I was very excited when I found out about Kuroko no Basuke because I am a great lover of Slam Dunk and used to play basketball a lot. If you haven’t already guessed, this series is about high school basketball – very similar to Slam Dunk in terms of its settings.
The Teiko Middle School Basketball Club has over a hundred members and a very strong team with three consecutive championships. The five regulars of this team gained the title of the ‘Generation of Miracles’. However, there was another player in the ‘Generation of Miracles’ known to only a few, the phantom sixth man, who is also the main protagonist of this series – Kuroko Tetsuya. After middle school, all six players separated and attended different high schools. Kuroko joins Seirin High School and the school basketball club, where he meets Taiga Kagami – a tall, well built Japanese student who grew up in the US. Together with the rest of the Seirin High team, they grow together to enhance their abilities.
Everybody is super excited and curious to see Kuroko’s skills, especially Kagami. However, Kuroko has nothing to show apart from his ‘lack of presence’ and his superb passing skills on court. Kagami is not just a normal basketball player with just his height for show. With his abnormally high jumping and dunking capabilities he works very well with Kuroko to help his team overcome their opponents. Kuroko promises to help Kagami achieve his fullest potential and always be his shadow in matches. However, trouble arises when Seirin faces a team with a player from the ‘Generation of Miracles’.
Seirin basketball club was founded one year before the current story begins by “Iron Heart” Teppei Kiyoshi, who we don’t meet until meet halfway through season one. Oddly, the coach is a female high schooler, Aida Riko, daughter of a personal trainer. Growing up with her father and constantly watching what he does, she possesses an ability to judge player’s strengths and weaknesses by looking at their physique. The captain is second year clutch shooter Junpei Hyoga along with the regulars; the control tower Izuki, small forward Shinji Koganei, and centre Rinnosuke Mitobe. Seirin plays a strong run-and-gun style basketball and is considered one of the best offensive team in the region.
In this season we get to see three other players from the ‘Generation of Miracles’. All-rounder Ryota Kise with looks of a model, far-distance shooter Shintaro Midorima and the wild Daiki Aomine. Their basketball skills that earn them the title of ‘Generation of Miracles’ is shown throughout the series. However, these skills are only seen in anime and no normal human beings would be able to achieve them – although it would be pretty awesome if it were possible. As we meet new characters, we learn how each player fits in their respective teams, their resolutions, development and reasons behind their determination to win with flashbacks of the main characters’ pasts as we get to meet and know more of the characters.
Every match is so intense and exciting making this a very addictive anime. I guess I can say I’m lucky because I only found out about this anime this year when they started showing the final season of the series. So the anticipation of what happens next from the major cliffhangers at the end of each episode is easily fixed as the next episode is already there.
I reckon this anime will appeal to both sports and non sports lover. Aside from the ridiculous skills this anime is true to the sport, with honesty and love for basketball shown by all characters. With so many cool characters with their own quirks and talents it will be hard to just fall for one player/team. Expectations are high for season two.
