Review from a Manga / Anime Fan and Basketball fan:
Perfect in every way. I couldn't find a flaw in this movie. I cannot stress this more than anything: Watch the Original Japanese Language with English Subs! This is a golden rule in Anime. It's never, ever as good with English Dubs.
You don't need to be familiar with the Manga to watch this, it's a rehash of the OG manga. You don't even need to like basketball to enjoy this, and YES it's a film women will love equally (and in Japan it's a Manga that every girl has followed).
Anime aside, this is easily one of, if not the greatest BASKETBALL movie ever made! It could be a top 10 Anime movie ever made. It's that good.
The characters are all well developed, the basketball details cater to a true ballers obsession, the action and game scenes depict things you could never achieve in regular cinema and it does it with style and perfection.
The Animation itself is some of the best to date. It's going to give Spiderverse a run for the money once the award shows come around. Characters are true to the manga and come alive convincingly. The basketball scenes are amazing and play out like a battle action scene, it's genius.
The actual story shows human interactions that are just levels deeper than your average Hollywood movie. Real raw emotion and realistic characters with their flaws, hidden emotions, buried depressions, immature decisions that become challenged over time, and how this all sometimes stays hidden from view.
Maybe the music could have been better (it was sort of a J-Rock theme, but I feel Hip Hop might have been a more appropriate feel)
The Kicks game is also the best I've seen in a movie. Some amazing details in the sneakers. Mind blowing.
Stop reading this and go watch the movie while it's still in theatres. Anime movies tend to have short runs, so don't hesitate!