- Genre: Sports!!!
- Episodes: 75
- Studio: Production I.G
A group of color coded super basketball powered boys go their separate ways after dominating the world in junior high. The shadow sixth member of their alliance decides to join his new high school’s basketball team in the hopes of defeating his past team mates and ends up forming an alliance with a basketball prodigy newly arrived from America.
It’s a little-known fact that I am actually a huge sports anime fan and this is a mammoth title in the genre. There are already dozens of reviews, analysis and think pieces out there on this show and I doubt my two cents are at all needed but that has never stopped me before. So here we go: I believe I could resume my overall feelings about this series as:
Look, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, I am not in fact a complete idiot. I know there are more than a few things wrong with this show. The animation gets a noticeable hike in the latter half of the series but it’s often visibly shaky, especially in earlier episodes. The actual games can be repetitive and there’s like a billion episodes dedicated to them. The above-mentioned basketball super powers make no sense in an otherwise completely realistic world. And (I know I should start a sentence with and…) non genmi or Seirin players are barely developed to the point that it’s a little difficult to care about a game Seirin is not taking part in. Heck even Murasakibara really has a collection of quirks rather than an actual personality.
This said, please consider this important counter point: so what!? There’s a reason you’ve heard of this anime. There’s a reason that for a few years convention halls were littered with Kuroko cosplayers. There’s a reason it’s pretty much on every top 10 sports anime list out there; It’s fun. It’s paced just briskly enough. It doesn’t take itself too seriously. It has some surprisingly deep moments but never preaches. The big message is: friendships are important – nothing earth shattering, I hear you– but, you know what: friendships are important. OK, the reason for the cosplayers may be that wearing a basketball uniform as a costume is fairly easy and very comfortable but the rest of the stuff is cause the show is good.
Despite being fairly long-lived, the story has room to grow. It shows us glimpses of potentially interesting characters all over the place and tantalizing promises of things to come. The imaginative viewer will find a playground where they can let fancy go wild. After all, this is also the show that launched a thousand doujinshi. Don’t look that up kids. Seriously, it’s a long, dark rabbit hole to fall into and it will change you…. But if you absolutely must, then do yourself the huge favour of reading 13 centimeters (that’s not what it refers to, you pervs!) It’s a little PG story about boys in love and it’s heartbreakingly beautiful. I would resume it as:
Favorite character: Murasakibara – I know what I said!..
What this anime taught me: The names of basic colours in Japanese.
What this anime taught me about myself: My life is sadly lacking in fist bumps.
“Time is never wasted when you’re wasted all the time.”
Suggested drink: Alley-oop
- Every time Kuroko gets hurt – drink to his health
- Every time you see a fist bump – drink to friendship
- Every time Midorima is superstitious – drink to good luck
- Every time there are manly tears – dink to good times to come
- Every time Kise learns a new skill – consider taking a class
- Every time Aomine is being a jerk – drink while listening to runaway
- Every time Murasakibara snacks – eat something, anything
- Every time Kagami looses his temper – take a deep breath
- Every time someone has a career ending injury – drink to their health
- Every time someone is in the zone – drink carefully
- Every time Kuroko disappears – look behind you
- Every time light and shadow are mentioned – refresh your drink
2 thoughts on “Kuroko’s Basketball”