First Impressions: Kuroko's Basketball

For a video version of this first impression please go here.

At the beginning of each episode a clip is shown about the Generation of Miracles. This is a group of five basketball players that all went to the same middle school and swept their league. However, there is a secret sixth member of the group who is rarely mentioned. I assumed this would be the main character (I was right).

I’m going to take some time to talk about the opening. The opening song of an anime is important because it is often the first thing you see about the show and helps set up the basic plot and characters of the anime. I enjoyed the opening and thought it was well done. It was nice to see the characters both on and off the basketball court. Right away I noticed two characters that the opening seemed to be showcasing. One was tall with red hair, while the other was shorter with blue hair (obviously main character material here). I also made the guess that the girl that kept popping up was the manager of the team (I was wrong - she is actually the coach).

The show starts out at a private high school's club fair. The red haired guy is introduced as Taiga Kagami, who spent the last few years studying in America. I thought it was funny how they comment on how he ‘learned from the source.’ America kind of owns basketball, but it’s not like we are experts or anything. The blue haired guy shows up as well. His name is Tetsuya Kuroko. Both Kuroko and Kagami apply to join the school’s basketball club.

The next day they join the club’s practice for the first time. The coach has the ability to tell how good a player is just by looking at them with their shirts off (a weird ability, but it has its uses). She pegs Kagami right away as being an exemplary player. After getting to the last new recruit she looks down at her list and sees that Kuroko hasn’t shown up yet. He is from the famous middle school where the Generation of Miracles originated, so they are all excited to see what kind of player he is. She asks if he is there, but apparently no one has seen him all day. Suddenly Kuroko pops up claiming to have been there all along. It’s almost as if he has a negative presence!

The coach is surprised to see that his potential is a little below average. This bothers her as she travels home from school, wondering how a player with such little potential could have played with the Generation of Miracles. Meanwhile, back at school Kagami and Kuroko are facing off in a game of one on one. Kagami realizes immediately that Kuroko isn’t that great of a player. I kept thinking, there has to be a catch somewhere. He has to have some sort of skill. At that moment Kuroko said something vague, but also really cool. He said, “I am a shadow.” I still didn’t know what the catch was, but I bet it had something to do with that statement.

At practice the next day Kuroko finally reveals what his skill is. He uses his negative presence to his advantage so he can slip in and steal the ball and pass it to other members of his team. At the end of the episode Kuroko proposes to help Kagami beat the other members of the Generation of Miracles and become the best basketball player in Japan.

I thought that was a nice change from the multiple ‘I’m going to become the best ____  in all the world!” anime. Instead, the main character is helping someone else become the best. I also really liked how Kuroko and Kagami contrast. They have the potential to be really good friends, but they are complete opposites. Kagami has a short temper and is outwardly passionate about basketball. Kuroko is more laid-back. He tends to keep a straight face most of the time.

All in all, I enjoyed the first episode of Kuroko’s Basketball. I laughed outloud at multiple points and am curious to see what Kuroko and Kagami will do next to achieve their goal.

Coming Soon! - First Impressions

     I apologize for the lack of content in the past few weeks. Part of the problem was that I was out of the country for two weeks. ;) So I was kind of busy with that and didn't have time to write any reviews. In an attempt to get more content on the blog I hope to be kickstarting a 'First Impressions' series. That way I don't have to have watched a whole season of anime to write a little review. In this series I will watch one episode of an anime I have never seen and tell you my first impressions (thus the title - ingenious, huh?).

     The point of this series is to give you (our fabulous readers) a quick glimpse into an anime. This will allow you to better determine if it would be something you would enjoy watching without having to slog through a long review. Also, those of you who are long-time fans of the series may find it amusing to read what my first impressions of the anime were, as I may be completely off.
   
     Also, not to fear: we are still planning on setting up the YouTube channel. Obviously my trip put us a little behind schedule, but we still hope to make it happen. So if all goes well you will soon get to see the faces behind the blog up-close and personal! Well, as personal as you can get while watching a video on the internet. ;)

Anime Review: Yona of the Dawn

Anime: Yona of the Dawn/Akatsuki no Yona

Genre: Fantasy, adventure

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

General Setup: Yona is the only daughter of the King of the Kouka Kingdom. She is the the image of pampered royalty and only cares about taming her wild red hair and crushing on her cousin, Soo-won (which was perfectly legal then, don’t worry). While Soo-won is visiting the castle for Yona’s sixteenth birthday she tries to convince her father to let her marry him. Her plans are drastically changed when Soo-won kills the King in order to take the throne. Yona is forced to flee the castle with her bodyguard, Hak. While on the run from Soo-won’s soldiers they look for allies in the dragon warriors of legend.

Characters: I really liked Yona’s character arc. She starts out a spoiled princess, but she soon figures out that in order to survive she needs to move beyond her grief and learn to do things for herself. Even though her father detested weapons Yona convinces Hak to teach her how to use a bow and arrow so she can defend herself. Not that Hak is an incompetent bodyguard. He is known throughout the land as the Thunder Beast because of his lightning-fast speed and tremendous power. Hak grew up with Yona and Soo-won and while he feels a duty to the former King to protect Yona, he also cares about her. Soo-won betrayed his closest friends when he killed Yona’s father. He is an interesting character because, while he may be a better ruler than the previous king, the way he went about gaining the throne was wrong. I thought that, overall, all of the characters in this show were really well written and made the show enjoyable to watch.

Plot: The show starts out with a bang, but the next few episodes are a little slow. However, after Yona ‘gets her act together’ the pacing picks up. The characters really drive the plot of this show. Other than the slow pacing at the beginning I really enjoyed watching this anime. Unfortunately, there are not enough episodes for the show to get into some of the later arcs of the story. (Can we have a second season, please?)

Ending: The end of Yona of the Dawn is somewhat open-ended. While the anime accomplishes the goal it set forth at the beginning, there are still several unanswered questions. Loose threads aside, the show ends on a nice note and gives the viewer a feeling of resolution, even if not everything has been resolved. The ending leaves ample room for a second season, but time will tell what will happen on that front.

Things to Watch For: For the most part the show is really clean. However, it does have some violence and deals with some difficult topics, like slavery and poverty.

Humor: This show is funny! Okay, it’s not ‘I can’t breathe because I am laughing too hard,’ funny, but it really is amusing. The humor slips in and out, breaking up the more serious moments. I also liked how some of the humor is provided in ‘side notes’ from the narrator.

Moral Lessons: Picking up a weapon means acknowledging the possibility that you will have to take someone’s life. In order to protect what is dear to you, you need to have strength.

Sights and Sounds: The art for this anime is fun and full of color. It goes for a cartoonish bent, instead of trying to be more realistic. Yona of the Dawn has a really nice soundtrack. It is full of traditional sounds and beautiful music. Also, I really liked the second opening song. It is quick and catchy and the lyrics fit really well. I could listen to it all day!

Fillers: There are no fillers in this anime.

Length: There are 24 episodes in this anime.

Where to Watch: You can watch Yona of the Dawn on Crunchyroll and Hulu, as well as the FUNimation website.

Update - Everything

     Stuff has been happening! I like lists, so here is a list of everything that's been going on recently:

- The blog has a fresh look! I hope you like the new logo.
-  Unfortunately, our YouTube channel is taking a little longer than originally estimated. Hang in there! It will happen eventually! Believe it!!!!
- Expect a review for Akatsuki no Yona (Yona of the Dawn) to be up tomorrow! Or Monday, if I forget. :/

     Thanks for reading! We really appreciate your support!