[The Movie Slam Dunk] I Watched the Second Game in Dolby

Since I cried so much during the first game that I couldn't see the screen through my tears, and "I want to hear The Birthday and 10-FEET with the most powerful sound system!" my inner rock kid exploded, so I immediately went to see it a second time in Dolby!

The Sannoh vs. Shohoku game in Dolby—the voices, the music, the sound effects—it was absolutely amazing with an overwhelming sense of presence that was on another level!

This article contains my thoughts and observations on things I noticed during my second viewing.

Click here for past Slam Dunk articles ↓

By the way, the article at the bottom where I talk endlessly about Mitchy has made it into the top 10 most accessed articles (for some reason, it has over 20,000 PV, surpassing my Sannoh game analysis article).

Things I noticed and thought about after watching it for the second time

・Yasu's facial expressions were great as he kept worrying about Ryota, who couldn't handle Sannoh's press at all

・The Kainan team was actually watching the game, even if they didn't have any lines

・When Hanamichi did his buzzer-beater jump shot, dust was dancing in the air. It was so detailed I didn't notice it

・When I first saw Mitchy's shooting motion, I focused on the beauty of his form, but it's actually quite fast

・Paul-kun's "I see!" face when he saw Kawata block Hanamichi with a screen-out to stop his jump, then pick up the ball later

・Awakened by the pass Rukawa to Mitchy: "You're not that kind of guy, are you?" is so intense! Such clumsy trust!

・After Mitchy said "My arms won't go up" on the bench, Ryota said, "I'll pass it around." Between you and Rukawa, you're all such sadists!

・The scene where the venue, which was entirely Sannoh-colored, starts cheering for Shohoku. I love it no matter how many times I see it

・The second high-speed tap-tap. Amazing!

・The second high-five between Hanamichi and Rukawa. Amazing!

・I'm not sure if it's because they won the game or because Ryota and his mother reconciled, but the feeling of relief in my heart is incredible. I'm definitely going to watch it again

Anzai-sensei, the true purpose of putting Hanamichi in

Beyond just breaking Sannoh's full-court press, which I hadn't fully realized in previous articles or the manga, there were things that became clearer through the animation regarding the purpose of putting Hanamichi in, so I'd like to analyze it in my own way.

1. Rebounding

2. To make Paul-kun go to the bench

3. To ignite Rukawa's fighting spirit
   

1. To get rebounds

First, the rebounding is just as it was in the story. The strategy is to have Hanamichi get rebounds so that a -2 point situation becomes a +4 point contribution.

2. To make Paul-kun go to the bench

The reason for making Paul-kun go to the bench is that 7 Kawata and 5 Paul are the best rebounders in the country.

Coach Domoto didn't have Shohoku, a team that just popped up, on his radar, and as a coach, he would want to develop 15 Kawata the younger for national experience by the summer. If he's going to make a substitution, it's better for the brothers to gain experience, so Paul-kun is the only choice to bench.

In other words, the goal is to leave Sannoh with only one player on the court who can get rebounds.

I think one of Anzai-sensei's goals was that Hanamichi's unpredictable play as an amateur would confuse Paul-kun, causing his play to falter and leading to him being substituted. Regarding this, I realized something after listening to Coach Domoto's line again:

"Are you putting Sakuragi in here? He doesn't have a three-pointer, does he?" This is where the differences between the two coaches emerge.

Coach Domoto brought in Kogure, a sixth man who can shoot threes, so he thought, "I'll score 3 points at a time," and Coach Domoto thought the maximum points you can get in one play is 3 points, while Anzai-sensei thinks if you stop the opponent's fast break, those 2 points are effectively worth 4 points.

Coach Domoto says, "Make three 3-pointers for 9 points,", Anzai-sensei says, "Make three 2-pointers (effectively 4 points each) for a score of 6 points, but effectively 12 points." I think it's easier to understand when you put it into numbers.

After Hanamichi's great performance and consistent scoring, Mitsui's 3-point play—a basket plus a foul—is incredibly easy to understand and super intense.

(It's also interesting to get a glimpse of the bets between the coaches, not just the players.)

3. To awaken Rukawa

What pushed Rukawa, who was completely outmatched by Sawakita, to fight back was Hanamichi, who has always seen Rukawa as a rival.

When Rukawa consulted Coach Anzai about wanting to go to America in the manga, the coach advised him, "You are still not as good as Sendoh (Ryonan)," which I believe meant "If you can pass like Sendoh, you will make a leap forward."

He says it gently, but I think he meant to say "Rukawa's vision is too narrow right now."

Even though Coach Anzai knew that "the outcome depends on whether Rukawa can pass," he didn't explicitly order him to "pass the ball" because he wanted Rukawa to realize the importance of thinking for himself and he simply saw through the fact that if Hanamichi provoked him, Rukawa would get fired up.

I don't think this strategy was because Coach Anzai thought "even Rukawa can't beat Sawakita," but rather because he thought that if he could prove "Rukawa can play beyond just 1-on-1," the opponent would be caught off guard (and indeed, Sawakita was caught off guard).

The joy when Rukawa finally passed the ball is evident in Coach Anzai's fist pump.

Commonalities between Tanashi Shrine and the local area of Shohoku

Since "Tanashi Shrine" is listed in the interview cooperation credits, it has become a topic among Slam Dunk fans, but there is no way that Tanashi Shrine is the only model.

This is because Tanashi Shrine is a shrine in Tokyo.

The location is likely 1) Located in Akita Prefecture, 2) In the middle of a forest, 3) Has 300 steps which points to "Moriko Omonoimi Shrine" (this shrine is said to be used for ascetic training, making it a perfect place for Sawakita's self-practice).

I believe that since the production company Toei is nearby, they used Moriko Omonoimi Shrine (Akita) as the model for the location, and requested cooperation from Tanashi Shrine (Tokyo) for design elements like the shrine buildings and torii gates, combining information from the two shrines.

And I noticed something when I actually went to Tanashi Shrine.

Both Tanashi Shrine and the Kamakura area, the setting of Slam Dunk, are deeply connected to dragon legends.

The Dragon God Legend of Enoshima

Enoshima has a famous "Dragon Legend".

A fierce five-headed dragon lived in the Shonan area, constantly causing trouble for the people who lived there.

One day, a beautiful celestial maiden suddenly appeared along with an "island." The dragon fell in love with her at first sight, but his proposal was shot down after she pointed out his bad behavior. However, the dragon, unable to give up, mended his ways and married the maiden, eventually coming to protect the people—a romantic story.

That "island that suddenly appeared" is the present-day Enoshima.

I didn't think about it when I was reading the manga there, but I realized there are many points that link up.

1. The heavy rain that started during the game

While Shohoku and Sannoh were locked in a fierce battle, halfway through, a heavy downpour hit the Hiroshima gymnasium (in the manga, Uozumi arrives at the venue while soaking wet).

It is often said that dragons have a deep connection to water, such as rain and ponds.

From a spiritual perspective, some people believe that dragon gods bring rain during competitions, meaning they are becoming allies and lending their power.

The legend of the dragon is deeply rooted in every part of the Kamakura area, the home of Shohoku High School, and it is also famous that Tanashi Shrine, which was requested for cooperation, enshrines five dragons.

I think this heavy rain not only signifies "the beginning of turmoil" and "an upset victory" as a narrative device, but also indirectly incorporates the blessings of local legends and the shrine used as a model.

2. Mitsui who went astray and the five-headed dragon of Enoshima

As the name suggests, the five-headed dragon is a dragon with five heads.

Regarding the dragon legend I wrote about earlier, it is simply the story of a dragon with bad behavior who mended his ways and married a celestial maiden, but doesn't that overlap with Hisashi Mitsui, the man who doesn't give up easily?

In the scene where he returns, he says, "I'm a man who doesn't give up easily," and whether it's a coincidence or not, it overlaps with Mitsui's personality.

(By the way, it seems the name Hisashi Mitsui is derived from the sake "Miinokotobuki".)

Don't you want to mosh to "Dai Zero Kan" soon?

The Slam Dunk music team is seriously the best, right? I can totally imagine the floor singing, jumping, moshing, and diving to "Dai Zero Kan"...!

Wait, hold on, I just thought of this while writing, but isn't it crazy that we'll be able to hear Slam Dunk theme songs at festivals in the future?

In the end, this summary is just about 10-FEET! Thank you so much, TAKUMA-san!! I hope this year's Kyoto Daisakusen returns to the live concerts of those days and is a great success!!!

This lingering feeling from Slam Dunk has the same temperature and emotion as when I've seen an incredibly good live concert. Maybe that's why I want to watch it over and over again.

[Note]

Regarding Kamakura, I did a little pilgrimage to the sacred sites about two years ago, thinking, "I should go before the movie comes out!" so please use it as a reference if you visit Kamakura. That said, you'll be fine just walking along Yuigahama Beach.

As a former Kanagawa resident, I recommend traveling by train (the roads are always congested and parking fees in this area are extremely high, so it's cheaper in both time and money...)