Work Hard, Play Hard: Thoughts on Kuroko’s Basketball (黒子のバスケ)

Kuroko’s Basketball (黒子のバスケ)

( S1 Anime 2012)

By: Tadatoshi Fujimaki

In honor of the 2015 NBA Finals, I decided to watch a basketball theme anime, Kuroko’s Basketball. Despite the fact that they exaggerate what the human body can do in basketball, it was pretty entertaining.

In junior high, there was a legendary basketball team consisting of five prodigies known as the “Generation of Miracles.” They won three championships together, but went their separate ways after graduating. However, the “Generation of Miracles” team had a secret weapon, a sixth man, Tetsuya Kuroko. Kuroko’s ability to misdirect opponents with his ball handling skills and to swiftly pass the ball to the open man made him a lethal threat to opponents. The story follows Tetsuya Kuroko, who joins Seirin High School’s basketball team, and along the way meets a loyal teammate and friend, Taiga Kagami. 

This anime has a good dose of sports excitement. It has an adrenaline rush that can actually compare to a real life basketball game. Kuroko’s Basketball does a good job of explaining the game to viewers that may not be familiar with the sport; in which the show simply describes the basic rules and regulations of international basketball as well as provide the correct terms of certain types of shots.

Yet, I thought the show was a little over dramatic when they described the special skills and talents of certain basketball players. For example, Shintarō Midorima is capable of shooting threes in any area of the full court despite being defended.  Another example is Ryōta Kise’s ability to easily copy any person’s basketball playing style. Even though it is unrealistic, it is still somewhat entertaining to try to defeat the impossible. However, Kuroko’s skills reminds viewers about a vital point in basketball. Basketball is a team sport; thus, Kuroko’s extraordinary passes allow all his members to be involved on the court. A good victory isn’t won by just one player, but the contribution of all team members.

This anime has a good balance of sports excitement and comedy. I laughed at the various puns and remarks made by the characters.

Kuroko’s Basketball (Season 1) was actually a really good anime to watch. I will probably watch the rest of the seasons. 🙂

4.5/5