On December 7th, a talk event and screening were held for the anime film "THE FIRST SLAM DUNK" (Slam Dunk), which was released on December 3rd last year. The official report of the event has arrived. The cast members, Sogo Nakamura , Jun Kasama, Shinichiro Kamio, Subaru Kimura, and Kenta Miyake, appeared and livened up the venue.

The film is directed and written by the original author, Takehiko Inoue, and animated by Toei Animation/Dandelion Animation Studios. The voice cast of the five Shohoku members has been completely changed from the TV anime version, with Sogo Nakamura as Ryota Miyagi, Jun Kasama as Hisashi Mitsui, Shinichiro Kamio as Kaede Ryukawa, Subaru Kimura as Hanamichi Sakuragi, and Kenta Miyake as Takenori Akagi.

This event was held to show appreciation to the fans for the film, which has been a big hit with an audience of 9.66 million and box-office revenue of over 13.88 billion yen since its release 150 days ago. The movie features Miyagi as the main character and depicts the story of the Shohoku High School basketball team that competed in the Inter-High School Tournament with Sakuragi, Ryukawa, Akagi, Mitsui, and others, as they take on Sanno Kogyo.

When asked about the "most memorable scene," Nakamura replied, "As Ryota says, 'Even when it's hard, even when my heart is racing, I pretend I'm fine. When fighting with Mitchee, he hides his shaking hands in his pockets. When he faces his mother in the last scene of the movie, he also puts his hands in his pockets once. But when he sits near his mother after that, he removes his hands from his pockets and sits down. At that moment, I think Ryota was finally able to face his family. I feel the growth of not only the Shohoku members but also the Miyagi family.

When asked, "Without any bias, who is the most intriguing member of the Sannoh team?" Nakamura answered, "Without any bias, it's Kawata." Miyake also added, "For me, it's Kawata too! I truly felt fear!" He shared, laughing, that a genuine fear of matching up against Kawata emerged, something that went beyond mere acting.

As a final message, Miyake said, "I am really happy to have reached this day. I have worn Shohoku's shoes today. To borrow Akagi's words, 'Thanks a lot,'" he thanked his fans.

Kimura followed by saying, "Talking with everyone like this and seeing the special video made me want to touch this film again. I hope you will touch it again and again.

Kamio said, "This is a precious and important role in my life as an actor. I am very happy that 156 days have passed since I was nervous about how everyone would receive the film before its release, and it has reached everyone in various ways such as support screenings and parent-child screenings. 156 days is still a long way. I would like to ask for your continued support.

Kasama added, "'We voice actors are no more than one piece of this film, which was created by the director and many other staff members. The reason why this film has been accepted so well by everyone is because each piece was worked on with a great deal of passion. I hope you will enjoy this work made with soul and colored by many people as many times as possible," he passionately said.

Nakamura said, "It's not often that I get to share my passion and have fun with so many people. I am very happy to be able to share this time with everyone like this. I hope the show will be loved by everyone for a long time to come." At the end of the live viewing, Nakamura shouted "1, 2, 3" and the audience and all the audience members who were participating in the live viewing shouted " Katsu!(Victory!) and the event ended with the room united as one.

"THE FIRST SLAM DUNK" is based on the basketball manga "SLAM DUNK," which was serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump" from issue 42 in 1990 to issue 27 in 1996. It depicts the main character, Hanamichi Sakuragi, a basketball novice who joins the Shohoku High School basketball club and rapidly develops his talent through clashes with his teammate Kaede Rukawa and games against strong schools.