Takehiko Inoue Discusses the Origin of Slam Dunk and the Possibility of a Sequel

Takehiko Inoue, known for directing the initial Slam Dunk film and originating the Slam Dunk manga, participated in the "COURT SIDE in THEATER FINAL" talk event on August 15. During the event, he shared insights about his involvement in the film's production, the dedication he invested in its development, and the potential for a follow-up installment. At 56 years old, Inoue, who also directed the film, expressed his cautious stance regarding the possibility of a sequel: "Stating definitively whether there will be a sequel or not could constrain me. If I confirm its existence and it doesn't materialize, that would be regrettable. Conversely, if I declare there won't be one, I might hinder myself from pursuing it even if I decide to create it. Hence, I prefer to refrain from making any statements at this juncture." Inoue expanded upon the filmmaking journey, emphasizing his dedicated efforts to bring the successful film to fruition: "Before the movie's premiere, my primary aim was its completion.

I strived to enhance it even slightly, pouring all my abilities into the project. The team's dedication was remarkable too," Inoue stated. Being his directorial debut, the film carried special significance for Inoue. Ryūta Koike, a film and music producer, mentioned to Anime News Network that the team's goal was to exceed the original material, largely due to Inoue's foundational role. However, Inoue regarded the actual screening as just one part of the overall story. "In spite of finishing the movie, its true value is only realized when the audience experiences it. A film attains true completion when it reaches the audience—when it has effectively connected with each individual viewer. The same principle applies to manga. Thus, I hope that connection was established," he articulated. The movie garnered substantial attendance in Japanese theaters, securing the top spot upon its release on December 3. During its opening weekend, it sold 847,000 tickets and generated 1,295,808,780 yen (approximately US$9.50 million). As of July 23, the cumulative ticket sales reached 10.33 million, amassing 14,900,403,870 yen (around US$105.3 million). This accomplishment positioned the film as Japan's 14th highest-grossing film of all time and the eighth highest-grossing anime film. Earning the prestigious Animation of the Year award at the 46th Japan Academy Film Prizes, the film also led to accolades for producer Toshiyuki Matsui, who received the general award at the 42nd Fujimoto Awards hosted by Eiga Engeki Bunka Kyōkai (Film Theater Culture Association). GKIDS released the film across the United States and Canada, offering both English-dubbed and Japanese audio versions with English subtitles starting July 28. In its initial North American weekend, the film accrued US$662,211. As of Sunday, its global earnings reached a cumulative total of US$152,355,179. The film's Japanese theater run is set to conclude on August 31.

The Real Life Kaede Rukawa

Dwight Ramos is a Filipino-American professional basketball player for Levanga Hokkaido of the Japanese B.League. He played college basketball for the Ateneo Blue Eagles of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP). He has also played for the Philippines national basketball team. While Ramos was still in high school, he was contacted by coach Tab Baldwin who tried to recruit him to play for Ateneo de Manila University's Blue Eagles in the Philippines once he graduates. However he decided to forego from playing for Ateneo to continue his college basketball career in the United States.

Ramos during his attendance at Fullerton campus of California State University played for the Cal State Fullerton Titans basketball team. He suited up for the team in the NCAA Division I from 2016 to 2018. He then went on to play for the Broncos of California State Polytechnic University in Pomona for one season in the NCAA Division II. After playing for the Cal State Pomona Broncos, Ramos went to the Philippines to play for the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the UAAP but had to serve residency in 2019 before he could suit up in official UAAP games. He played for Ateneo in the Philippine Collegiate Champions League helping the team clinch the 2019 league title.He was expected to make his UAAP debut for the Blue Eagles in Season 83 which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He became eligible to enter the PBA draft in 2021, but decided to forego from entering for a chance to play alongside his brother in Ateneo. Ramos decided to forgo his one year of eligibility in UAAP and he signed with Toyama Grouses of the Japanese B.League on September 10, 2021. Ramos played only for the 2021–22 season with his team finishing 7th in the west conference. Toyama didn't renew his contract. Ramos remained in the B.League, joining Levanga Hokkaido in May 2022 and is set to play for the team at least for the 2022–23 season. 

 

Kaede Rukawa Trivia

Rukawa chose Shohoku High School because it is close to his home.
    Rukawa's sneakers are Air Jordan V, where Jordan won the 4th scoring title in 1989.
    Rukawa cheered for Hanamichi Sakuragi during the latter's dunk against Shinichi Maki of Kainan.
    Rukawa doesn't seems to notice that Haruko Akagi has a crush on him.
    In his first match as a Shohoku, Rukawa was the starting power forward, thus wearing #10.
    Whenever Sakuragi and/or Nobunaga Kiyota makes an error or are in a funny situation, Rukawa joins in and calls them idiot, moron, or stupid.

    Sakuragi frequently calls Rukawa "Fox" due to his look, and in Sakuragi's opinion, he is very sly and cunning, not only stealing Haruko's attention, but also quite selfish in his playstyle.
    Rukawa is also considered as one of the troublemakers along with Sakuragi, Ryota Miyagi and Mitsui due to their fighting history.
    It is presumed that Rukawa have realized that he doesn't need to go to America in order to become the #1 Basketball player in Japan. At the end of the manga, he was shown wearing an All-Japan Junior Camp Training Shirt at the beach where Sakuragi is.
    Rukawa is likely based on NBA legend Michael Jordan, as he is considered at the end as the strongest player in Japanese High School basketball. They both have the same black armband, style of play and an incredible sense of 1 on 1 that allows them to defeat any opponent. They also have similar moves. In the mobile game, he can learn the switch-handed layup, fadeaway, one-handed double-clutch dunk, self alley-oop reverse dunk, and free-throw line dunk. However, when faced with Eiji Sawakita, he was completely overwhelmed and has to change tactics by passing the ball. The match-up between him and Sawakita somewhat resembles a younger Kobe Bryant vs Michael Jordan who is considered the best player of his time. Also, he doesn't have big hands as he can't quite palm the ball as comfortably as Sakuragi, a trait Jordan has that Kobe doesn't.
    Rukawa's free throws are more closely resembling Larry Bird, who is also a small forward.
    In the English Dub of the anime, most of the English casts had called him Kaeda instead of Kaede.

Slam Dunk Movie Replace All The Original Voice Actors

The first slam dunk revealed that it had recast its main characters, to the surprise of many fans. Along with the new cast reveal, an official trailer for the film has also been released. The new cast announcement and trailer were released during a recent live stream that featured the film's main cast. Details were also shared on the movie's official twitter account. Once the cast was announced, many fans did not expect the film to replace the original tv anime cast with new voice actors. The first slam dunk is a new movie based on takehiko inoue's iconic manga series, slam dunk. The film is written and directed by inoue himself and features 3dcg animation. Slam dunk is one of the most popular manga of the 90s, helped in part by the tv anime adaptation by toei animation. Toei will handle the production for this upcoming movie again, but it now has 3dcg animation. The move to 3DCG animation might be a bit of a surprise to some, but given the recent anime film trends, it makes sense.

After all, Toei's Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, released earlier this year, also featured 3DCG animation.

As for its cast, the film features:

    Subaru Kimura as Hanamichi Sakuragi
    Shugo Nakamura as Ryota Miyagi
    Jun Kasama as Hisashi Mitsui
    Shin'ichiro Kamio as Kaede Rukawa
    Kenta Miyake as Takenori Akagi

While the film features a cast with some well-known voice actors, this hasn't stopped fans from being surprised, and some were even disappointed with the recasting decision. Toei Animation and DandeLion Animation Studio are producing the movie. The original mangaka Takehiko Inoue is directing and providing the screenplay, with Yasuyuki Ebara as chief animation director and person in charge of the character designs. The movie revealed a teaser visual in December of last year. Takehiko Inoue wrote and illustrated the original Slam Dunk sports manga, and it was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from September 18, 1990, to June 4, 1996. It ran for a total of 276 chapters, which were compiled into 31 volumes. Toei Animation produced the TV anime adaptation, which ran from October 1, 1993, to March 23, 1996 for a total of 101 episodes. In addition to the main anime series, there are also 4 short movies.

Viz Media licensed the manga, and they describe the story:
Hanamichi Sakuragi’s got no game with girls–none at all! It doesn’t help that he’s known for throwing down at a moment’s notice and always coming out on top. A hopeless bruiser, he’s been rejected by 50 girls in a row! All that changes when he meets the girl of his dreams, Haruko, and she’s actually not afraid of him! When she introduces him to the game of basketball, his life is changed forever