Ball Don’t Lie: Thoughts on Kuroko’s Basketball (Season 3)

Kuroko’s Basketball (黒子のバスケ)

(Anime S3, 2015)

By: Tadatoshi Fujimaki

Kuroko’s Basketball has finally wrapped up, and now I am publishing my “last” thought post on this series.

After defeating Yosen High School, Seirin High School goes on to the semifinal round, where they play against Kaijo High School. During that match, Kagami and Kuroko go up against Kise’s “perfect copy,” the ultimate weapon. Kise is now able to copy the playing styles of all the “Generation of Miracles” players. Yet despite going up against Kise’s “perfect copy,” Kuroko and the rest of Seirin High School’s basketball team were able to pull through, and win the semifinals. They go on to compete against the final “Generation of Miracles” player, Seijuurou Akashi and the Rakuzan High School’s basketball team.

It was great that Season 3 provided a back story for the “Generation of Miracles” players. We finally got to learn the origin of how the team was formed and also how they became enemies. That side story was my favorite part of this season. It also changed my view on Daiki Aomine. At first, I thought he was a complete jerk because he abandoned his good friend, Kuroko. Yet in the back story, we are able to see how Aomine’s perspective on basketball changes. He loses his passion for the sport, and becomes a egotistic jerk to everyone. When Seirin High School defeats his team, Aomine’s perception on basketball changes to what it was originally, and he is finally able to have fun with the game.

Furthermore, I found it pleasing to see Akashi transform back to his original self too. In the beginning, he seemed crazy because he practically threw scissors at Kagami’s face with the intention of physically harming him. Akashi also had an obsession for winning, which further made him arrogant and selfish. Yet when Akashi starts to believe that losing is inevitable, Chihiro Mayuzumi snaps him back to reality, and Akashi realizes that the game is far from over. Mayuzumi is like Kuroko, in which both of them are skilled at using misdirection, and are the “shadows” for more prominent players. He also acts as an anchor for Akashi. When Akashi seems distraught about possibly losing, it is Mayuzumi who tells Akashi to not give up.

I haven’t mention this in my other posts about Kuroko’s Basketball, but I am going to mention it now. Does anyone else feel that it is ironic that Kuroko’s name contradicts his overall appearance? The “Generation of Miracles” athletes’ hair color are indicated in their names, while Kuroko’s name doesn’t function the same way. Although his name has the kanji “kuro” (黒) that means “black” in Japanese, it isn’t reflective on his hair color. Instead, Kuroko’s hair color is this light blue/white color. The color, “black” could refer to Kuroko’s act of being a “shadow” to his fellow teammates. He supports and assists his teammates when making plays or scoring. In a logical sense, his white/light blue hair should make him stand out from the crowd as oppose to being a shadow among other players. However, no one seems to detect him on the floor due to his ability to misdirect himself or the people around him. His light blue/white colored hair seems transparent, making him invisible from everyone. Even though he sees himself as a shadow, Kuroko has a special spark about him that makes him standout towards his teammates. His support for his teammates is what makes him a star in their eyes. Anyways, I find it amusing, the irony of his name and his physical appearance.

I am going to spoil this anime for you, but I think it is pretty obvious what happens at the end of this show. It’s basketball. There is a winner and a loser. And the winner is, SEIRIN HIGH SCHOOL!

Now, I think you may be wondering why I titled this post, “Ball Don’t Lie.” Well, it is based on “a little philosophy.” We can go a long way with skills, talent, hard work, and dedication, but there is a small factor that I think also goes into play when having a dream or goal in mind. That small factor is luck. The reference “ball don’t lie” refers to the ball having the ultimate truth to determine your fate in the game. No matter how hard you try, it is the “Basketball Gods” that determine who wins or loses in the end. Thus, “ball don’t lie” implies that fate is the deciding factor on whether you win or lose a game. If a shot goes in, it was fate that put the ball in. (I hope you guys are following me on this. It is a little complicated to explain.)

Anyways, I really enjoyed watching this series. I am not a sports anime fan, but I made an exception because it is related to basketball, and I enjoy watching real-life basketball games.

5/5