The live-action drama of 'Slam Dunk' could be said to have been produced with Jing Yu barely intervening in its filming process at all.
However, several classic songs from the original 'Slam Dunk' anime were definitely translated and carried over.
For manga adaptations—especially long-running ones like 'Slam Dunk'—the original pacing might suit anime, but it definitely doesn't suit live-action television dramas.
For example, in the original manga, there are long "bullet-time" sequences. A crucial steal or shot might involve a character internally struggling for ages. If filmed exactly as in the manga, something that happens in a split second during a real match could turn into a three-minute-long internal monologue in a TV episode, which would look extremely awkward.
But if those internal struggles aren't depicted at all, then 'Slam Dunk' loses much of its outstanding character development. So compromises had to be made at the script stage.
Take the early plot of 'Slam Dunk'—from Hanamichi Sakuragi's debut to Shohoku's first practice match.
In between, the story is filled with Hanamichi fooling around, getting into fights, wandering the streets one day, then getting angry and brawling with the judo club the next.
Of course, viewed casually, this part of the story is quite entertaining. After all, idiotic teenagers generate endless joy.
When the original author wrote the early chapters of 'Slam Dunk', he intentionally leaned into a delinquent style. Even the fight between Hanamichi and Mitsui Hisashi was a spur-of-the-moment decision. Mitsui was originally set up as a delinquent character, and the violent plotline was used to boost the manga's declining popularity at the time. But as the story progressed, he was given a "prodigal son" backstory, which ultimately created the iconic image of Mitsui Hisashi as the team's legendary three-point shooter. That arc successfully revived the manga's popularity, and the author quickly pivoted back to basketball-focused storytelling—thus cementing 'Slam Dunk' as a classic.
That said, even if 'Slam Dunk' is extremely high quality, that's only obvious when viewed from a god's perspective.
If Jing Yu had filmed a TV drama where, after an entire season, the protagonist's basketball team had only just finished its first practice match—and Mitsui Hisashi hadn't even appeared yet—it would undeniably feel unbearably slow.
So instead of drastically changing the story, the production simply compressed this portion of the plot, trimming down the early slapstick segments.
This version of 'Slam Dunk' began nationwide broadcast on July 3.
Honestly speaking, relying on Jing Yu's reputation alone meant the ratings were never going to be low.
First of all, the casting was done very carefully. Roles such as Sakuragi Hanamichi, Rukawa Kaede, and Akagi Takenori were filled by professional or semi-professional players selected from secondary basketball leagues in the Great Zhou and neighboring countries.
As for why top-tier professional league players weren't invited, this was as absurd as asking why a director filming a football movie didn't cast Cristiano Ronaldo or Messi as the lead.
Jing Yu could only invite players of this level to cross over into acting. They had low fame and modest salaries, making the offered pay very attractive. Since they were able to compete in secondary leagues, their basketball fundamentals were solid. With camera angles, editing, and visual misdirection, audiences rarely complained that the characters' basketball skills looked fake.
As for the first episode's plot—
The basketball scenes were far fewer than the comedic antics.
Although the work was called 'Slam Dunk', viewers felt after watching episode one that it should've been renamed "Comedy Masters."
Still, Jing Yu's works weren't known for fast starts, and audiences were patient. After the first episode aired, ratings hovered around 9%.
The second week's plot highlighted Sakuragi Hanamichi's reckless personality. He clashed with Akagi Takenorim, over a trivial matter, pulled various outrageous stunts, and nearly quit the basketball team.
After watching this episode, many viewers started complaining.
"Isn't this supposed to be 'Slam Dunk'?"
"It's already episode two—why are they still doing basic training?"
A typical seasonal drama only has twelve or thirteen episodes. Yet by episode two of a basketball drama, the protagonist wasn't even a substitute—he was basically cannon fodder.
That was absurd.
By the time episode three of 'Slam Dunk' aired, Sakuragi Hanamichi once again clashed with Akagi Takenori and was even nearly poached by the judo club.
At this point, even many of Jing Yu's fans couldn't help but complain.
"I think the story itself is interesting, but is the title wrong? Shouldn't this be called 'Memoirs of an Unmotivated Delinquent Teenager's Boring Campus Life'?"
"Dude, that's too much!"
"I'm not dissatisfied with the old thief, but the show's called 'Slam Dunk', and so far no one has dunked even once."
"Relax—have you forgotten 'Steins;Gate'? People mocked the first six episodes, too. Once it hit god-tier development, it slapped everyone in the face."
"Every time the old thief does a slow-burn series, this happens. Just wait until the season ends before trash-talking."
"I don't care about dunking or not—I just think the plot is hilarious. Teenagers acting like idiots is genuinely funny. Why do people say it's boring?"
"This is like going in expecting a historical drama. The title says historical drama, but what you get is a modern urban show—of course, people complain. It's like the college entrance exam essay topic is 'My Father,' and you write 'My Roommate.' No matter how well-written it is, you still get zero."
"I don't see the problem. I am my roommates' father."
"Haha, you really are your roommates' good roommate."
"Stop playing tongue twisters."
"Speak Great Zhou language—no nesting dolls."
Just as Jing Yu predicted, the early episodes of 'Slam Dunk' were heavily criticized.
The original manga had faced the same issue during serialization. Because the plot deviated too much from basketball, its popularity dropped, and it was even at risk of being canceled. That's why the author later stuffed in large-scale fight scenes—readers liked them, so he drew them.
But that only lasted until then.
After the fourth week aired, 'Slam Dunk''s reputation completely reversed.
Because that week featured the Shohoku vs. Ryonan practice match.
This arc was a major turning point in the entire work: Shohoku's first official game, Sakuragi Hanamichi's raw talent, the strength of Rukawa Kaede and Akagi Takenori, and the characterization of Ryonan's two aces—Sendoh and Uozumi.
After being adapted into live-action, the visual spectacle was naturally inferior to anime.
Real basketball games don't have that much flair.
But the atmosphere of the match was extremely faithful to the original.
This arc was broadcast continuously over two weeks.
When Shohoku was ultimately defeated by Ryonan at the buzzer, and Sakuragi Hanamichi sat in the arena shouting for the ball, yelling that the game wasn't over—
"Crying."
"I was wrong. I won't doubt the old thief again."
"It's really good—just slow-paced. It took six episodes to finish one practice match. When will the national tournament even start?"
"No idea, but I heard this is a super long-running drama, airing for at least a year. No need to worry about a bad ending."
"Don't worry—the old thief has never botched an ending."
"In the entire Great Zhou, the only one daring enough to do slow-burn dramas like this is probably the old thief."
"But I think it's fine. Slow pacing doesn't equal boring. I've enjoyed every episode so far."
After the Ryonan match arc began, 'Slam Dunk's ratings broke past 10%.
"Just as expected," Jing Yu thought.
Although he was staying home to care for his pregnant wife, he continued to monitor his work's ratings.
Seeing this, he knew the next two weeks would push 'Slam Dunk''s ratings even higher.
After all, Mitsui Hisashi was about to appear.
The three-episode gym fight arc first attracted viewers with violence, then ignited discussion with Mitsui Hisashi's classic lines.
And the result?
After Mitsui Hisashi appeared, ratings rose—but public opinion sharply split.
"What is the old thief even filming? The Ryonan match was great! Shouldn't the national tournament come next? Why are we watching Sakuragi Hanamichi fight again?"
"That Mitsui Hisashi is disgusting."
"What kind of trash plot is this? I want basketball, not basketball-court brawls."
"Did the old thief completely let himself go with this drama?"
"I don't understand this script anymore."
"But just tell me—is it good or not?"
"It's good, but the plot keeps going off-track. I'm uncomfortable too."
After the gym fight arc aired, ratings rose, but word-of-mouth dipped slightly. Jing Yu's fans remained patient, but restless media outlets quickly pushed the "Jing Yu flop theory" again.
Those voices didn't even last two weeks.
By the end of episode ten of 'Slam Dunk', after Mitsui Hisashi's flashback and Coach Anzai's entrance—
Mitsui Hisashi, his face covered in blood, completely broke down. Tears filled his eyes.
Across the Great Zhou, countless viewers felt their noses sting.
One line was spoken, perfectly paired with the background music.
"Coach, I want to play basketball!"
Classics never grow old.
"I'm numb—Mitsui Hisashi!"
"So that's why the plot suddenly went into fighting—it was all to introduce Mitsui!"
"A genius three-point shooter—so that's how it is."
"No wonder he targeted the basketball team—he couldn't return, and his mentality collapsed."
"Redemption arc Mitsui Hisashi made me cry."
"I really related to this. Mitsui's emotional dependence on Coach Anzai—I had a similar experience. If a teacher hadn't encouraged me back in high school, I'd have rotted as a salted fish. How could I have made it into a key university?"
"Mitsui Hisashi took dozens of punches from Sakuragi without saying a word, but one glance at Coach Anzai made him burst into tears."
"Cried."
History repeated itself.
The Mitsui Hisashi return arc—praised as one of the greatest moments in 'Slam Dunk'—was just as beloved in the Great Zhou.
After the latest episode aired, 'Slam Dunk's average rating across review sites jumped from 8.9 to 9.4.
At this point, no one complained about the slow start anymore.
From a god's-eye view, these storylines were rich and vivid.
But during weekly broadcasts, constantly tuning in only to see non-basketball plots felt very different.
Still, the early pacing issues of 'Slam Dunk' ended here.
After Mitsui Hisashi returned to the Shohoku basketball team, the national tournament arc began, and viewers would no longer feel lost.
However, by now, the autumn TV season was already more than halfway over.
This highlighted the disadvantages of ultra-long serials in the film and television industry.
Long-form works often suffer from slow pacing, which is fatal in a highly competitive market.
If Jing Yu weren't so popular with such loyal fans, a rookie screenwriter's drama like this would have been canceled by episode three.
Soon, September arrived.
'Slam Dunk' was a year-long serial drama, so Jing Yu wasn't worried about its future development.
Around the same time, 'Bleach' also began its massive pre-broadcast promotion.
Unlike the realistic style of 'Slam Dunk', 'Bleach' featured extensive special effects and flashy battles. From the impact of its trailers alone, it far surpassed 'Slam Dunk's pre-release momentum.
But at this stage, Jing Yu had no energy to care about either production.
Yu Youqing was about to give birth and had already been admitted to the hospital. Jing Yu stayed by her side the entire time. Even Yu Youqing's mother traveled thousands of miles to Modo City.
Jing Yu temporarily handed all company affairs to Cheng Lie. Unless something was extremely urgent, all contact was refused.
Finally, at the end of September, the due date arrived. None of Jing Yu's imagined worst-case scenarios occurred. Everything went smoothly—it was a girl.
Even Jing Yu, who was usually calm, couldn't hide his excitement. Without thinking too much, he authorized a major bonus increase for the entire company as a celebratory benefit.
The news leaked to the media, and Jing Yu's social media accounts received over a million congratulatory messages in a single day.
Given Jing Yu's current influence, the topic "Jing Yu and Yu Youqing welcome a daughter" was pushed to the top of the day's trending charts.
As a first-time father, Jing Yu struggled to adapt—constantly being criticized for clumsy childcare while the baby cried.
But he enjoyed it.
Autumn passed. Winter arrived.