The long-expected basketball-themed donghua series Left Hand Layup (左手上篮 , Zuo Shou Shang Lan) premiered in China on February 2, 2023.
Taking the time zones into account, Zuo Shou Shang Lan has already aired in the country of origin. In fact, Left Hand Layup Episodes 1 and 2 are already legally available online here (English subs), so knock yourselves out.
The Left Hand Layup Timeline
The Zuo Shou Shang Lan donghua series is being produced by Tencent Penguin Pictures and LHL Culture, an animation studio rumored to have been set up with the sole purpose of producing the Left Hand Layup donghua series.
However, take this info with a grain of salt as credible updates from China are rather (in)famous for being close to non-existent. Certainly, Zuo Shou Shang Lan is the first project by LHL Culture but it may not be the last. The future will tell.
The Zuo Shou Shang Lan official Weibo website can be accessed here but don’t expect it to cater to international audiences. It’s in Chinese and will stay in Chinese. We’ll have to dig deeper for quality English translations.
Somewhat more agreeable is the official trailer provided immediately below, which, thankfully, features an English sub.
Accompanying it are some stellar key visuals (bottom), which promise Left Hand Layup won’t disappoint sports donghua fans, at least not in terms of quality animation. Another reason why it shouldn’t is reflected in the fact that Zuo Shou Shang Lan is sponsored by the Chinese Basketball Association.
If you think the Left Hand Layup key visuals give off a Kuroko’s Basketball vibe, we’re on the same page. The setting seems to be similar, with the main characters being high schoolers and the official synopsis introduces a “youthful story about love and the growth of Chinese teens.”
I’m yet to watch the first two episodes, so I’ll leave out speculation and be back with something more substantial in the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, feel free to leave your impressions in the comment section below.
