Re-watching Slam Dunk!

      Slam Dunk is one of my top five favorite anime, and it was my favorite childhood anime. Also, I can proudly say it had some sort of a direct impact on my life. It made me play basketball. It was only during summer and fall and only for three years, but at least I had the experience of playing a sport as enjoyable as basketball. In spite of the fact that I was too short, I was not half bad.

      Anyway, my story with Slam Dunk is a long one. I've watched it about four times, but I can remember only three significant times: the very first time I watch it and that was 11 years ago, the third time I watch it and that was 4 years ago, and the fourth time I watch it and that was a week ago.

      One way to know how much you've changed is by re-watching a specific anime multiple times over long intervals. You'll see how much your views on things widely vary as you grow older. They don't necessarily become more mature, though. XD

      In this post I'll be talking about my experience with Slam Dunk the three times I've watched it. Many things have changed. They had their differences, but one thing they all had in common was the ultimate enjoyment. Naturally, the most details will be with my fourth time, since it's the most recent and so the one I remember clearly.

11 years ago….

        I was about 11 years old back then, for the record and I absolutely loved Rukawa! That's my experience in a nutshell! XD I remember clearly how I thought he was so cool, and I hated the complete idiot Sakuragi. My brother, who's three years younger than I am, liked Sakuragi more and sympathized with him, whole heartedly. You know how siblings usually adopt different opinions and keep arguing, it makes things interesting. That's what we did.

       Akagi was a gorilla. That was all he ever meant to me. He was not an important part of that enjoyable experience.

       Naturally, I looked up to short Ryota who was kicking asses, and proving that you can be short and cool all the same!

       I don't remember much about Mitsui from that time. I know I've always admired his 3-point shots, but that's all there was to it.

       I liked Kogure, he was a nice person and I thought he was good looking! XD yes, I did!

Other impressions…I can't remember, that was very long ago. However the highlights for this time were:

- L.O.V.E Rukawa!! XD

- That's when I decided to play basketball.

       I remember back then, before I go to my first basketball training, I had this Slam Dunk wallpaper for the PC. When I was ready to go, I went and looked everyone in the eyes and said "One day I'll be like you!" and that's extremely embarrassing to say out loud! XD I wouldn't have said, except that I want a constant reminder of how silly the 11 years-old me was! Back then, everyone came with their own basketball, so we had to write something on it, like our names, to avoiding mixing up the balls. I wrote the number (11), Rukawa's, on the ball. XD Yes! I was that obsessed. I can't stop laughing at myself now. 

       One more thing that makes this time different is that back then I watched the Arabic dubbed version on Spacetoon. The players had Arabic names instead of the Japanese. Rukawa was Fady and Sakuragi was Hassaan.

4 years ago….

Can people change significantly in 6 years? Yes, they can, and I can prove it, for this time I absolutely hated Rukawa!

I was seventeen years old, back then. I decided all of a sudden to watch Slam Dunk because I was feeling nostalgic, and I was missing the good old days. I watched the first episode dubbed in Arabic on youtube, and then I glimpsed on the side of the page "Slam Dunk Episode 1 Japanese with Eng Sub", Japanese? This is interesting why not try. Surprisingly it didn't sound weird at all. The voices were not hugely different from the Arabic version. I didn't plan back then to complete the anime I was just following my whim for one day, however I was trapped. I kept watching one episode after the other, my brother joined me in that epic trap. We'd have a daily Slam Dunk Marathon until it was over.

So, what was different about this time?

- I watched it in Japanese. It was my first anime in Japanese, and it opened my eyes to the magnificent world of anime. It was the first on a list of 60+ anime so far.

- Like I said, I hated Rukawa. I couldn't stand his arrogant, self-centered attitude. I fully sympathized with Sakuragi on the other hand. I couldn't believe that I had actually like Rukawa before and disliked Sakuragi.

- One of the most memorable moments from this time, is Mitsui's fight with the basketball team that lead to him re-joining it. I remember clearly the time I was watching it, also that was when my brother decided to join. :D

- As for the other Shohoku players, things didn't change. I liked Ryota, I think he was my favorite character. I like Mitsui, and Akagi was of no significance.

- Also, I thought Haruko was very noisy. It was my first anime in Japanese so that was kind of noisy compared to the Arabic dubbing.

- I liked Sakuragi's friends, Yohei and the gang! :D They're so cool and hilarious.

- I came to a closure!

       Well, see.. when I used to watch it before on Spacetoon , the anime would end before the Nationals and I always thought that Spacetoon is not showing the rest of the anime. However, when I watched it that time, I realized that it wasn't Spacetoon's fault that the anime was never completed. It was a letdown, until I discovered that I can complete it from the manga. That was my first time reading a manga, and it was very enjoyable. The best thing about it was that I finally got to see Shohoku playing in the national, and the manga came to some sort of closure.

This year…..

You know when you say re-watching something is not as fun as watching it for the first time. I wonder if that's true about Slam dunk, it seems to me that I enjoy it even more, every time I watch it. Even though I know the outcome of every game they play, I'd still be on the edge of my seat! How many anime or manga can do that to you?!!

What makes this time distinctive is that I liked everyone! Also, now that I have watched loads of anime my view on many things has changed so let's see!

- Sakuragi vs Rukawa

       The never-ending rivalry between Sakuragi and Rukawa made it seem like I have to choose between them, and honestly when things got serious I'd side with Sakuragi; however I don’t hate Rukawa. I mean it wouldn't make sense hating one and like one when the two of them are so much alike! Yes! That's my new discovery! :D Those two are like two sides of the same coin. Sakuragi wouldn't have gone so far, if not for Rukawa. Rukawa is one of the earliest characters who see something in Sakuragi, even if he doesn't show it. He's, also, the only one capable of getting Sakuragi in the right mood for the game, though not in the most friendly manner. :D This was the first time I notice that Rukawa actually talked, and when it happened it was mostly to Sakuragi. He's also made along the anime some few gestures that showed he might be capable of normal human interaction, which pretty much surprised me. His "Dou ahou!" never gets old. He's easily provoked and he responds in the most childish manner, he also has violent tendencies, and gets involved in fights, which is just like Sakuragi. I remember very well when Anazai sensei had everyone promise they wouldn't fight again, they all assured him and he was the only one to say "Probably.." XD. I still can't stand his over confidence, and selfish playing, but he gets over that much later, so better than never.

Rukawa bringing Sakuragi to his'
 sensesin his first game.

Rukawa saluting Akagi after the first
half in  Kainan's game.

                                                       As for Sakuragi, well, he's the main character and he so pathetic. XD I can't just not root for him. Sometimes, I'd want to slap him on the face, but for his own good, not because I hate him. He seems disrespectful, but he's an idiot. His faults, rather than making you irritated, they make you sympathize with him. He's clueless. He's a caring person, and he shows his care in the most simple-minded way. I like how he makes nick names for everyone. He's a hard worker and I like that in him. I like mostly how he continues to surprise everyone with his speedy progress; the satisfaction I get from that is indescribable. I like him better when he cuts his hair. I like long hair better, but the shaved head makes him look more like a sportsman. Also, his chibi face looks better when he's shaved. XD As much of an idiot as he is, but as we progress I start to have a bit of a crush on him. (Having a crush on anime characters is perfectly normal by the way! I think..). Well, I can say he's by all means one of my favorite anime main characters.

Idiot! XD Laughing at Anazi-sensei

My favorite Dunk! :D

                            Asking of  Sakuragi and Rukawa to be best friends is like asking for the impossible. A moment of peace is all we can seek for; but to think that Rukawa would be the first one to attempt it  kind of surprised me. XD The moment of peace came anyway, and that's all that matters, a defining moment in the history of Manga, indeed!

First Failed Attempt! :D

It happened! T_T

- Akagi aka Gori!

      This one big difference between this time and all the times before. I finally took notice of Akagi! He's become one of my favorite characters too. I came to admire him so much. He's very dependable and a hard worker. He sometimes acts childishly which makes him not perfect, and that's a good thing. Also, his gorilla like expressions sometimes, are really funny! XD 
         I liked mostly how he things were between him and Sakuragi. He hits him on the head constantly, and I give him every excuse for it. However, he trusts him. He would pull an all-nighter teaching him how to shoot or how to get a rebound; and when everyone fails to notice an accomplishment, a nice pass or a rebound by Sakuragi, he's the one who notices it, and praises him. Also, Sakuragi trusts him immensely and respects him but in his own way. :D

I wanted to cry back then T_T

Disciplining Sakuragi in the game! :D

- Miyagi Ryota! 

       That's one characters that I liked just the same in all three times and I liked very much! Why? Because he's awesome! They start off his introduction by saying he's troublesome, but honestly from the 5 main characters, Ryota is the sanest one. He's polite to Mitsui in spite of their former dispute, and even before Mitsui joins the team. I always laugh when he calls Akagi "Danna" XD. Besides, I like him the most with Sakuragi. He takes pity on Sakuragi when he knows that he's been rejected 50 times XD. He's the one who taught him how to fake, and he also told him when to do it in one game, and he praised him when he pulled it successfully. He keeps giving him advice throughout the training, without being very hard on him. Also, he's the one who's made fun of him the least, and he doesn't mind joining him in idiocy once in a while.

Teaching Sakuragi how to fake! :D

He did it!! XD

                                                        Ryota might have been unlucky when it came to opponents. Mostly the other teams' ace would also be the point guard. However, he was more than competent, that's in spite of being shorter than the other players. Also, from how I saw it Ryota was the most dependable player on the team. He never tires, he's always running with his super speed. His passes are perfect. All the players and moody and have their ups and downs during the game. However, Ryota is always doing his absolute best. 

His crush on Ayako is so sweet. Sakuragi's "Haruko san!!" is funny but Ryota's "Aya-chan!" is kawaii! And his chibi face when he says it is even more kawaiiii!! <3

Ryota Kawaii!! <3 XD 

- Mit-chi!

         Now, that I am familiar with Japanese I noticed that Sakuragi calls Ryota and Mitsui, Ryo-chin and Mit-chi. Unlike Ryota, Mitsui complained, when Sakuragi said that he'd use his surname, but then it's Hisashi; that silenced Mitsui and I wish I knew why. XD However, Mit-chi is easier to say than Mitsui so I use it instead.

I always admired Mitsui's three pointers, and his form while shooting them.

I didn't like younger Mitsui at all, he was too arrogant. The older one is, but going on the wrong path for 2 years, made him regretful and that made him a teeny bit less arrogant.

The thing I noticed about Mitsui this time that I didn't before, is his leadership capabilities and strong character. I, also, noticed that Mitsui is not all about three pointers. He's a very skilled player. Too bad, he's a third year, he would have made a good captain.

       I liked that time when Anazai sensei had the freshmen play against the older players, apart from Akagi and Mitsui, a game, after their match with Kainan. Then, he had Mitsui play to show Sakuragi his weakness. Mitsui disabled Sakuragi very skillfully. He could point clearly to Sakuragi where his weakness lies.

       I, also, liked when Rukawa challenged him and he was too childish about it. He even settled for Sakuragi's judgement! He's a sore loser XD. But, honestly I rooted for him.

       I loved him and Ryo-chin, when they had all the players leave the court, when Sakuragi challenged Rukawa later on the same day. They didn't want him to get embarrassed in front of everyone, when he's so full of himself. They kept consoling him when he lost. I can see Ryota doing that but Mitsui surprised me. He went as far as telling Sakuragi, he's not sure he'd win against Rukawa, the arrogant, proud Mitsui said that! :D

       In terms of looks (let's say some stupid girly notes), I can say Mitsui is my favorite! I didn't like how he looked when he was a freshman and I didn't like his delinquent look, of course. However, I'm thankful that when he cut his hair he didn't go back to the older hair style, but settled for this absolutely cool look instead!  

       One more thing, I don't know why, but Mitsui reminds me strongly of One Piece's Zoro. When I told my brother he said that he felt the same. I don't really know why, may be his voice or his pride, gives me the same vibes.

-Sakuragi's squad!

       Well, see I had this little crush on Yohei. It was at its peak during the fight with Mitsui's gang in the basketball court. Anyone who watched Slam Dunk would completely understand! Anyway generally, those guys make me laugh the most. They're some of the best supporting characters in anime.
       Also, I couldn't help but notice that Yohei's voice is so familiar, and after checking it turns out it's been the voice of so many other characters, not just in other anime, but in Slam Dunk itself and I never noticed. Yes! He has the same voice actor as Kiyoto Nobunaga from Kainan. The funny thing is Kiyota's voice didn't feel so familiar like Yohei's. Also, the chracters from other anime, I don't but I don't remember that sounded like Yohei ... Weird! Voice actors are something!

Mito Yohei, Kiyota Nobunaga, Tykki Mikk, Kurosaki Isshin, Sasaki Isaburo, Hacchan

Haruko ... Last time I though she was noisy, but after waching load of anime, well, she's not that bad. Besides she's one of the few who flatter Sakuragi so I can't dislike her. If not for her crush on rukawa, she would have been one of my favorite anime female characters.

Ayako ... Well, that's one of my favorite anime female characters. She kind of reminds me of Nami. She's the only one that Sakuragi treats with some respect, she's completely capable of disciplining him. She's one of the few that Rukawa seem capable of socially interacting with. XD She's also possibly the only girl in the anime who sees Rukawa as he really is. She's cool, and that's something you can rarely describe anime female characters with.

Anazai sensei ... Oyaji! I don't know what's with all the One Piece references, but they reminded me of the White beard pirates. That old man is a genius! His relation with Sakuragi is one of my favorites, indeed. He was significantly patient with him. Someone who could make delinquents like Ryota or Mitsui respect him so much is of course something. I liked the part when he sent everyone on the camp to prepare for the nationals and had Sakuragi stay, to train him on jump shots. One of the most hilarious parts when Sakuragi keeps pulling his chin and tells him he shouldn't act like a child, and have him stay to play with him because he's bored. XD

Ryonan

Uzoumi! ... Nothing changed about him, I always liked how he supported Akagi, though he was his rival. I like that kind of relationship between rivals.

Sendoh! ... I always liked Sendoh. He's one of my favorite characters indeed. His leadership qualities, his skills, his humbleness and his laidback attitude, the guy is perfect, and I still think that Sendoh is the best player in Slam Dunk. He has all it takes to be an ace. He's also one of the earliest individuals to acknowledge Sakuragi's capabilities, and treat him with Respect. He's also the one who pointed out to Rukawa his weakness, self-centered playing. It saved Shohoku in their games with Sannoh in the Nationals. 

One of my favorite Sendoh moments XD

Also, I couldn't help but notice how familiar Sendoh's voice sounds, and when I checked , it turned out he has the same voice actor as another favorite character of mine, Abuto from Gintama.

Abuto and Sendoh .. same voice actor

Hikoichi ... The guy is very simple minded, and that's why I like him. He believed Sakuragi when he told him he was Shohoku's secret weapon and even when he saw how unskilled he was he still believed in him. He was also the first and the only one beside Haruko to notice when Sakuragi scored for the first time in the tournament. When he assumed that Sakuragi didn't get basketball shoes because he was poor, he cracked me up. XD I also liked when he gave Shohoku a stack of paper filled with info about Totoyama before their first game in the national, and how he cheared for them heartly! XD

Taoko ... Ryonan's coach, that one definitely cracks me up. How he loses his patience at Sendoh's laid-back attitude, and how he minds Sakuragi, he sure makes me laugh. Also, I liked the part when he was telling his team about the rivalry between him and Kainan's coach, resembling it to Sendoh's and Rukawa's, claiming he was Sendoh, and then everyone in the team wouldn’t believe him. XD

Kainan

      I always respected Maki Shinchi, and though he was the definition of a professional. The joke about his age made me laugh hard.  I also respect Jin, his three pointers and his seemingly refined and calm attitude. And how can I not like Kiyota. XD He has Sakuragi's idiocy and arrogance, but he's more experienced and skilled. He regards Maki highly and looks up to him. That shows he's not arrogant to the bones. I like that he cheers for Shohoku in hard times, in spite of all the hostility he shows.

       I liked that time, when Kiyota and Maki ran into Sakuragi in the street, and Maki suggested that Sakuragi would go with them to see the level of playes in the nationals. He and Kiyota were hilarious. It felt like Maki had picked up to kids, with him.

Kiyota shares with Sakuragi some vivid imagination XD

Shoyo

      Okay! I never liked Shoyo. I, always thought they were too conceited. I still think so. However, I kind of sympathized with Hanagata this last time, and trust me I don't know why! I liked that he was speaking well of Sakuragi in their game with Ryonan, but that' not it. I felt sorry for him after they lost, only him ... weird.

Finally... I'd like to end with my favorite scene in the anime and Manga, it's simply why I love Slam Dunk! You get all kinds of emotions from one scene! And those guys are the best!! (Y) <3