Netflix adds “masterwork” anime movie with perfect Rotten Tomatoes score

Netflix has just dropped a modern classic, The First Slam Dunk, on the service, a widely beloved and critically acclaimed 2023 release.

Not just one of the best anime movies, but one of the best movies of 2023, The First Slam Dunk was, as the name suggests, a slam dunk. The sports anime arrived on the big screen with Shohoku High School taking on reigning champions Sannoh Kogyo High School for the regional championships.

A climactic march in Takehiko Inoue’s manga, it’s brought to life in a stirring blend of CGI and hand-drawn animation, the former being used for action on the court, while the latter comes in for flashbacks and such. The result is a sports movie for the ages, and a trendsetter for anime on the big screen.

Takehiko Inoue wrote and directed the picture, a sequel to the ’90s anime show that ended in 1996. Similar to Haikyuu!!, the TV show only covered a certain amount of the manga, and the film now depicts the rest.

The First Slam Dunk helped prove there was interest in releases like these after Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, since it went on to make $279 million worldwide. A huge amount for a non-English language film, the takings firmly place it within the highest-grossing movies from Japan.

Since then, we’ve had Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle, Spy x Family Code: White and Blue Lock: The Movie – Episode Nagi, all successes in their own right, and keenly, all bringing a major franchise to theaters. Previously, the biggest anime films were the likes of Studio Ghibli or Makoto Shinkai productions – not so much any more.

Reviews for The First Slam Dunk were very positive too, since it now yields 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Starburst noted it “uses breathtaking, blended animation to bring basketball to life like no other film has previously”, and IGN wrote that it “delivers an exhilarating basketball game full of the thrills and drama of an NBA final, with mind-blowing visuals and camera angles live-action couldn’t replicate.”

So, if you’ve been looking to catch up, now is your chance. Terminator Zero arrives on Netflix soon as well, making it an exciting week for the service. For more, check out what other new movies arrive on streaming this month.