Kuroko’s Basketball Episode 32
What They Say:
The exhausting battle between Seirin and Shutoku ends in a tie, and Kuroko and Midorima promise to face each other again at the Winter Cup. Meanwhile, Kagami overhears a conversation between Hyuga and Kiyoshi after the game and is shocked.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Kuroko’s Basketball hit an intense bit of play in the previous episode and it all got close to the final moment where they were just all pulling out all the stops. What’s surprising, even to the players though, is that just as it gets more intense, the buzzer rings and we find ourselves stuck in a tie at a hundred and four points each. Normally this would shift things fully into overtime mode, but because this is a fast paced tournament mode where they don’t want games going in that direction, there are no rules for it. That has both teams a bit unsure of where things stand but all of them are intent on making it clear that one is better than the other and that chance will come in the future. Though there’s some degree of animosity in there, there’s still some good sportsmanship happening since they all handle it well and move on to where their next match will be.
Some of what makes it work is the way we see some of the minor character material with Midorima and Momoko which turns into a brief encounter with Kuroko. While there’s some comedy to it because of the small puppy that’s drawn into it which looks far too much like Kuroko, we get a good moment between the two Generation of Miracles young men who know they still have something to prove to each other from all the time they’ve played with and against each other. It’s a good moment and one that definitely shows the nature of this particular band a bit more. Some additional motivation comes in elsewhere as well from the fallout of the game as we see Kagami accidentally overhearing how Teppei is down to his last chance when it comes to this round since his life is about to change due to school related issues. That gives Kuroko and Kagami a little extra motivation to do more to try and help their upperclassman achieve his dreams.
Interestingly, the show is going about some flashback material that brings us into contact with Hyuga, a student who had dropped out of basketball before coming here that has blonde dyed hair. Teppei ends up discovering this when bumping into him and does his best to recruit him, which makes for some comical encounters between them. But what really surprises is that we get a little bit about Teppei’s life at home, why he’s at this school and about his grandparents raising him.In such a short amount of time, he gets humanized well and it leads us to meeting a few other potential players as well, beginners they may be. But such as the nature of any school team like this. Seeing the early encounter with Riko is fun as well as they try and get the team going and bring back something that hadn’t been at the school for awhile. Getting to see Teppei at this stage is definitely fun and his dogged pursuit of Hyuga is great to watch, as is seeing how the rest of the team came together at this early stage in contrast to how it’s all winding down for Teppei in the present.
In Summary:
Kuroko’s Basketball continues to be a fun show that’s focused heavily on the game itself and the players to the exclusion of who they are off the court. We’ve gotten a few slivers of their personalities before, but this one reveals a good bit more about a few of them in their early days as they form the team and focuses heavily on Teppei as he recruits people in a good natured way. Providing this back story in contrast to where the team has gone and grown since then is spot on and it makes the victories all the more meaningful. The added tension is there as well since we know things are changing in the present, as they always do, and seeing how the game against Shutoku ends up and the ramifications for Teppei adds some good drama to it. Kuroko and Kagami certainly don’t need extra motivation, but sometimes it can hit you in just the right way and push you forward even more.
Grade: B+
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 1080P HDTV, Apple TV via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.