Danica Davidson
September 27, 2022 
The First Slam Dunk film will be debuting in Japanese theaters on December 3. As a unique form of advertising, creator Takehiko Inoue’s hometown is putting up an exhibition of his work. This is meant to help promote the movie, and probably is also a move to get more tourists to the area.
The exhibition takes place at Okuchi Fureai Center. It consists of posters of Slam Dunk main character Hanamichi Sakuragi and his teammates. Also located in the same building is the Takehiko Inoue Library. Inoue attended Okuchi Elementary School, Okuchi Junior High School and Okuchi High School as a kid and has made a point of giving back to the community.
Japan’s paper The Mainichi caught up with Yuhei Ishii, a 32-year-old man who visited the exhibition. Ishii explained why he was there, saying, “I have all volumes of Slam Dunk. It triggered me to start playing basketball when I was a student.” He’s far from the only person to tell such a story.
The Slam Dunk manga premiered in 1990, published by Shueisha’s Shonen Jump magazine. It has since become a major hit. The new movie, The First Slam Dunk, is both written and directed by Inoue.
VIZ Media publishes the Slam Dunk manga in English, and gave this description for the first volume:
“Takehiko Inoue’s legendary beloved basketball manga is finally here and the tale of a lifetime is in your hands.
Hanamichi Sakuragi’s got no game with girls–none at all! It doesn’t help that he’s known for throwing down at a moment’s notice and always coming out on top. A hopeless bruiser, he’s been rejected by 50 girls in a row! All that changes when he meets the girl of his dreams, Haruko, and she’s actually not afraid of him! When she introduces him to the game of basketball, his life is changed forever…”
Source: The Mainichi
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
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