GKIDS Films has released The First Slam Dunk trailer for the upcoming North American theatrical debut of Toei Animation’s sports anime movie. Based on on the classic series and manga of the same name, the film will finally arrive in U.S. and Canadian theaters on July 28.
In addition, GKIDS has also unveiled its English dub cast which includes the voices of Paul Castro Jr. as Ryota Miyagi, Jonah Scott as Hisashi Mitsui, Aleks Le as Kaede Rukawa, Ben Balmaceda as Hanamichi Sakuragi, and Aaron Goodson as Takenori Akagi.
Check out The First Slam Dunk teaser trailer below (watch more trailers):
What is The First Slam Dunk?
“The film follows Shohoku High School’s ‘speedster’ point guard, Ryota Miyagi, who always plays with brains and lightning speed, running circles around his opponents while feigning composure,” reads the synopsis. “In his second year of high school, Ryota plays with the Shohoku basketball team along with Sakuragi, Rukawa, Akagi, and Mitsui as they take the stage at the Inter-High School National Championship. And now, they are on the brink of challenging the reigning champions, Sannoh Kogyo High School.”
The First Slam Dunk is based on the popular manga Slam Dunk by Takehiko Inoue, who makes his directorial debut with the upcoming film. It was first adapted into an anime series by Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon studio Toei Animation from 1993-1996, which consisted of 101 episodes; the studio also produced four anime films while the series was still airing. The First Slam Dunk officially marks the franchise’s first movie in nearly three decades.
Since its theatrical debut in Asia, it has earned a worldwide gross of over $232 million. As of this writing, it’s the seventh highest-grossing anime film to date. It also recently won the Best Animation of the Year award at the 2023 Japan Academy Prize.
