[The Epoch Times, January 28, 2023]”After 4,814 days, do you still like basketball?” This sentence is the introduction of the Facebook Page “4814 Days After”, and it is also when I entered to watch “THE FIRST SLAM DUNK” (Hong Kong Translation: When a man enters the bottle / Taiwan translation: Slam Dunk) A question to myself before.
The juvenile manga “THE FIRST SLAM DUNK” created by Japanese manga artist Takehiko Inoue was serialized from 1990 to 1996, with a circulation of more than 120 million copies in Japan. The TV animation introduced in Hong Kong premiered on ATV from 1995 to 1996. Become a collective memory of a generation. After 26 years, “THE FIRST SLAM DUNK” is presented in 3D animation, and a sentence of “into the bottle” flashes in front of the eyes, once again igniting the upsurge of revisiting serial comics and animations in the city.
As a post-90s author, although I missed the serial comics of “Into the Bottle”, I also missed the premiere broadcast on Hong Kong TV. But as a basketball lover, I first uncovered this set of comics when I was in junior high school, and it happened to be rebroadcasted by TV stations, so I naturally jumped into this pit. Although this series can be regarded as a masterpiece, it certainly cannot be compared with other literary works, but Mr. Inoue uses comics to take everyone into this passionate, youthful, joyful and moving basketball world.
Let’s talk about the manga first. Mr. Inoue ended it with a bit of regret in his youth, but it didn’t stop him from ascending to the altar. What I have seen in the discussion area for decades is “you like it” (all the comments are very good), and the storyboard and rhythm in the comics have become a reference for other works later.
In terms of TV animation, it ended hastily with the high school in northern Hunan entering the national competition, which can be said to be a common regret for generations. The news that the national competition will be brought to the big screen, like “Wolf is coming”, will appear every few years. Until the news is really confirmed, I believe many people will scream like the author.
I saw on the Internet that the bookstore and the social media SLAM DUNK – 4814 DAYS AFTER cooperated to hold a movie booking event in Hong Kong, so I didn’t hesitate to buy tickets to participate. Of course, the gifts given in the private event are attractive, but being able to watch this perfect conclusion with a group of like-minded lovers can be regarded as putting an end to one of the items in the life list.
Although I was very clear about the ending of the story before I entered the arena, after all, my initial idea was to put the content of the manga on the big screen, but after watching it, I realized that in addition to putting the game of Sanno Industry on the big screen, it also brought Liang Tian His entire childhood and mental journey were completed, his frivolous look and arrogant attitude, as well as his love for basketball, made him an indispensable and important core of the entire team.
Coincidentally, perhaps due to height, my favorite character in the past was Liang Tian. Perhaps experienced fans have noticed that under the arrangement of Mr. Inoue, the other four members of Xiangbei’s starting five tigers have also tried to get injured or retired due to various problems, but Liang Tian, who is the starting point guard, always runs full. At the end of the game, he is like the core of Xiangbei, the support point of the entire team. Although Liang Tian is the smallest in the team, he has the fastest speed in Kanagawa, which compares with all the top point guards.
There are endless words and meanings. No matter whether Liangtian is leading or lagging behind, he raised his index finger after dribbling the ball to show victory, and said to everyone: “Okay, let’s score another goal!” Or the firm eyes in the movie said Say: “We will win!” That sentence will always remain in my mind, as if reminding me to be a human being, to be strong and optimistic in the face of adversity and adversity, if you give up easily, you will definitely lose the game. After watching the full set, I knew the ending, but still found myself shaking (out of breath) and clenching my fists in the clutch, and I’m sure after all these years, I still love basketball deeply.
Maybe there will be better basketball animations in the future, but with the upsurge of the release of the movie version of “Into Bottle”, I saw my father bring his children to watch, which makes me believe that this series of cartoons will continue to be popular forever. ◇
Responsible editor: Huang Shanni
