What’s it about ?
Classic shounen sports series.
Characters
Taiga Kagami, an abrasive man-mountain who’s just entering this brand-new high school the series is set in. Of course he joins the basketball club : he’s very good and he knows it. He’s not playing for fun, but because he thinks the tournament’s level is way too low and he must contribute to raising it (his recent stay in the US might explain his attitude somewhat).
Tetsuya Kuroko, another first year with no presence whatsoever. (It’s a running gag that people never notice he’s there.) He comes from a middle school which had a basketball team called “the Generation of Miracles” who crushed everyone else on the circuit. Kuroko wasn’t part of the top 5 regulars, though ; actually, he’s mostly crap at basketball, utterly incapable of dribbling or shooting right. But there’s ONE thing he’s insanely good at : passing the ball in a way that completely blindsides the opposing team. (Obviously, his natural propension at being invisible also helps.)
Riko Aida, the only female character in sight. Well, at least she’s not the manager (if you’re not aware, it’s a traditional position for token females in anime school-set sports series who doesn’t manage anything but is basically a glorified gofer), but the hard-ass coach who’s going to press the first-year noobs into shape.
And then there’s the other members of the club, but they don’t really leave much of an impression yet.
Production Values
Not very high, but the storytelling is sound. The soundtrack might be trying a bit too hard to make everything dramatic and suspenseful, but it mostly works.
Overall Impression
Hey, this is better than I expected. Sport series obey to a strict formula and there’s nothing here that really strays from it, but there’s enough playfulness around the usual tropes to make it feel fresh. Kuroko’s deadpan attitude is a lot of fun, and him and Kagami make for a fun odd couple.
I wasn’t really expecting to keep following this, but the first episode intrigued me.
