home run.
(See? I told you I wasn’t a basketball fan.)
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
