Takehiko Inoue’s classic manga spinoff has magnificent on-court scenes, but doesn’t quite sink the backstory

At the climax of this basketball-worshipping anime that was a huge hit across Asia earlier this year, the whole of space-time apparently comes to rest on a single bead of sweat departing the chin of one of the players. The entire universe is contained on a single court as Shohoku high school, whose five motley ballers were the main characters in the original manga, which ran between 1990-96, challenge the invincible national champions, Sannoh high. Fleshed out in 3D animation, the action – feinting, pivoting and occasionally soaring high above the stands – feels resplendently immediate.

Chaperoned by its original creator, Takehiko Inoue, after spending eons in development hell, this adaptation relegates Dennis Rodman-esque, red-cropped bad-boy Hanamichi (voiced here by Subaru Kimura) in favour of the more sensitive Ryōta (Shugo Nakemura) as protagonist. Ryōta’s got tragedy in his locker: his brother Sota – whom he idolised – was an even more gifted player but died in a fishing accident on Okinawa. Now it’s up to this pint-sized but cunning point guard to lift his team when they find themselves 20 points behind.