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| Top to bottom: Rukawa, Miyagi, Mitsui, and Akagi - Right: Hanamichi |
Slam Dunk is a story about Sakuragi Hanamichi who decides to join the school Shohoku basketball team after the girl he likes tells him that he is suitable for basketball. Although his initial reason to join is because of her, he later discovers that he likes basketball and IS a basketball player.
If you are not a fan of basketball, fear not! This anime is hilarious and inspiring. Hanamichi is a really random guy who does the unexpected and generates tonnes of laughter. Sometimes, you just want to shake him real bad but most of the time, you really just want to root for him. Despite his tall and big size, he is quite the direct and blurred case who is persistent in his belief that he is a basketball genius. He finds his rival in Rukawa, a skilled yet aloof basketballer who does not really give a damn about anything. Not to mention, the brother of his dream girl also happens to be the basketball captain Akagi, a tall menacing-looking (initially) guy with the "Gorilla" nickname. Rounding up the team are Miyagi, Mitsui, Kogure, Yasuda, and two more players whom I can't recall. Each has an interesting personality that all of us can relate to or are reminded of.
You might wonder, how fun can a basketball theme anime be? Well, it is fun watching them grow as a team. The focus is more on Sakuragi's character, watching him develop his basketball skills and also the basketball team's teamwork as they fight their way to the inter high competition. The basketball games become interesting once you get to know the characters and before I knew it, I was already rooting for them! =)
p/s: At ep38 now! Loving the opening and ending theme songs as well!
