「カン違いしてんじゃねーよ」 (Kanchigaishiten Janei yo)
“Don’t Get the Wong Idea”

Well, if last episode was “heart-pounding”, what would this one be? I thoroughly enjoy it when shows vault over the standards they’ve set, and it’s episodes like these that really make the time I invest in it worth something. Along with some exciting additions to the soundtrack (or maybe I just wasn’t paying attention in earlier episodes), there were some highlights in the course of the episode that required multiple watches on my part to understand – and I do love figuring out puzzles.

Objectively speaking, I never figured Kise was going to be a very complicated character. Judging by the pedigree of the rest of the cast, I knew he wasn’t flat, per se, but I didn’t think he would have the same kind of intricacies characters like Kuroko, Kiyoshi, Midorima, or even Kagami had. Boy did I have to eat my words after this episode: Kise is actually the hardest of them all to figure out. With other characters, I feel their trajectory was somewhat predictable; in my own way, I had a grasp on what their personalities were like and I was able to interpret their actions as such, which let me make those long-winded analyses. Kise, on the other hand, really makes me think. There were multiple moments in this episode, which I’ll go over below, where I had to rewind, rewatch, and then pause to make sure I caught every nuance of the scene. I still don’t think I understand the subtle implications of his character, but here’s to hoping I’m not completely off-kilter, because that would be kind of embarrassing.

WARNING: Massive tl;dr ahead!
Show text ▼


Maybe I’m exaggerating when I say this, but I feel this was the apex of everything Kuroko no Basuke is, and how fitting – this is the penultimate episode, after all. It’s strange because it doesn’t feel like this is the end, even though next week’s episode is clearly the last one. As far as standalone episodes go, this was stellar. Some people may complain about the use of recycled scenes – and there were many – but the important portions were done well, and they had some sequences that particularly impressed me so I’m willing to pretend I didn’t see the lazy stills they reused. As the lead-in to the finale, however, I’m a little ambivalent on where I stand; it’s hard to make a judgment because this just doesn’t feel like the end. Half of it is my denial talking, but the other half is the objectivity I recovered after the initial shock as I remembered this was the penultimate episode. There are certain things those should accomplish, like bringing closure to the main characters. It was obvious Production I.G was never going to be able to adapt all of the current material, but it’s still strange they chose this arc to send the series off with, assuming there is no second season. While the Kise vs. Aomine match will remain my favorite part of the series, it isn’t the most appropriate closing act since it’s so firmly rooted around the side characters. They’re certainly killing it, but Kaijou and Touou are not the team the viewers started out with.

For me, KuroBasu is one of those shows where I’ll be happy with whatever end they choose. But I do have to question Production I.G’s decision to end the series here, with what looks to be only a handful of minutes to spare for Kuroko and Kagami, who were still the main characters the last time I checked.

Random Corner:

Note: Really, really sorry for the late post – this episode required a lot of thought and I didn’t want to do it injustice by rushing it (I still probably missed some stuff OTL)!

Full-length images: 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 20, 21, 22, 29, 32, 35, 38.

 

ED2.10 Sequence

ED2: 「カタルリズム」 (Kataru Rizumu) by OLDCODEX

Preview

End Card

42 Comments

  1. I finally marathoned it to this episode… it was a blast to watch… and thanks for the coverage, very nice post indeed… although I must admit, the BL are strong and the power are strange with this one… Eagerly waiting for a season 2 (even though there is one more episode to go…)

    jrj
  2. Kuroko with Tetsuya #2 on top of his head with so frickin adorable :D.

    Mmmmm, Kise was extra yummy this episode ;).

    Kuroko no Basuke needs a second season like there’s no tomorrow! 🙂

    Jenanime4eva
  3. “When you admire somebody, you can’t overtake them […] That’s why… I’ll stop admiring him.”

    This is one of the best quotes I’ve ever heard, I should keep this in my mind.

    destinyflower
  4. I thought the 2nd half of the series dropped a little don’t get me wrong I like the show but I just wasn’t that into it compare to the first half. But this episode is clearly the best if anyone thinks otherwise I would like to know.

    I didn’t think I would enjoy it that much since I wasn’t feeling the previous episode I think this is the best show this season well it’s the only new show I’m watching for some reason sports anime doesn’t piss me off just sit back and enjoy the game.

    SS
  5. Basketball is such an inherently selfish sport, but this show illustrates one if its primary truths so poignantly: as players grow, learn, and gain experience, they rely more and more on their teammates to achieve victory. All the NBA greats went through it; Bird, Jordan, Magic, Russell, Kareem, Wilt, each one of them learned that working alone eventually stops working, and they instead fed off the strength of their teammates to achieve their goals. Kise exemplifies this, and Aomine contradicts it. Loved, loved, LOVED the in-depth analysis of Kise.

    My only real hope is that Aomine isn’t vilified for his style and personality by the end of the next episode. He’s appealing in his own way, pitiable for his own power and what it brings him. There’s no one in the series with more need to smile again.

    Jimhawk
    1. Thanks! I was worried I was overshooting it by a lot, but I’m happy to see someone appreciated it! 😀

      Aomine needs to smile again, yeah XD I don’t think there’s any danger of him being villified for his style, since there isn’t technically anything wrong with it. All the characters have their own distinctive style, and the show has been pretty good at expanding on that and what it means for each characters :3

    1. @naixil: I tried! I really did! T-T But hey, I gotta earn my title of resident fangirl writer! LOL I gotta thank you though – what you said about their similarity was pretty much the basis for my post >__< @zleihsh: Teamwork? What teamwork? XD

      1. @zleihsh: rather than the winner, how about a pic of the baka trio playing together. or even better, they should dedicate one of the BD/DVD extra episodes just for that. ohohohoho.

        @Mochi: thanks for the mention Mochi. =)

  6. So, I am wrong in thinking that this arc is not befitting of being the final arc of this season. So, that is where they will end it, judging from the preview and the next chapters to be covered.

    One thing that this episode further showed is that the other team members of Kaijou does not fully rely on its ace player, something that Seirin still lacks. They believe on Kise but they are doing the utmost of what they can do for the team. Put it like this, remove Kagami, Kise, and Aomine from their respective teams, who will win? Based from their current strengths, Seirin would have a harder time beating the two as their play is centered on who is the strongest in the team. In contrast to Kaijou, they can still defend and play catch up to Touou while they are waiting for Kise. That is one thing where Seirin must improve on and where Kaijou can beat Seirin.

    Btw, that’s a massive post BakaMochi! I guess you have beaten Verdant (?, iirc) for the longest post.

    Eunichi
    1. Hmm yeah… Seirin does rely too much on Kuroko and Kagami, but with Kiyoshi on board maybe that’ll change? Even Touou can probably hold their own without Aomine.

      It’s the pictures that make it seem long! T-T I’m sorry… I’ll try to trim it down, haha.

      And belatkuro, those beastly Horizon posts shouldn’t count since they’re not episodic! XDD

    2. How can I forget those massive Horizon posts!? Maybe, the post wherein Verdant said that he is still the record holder for the longest post with 1000(?) words got stuck in my mind. Hahaha

      With Teppei on board, yeah, maybe. (don’t wanna spew spoilers again, I might be banned because of that sooner or later XD)

      It seem that I wasn’t clear enough *again*, so here’s my argument v1.0.0.1: Seirin heavily relies on its player. One year ago, their ace player was Teppei but when he wasn’t able to join the team for the Interhigh final league, Seirin lost by gaping margins. Granted, emotions were involved that time, but Seirin didn’t grow in that aspect. Case in point, when Kagami wasn’t able to play because of his injury, their game was greatly hampered. This would only change if all of the members, not just Kagami and Kuroko, would further develop what they are great in (improving stamina is not counted).

      Eunichi
  7. This might not seem like the best place to end the anime, but take it from someone who reads the manga: it really is and anything more would be a worse ending to the series.

    I’m personally waiting for a second season, given how popular it is in Japan.

  8. This series bases itself a lot upon how the characters are moving on from their rather corrupt past..but at the same time i wish there was a lot more background about their days in middle school. That’s what got me so hooked on the series in the first place, and what’s driving the plot. At least it seems like the manga is currently working up to it. Despite everything these boys were once teammates and spent a ton of time together, so moving on to get closer to other teammates is completely new. It was so nice to see Kise’s new interaction with his new teammates.

    Anywayz great post and episode. Definitely a stand out of the series. I think the reason why i don’t mind the animation reuse is beautiful the directing is so good lol

    grey
  9. Haha, looks like I’m going to copy your idea of an incredibly long post! I just get too excited! And I appreciate that you take the time to get all your thoughts out as well 🙂

    WOW. This episode exceeded my expectations and more. I wish I had the space to comment on every single minute of this episode, haha. I’ll start off by commenting about my overall favorite thesis that came from this episode. What really struck me here was the idea of mind over matter. I loved when Kise realized that he could only have a chance if he stopped looking up to Aomine. I think a lot of us have felt that way before. I know I have. Once you put somebody on a pedestal so to speak, you are mentally blocking yourself from surpassing them. It was like people were saying throughout this episode: Kise is relatively matched with Aomine in the physical sense. But what Kise couldn’t overcome was his mind holding onto the idea that Aomine was this unbeatable inspiration to him.

    Another thing I need to comment on was how AWESOME it was when Kise finally perfected his copy of Aomine. But what really made it great, was all the buildup before hand. I’ve really come to respect Kaijou as a whole and I find the team really likable. I loved that it was a mixture of Kuroko’s words and his team’s actions that gave Kise the ability to finally master his technique. And Kuroko’s talk with Kise was just the mental break I needed during this episode (and #2 is just the cutest dog of all time) but it also offered a lot of insight. No time was wasted in this episode. Every minute counted.

    Oh, and I’d like to make a special mention to the music in this episode. Amazing! It really set the mood for every single showdown that occurred. But my favorite part was when Kise “morphed” into Aomine so to speak. The music kept building and building and once it finally happened: silence. My heart nearly exploded! It was just one hell of a delivery. Plus, it didn’t hurt that Kise became TWICE as hot when he adopted Aomine’s stye of basketball, haha. I had to actually pause the episode and rewind it several times just to get a good look at each move he performed. I was also pausing it to give myself time to scream (and/or fangirl) over whatever was happening at the time.

    I didn’t realize they were going to leave this epic battle for the season finale! This overall arc has demonstrated pretty much everything that makes this show great. I agree with Mochi though about it being an odd place to end the entire show. What about Kuroko and Kagami? I’d like some decent closure for them! So I would be very surprised (and even more disappointed) if this show didn’t get renewed for a second season. It will be quite the bittersweet ending next week.

    Kira526
    1. Thanks so much! I’m really happy people are reading the whole thing – it really does mean a lot 😀

      Don’t worry, I had to watch multiple times too LOL Kise looked extra pretty this week so I had to dedicate a viewing to fangirl… OTL. Kise banzai?!

      I think my favorite track was the one that played when he finally completed his copy of Aomine. Definitely getting that OST when it releases next week!

  10. Good analysis of Kise in this massive post. I get the feeling that Kise will feel bittersweet about winning his match against Aomine no matter what. (But it didn’t bother Kise when he was up against Kuroko.) I really enjoy watching this anime, and further enjoying it through these kinds of opinionated review of every episode. It makes me think more about the characters and the story becomes a second priority for me then. I hope they make an OVA or something for those end sequences.

    random viewer
  11. I think it’s better to end seasons and then only animated the source material, versus a neverending continuum of actual material and filler. Fairy Tail may be an exception (I’m not sure), but in general even the producers know they’re making filler at it shows.

    Rasen
    1. Theres that, but I rather see a sequel season every year or so rather than have OVA which condense alot of material or have tons of fillers (although I wouldnt mind seeing one or two out of curiosity).

      Look at Chihayafuru. They ended with one season but they have an announcement for a 2nd. No confirmed date yet but I wouldnt mind waiting if they did the same with Kuroko no Basuke. I find this series very entertaining to watch than read, would be a shame if they didnt.At least the author will have time to make more chapeter without the rush. But I have a pretty good feeling we will get a 2nd season, KnB should be having good sales

      unknown2
      1. It’s sales are really good! DVD + BD sales combined are over 20,000 and it’s more popular than Hyouka in terms of that.

        I’d prefer that the anime do what Major did and do it by seasons or for them to wait a little bit, since the manga won’t take much longer to complete – I’d give it another 100 chapters max (~2 years) but they can obviously start animating before that.

  12. I hate to be the one but will there be a second season lol?

    I love this show I mean Slam Dunk is up there but this is like the Gundam 00 standard (it is new and just unable to place at the present time)

    Dragonite88

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *