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▲This photo, provided by NEW shows animation movie, 'THE FIRST SLAM DUNK' (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
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| ▲This photo, provided by NEW shows animation movie, 'THE FIRST SLAM DUNK' (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
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| ▲This photo, provided by NEW shows animation movie, 'THE FIRST SLAM DUNK' (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
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SEOUL, January 5 (Yonhap) -- Comic "Slam Dunk," which was popular in the 1990s, was released as a movie, "THE FIRST SLAM DUNK," targeting people in S.Korea in their 30s and 40s.
The animated film "THE FIRST SLAM DUNK" attracted 62,000 viewers on January 4, the day of its release, and was ranked second in the box office after "Avatar: The Way of Water," according to the integrated network of movie tickets by the Korean Film Council on Thursday.
"Slamdunk" is a Japanese comic that was serialized from 1990–1996. The comic series was well-liked around the world, with 120 million copies sold. It is also popular in Korea, to the extent that people who spent their adolescence in Korea in the 1990s will mostly remember the name "Slam Dunk."
It drew attention from the start because the film was written and produced by Takehiko Inoue, the original comic writer.
The main character of the movie was changed to Song Tae-seop (Ryota Miyagi), the short "Number 1 guard," from the "red haired" Kang Baek-ho (Hanamichi Sakuragi), the original main character. The movie depicts the story of the finale tournament between Buksan High School (Shohoku High School) and Sanwang High School (Sannoh High School). This is the reason why the story is new, although the main plot is carried on.
Through the interview Takehiko Inoue had with the movie publisher NEW, he introduced the movie by saying, "I made this 'Slam Dunk' from a new perspective," adding, "I made this piece with another new life, comic as a comic, an animation as an animation, and a movie as a movie."
He continued, "They come from the same root, and even though the audience knows the story of 'Slam Dunk,' I hope the audience feels, 'This is a new type of Slam Dunk.'"
The movie will excite people in their 30s and 40s who loved the comic. and is expected to target them.
"THE FIRST SLAM DUNK" recorded a 98% CGV Golden Egg percentage, which also reflects the audiences' reviews of the movie, surpassing other records ranked high in the box office such as "Avatar 2" (96%).
A video clip of famous celebrities who actually watched the movie was released, raising expectations for viewing the work.
Most of them are in their 30s and 40s and clearly remember the original "Slam Dunk."
Actor Jeong Jin-woon, who is also a member of 2AM, singer Huh Gak, actor Seo Ji-seok, former basketball national team player Han Ki-bum, and currently active professional basketball players said in a video released by NEW, "You must watch it." "Please check it out with your own eyes," "It feels like I'm back in time to my school days," and "it is well made precisely with details."
More and more people visited the cartoon page as 'Slam Dunk,' their favorite comic during their school time returns to the screen.
According to Yes24, the special edition of "Slam Dunk Champ," which was released for the release of the movie, topped the bestseller list on New Year's Day. This is specially made for the readers who are new to "Slam Dunk," as it contains 24 episodes, which makes the basis of the story from the entire 276 episodes of the original comic.
The main buyers of "Slam Dunk Champ" were those in their 30s and 40s who enjoyed cartoons more, 20 years ago, accounting for more than 87% of all book buyers.
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Dowon Kim.)
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