First Impressions / Kuroko no Basuke

「諦めませんか」 (Akiramemasenka)
“Why Don’t We Try Giving Up?”

This episode left me with some really mixed feelings after a roller coaster of events. Also, a lot of characters made this face –> 😮

The Unbreakable Emperor Eye

After weeks and weeks of watching Akashi do whatever he wanted, it felt undeniably good to watch him get completely shut down on both offense and defense. Unable to force his will on our favorite duo Kagami and Kuroko, I distinctly remembering a sense of elation just flowing all over me when he realized things weren’t going to go as he planned. Genius or not, there’s no way you’ll be able to beat a combination of Kagami’s raw skill and Kuroko’s natural ability to feel the flow of his teammates. With Kagami creating tiny opportunities for Kuroko to play off of, it was simply amazing watching the two defeat what everyone believed was unbeatable.

Kuroko’s Basketball

As short as it was, there’s no way I couldn’t take a moment to highlight Kuroko’s spectacular play this week. Using his own skills to empower Kagami, who would have ever thought that Kuroko would be the one who’d steal all of Akashi’s thunder? If anything, I think Kuroko finally demonstrated to the guy that his style of basketball will (hopefully) reign supreme. So yeah, good on you Kuroko! Keep going and keep reminding everyone else just why the show is named after you.

The Other Akashi

I’m probably the last person who’d ever feel any kind of sympathy for the asshat known as Akashi, but I just couldn’t help feel a bit of pity for the guy after getting a glimpse of how things work inside of that analytical head of his. Even though we only got the briefest of explanations about his mom, it’s clear that she was someone very important to him. Giving him basketball as a place to escape his rigorous life, it really puts some perspective behind some of his decisions during his Teiko days. From turning into a tyrannical dictator to giving everyone little games to keep their attention from waning, it’s tough to blame him for doing whatever he could to prevent losing the one place he could truly enjoy himself.

What surprised me the most though, is the fact that the “other” Akashi is actually the (in my opinion) cooler and more well-rounded one. Seeing Akashi end the episode with a true smile on his face was probably one of the creepiest things I’ve seen. Creepy in the sense that it was such an honest smile that it makes you go “That can’t be the same person who I’ve been watching play basketball for the past 4 or 5 episodes.” But you know what the best thing of the whole inner monologue was? The fact that it looks like the basketball which Kuroko plays has finally penetrated the final member of the Generation of Miracles.

Looking Ahead

With the score basically all tied up and the other Akashi back in-charge, it looks like next week is going to jam packed with action. Seeing how Akashi is actually going to utilize his skilled teammates instead of trying to handle everything himself, it looks like Seirin won’t be able to let up their guard for even a moment. What’s I’m hoping for though, is that somewhere before the game ends, we get to see Akashi turn into a character we can all really like. Just like all the Generation of Miracles before him, it looks like his transition from cocky jerk to lovable oaf is slowly coming. But even if that doesn’t happen, we still have Kagami unlocking the second gate to look forward too!

See you next week!

 

Preview

50 Comments

  1. I’m probably the last person who’d ever feel any kind of sympathy for the asshat known as Akashi

    Awww…come on…It’s not his fault that he developed split personality…and he will become more likeable IMO (his true ability is amazing).
    I love the additional scene of Akashi and his alter ego. It makes things even more intense. Akashi is the most vulnerable amongst them and I’d love to protect him.
    Now, looking forward the next episode….

    Random thought: Where’s the ED card?

    Miyuki
    Reply

  2. Call it a gut feeling, but something tells me this Akashi is more of a force to be reckoned with.
    https://randomc.net/image/Kuroko%20no%20Basuke/Kuroko%20no%20Basuke%203%20-%2023%20-%20Large%20Preview%2001.jpg
    All the while I was hoping Kuroko would get into the Zone too.
    https://randomc.net/image/Kuroko%20no%20Basuke/Kuroko%20no%20Basuke%203%20-%2023%20-%20Large%2012.jpg
    Victory is at door’s way.
    https://randomc.net/image/Kuroko%20no%20Basuke/Kuroko%20no%20Basuke%203%20-%2023%20-%20Large%2016.jpg

    random viewer
    Reply

    1. “Who knew Akashi was this brittle a player?”

      Akashi was so insecure and barely anyone saw it. And since Akashi is now reverting back to his old ways, doesn’t that mean Kuroko has accomplished his goal? If I recall correctly in Teiko arc, he wanted the GoM to acknowledge and accept his ideals of how basktetball should be played, which is all about teamwork.

      esdesu
      Reply

  3. That moment when Akashi realizes he is not ”absolute”. =D
    https://randomc.net/image/Kuroko%20no%20Basuke/Kuroko%20no%20Basuke%203%20-%2023%20-%20Large%2011.jpg

    I really liked Akashi’s backstory. It seems he was close to his Mom as a kid. It’s hard not to feel a bit of sympathy after knowing the struggles he has gone through to meet his Dad’s expectations that led him to become the person he is now.
    https://randomc.net/image/Kuroko%20no%20Basuke/Kuroko%20no%20Basuke%203%20-%2023%20-%20Large%2026.jpg

    Kuroko hype \o/ captain
    Reply

    1. What a revelation this episode has been. Who knew Akashi could be so fragile? It was sad seeing the strong and absolute Akashi so broken. But it was for the best. Better for him to learn about defeat early on in his life than later.

      I wanted more background on Akashi’s parents, particularly his relationship with his father seeing as how he is the biggest influence in Akashi’s life and the cause for his split personality.

      TresBien!
      Reply

      3. He’s fragile because Akashi has never fought from a losing position. He always has the upper hand, and it takes a different kind of mentality to come back when you’re losing. Being proven wrong when you’ve been right your whole life can be extremely damaging.

        TresBien!
        Reply

  4. My jaw dropped several times this episode. Love it when I read it on the manga but absolutely love it more with it was animated. Only thing that are left to animate is…

    Show Spoiler ▼

    The animation was top notch from start to finish. Kudos to Production IG. Keep it up when you guys finally animate season 2 of Haikyuu! (if there’s one).

    Reikakou
    Reply

    2. “I am Akashi Seijuro.”

      The misunderstood, calculative, and driven captain of Rakuzan. It seems like the real Akashi is back and stronger than ever before. The episode explains so much about Akashi that he finally grew on me.

      And not sure if anyone noticed but there were some slight changes in the opening for this ep.

      chibi-killua
      Reply

    3. That was just damn sad seeing Akashi mentally crumble and learning about his childhood past. Him not having the time to fun, high expectations all his life and the death of his mother must have really messed with his psyche.

      violet
      Reply

    4. Tbh, I was a bit torn. On one hand, I was so happy to see Akashi’s face of defeat when he lost against Kagami and Kuroko, but on the other hand, I felt sorry for him.

      Aschente
      Reply

    1. I didn’t actually noticed that his eyes changed color when Akashi reverted to his true self in the manga.

      Anyways, yeah. Since that one loss from Murasabaki, it was Akashi 2.0 who was in control up until now when the original Akashi took over again.

      Reikakou
      Reply

    3. The 2 Akashis:

      ORESHI
      – normal red eyes
      – uses ”Ore” as a pronoun & addresses friends by last name
      – try to convince Amomine and Murasakibara to show up during practice during Tekio arc

      BOKUSHI
      – heterochromia eyes
      – uses ”Boku” as a pronoun & uses the first names of his teammates
      – forgets teamwork and encourages team members to compete against each other

      After Bokushi’s loss in this episode, Akashi has reverted back to Oreshi, his original ”self”

      esdesu
      Reply

    1. As I mentioned in a previous episode, I interpret his heterochromia as more of a symbolic rather than a physical change to represent Akashi’s split personality. It’s the same thing as the lightning eyes and aura present when they’re in the zone. It’s simply an easy way for the audience to distinguish which Akashi is taking over or when the character is in the zone but it’s not actually there.

      TresBien!
      Reply

  11. The animation quality, the fast break, the animation quality, the pass to kuroko, kuroko’s ignite pass and Kagami’s dunk! Oh, did I mention the animation quality??? \(^_^)/

    Kaz
    Reply

  13. So Aomine complaining about having no worthy opponent was actually a lie. Zone Kagami could barely keep up with Zone Aomine in Season 2 while Kagami needed Kuroko’s help in this match to score against Akashi. His zone wasn’t enough. It is clear who is the stronger player here.

    Brian
    Reply

    1. Yep. Clearly.

      It’s Kagami.

      Because he’s the only one who could open the second door of the Zone. And you’d be surprise what’s the requirement for that that Aomine could never hope to obtain in his lifetime.

      Show Spoiler ▼

      Well Aomine would probably reach it in the next arc after this anyway since he’s Show Spoiler ▼

      Raiu
      Reply

      3. We have long ways to go Takaii. It’still ongoing. The manga is just on the second quarter. And its not a weekly coverage. Hopefully Haikyuu would fill the lull though I think there’s no sports anime showing in July.

        Raiu
        Reply

  15. It was a great adaptation, but they cut my favorite part.

    When the Real Akashi is giving his speech, he says that he was hoping the GoM would beat him. He includes Kuroko in this group.

    No one EVER includes Kuroko in the GoM until after he spanks a former member os it was a nice moment that his Captain always counted him as one of them.

    emd23
    Reply

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