Where should I start with Slam Dunk? What started as a simple way to pass time, quickly (and I do mean quickly) turned into one of the most enjoyable anime experiences I have gone through in a very long time. Slam Dunk has it all, humor, a good story, fighting, basketball… just about everything you could ask for in an anime. But don’t get the wrong impression, watching Slam Dunk isn’t like watching the NBA throughout the season, this is actually good… joking joking. Slam Dunk will be one of those anime that leaves an impression on you, not unlike DBZ when you first saw it. And it’s not one of those anime where you have to worry about fancy Animation or anything, this is just pure fun (and very often funny).

Action
Humor, Gang Fights and Basketball. A very unique combination, if you ask me. But Slam Dunk does it in such a way that it is pulled off flawlessly. Honestly, whatever Slam Dunk tries to do, it does it very well. When it’s trying to be funny, it’s pretty damn funny. When it’s showing off some serious stuff, it can get pretty ugly as well. But when it comes to basketball, Slam Dunk is really a surprise. They actually manage to make the games very suspenseful, and it has an attention to detail that gives it a sense of realism. You’d expect a lot of cool moves being thrown around, but there isn’t. Because, let’s face it, you rarely see all these fancy moves in a real basketball game.

And there is a lot of variety, which is surprising because the series spans 101 episodes, not to mention the 4 OVAs. Every game has its own, unique element, which keeps the series fresh. So to put it plainly, Slam Dunk never really lets up, which will leave you as a happy anime viewer.

Story
How much story could an anime centered around basketball have? Well, actually, a lot. The story in SD is unique, I say this because as each fight in a fighting anime would have a story behind it, basically each game in Slam Dunk has a story behind it as well. Whether it be with the individual characters, or the team in general, each game (as I said previously) is different than the other. And my god you should see the back stories on some of these characters. Talk about trying to play on your sympathies. This is an anime that surprisingly has some interesting twists and turns, with the only real downside being that the manga continues longer. But one thing is for sure, you will definitely want to be seeing what happens next.

Personal Opinion
For me, Slam Dunk is in the same category as G Gundam. It’s one of those great anime that you can think back about many months from now and still think it’s some of the best anime you have ever seen. The music, atmosphere and supporting characters are all great too. Of course, it will be dismissed by many as a sports anime, but in my view this defines what a sports anime or manga should be like. One of the best, and least known anime out there, in my opinion.

Conclusion
Slam Dunk is a great, long series that will keep you interested the whole way through, and leave you wanting more. Heck, it was even good enough to get me playing basketball (which is crazy, because I am very lazy). But don’t take my word for it, go and watch it for yourself.