English Dub Season Review: Kuroko’s Basketball Season One

Overview: Kuroko’s Basketball focuses on the Seirin High basketball team as they make their rise to the top and dominate the court. 

Our Take: Oftentimes when you have a main protagonist, there’s always an amazing skill associated with an amazing drawback. That creates a certain rhythm that has a nice back and forth in how the series approaches it’s challenges and sets up the potential of him or her becoming one of, if not, the greatest in their respective passion. However, Kuroko’s Basketball takes a somewhat different approach to that tried and true formula and to its titular character. 

Kuroko’s only notable talent of passing and diminished presence is very much reliant on the talents or lack thereof of others, is such a jux disposition from most main characters and a breath of fresh air, comparatively, to other series. 

Teamwork makes the dream work the name of the game as opposed to wanting to be the best, initially at least, Kuroko seeks to bring out the strength of his teammate, Kagumi, and work together to win alongside his team, Seirin High. He is a shadow to Kagumi’s light as he and others like to put it. Despite everyone’s incessant need to spout that cheesy line, what is not inauthentic, however, is the amazing style in which the games are executed. The basketball games, the real meat of this series, feel endlessly inventive in how creative they are. Every game feels inherently different and stands out for their own originality. The reason being because of the varying types of player personalities and play styles that the series constantly makes a fast break for in the prodigies known as, the Generation of Miracles (Seriously, who the hell comes up with all these names?). From near perfect shot technique to street style to uncanny recreations of other’s playing styles, uniqueness is never in short supply with this bunch. The series makes every shot it takes in this regard as with various new miracles, besides Kuroko, being introduced at a steady pace, there’s always a new and exciting challenge around the bleachers that escalates over time. Along with their unique playing, there is always an eccentric personality to boot. Kuroko’s unassuming and quieter deposition is a stark contrast to his fellow miracles whether it’s Kise’s confident and charming personality or Midorima’s more blunt and calculated demeanor. Along with the arrogant and laid back Aomine, not to mention Kuroko’s hot headed teammate, Kagumi, our leading man shines bright with all of them due to how each relationship has its own individuality and complexities. Also as a side note, it’s clever how the series makes sure you never mix up which member is who (or Kagumi) by how much their hair color and style stand out and seemingly in line with their own personal traits. There’s also some fun bits of banter along the way that lighten things up too. Besides that it also becomes interesting learning their own respective motivations for wanting to play the game. There are also a great handful of side characters that help round out the cast on both the Seirin team and that of enemy squads such as the hilarious overly enthusiastic, Mitsuhiro Hayakawa, on the Kaijo team. Whenever this guy got all fired up, I couldn’t help but laugh my ass off. Or perhaps Seirin High’s team captain, Junpei Hyuga, and the funny way he gets triggered at the first year students. There’s no shortage of charming characters that make the most of the spotlight when they get it.  

While the series is in the zone for the most part, it does toilet ball and misses the basket in a few respects, unfortunately. While I don’t mind the series’ commitment to generally only the games themselves and the fun ways in which it executes them, if it’s going to do so, the training arcs involving the Seirin’s development could do with some more time to bake in the oven (kinda like Aida’s cooking skills) in that they could be longer. This would, in turn, allow more one on one time with each member or a few members at a time at least to go into greater detail of how they perform and can improve solo and together. We could also get to know the first years on the Seirin team a tad better too. As entertaining as their nativity can be, a lot of the time they all feel like one whole character as opposed to having anything resembling their own originality. Lastly, outside of the main character and few secondary characters, while not superficial per se, there is a lack of depth for most of the minor characters thus far. Granted, this is only the first season and could be rectified in later seasons. Not asking for multiple episodes with thorough examination per character mind you. That’s not the focus of this series but some more complexity than what’s on the surface would be appreciated. 

In regards to the VA work, simply put there are nothing but great performances all around. Whether it’s Zeno Robinson’s bursting anger as Kagumi, Khoi Dao’s quiet calmness as the phantom sixth member, Kuroko, or Abby Trott as the positive yet stern coach of Seirin High team, Riko, you won’t find a weak link among this truly great cast of actors. There’s also some great later additions that add to the already amazing cast such as Ben Diskin’s arrogant Aomine or Xanthe Huynhe as the lovable fierce Momoi. This incredible cast is supplemented further with some great animation from Production I.G. featuring long takes with silky smooth fluid animation, impressive character acting and incredible utilization of elements like sweat to further elevate scenes whether their subtle movements or dynamic intricate takes. 

Kuroko’s Basketball dunks its way onto Netflix with explosive characters, stupendous animation work and nail biting basketball games that’ll leave those on the bleachers in anticipation for the next one.