Series · 1993
Slam Dunk
スラムダンク
Hanamichi Sakuragi takes an interest in basketball after Haruko asks whether he likes it. Wanting to impress her, he answers yes despite his unhappy association with the sport. His attempt to enter the club quickly brings him into conflict with its captain, Haruko’s brother Akagi.
Hanamichi initially treats basketball as an excuse to be near Haruko. Akagi’s seriousness and the presence of the talented Rukawa give him other people to measure himself against. The club has ambitions and standards that exist independently of his romantic plan.
Haruko’s interest first makes Hanamichi aware of the difference in their height. She looks up at him in the school corridor while he stands stiffly against the wall, still in his everyday uniform. His size is immediately apparent, but the setting keeps him outside the team for the moment: being noticed as a possible player is only the beginning of learning the game.
Original television series · Approx. 39 hours · 101 episodes
Original 1993–1996 television adaptation, all 101 episodes. The four 1990s films and The First Slam Dunk are separate films and are excluded. Viewing time uses nominal licensed episode labels.