---
title: "The First Slam Dunk"
year: 2022
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-first-slam-dunk"
fi1m_id: "the-first-slam-dunk"
imdb_id: "tt15242330"
tmdb_id: 783675
wikidata_id: "Q112897629"
fi1m_score: 81
critics_score: 71
critics_reviews: 10
published: "2026-10-05T16:29:17.355938+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-05T16:29:19.127423+00:00"
region: "SA"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The First Slam Dunk (2022)

Directed by Takehiko Inoue · 2h 05m · Animation, Comedy, Drama

## Identity

The First Slam Dunk

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-first-slam-dunk
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** the-first-slam-dunk
- **IMDb ID:** tt15242330
- **TMDB ID:** 783675
- **Wikidata ID:** Q112897629
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15242330/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/783675, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q112897629

**Fi1m score: 81** · Critics 71 from 10 reviews

*In a sentence:* A basketball film that had us worrying about the score as though our encouragement might help

> *The First Slam Dunk* makes animated basketball feel physically demanding and worth caring about. The flashbacks sometimes break the match’s grip, and the tactics can get dense, but the movement earns our attention back.

## Synopsis

Ryota Miyagi (Shūgo Nakamura) takes to the basketball court alongside Hisashi Mitsui (Jun Kasama) and Takenori Akagi (Kenta Miyake). He wants to help his team win, but individual skill has to fit the demands of the match and the players around him. Kaede Rukawa (Shin’ichirō Kamio) and Hanamichi Sakuragi (Subaru Kimura) also enter the contest. As the game unfolds, flashbacks move away from the court to the players’ earlier lives. Those histories accompany the passes, shots and changes of possession as the team tries to find a way through the opposition.

## Review

Takehiko Inoue’s *The First Slam Dunk* is an absorbing sports film with an occasional reluctance to leave its match alone. It wants the basketball to carry enough drama for 125 minutes, while finding room for the experiences that make the players care about winning. The frequent trips away from the court do not always help, but the ambition is worth taking seriously. This is a film interested in how people play together, and in how difficult that becomes when each has something personal at stake.

The animation gives the players weight without making them lumber, and speed without turning the court into a blur. Cinematographer Shunsuke Nakamura keeps the action readable, with bodies distinct enough for us to follow the competition for space. The relatively spare images help: there is little to distract from the movement, and changes of pace have a satisfying physical force. The choreography is detailed enough to hold our attention through an extended passage of play, without requiring a new visual trick every few seconds.

We were surprised by how tense we became watching the players try to keep up with one another. The animation makes the effort visible, so an advantage feels worked for rather than handed out by the script. Shūgo Nakamura, voicing Ryota Miyagi, gives the personal drama enough feeling to keep us listening when the basketball stops. His performance helps connect the more openly emotional scenes to the pressure of the game, and makes Ryota Miyagi someone worth following through both.

Editors Jun Watanabe and Ryuichi Takita have the awkward job of fitting the flashbacks around a contest that keeps building its own momentum. Some pauses give us useful time with the people playing; others arrive when we would rather stay on the court. The more successful transitions make the return to play feel urgent, because we have been given another reason to care about a player. Elsewhere, the film spends too long recovering tension that it had already established, and the repeated interruptions become noticeable.

Takehiko Inoue’s screenplay also expects a fair amount of patience with basketball strategy. The action is often clear enough to communicate the immediate difficulty, yet the tactical detail can demand more concentration than the emotional story needs. That is the main caveat for anyone drawn by the animation rather than the sport, and a few passages would benefit from less explanation. Within the familiar sports-drama conventions, though, the film finds convincing ways for athletic effort to express feelings that might sound ordinary in dialogue.

There is no shortage of films about players hoping to win, and another account of perseverance needs to give us a reason to sit through it. Here, the reason is the care taken over the basketball itself, which keeps the familiar material from feeling merely dutiful. Even when the storytelling grows insistent, the next stretch of play offers something exact and absorbing to watch. Choose it for the animation if basketball is not your sport, and be prepared to miss a few tactical details.

*Fi1m score 81, published 5 October 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics respond warmly to The First Slam Dunk, with praise centred on the animation and the clarity, speed and physical force of its basketball sequences. The action gives the characters’ feelings a convincing physical expression, making the match matter beyond the score. Several reviews find the drama affecting despite its familiar sports-story formulas, and admire how the choreography makes a complicated game readable and exciting.

The reservations concern pacing, accessibility and the interruptions to the match. Some critics find the basketball strategy demanding or feel the film assumes prior knowledge; others note repetition and the strain of fitting numerous character stories into one film. The spread is fairly broad, though positive reviews predominate. The Skinny is the clearest dissenter, finding that clashing animation styles and sporadic flashbacks weaken the tension. The AV Club remains favourable but also flags racist tropes.

## Straight answers

**Is The First Slam Dunk worth watching?**

*The First Slam Dunk* is worth watching for its physically convincing animation and absorbing basketball, and we score it 81 out of 100. We became surprisingly tense watching the players compete for space and possession, though the flashbacks interrupt the match’s momentum and the tactical detail asks for patience from anyone less interested in the sport.

**How long is The First Slam Dunk, and what is it rated?**

*The First Slam Dunk* runs 2h 05m. It is an animation and comedy film.

**Where can I watch The First Slam Dunk in Saudi Arabia?**

*The First Slam Dunk* is not on any streaming or rental service in Saudi Arabia at the moment. It is available in 31 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is The First Slam Dunk, and is it suitable for children?**

*The First Slam Dunk* has a UK 12A certificate, meaning children under 12 need an accompanying adult at the cinema. We describe tense sporting competition and emotional drama, but cannot offer a specific warning about violence or frightening material from those details alone; the certificate does not mean it is suitable for every younger child.

**How does The First Slam Dunk compare to Breaking Away?**

*The First Slam Dunk* is our stronger choice for absorbing sporting action, while [*Breaking Away*](https://film.one/film/breaking-away) is the better fit for warm comedy about friendship and class. We find the basketball itself supplies much of the animated film’s feeling; in *Breaking Away*, the young men’s lives and youthful pretensions matter more than the cycling, making it the more natural choice for sports sceptics.

**What should I watch after The First Slam Dunk?**

After *The First Slam Dunk*, try [*Breaking Away*](https://film.one/film/breaking-away) (1979, Fi1m 86): Cycling, friendship and class anxiety, with an affectionate eye for youthful pretension. Then [*Hoop Dreams*](https://film.one/film/hoop-dreams) (1994, Fi1m 92): Real basketball players face pressures that make the score only part of the story.

### Reviews we read (10)

- **IndieWire**, David Ehrlich (B+): Ehrlich calls the film a thrilling, emotionally layered crowd-pleaser. He especially praises how its detailed depiction of basketball turns the game into an expansive source of human drama. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-first-slam-dunk-movie-review-1234889359/)
- **Little White Lies**, Esther Rosenfield (3/4/4): Rosenfield finds the film thrilling and calls it a total slam dunk. She particularly praises the clarity and exhilarating choreography of the basketball action. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-first-slam-dunk)
- **Time Out**, Phil de Semlyen (4/5): The critic praises the film as kinetic, poetic anime. They single out its supercharged basketball drama and motion. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-first-slam-dunk-2023)
- **The AV Club**, Jacob Oller (7.8): Oller finds the film an ambitious, effective balance of familiar sports-anime storytelling and visual innovation. He especially praises the kinetic animation and heart-stopping finale, while noting that the film can feel repetitive and retains racist tropes. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-first-slam-dunk-review)
- **Sight and Sound**, BFI (75/100, inferred): The critic finds the film an exhilarating, emotionally grounded sports anime, even though its story relies on familiar formulas. They single out the fluid, tactile animation for capturing the speed and physicality of basketball. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/first-slam-dunk-inoue-takehikos-scintillating-basketball-anime-captures-thrill-competitive-sport)
- **Slant Magazine**, Ross McIndoe (3/4): McIndoe finds the film exhilarating despite its difficulty fitting the manga’s many stories into two hours. He praises the vivid, inventive animation and the way the basketball game gives characters’ inner lives physical expression. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-first-slam-dunk-review-inoue-takehiko/)
- **The New York Times** (64/100, inferred): The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict is unavailable. No praise or complaint can be verified from the provided text. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/27/movies/the-first-slam-dunk-review-style-points.html)
- **The Guardian**, Wendy Ide (3/5): Ide finds the film dynamic and unexpectedly affecting, while noting that its basketball strategy can feel overcomplicated. She praises its sparse, handsome animation and springy nonlinear structure for refreshing the sports-movie genre. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/sep/03/the-first-slam-dunk-review-dynamic-basketball-anime-takehiko-inoue)
- **Eye for Film**, Andrew Robertson (70/100, inferred): Robertson finds the film’s long, difficult pacing ultimately pays off in suspense. He praises the kinetic basketball sequences and inventive animation, while noting that the film assumes familiarity with basketball. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-first-slam-dunk-2022-film-review-by-andrew-robertson)
- **The Skinny**, Jamie Dunn (★★): The review finds the film an uneven blend of heartfelt drama and a meat-headed sports movie. It criticises the jarring animation styles and the sporadic flashbacks, which undermine the match’s tension. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/the-first-slam-dunk)

## Details

- **Director:** Takehiko Inoue
- **Director:** Takehiko Inoue
- **Screenplay:** Takehiko Inoue
- **Cinematography:** Shunsuke Nakamura
- **Editor:** Ryuichi Takita, Jun Watanabe
- **Producer:** Toshiyuki Matsui
- **Cast:** Shūgo Nakamura as Ryota Miyagi (voice); Jun Kasama as Hisashi Mitsui (voice); Kenta Miyake as Takenori Akagi (voice); Shin'ichirō Kamio as Kaede Rukawa (voice); Subaru Kimura as Hanamichi Sakuragi (voice); Katsuhisa Hōki as Mitsuyoshi Anzai (voice); Asami Seto as Ayako (voice); Ryōta Iwasaki as Kiminobu Kogure (voice)
- **Runtime:** 2h 05m
- **First release (Singapore):** 10 June 2022
- **Genres:** Animation, Comedy, Drama
- **Box office:** $258 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-gGTCru5ZM

## Where to watch in Saudi Arabia

Not streaming, renting or buying in Saudi Arabia at the last check.

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, DE, EC, ES, FR, GB, HK, ID, IE, IT, KR, MX, MY, NL, NZ, PA, PE, PH, SG, TH, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Ping Pong the Animation* (2014): Another animated sports drama that takes the players’ private worries seriously.
- *Breaking Away* (1979), Fi1m 86: Cycling, friendship and class anxiety, with an affectionate eye for youthful pretension. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/breaking-away.md)
- *Hoop Dreams* (1994), Fi1m 92: Real basketball players face pressures that make the score only part of the story. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/hoop-dreams.md)
- *Lagaan* (2001): A longer sporting contest, with team spirit and clear stakes to sustain it.
- *Offside* (2006): Football matters fiercely to women kept outside the stadium in this sharp comedy.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-first-slam-dunk