Posted inFirst Impressions Kuroko no Basuke

Kuroko no Basuke 3 – 11

57 Comments

「今度こそ」 (Kondo Koso)
“This Time, For Sure”

Wouldn’t it be funny if next week’s episode didn’t end this arc?

Sports Aesthetics

As much as I want to go on and on about how long this arc seems, I have to admit that this week’s episode did a great job at highlighting some of the other huge elements that can affect any competitive game. Specifically, the power of the crowd and its effects on the players. Sure we may forget that they’re even there for a player-centric show like Kurobasu but they did a great job at emphasizing just how difficult it is to play when the crowd is rooting against you. Toss in the added stress of trying to make sure every move is perfect against a beast like Kise and I started to truly feel the pressure that Seirin was facing.

Don’t Give Up Seirin!

As disappointing as it was to see Seirin lose the lead that they painstakingly built up in Kise’s absence, watching them finally rally together while getting their heads in the game felt like a gush of fresh air. Sure, it might have taken a rather rash move and a pretty corny line from Kagami to knock some sense into everyone but something about those few minutes just felt perfect. “This is our drama!”

Betting It All

I don’t know about you but I was elated to see Kuroko thrust back into the spotlight as the only person with some sort of solution to the Kise-problem. Going off of his abilities to analyze and understand how people work on the highest and lowest levels, I can’t wait to see what he’ll be able to do once he manages to get a handle on how Kise works. Be it through prediction or inducing Kise to do something, I’m totally ready to cheer my heart out for Seirin’s shadow.

Looking Ahead

See you next week!

P.S. Sorry for the late post guys! I was really busy last weekend in California and just managed to watch the episode today after work. ><

 

Preview

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57 Comments

  1. Phantom
    March 23, 2015,

    Have you guys noticed how Kuroko always plays the last card in defeating the Generations of Miracles despite Kagami pushing them to their limits?
    Aomine – defeated with Kuroko’s pass at the end, without it, Kagami wouldn’t have been able to deal the final blow
    Murasakibara – knocked the last ball
    Midorima – knocked the last ball in the first round
    Kise – ???
    Akashi – ???

    So hyped !!
    http://images.randomc.net/Kuroko%20no%20Basuke/Kuroko%20no%20Basuke%203%20-%2011%20-%20Large%20Preview%2003.jpg

    • Silke
      March 24, 2015,

      Well, this is called Kuroko no Basket after all, so it’s not surprising. =)

      One of the things I find unique about this anime is how a ”shadow” and a support takes the center stage. That’s rare in the world of shounen, or anime in general, where most heroes desire to be in the spotlight. Kagami represents the typical MC, while Kuroko is a subversion of it.

  2. Richie Kim
    March 23, 2015,

    I know, right?

    I say Kuroko is Seirin’s savior in winning the match at the very last second.

    Kuroko’s Phantom Shot is used against Kise during buzzer beater. He did the shot again against Akashi, but slightly different. Best to see it animated.

    But, I must admit this is the episode I’m least fond of. Maybe because I wanna see Teiko & Finals Match Arc to begin that I want the coming episode to end this Kaijou vs Seirin match.

    What’s more unsatisfying is that I expect the title “It’s According To PLan” in the next one, but it’s “He’s An Amazing Player” instead.

    A really common title you might find in another anime’s episode title, but I’ve got no complaints since KnB is saving the best for last. 😉

    • Slaine the Best Shooter (Captain of the Kuroko hype train)
      March 23, 2015,

      This 24 minute episode covered about 3 minutes of the game but that’s Kuroko no Basket for you. Over-dramatizing events and game plays is one of the many things I love about this series. Some gifs from this episode:

      Kuroko’s pass

      Kise vs Kagami
      1
      2

      • esdesu
        March 24, 2015,

        Anime 101: How to stretch 4 minutes of gameplay into 20 minutes.

      • SK
        March 24, 2015,

        To be fair, the last 5 or so game minutes of a real basketball game can also take ~20 real-time minutes.

    • Kenpachi Fried Chicken
      March 24, 2015,

      Goku vs Frieza lasted 19 episodes. I know some people are complaining about the length of this arc but that’s nothing in comparison to other anime.

  3. sivilyslare
    March 23, 2015,

    Has anyone considered that the Studio that’s running Kuroko might be thinking about a 4th Season that could potentially just be the Rakuzan game?
    I’m an anime-only fan, so I’m not sure how that would pan out, or if it even has enough material to do that, but I don’t like the idea of cramming two more arcs into this series, so I’m kind of hoping that there is a next season just on that game. Akashi feels underdeveloped, and the Seirin team still has a lot of potential for a lot of coolness, not to mention the fact that a 4th season would probably still continue to rake in disc sales.

    Either way – go Seirin!

    • TresBien!
      March 24, 2015,

      I doubt there will be a Season 4. The studio is faithful to the manga and they are not dragging it. Assuming that Kaijo match ends next week, the flashback/Teiko arc is not long enough for the remaining 14 episodes left.

      To the people complaining about the pacing, 275 chapters will be adapted in 76 episodes (by the end of S3), thats more than 3.5 chapters per episode. That’s a pretty fast pacing for one of the bestselling manga in the past years. Be thankful it’s not One Piece pacing with 1 chapter a week. There was even that one episode where they animated half a chapter.

      • Heike
        March 24, 2015,

        If there ever will be a Season 4, it would most likely be based on the sequel manga, Extra Game.

      • sivilyslare
        March 24, 2015,

        Thanks!

  4. Silke
    March 23, 2015,

    “Heel? Whatever, I don’t care. The only time we could be fated to lose are in fictional stories. This is our drama! We decide what the plot will be!”
    “Kagami…That line…is so corny!”

    I LOL’d at them making fun of Kagami when he was so serious. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
    http://images.randomc.net/Kuroko%20no%20Basuke/Kuroko%20no%20Basuke%203%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2017.jpg

    What a fickle crowd. No loyalty whatsoever. It was frustrating seeing them being booed by the audience. (ò_ó)
    http://images.randomc.net/Kuroko%20no%20Basuke/Kuroko%20no%20Basuke%203%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2012.jpg

    So happy to see Kuroko take the spotlight. 八(＾□＾*)
    http://images.randomc.net/Kuroko%20no%20Basuke/Kuroko%20no%20Basuke%203%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2021.jpg

    • thomas
      March 24, 2015,

      Kuroko the invisible bully. Can’t hit what you can’t see.

    • SexyNoJutsu
      March 24, 2015,

      What’s even funnier is how the Kaijo players took Kagami’s corny line seriously while his own teammates mocked him.

      • Kon
        March 25, 2015,

        Best group talk in this anime I couldn’t stop laughing.

    • chibi-killua
      March 24, 2015,

      Seirin has always been falling behind in the past games so it’s fun to see the opposite.

    • Hitler-kun
      March 25, 2015,

      That crowd was like a cheap hooker. First they were on Kajio’s side, next on Seirin.

  5. WarriorsHeart
    March 23, 2015,

    I am always excited about Kuroko’s plays even if they weren’t about getting points. Next week’s episode is going to be awesome. Stay tuned! GOOOOO KUROKO!!!!!

    • LeDouche vi Britannia
      March 24, 2015,

      I can’t believe they are letting Kaijo catch up without even scoring a single point. Couldn’t they could have made at least one shot?

  7. turf
    March 23, 2015,

    They left half a minute of the game for next episode, really?

    • Aschente
      March 24, 2015,

      Why are you guys still surprised? Games against both Yosen and Too took 6 episodes to finish. This is the 5th episode of the match so expect it to end next week.

      • WarriorsHeart
        March 24, 2015,

        Remember the last 3 seconds of the first Seirin vs Shutoku match? How much action and conversation was crammed in there?

    • Yuri
      March 24, 2015,

      Although I’m on Team Seirin, it’s really hard not to cheer for Kaijo when you see how amazing Kise is and how hard their team is working.

    • Aomine the Ace
      March 24, 2015,

      It’s boring if Kagami has to rely on the zone each time. He should learn to develop his skills without the use of zone, just like Aomine. Although, zone matches are still the best to watch.

      • SexyNoJutsu
        March 24, 2015,

        I don’t expect he will enter the zone 3 games in a row. Maybe in the last game, but not this one.

    • dfp396
      March 24, 2015,

      Kuroko can’t shine because he is a shadow.

    • WarriorsHeart
      March 24, 2015,

      He should be back for the Teiko arc unless they changed the voice actor.

    • Mormegil
      March 24, 2015,

      That’s hilarious if true.

  11. dfp396
    March 24, 2015,

    So he can copy Kuroko’s phantom shot as well. It’s interesting to see a decrease in the Kise fanbase ever since he copied Kuroko.

    • WarriorsHeart
      March 24, 2015,

      He has the other GoM skills at his disposal so it wasn’t necessary for him to copy Kuroko’s abilities. I mentioned a few weeks back that Kuroko developed his abilities to overcome some of the weaknesses he had since the start of the series. It’s odd why Kise needs to copy the ability to shoot when he can score fine already. And it was getting tiresome.

  13. cj
    March 24, 2015,

    Why is Kuroko always the one who comes up with ideas and not the coach?

    • Richie Kim
      March 24, 2015,

      Because Kuroko (supposedly) knows the GoM very well during Teiko arc, so he knows their strengths=weaknesses, and habits that will be predicted very well by Kuroko’s EYE..(ahem)

      You’ll see. 😉

    • WarriorsHeart
      March 24, 2015,

      Since Kuroko used to be in the same team as the GoM, he has a better knowledge of their abilities compared to other people and has a better shot at coming up with countermeasures against them.

    • potatogurl
      March 26, 2015,

      The ending made me want to (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

  15. thuy
    March 24, 2015,

    Typical KnB with their 1 month long games.

  17. Yukie
    March 24, 2015,

    I was actually waiting for this match to end to marathon it…and I naively thought it would be this ep *facepalm*.

    • Aschente
      March 24, 2015,

      Now you can suffer with us. 🙂

      • WarriorsHeart
        March 24, 2015,

        You mean, ‘enjoy the ride’, right? 😉

      • Aschente
        March 25, 2015,

        But of course. :3

    • 28paws
      March 24, 2015,

      The cliffhangers aren’t a problem when marathoning, but they’re so painful on a weekly basis.

    • Hitler-kun
      March 25, 2015,

      I think Kagami caught the “corny poetic lines” bug from Aomine.

    • WarriorsHeart
      March 24, 2015,

      It’s when Kagami said “We’ll decide the plot”, that made Kuroko realise that as well as predicting the abilities that Kise will use, they can also manipulate him into executing certain plays.

  20. Heike
    March 24, 2015,

    What Akashi said about Kuroko and his misdirection is important to keep in mind:

    “To use misdirection, you need skill, but you also must be able to read their gestures and habits. Thus, Tetsuya has some chance, as he routinely trains by observing people in everyday life.”

  21. 28paws
    March 24, 2015,

    Next episode: The magic which Kuroko uses!

  23. random viewer
    March 25, 2015,

    http://images.randomc.net/Kuroko%20no%20Basuke/Kuroko%20no%20Basuke%203%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2002.jpg
    On one hand, I don’t want the climax to be dragged on too long because the epic conclusion awaits. And on the other hand, I don’t want it to end just yet because I know I won’t be seeing Kise anytime too soon after he had so much screen time this season. Argh my goodness.
    http://images.randomc.net/Kuroko%20no%20Basuke/Kuroko%20no%20Basuke%203%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2022.jpg
    I believe in Kuroko’s ability to be the ace for the team and bring victory too. But I would be ok with a tied game if it does happen.

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