The year is far from over but we’re now getting hyped for one of 2023’s most anticipated Chinese anime or donghua, that is Left Hand Layup which seems to be one of the earliest sports donghua that we will be getting soon. The King’s Avatar started the Chinese anime craze in 2017 and it is an e-sports donghua and unique from its peers. However, if my memory serves me right, Left Hand Layup will be the first donghua to tackle one of the most popular sports globally and that is basketball.
Now, you guys should prepare yourself as we will be having an exciting story on the basketball court filled with youthful drama and all the cliche that comes with it. There are several promotional teasers and key visuals for Left Hand Layup and it gives us a glimpse at the feels that we might get from the donghua.
Left Hand Layup Overview
Left Hand Layup or Zuo Shou Shang Lan is an original project from its animation studio LHL Culture. This is their first project so it’s quite hard to put an estimation in its animation quality other than the fact that what we had so far based on visuals and teasers looks promising.
According to a certain post from the Reddit page: r/donghua, it was implied that LHL Culture solely exists to produce Left Hand Layup. Based on this logic, we can simply expect it’ll be an ambitious project as such is the case with the well-received anime adaptation of Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation from Studio BIND, and Fog Hill of Five Elements from Samsara Animation.
Synopsis
The play stars Xu Xing Ze, a passionate basketball player, tells a youthful story about love and the growth of Chinese teens.
Release Date
According to the announcement, the Left Hand Layup! anime release is slated on February 2023 according to the latest promotional video from its production committee which was revealed last December 2022. Finally, the moment that we’ve been all waiting for had been announced, Left Hand Layup! release date is scheduled on February 2, 2023, which was posted on its Weibo page on January 19 together with a new key visual.
When it comes to its staff, here’s a fun fact – Left Hand Layup! (Zuoshou Shanglan) is directed by Xie Zhongli. He boasts a portfolio of previously working with popular anime like The Saga of Tanya the Devil (movie), Attack on Titan, The King’s Avatar Season 2, Crystal Sky of Yesterday, Altair: A Record of Battles, Yasuke, Boruto, Rakshasa Street, and One Piece as a key animator.
Trailer & PVs
Here we have some of the available trailers and promotional videos which were released for Left Hand Layup! throughout its initial announcement until the most recent when its February 2023 release had been hinted.
Left Hand Layup anime is sponsored by the Chinese Basketball Association and it seems to be an ambitious project as I’ve seen some anime sites with considerable reputation published about it which they don’t usually do when it comes to donghua unless the subject or topic is mainstream series such as The Kings Avatar and Mo Dao Zu Shi. So, I felt that the production committee will invest a lot of time and effort in this donghua and fans should watch out for it in 2023.
What’s even more amazing is that the main characters’ Xu Xing Ze’s sister Xu Xing You has been entitled to multiple projects as a virtual idol. She will debut in May and release her first album too.
Personally, I am getting a lot of Slam Dunk vibes from this upcoming donghua. First, its title is also based on a basketball move which is Left Hand Layup itself. If you don’t know what that is, it is a move where you shoot the ball with your left hand as you lift your left leg. If you’re not a basketball geek, this term might be new to you but I am sure that you had seen this basketball move a lot of times in a match.
Now, as we get new updates about Left Hand Layup! We will keep on updating this post for you. So, subscribe to our newsletters and bookmark this page to get the latest news from any upcoming Chinese anime right to your email inbox.
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Last Updated on January 20, 2023 by Yu Alexius
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