Kuroko no Basket 3rd Season

Finally... I got to finish this anime. Even few hours after I finished watching, adrenaline still overflowing inside of me. I really enjoy this season. Okay, before reviewing, I have read all the manga chapters before the anime even started the third season. Even though I did enjoy reading it, I was not that hyped up for the ending... but the anime did the reverse. With solid story as the base, characters we have grown to love, animated in such an astounding way, this is one of the rare case when I feel more enjoyment with the anime.

Story: 8/10
After the winning the match against ... Yosen, Seirin team proceeds to semifinal facing Kaijou. In the same time, Shutoku vs Rakuzan. Both have fought hard, but in the end Seirin got to meet Rakuzan in the final. Before the final showdown, we are shown a flashback of the days of Kuroko with the Generation of Miracles back in Teikou middle school. Then.. yeah, the showdown.
The storyline of the anime faithfully follows the manga, which makes me utterly happy.

Art: 9/10
Production I.G outdone itself once again. While the previous seasons are good, this season is particularly so much better. With more flashy opening sequence, better and smoother animated movements... Knowing a bit about 2D animation, I am in awe thinking how much frame they used to make those pose, passes, throws, shoots very smoothly. Dribbles and drives are especially better here. They may use a bit of CG but it is used very efficiently and can blend rather well with the other animation. Effects like the Zone, Kuroko's magic passes are done very well too.

Colors are very bright and brilliant. I really love the flashback arc in particular. The colors of the sakura trees, sunset, inside of the stadium... everything is really pleasing to the eye.

The only thing keeping the art from getting 10/10 is.. sometimes the animation quality drops a bit and slight distortion in the character design at times. Nevertheless, it is really great.

Sound: 9/10
This is one of the major factor that keeps the experience of watching anime better compared to reading the manga. Upbeat opening and ending songs, then background music that is pumping your energy during matches.. mellow music during sadder or reflective scenes... They make everything so much more exciting, grande and emotional when the time calls for it.

Seiyuus / voice actors are doing their roles very well. ^^

Character: 10/10
If you follow Kuroko no Basket since the very beginning, you will see a lot of development, both in the characters personally and how they interact with the others. After meeting Seirin, Generation of Miracles gets more humble and they got reminded of how fun playing basketball is. Well, they kinda lost the excitement of playing since they consecutively won with ease during Teikou days..

Then we got to see more of the first years in Seirin.. Furihata, Fukuda, Kawahara.. finally they got to enter the court at least. Also more screentime for Koganei, Tsuchida and Mitobe. The starters in Seirin has developed to the better too.. they have better teamwork and trust to support each other. Kagami is powered up some more.. Kuroko is no longer as stoic and expressionless compared to the very start. Kiyoshi, Hyuuga and Izuki also has their glorious moments. The other characters like the guys from Touou, Shutoku, Kaijou, Yosen, other schools that went against Seirin before are also shown. Basically everyone who have made their appearance in this series from season 1 appeared again, in the match or among the audience, contributing either by encouraging the cast or giving their observation about the match. This really highlights that the season 3 is really the final.

Enjoyment: 9/10
Although the direction of the series may seem very clear and Shutoku vs Rakuzan is very one-sided, the matches are so hard for Seirin vs Kaijou making me brimming with excitement. I'm kinda sad the flashback (which is my most favorite part) is not that highlighted and only have 4 episodes. However, although short, they managed to cover the most important parts and tug in your heart, especially after Ogiwara's team went against Teikou. I really feel heartbroken along with Kuroko and Ogiwara. And when the final match is over, I also feel triumphant.

Overall: 9/10
A really good way to wrap up the story of Kuroko Tetsuya and his basketball journey.
Highly recommended for sports lovers and of course, the fans of Kuroko no Basket manga. You won't be disappointed :)

At this point, Kuroko no Basket (Kuroko’s Basketball) is a series that needs no introduction. After two seasons of competitive gameplay, we have the third and final season to conclude the entire story based off the manga written by Tadatoshi Fujimaki. If you’re really anxious to see how the Winter Cup will be decided and who will earn the ultimate glory, then this is a must-see for KnB fans. Otherwise, I confess to myself that the third season is a bit of a hit or miss.

For starters, the third season still takes place in the same setting with Seirin High as the main focus. Not ... only is Kuroko, one of the legendary Generation of Miracles, on the team but there’s also much we learn about the rest of his former teammates.

The third season already establishes the foundations of basketball, the most prominent players, and what’s at stake. As the previous seasons introduced most of the prominent rivals, there’s little need to bring new challengers. As such, expect this season to focus more on the existing players; characters such as the Generation of Miracles and Uncrowned Kings from Rakuzan. There’s also a good amount of history from behind the scenes for the main supporting players as well. And that’s really something to say about the show. Kuroko no Basket approaches its premise to characterize its players especially for the ones that the audience may care about the most. Other than Kuroko, we have the distinctive Generation of Miracles. We find out much more about them in ways that really makes us understand them beyond just on the court. It also gives the audience as a sense of appreciation for the reasons that Kuroko left behind his former team and is now part of Seirin High.

As with any competitive sport, basketball is no exception to rivalries. Early on the show, we can easily see rivalries that go head in head on the court. These include Kise Ryouta vs Shogo Haizaki, Seijuro Akashi vs. Shintaro Midorima, and later on Seirin vs. Rakuzen. A good portion of these matches are intimidating. And sticking with its shounen style, the show still pulls out its supernatural-like gimmicks with the players’ moves. Kise’s copycat and Akashi’s Emperor Eye are prime examples of this as we see how they can influence the outcome of a game. As much as this can be appealing, it really comes off as edgy and unrealistic. There’s little to relate with and most of the time, this season attempts to wow the audience with diehard efforts. By this time, it’s really repetitive and doesn’t bring much with these establishes gimmicks. The plus side of this might be the fact that the show still retains its electrifying energy. After all, basketball is a game that requires both the individual and collective effort of a team to succeed. And as one of the sports that requires constant movement on the court, the show creates its full throttle mood with delicacy.

I mentioned this before but Kuroko no Basket has a lot of story written into each game. Players facing off often had a history in some way or form with one another. This doesn’t just include rivalries but friendships as well. For instance, Shintaro’s decision to join Shutoku High is influenced by his teammate, Kazunari Takao. Some episodes reveals more about each of the prominent players through its in-game storytelling. At the same time, it spawns emotions to connect players’ dedications and their reasons to play in the first place. So in essence, you could say that the show’s characters are all like chapters of a story with each episode progressing that said story. However, some of these stories aren’t what can be really memorable. As Kagami already had plenty of development, there’s little more to improve his character. Instead, do expect a bit more focus on some of its other supporting characters with their own stories.

Kuroko no Basket is not a drama show. However, the drama it attempts to craft go in a lot of directions. I think the show at times is really trying to send a message of some sorts towards the audience. How does it try to get the message across? With a lot of intention to persuade the audience for what the players are trying to accomplish, the series really at time feels like it’s a sermon. Not that the speeches are anything malicious or in that particular way, but the series itself really should do more than just go with the usual cliché dialogues. However, I do give some praise to the characters’ performances throughout the majority of this season. On or off the court, it’s entrancing to see how they react and play with engaging momentum.

For the third time in a row, Production I.G. takes the task to produce a good quality show with its artwork style. Character designs and expression are well decorated on most terms to fit with their personalities. Each school that plays in this season also has its own distinctive uniforms that stands out in their own way. However, the most promising technical aspect is the shounen-style coordination of the gameplay. Kuroko no Basket is always known to pull out crazy moves that is beyond normal human comprehension. So what should you expect? The same intense elements of what you should be used to from the previous seasons. And that would be an excitement of powerful and compelling movements with clever camera angles, facial expressions, and emotional attachment. It communicates its message to the audience at how weak or strong a team is both individually, or in other cases, the players individually.

Soundtrack relies mostly on itself to adapt the gameplay when it needs to be. The most noticeable feature includes thrilling timings when significant moves are made where the soundtrack plays a key role. Character voice mannerisms also retains its expectations although nothing really home to write home about compared to its OST. And on a more decorative aspect, there are various OP and ED theme songs that reflect the momentum of the third season.

It’s been a long ride. With over 70 episodes, various OVAs, and a franchise that makes basketball looks like a battlefield, you could say that the destination has finally be reached with everything it had to offer. Unfortunately, the third season isn’t a much improvement from before and the final game has a lot of the usual generic themes written in like a textbook. But is it worth watching in the end? I’d still say yes especially for fans eager to see who will win the Winter Cup. Anyone who is interested at learning more about the Generation of Miracles will also be in for a treat; despite the bit of rush in content based on the manga. It’s still a sensational feeling to realize the destination has finally been reached though.

First of all, I will clear things out by saying, that I am a big fan of season 1 & 2 of this anime series. I liked almost everthing about those two anime. Eventhough with such a great prequels the third season felt a bit too repetitive. While watching this anime I felt like I have watched the same things in season one & two. The thing that I loved about the first two seasons was character development which was somewhat missing in season 3. The story is good and it give the whole in depth backstory of all the players. This backstory helps viewer ... understand why kuroko is so passionate about basketball. Plot of the story is also good which helps the anime to get viewer interested and watch it untill the end. Overall I would say the anime doesn't live upto the expectation that the viewers or I would say I personally had for this anime. In the end, I would say if you are fan of this anime series you should watch it but don't keep your expectations too high.

I'm gonna say it and i'm gonna say it now: KnB is the most predictable, shounen-like and overrated anime i have ever seen. We all know why it's rated so high: it is very enjoyable and flashy. It's like a weak version of Bleach, with more cliches and totally unjustified powers, since we're talking about basketball, not shinigamis.

The reason KnB is so popular is that it tricks the audience by creating false tension: you're there like "OMG this is so close, i don't know who will win" but actually know who's gonna win (Spoiler, but no spoiler).

And this brings us to my next problem: EVERY ... GAME IS THE SAME, and i'm not even exagerrating. Seirin always has to play from behind and somehow win in the last second by 1 point, obviously dunked by our MVP Kagami. Guess what, you stupid writers: COMEBACKS LIKE THAT DON'T HAPPEN EVERY SINGLE TIME.

This anime doesn't even try to accurately depict basketball. It ignores a lot of aspects. Fouls only happen when the plot calls it and nobody ever misses a shot unless the enemy planned it all along. If somehow they do miss the shot, it is just to showcase a rebound battle (they don't even show the shooter). And don't even get me started on the powers. People told me that these things are entirely possible. I call it bullshit. Only NBA players can do stuff like that, if they're lucky. We're talking about japanese high-school students for god's sake!

Story: 5/10
I couldn't care less about the whole Teiko backstory and even less about the games, since i knew all along who's gonna win. It's not something new at all, just about a team that wants to become the best in Japan. Why am i even talking about this?

Characters: 5/10
You might find them enjoyable, but they completely lack any depth and are very one-dimensional: the ambitious red-head, the silent guy, the other silent guy, the four-eyes and the gentle giant. Most of them aren't worth mentioning, since the whole anime is about Kagami and Kuroko. I also have a huge problem with the "bad guys". Yeah, i called them bad guys, because every enemy of Seirin is depicted as a deuchebag that hates basketball and bullies his teammates. It tries to make you feel that it's right for Seirin to win, which is a really cheap trick if you ask me.

Sound and animtion: 10/10
This is where Knb slightly redeems itself. I cannot argue that the OST is amazing and fitting for this type of show, and all those flashy moves are animated very beautifully.

Enjoyment: 7/10
Despite all the flaws, i did enjoy KnB while hardly trying to turn off my brain as much as possible. It is an anime for everyone and everyone should enjoy it as a mindless piece of fun.

Overall: 6/10
KnB, even though it had a lot of potential, fails miserably at being a sports anime and ends up being a generic battle shounen in disguise. Its presentation makes up for the lack of depth and realism, making it a somewhat enjoyable anime (that is, if you really try not to pay attention to details).

Brilliance, that's the most accurate term I can think of when describing pathetic Kuroko no Basket anime series. To me it's something so exciting and so addicting that I can't help but love it, even for someone who doesn't really care for basketball such as myself. Basically what the third season of this series covers is the Generation of miracle's lives in middle school and the conclusion of the winter cup. So what does this season do correctly? Well season 3 doesn't only supply character development, it introduces an awesome character namely Akashi. What makes Akashi great character is his whole split personality characteristic, and ... his emperor eye ability which give his character some more spice. But season 3 triumphs in being just as exciting and engaging as the previous two seasons. Some of the characters also gained new abilities which made the games even more exciting then they already were. The music and voice acting are both great. The music really gets you pumped up and the opening themes are excellent. What I also liked is during some scenes past opening and ending themes make appearances in the background so that they don't feel completely lost. The artwork looks really good especially with all of the special abilities and it really does these moves justice. The story is very good although it does include many shounen tropes though I didn't mind too much. Characters were also developed well this season especially the Generation of miracles during the Teiko arc. The conclusion was also satisfiying and I was happy with the ending.
In conclusion I enjoyed kuroko no basket season 3 equally as much as seasons 1 and 2. It's still as exciting and fun as it always been with a great conclusion. And with the recent announcement of the new movie and the OVA I am excited as ever for more kuroko no basket content. And KNB is definitely one of my favorite shows of all time now, I enjoyed it that much.

*If you haven't watch the series yet, see my first season review instead. I also won't repeat the things I've said from my first season review.
http://myanimelist.net/reviews.php?id=192244

The last season of Kuroko no Basket is the best among the 3. Sure, the pacing is much slower than the first two but the amount of impact that this season gave is high and it's a great thing.

This season resumes the Winter Cup after Seirin won against Yosei to get in to the Semi-finals. However, the main focus of this season is a lot more on Akashi, we will get to know Kuroko more on why he feels this ... way and why he is really determined to beat the Generation of Miracle players. This season did a great job on building up the tension on Akashi thus, it gives us the atmosphere on who Akashi really is. For Kuroko, they show us the flashback of him during his middle school days where he was still with the Teiko High. This arc is called "Teiko arc" which spanned 4 episodes. Teiko arc is kind of corny but the way it was executed was really well done.

Here's the thing though - the ending is not unique but why bother? If you want "them" (Had to do that to avoid spoilers) to lose then the whole build up of the story is useless. The show does try their best to make the ending unpredictable but come on, we all know who is going to win and take home the Winter Cup.

The animation is outstanding. From season 1 to season 3 the animation just keeps getting better and better. Sure, the coloring is not unique but hey, at least it isn't lazy (*Cough* Studio Pierrot *Cough*). The smooth animation when they play basketball was produced very well. Also, the superpower animation (Which can be corny for some), well, I thought it looks great especially the Direct Drive Zone. Production I.G. did a great job.

Overall, I enjoyed this show a lot. This show took me on one heck of a ride and I am going to miss this show. Will you enjoy this anime? Corny or not, try watching it because of the sense of thrill that this show offers. Even though sports anime isn't your genre, watch it. This is actually my very first sports anime and now it has come to an end. So, if I like it, you might like it too.

Score: 9.6/10

This is my very first review EVER, so please bear with me. KnB is the first sports anime I've ever seen and actually finished. Starting from season one all the way til the last episode I literally just cried over twenty minutes ago. This story is great, you never get bored and it keeps you on the edge of your seat, believe me. The art is AMAZING! I'm a sucker for vibrant colors and good animations. The art is smooth and fits very well with the show. The sound is perfect. It adds to the intensity of the show and the emotions. All of the ... characters are likable. They are explained nicely and all of them develop well. I believe that everyone should watch this and everyone should enjoy it. If you don't you must be extremely critical. I don't see whats not the love about this anime. It's funny, intense, emotional and joyous all at the same time. I highly recommend this anime to anyone and everyone. I'd watch this eight times over in a row and still love it. All in all, watch this anime. You will not regret it, I promise.

(This review goes for all seasons)

KnB was one of the most dinamic animes I already watched, a kind of dinamic that make you have suddenly goose bumps.

It apparently is a "super-powers sports anime", however, it is really close to reality, stop to watch NBA for a while, the same "miracles" that happen in KnB, happen in real games. Of course in KnB we have some visual effects here, others sound effects there, that for me give more life and adrenalin to the show.

The character development is cool, the generation of miracles is really charismatic (even being named according to hair color). As the same ... time we have a lot of good characters in the teams (Kagami, Teppei, Momoi, Hayakawa, etc).

Ultimately, Kuroko no Basket bring us a great message, that you realize while the the character's personality are changing, the real meaning of the sports.

I can't believe it just ended like that. I'm like nooo if anyone saw Akatsuki no Yona it ended just like that but in a different way of course. I just felt it ended to fast and man I wish it could be more. Anyway, I loved the skits the series had and the characters where reminiscing. The action. Movements. And Everything about it XD my favorites are Aomine and Kuroko since they're full of surprises and there reactions are priceless when the unexpected happens. The art in this anime is amaazing it really fits for a 2014-2015 anime and the sounds you can hear ... it just like in any basketball game. I usually don't watch sports or to many sports anime, but this one was exceptional and I enjoyed it very much. Bravo!

I still wish there is more! I would recommend this anime to sports and non sports fan alike. It has the slice of life and uplifting moments you need to enjoy.

There's tons of sport genre anime ..
This anime shows a lot of motivation, and even sometimes feel you want to play basketball.
Oh did I forget about the feels in this anime , I really had a great time watching this and I totally did not regret watching this.
A lot of characters and different characteristic. I also like how each character personality brings impact to a game.
The way each school play as a team and every team have a unique play style.

SHITTY REVIEW
-shamelessly presents-
Kuroko No Basuke
NOTICE-THIS REVIEW IS FOR ALL 3 SEASONS
**SPOILER FREE**
now before you start to read this review keep 3 things in mind
1)KnB is my first actual sports anime(first one being One Outs which is heavily based on psychology)
2)I know very little about Basketball(so there was very less part which I found unrealistic)
3)I used to dislike sports because of my weak body and disease of Asthma

... KnB is a anime that really pumped me up and made me go teary eyed thrice.So it was an amazing journey for me of 75 episodes.This review will try to tell what I enjoyed.

Story[7/10]-I will be blunt The story is full of cheesiness.But what makes KnB an amazing journey is the goal our main MC has and that is to beat generation of miracles and each match full of tension and excitement.The matches are well scripted and each one has satisfying conclusions where the winner and the losers were on equal level .The ending made me cry because how satisfying it was.

Art{8/10}-One of the main difference that can be seen in each Season was that the visual becoming better and better.We are talking of production I.G here so course the visual were good.I was fascinated by the motion of each basket when the ball was put through it.

Sound(10/10)-First thing first KnB has this awesome soundtrack which will make you adrenaline rushed.The Voice acting were amaZing especially of Akashi and Kuroko.The first OP is the best but other were also nice and EDs too.

Character[9/10]-Now the thing that really makes KnB awesome is the characters.There was not a single character which I hated or found useless.I was feeling the emotions of every main character their sadness at the loss,tension during the match,love for basketball,trust in teammates etc, each one of them.and every single freaking single character has development except few.

Enjoyment{10/10}-I will define my enjoyment in 2 statements
1st I became teary eyed thrice(record for a anime)
2nd I do everyday some kind of physical workout now
Hell Yeah I enjoyed it

Overall-If you do not mind unrealness and cheesiness whether a sports freak or not I really recommend KnB to you.

PS-If you find my review helpful please help me by telling which part it was at my profile and those of you who desperately wanted the 'not helpful' button there to be clicked plz you too tell the fault in our stars uh I mean review at my profile.

Thank You for Reading This

So this is my first review, so any feedback would be nice :3

Story- 10/10

This is basically a continuation from the first 2 seasons, following the match after Yosen. The story heads at a steady pace, and we are notified of a match between Kise and an Teiko member who had once quit basketball to start this intense anime up. All episodes didn't have any flaw in the story, and if it did, it would of been barely noticeable. We are also given interesting and detailed backstories to some of the characters and get to see how they had gotten to where they are now. The ... games are even more exciting and suspenseful which just take your breath away.

Art & Animation- 9/10

Art & Animation are even better then the other 2 season. This is noticeable in the games with the brilliant passing, dribbling, shooting, etc. And this is taken to the next level in the last few episodes which is absolutely breath taking.

Sound- 9/10

The sound in this anime is outstanding, with amazing soundtrack which makes everything more intense, suspenseful and even emotional at points. All the OP's and ED's are all well done, which are all catchy and just nice to listen to.

Character- 10/10

The characters in this season are even better developed and attachable (Or hated depending on which character it is), and is always interesting in what they think and say, how they play in the games and how important their role is in each match. It's always nice hearing Seirin and the other team encouraging each other no matter how bad they screw over their play.

Enjoyment- 10/10

The enjoyment is perfect, each episode gets you pumped for the next and is always worth watching. Every game scene, flashback, and conversation is enjoyable and intriguing to watch, that while the other parts like the story, art & animation, sound, characters just make this one of the best anime out at the moment.

Overall- 10/10

Overall this anime is highly enjoyable, and will leave you wanted more and more. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes sports anime, and even those who like comedy, shounen and school.

Thank you to those who had read this review, I look forward to making more in the future :3

Edit: Review has been updated to when I have seen all the series' three seasons and even rewatched it:

This review also takes into account season 1, 2 and 3
Story: 10 because I felt each turn was just amazing every time
Art: 10 because of the amazing visuals and the aura of the characters
Sound: 10 because of the amazing openings and sound tracks
Characters: 10 because I just loved every single characters different characteristics
Enjoyment: 10 because I utterly loved every single second of it
Overall: 10 because it one of my most favourite anime's!!!

... My list for the strongest players in the series:
1) Akashi Seijuro because he has been proven to be the strongest plus his Emperor Eye is the only ability Kise Ryota cant perfectly copy and he never loses because he is absolute
2) Kise Ryota because his Perfect Copy allows him to be all the generation of miracles in one and has the unlimited potential to have his perfect copy last the whole game with his only limiting factor because what he is physically able to do which could be a problem for him if the others improve further past his limit such as shown by how Kise is 5cm smaller than Aomine but since he is a miracle it shouldn't be a problem
3) Aomine Daiki because he has been proven to still be stronger than Kagami Taiga one on one and has more unlimited raw natural talent out of all of the generation of miracles
4) Kagami Taiga since he has been proven to be weaker than Aomine Daiki because he doesn't have the unlimited natural talent Aomine has but is still his equal because they both have the animal instinct and have similar heights with Kagami being only 4cm smaller than Aomine which could be seen as a microcosm of Aomine being better than Kagami
5) Murasakibara Atsushi since it is proven he is one of the strongest shown by how he has the most natural physical ability in basket ball shown by how he is the tallest out of all of them at 208cm when basket ball is a height dependant sport but the reason he is only 6th is because he will always concede against Akashi and has been shown to be defeated by the weakest member of the generation of miracles: Kuroko Tetsuya which means that he is defeated by the two juxtaposing ability's of Akashi and Kuroko who he is limited to never defeating them unlike the others who arn't but also since the other characters are also miracles they would not be defeated by only physical ability when you consider their own ability's
6) Midorima Shintaro because he has mostly reached the full extent of his power since he first must rely on his team mates to utilise his sky direct three-point shot and though his ability to score three pointers from anywhere on the court is strong because when he is facing other miracles and their insane ability's his three point shots are easily stopped by all their ability's so he is one of the weakest
7) Kuroko Tetsuya because though he has some of the most amazing ability's and Kise Ryota can not copy his misdirection ability's at all he is set as the weakest because he is a member of the miracles but he must rely on his team mates other to be adequate since he is a shadow but otherwise he losses his ability's and though Kuroko is impressive since he has strong ability's that allowing him to coexist with fellow members of the generation of miracles unlike the others who when are forced together cause the team diffract he is still last though his role and ability's are different
8) Momoi Satsuki Since she is also a member of the generation of miracles but she is last because though she doesn't play basket ball and he role is as a manager she is last because Akashi Seijuro is better than her at her field

Tatsuya Himuro and Shōgo Haizaki were not included in this list because it has been stated that they are not miracles and are limited in ability and just not on the level of the generation of miracles shown by how they are unable to over come the barrier and enter the room of the generation of miracles like Kagami did so they are not able to enter the zone.

I just want to start off by explaining my stance on sports anime. For the most part I tend to dislike them. It's not that I don't like sports, in fact I partake in both tennis and golf in real life on a regular basis. My issue with a lot of sports anime is that they tread a strange line between trying to be realistic and give an accurate presentation of that sport whilst stretching the realism of said presentation to the limits. This grey area between fiction and non-fiction often results in a uninvestable environment. My other big problem with sports anime is the ... prodigy factor. Not that they're in the show but rather the way they are presented. Unbeatable, god-like, plot armoured. Keeping this in mind let's look at Kuroko no Basket 3.

That treading thing I spoke of is here, at least to some extent. So immediately it would appear it's failed the first of two challenges and yet it also hasn't. I feel season 1 definitely falls for it and season 2 to a lesser extent, but season 3 is different. By season 3 you get the feeling that the writer no longer is trying to portray a realistic game of basketball. The focus on super-human abilities, the usage of ZONE to amplify yourself beyond human capabilities and just general acts of ridiculousness. With all this happening I stopped getting the sense this was even pretending to be anything like real basketball anymore. By the way, that's a good thing. You want to know something? If I wanted to watch something that was like real basketball, I'd watch real basketball. What I want though is a unique and interesting, fictional take on a real sport, something season 3 of Kuroko most definitely delivers. So, test 1 passed.

So, what about the prodigies? They are most certainly there as the term 'Generation of Miracles' is thrown around like a basketball itself. The show sure loves to remind you how great these people are and how even thinking of facing them will be met with hopelessness and demise. It can get tiresome to be honest. Outside of this we have Kagami and Kuroko who are sort of prodigies, it's hard to tell. They constantly go on about how Kagami is the 'Ace of Seiren' and how he has 'opened the door to the Generation of Miracles' and yet I never really got the same feeling I did from the originals. At no point did I actually think he was a prodigy. Sure, a very talented player but not some kind of god figure like I’m seeing in Akashi and Aomine. So it seems Kuroko has done an okay job here. We aren't seeing the story being presented from one of the predictable prodigies and whilst they do feature in the story it's the opponents that possess them. Just a heads up whilst we’re discussing predictability. Kuroko no Basket is extremely predictable. You know what’s going to happen because it literally has to happen for it to have a decent narrative. Seirin have to win their important games or else it’d feel incomplete. So what you are really getting in this series for is to discover their journey on how they win. If you don’t like knowing the end result, avoid this.

Okay, I'll admit the over-dramatising is pretty bad. You have these high school guys screaming their face off at a game of what is effectively amateur basketball. I'll willing to give it the benefit of the doubt though as this over-dramatic narrative is usually accompanied by some genuinely interesting developments of skill. Also, they actually show the character's improving over time through real training. How lazy anime has come in this respect annoys me. Not only sports shows but more or less any coming of age or character development focused narrative really. They will just say "The power of friendship is powering him up!" and we're just supposed to accept that? It's fine to have a theme of friendship, or in Kuroko no Basket’s case; teamwork, but that can't explain everything on its own. You need the training and skill development segments too. So I've addressed my big problems with sports anime and it seems Kuroko no Basket has passed all of them well enough. Fantastic. Let's have a look at the other sections too then.

The sound elements of Kuroko are it's weakest element sadly. Season 3's OPs are all forgettable as far as I'm concerned and even the EDs drop off here. In season 2 we had "FANTASTIC TUNE" by Kensho Ono which I thought was pretty... well... fantastic. Here in season 3 though I didn't find a single OP or ED that appealed to me. I tried to enjoy them but it wasn't long before the skipping to the main episode took place. As for the OST itself they've managed to get a nice mix of music (from electro, urban all the way to rock and opera-esc). Unfortunately out of the 31 songs featured in season 3's OST, not one of them is worth listening to outside of the show. The music doesn't really detract from the overall series but it also doesn't add much to it either. It serves a basic purpose whilst you watch the show but that's all it does. It never strives to be anything more than just 'okay'. If we want to stick to sports then Kuroko no Basket's soundtrack is the equivalent of a par in golf. It's not too disappointing but you should be aiming for more.

Since we're looking at the technical elements I may as well quickly cover the art. In short it's very nice really. It fulfils my need to have a comfortable aesthetic to view but doesn't quite reach the peak of what anime is capable of. The stronger point of Kuroko is its animation. There are occasional still shots but for the major events and the majority of important plays, we get slick and smooth animated shots. The camera doesn't half love taking unique positions too as it sways all over the place. It certainly creates a sense of excitement using a very simple technique in this respect. I really liked how the expression of characters is shown with the clarity of their feelings becoming apparent to the viewer at all times. There's a nice transition between utter dedication and playful banter from scene to scene. These subtle animation shifts do a lot to give small yet important impressions of the characters to the audience. I can always appreciate small touches of detail as it shows effort and thought has been put it.

All in all Kuroko no Basket as a whole fixes a lot of the problems I've got with sports anime. The third season though is the stand out one by a considerable distance. I didn't go too much into detail about the story as it's very simple, yet effective but the inclusion of the small Teiko Middle School arc within season 3 puts it ahead of the other two in my opinion. The art is satisfying and refined and the sound is average but competent at the very least. The characters range hugely from people I love (Kuroko himself is great) to those I completely loathe (Akashi's writing annoys me. He's a third psycho, a third loving friend and a third insane. It makes little sense and his development is too rushed). I guess there's a very easy way of judging this show. If I honestly ask myself "Does Kuroko no Basket 3 do everything I want from a sports show?" then the answer is a simple yes. On this basis alone, it's worth your time.

Kuroko no Basket's 3rd season kicks it up a notch and improves the anime. The art is pretty good in this season and has improved since the beginning of the show. The sound is decent and the intros for this season and the intros are okay. The characters are great and are really fun to watch all the different players on screen. You get to know the characters a bit more which is great. It is very enjoyable to watch and makes you want to go to the gym and play basket ball. The story is great and this season makes for a great end ... for the show even though they are scheduled for a fourth season. Overall it's a great season and you learn about the final players from Teiko which was really fun to watch.

[Minor Spoilers]

If you are already 2 seasons into this, you have finish this and see the famed Akashi in action. Unfortunately, it was not as good as the previous BUT it had a great ending episodes. My main issue was you could tell the show was out of steam at the end. What made Kuroko No basket good was that the shounen abilities had explanations that made some kind of sense. That's until Kagami used ZONE three times that turned an unique ability to something he can unlock any time without consequence. And that's the worst part, there's no consequence which makes it too far ... fetched and forced. I didn't mind Akashi's Emperor Eye being overpowered, but him being able to alley hoop and run from one end to another in a fraction of a second? For Yousen, it made sense. He's tall with long limbs which gave him the extended reach. For Akashi, there was no need or overpower him in every way, his ability was powerful enough.

But once again, there were amazing reveals. Kuroko Quasi Emperors Eye impressed me with how it countered Akashi's. Frankly people talk about Kagami being too overpowered but can we appreciate how well sculpted Kuroko's character is in terms of ability? He has clear flaws and clear advantages which make his accomplishments not so much as an asspull (besides Misdirection Overflow). It just boils down to that he uses his head to maneuver his opponent whereas Kagami just tries harder.

It was still a good season, Akashi was worth the wait. Understanding how the Generations of Miracles came to be was interesting, along with Akashi's role fitted very well. The soundtrack could have been much better because it was average for such an important season. The animation held up well when it mattered although I didn't get the point of all the flashy colours during the deeper ZONE at the end.

Putting Aomine matchup at the start was a bad idea. In my eyes that should have been a show down left for towards the end. And in an ideal world I would love to see Aomine versus Akashi. THAT would've been a better match up.

Story - 9
Yousen and Akashi and how the Generation of Miracles came to be was very interesting

Soundtrack - 5
The Opening and Ending Soundtracks could have been so much better. It was the worst OST out of the 3 seasons, which is disappointing.

Art - 8
It held up well especially at the end and during Kise's bout.

Characters - 7
The antagonists were all great with their own abilities.

Enjoyment - 7
I enjoyed it and the ending was worth it with me but could have been so much better!

The final season of Kuroko no Basket is pretty epic to me. This whole anime in general is good to watch, especially for basketball fans like myself. Although the moves and techniques used in this anime were unrealistic, it is still enjoyable to watch.

The plot for this season was amazing. The characters are introduced and explained well. It is explained why they like basketball or why they do what they do. There we also humor inserted along the exciting moments. The comedy is enjoyable and you laugh a lot at it. The basketball itself is amzing that it kind of sends a chill down your ... spine.

So if you like superpowered basketball or just basketball in general, then this anime would good to watch. :)

I personally think it is a very interesting sports-themed anime where there are multiple main characters with different extraordinary skills and how each of them have their own very distinct personalities and characters (even minor characters too)

The way the characters developments were presented in a unique way to the viewers through a series of flashbacks; which includes the different stories of the Generation of Miracles members during their middle school days were really entertaining.

The art style was also amazing and all the basketball court scenes were super engaging, cool and fun to watch. Especially when the characters start using their superpowers. Personal favourite scene ... is the Kagami vs Aomine match-up. Although i still think that certain characters' powers are too overpowered.

Despite it being one of those typical story where you know which team will win. It was also interesting to see the solutions the teams came up with to defeat different opponents with very different skill sets.

I would definitely recommend this anime to those people who likes sports-action anime.

*Spoilers may be ahead*

I started to watch the first season in winter and I did my best to catch up with the storyline, I really like it and I enjoyed the openings and endings:

Story: 8
In this season, we will see how it was on Teiko High, how the Generation of Miracles was build, how they split up after their personalities started to change, it was drama and I felt quite sad during the Teiko Arc, otherwise, the story overall isn't that much, but we see how the characters build more up than we saw on the first season.

Art: 10
At first, I didn't like the ... art style of it because it seemed so weird every time I watched in different Top 10 videos, but I sooner started to watch the anime and I fell in love with the art style, I love how it was animated, I love how it affected the storyline.

Sound: 9
The soundtrack to this anime is outstanding, it's mostly like when you wear headphones and listen on the soundtrack while it plays during the most of the games in the anime, it fills up the excitement and the suspension in the anime, I especially love the openings and the endings.

Character: 9
I think the anime has made the characters grow more mature (Some of them) and that we could understand their personality and their background, there are some characters you may dislike and like, but I don't hate anyone in this anime, I love most of them.

Enjoyment: 8
As much I enjoy comedy, this one was terrific, I love their sense of humor, their animations and the comedy that grows in the story while watching it.

Overall: 9
I would give it higher, but I think a 9 would do good, the anime had it's good moments and I truly enjoyed it, I was filled with suspense in every end of the episodes, they leave us suspiscous and nervous until the next episode, the ending was really great and I hope that I will read the manga to see the difference.

A non-spoiler review

Despite the many bad and good things about this anime, I would overall rate it a strong 9.

Some people have said that it is cliche - and I must admit, it was. The different coloured hair, so abnormal that it would make one cringe. Or maybe it was that not every character had a unique add-on?, and seemed like it belonged from some other anime. (Talking about you, green-head glasses guy)

Story: 8

It may just be because I love sports anime, but I thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment and concept of the basketball games. In fact, the only reason why I didn't give it a ... ten was because of the fact that some of the games went on for literally - what, five episodes? - and some of the characters did nothing but repeat and repeat the same moves. In other words, sometimes it felt like I'd literally re-watched the episode.
(Once again, talking about you, green-head glasses guy)

I got bored once or twice, but the setting between teammates and believing in each other made me want to continue the series even more. Ha, cheesy, I know.

Art: 7

The art wasn't anything to be proud of. Kagami's hair looked like a different version of Jean's from Attack on Titan, so that was quite weird.
And then the classic every-body-has-different-colored-hairs came into place. I'm actually confused - apparently brown hair isn't a thing in the world of Kuroko's Basketball.
Pink hair. Green hair. Navy hair. Light blue hair. Red hair. Hot pink hair. Yellow hair. Purple hair. ALL THE HAIR.

The shading on the characters, however, were more or so interesting. It reminded me of Attack on Titan (another reference, I know) as it wasn't just the casual make-a-shade-darker shading. That added some depth into the anime.

Sound: 10

It actually surprised me how well the sound fitted, apart from the occasional off-lip talking that happened once or twice. The character's running and stopping's sound was directly, to the point and limit, perfect.

Sometimes I did cringe when Kuroko or one of the other's made some weird noise, but that doesn't matter :3

Character: 7

There was only one or two characters that were completely unique (to me, anyway) which was Akashi and Kuroko - maybe Kagami? Let's start off with the Generation on Miracles.
Firstly you have Kise. A classical, charm the girls man who can never keep a straight face. Hmm, that's totally not in every anime that's ever existed.
Then we have Aomine. The man who is kind of a bad-butt and is cold to everyone else.
Murasakibara - no interests in anything at all.
Midorima, I sure as heck have NEVER seen him before *sarcasm*. Like, I've never seen anyone who is a slight bit nerdy, does calculations, wears glasses, has weird interests and bases everything he does of in logic and math.
Akashi. In my eyes, he's more original. He's got a past, he's not all goody-goody and he has a heck of an introduction. I like the way the story adapts with him... but I need more.
Kuroko.... he's not ALL too unique in the story. I've seen about ten other animes where the main character isn't noticed at all (so far I've only watched 51 animes :P). But this one DOES make it a slightly bit more original, seeing that he used his unnoticed aura to his advantage.

Enjoyment: 10

I really enjoyed this anime - obviously as you can see that small-text black 10. Although I mostly spoke about CONS in this review, Kuroko no Basket was one of the very few animes that I've dreamt about and fangirled *very loudly* about. I'm not joking, I've spent two days watching this entire anime and those two nights I had a dream about it. It was great.

I think I mentioned this, but it might just be because I adore sports anime that this one was so great. Although I can't really explain it, think of your favorite anime and try and give it a hundred words. Hard, right? That's how I'm feeling trying to explain why I like it.

Overall: 9

8, 7, 10 , 7 , 10. With those scores, I'm going to give this anime a 9. That may not be correct but... math is boring anyway. I don't need to go into detail WHY it was overall 9, considering I have a habit of putting the wrong things in the wrong category. Heh...

Side Notes:
*slight spoiler*

I do with that the ending had been more elaborated. I, personally, love Akashi and was quite sad I didn't get to see Kuroko and him re-bond in vision. Not only that, but I loved this series so much that I can't actually believe it's over.

And, back on the Akashi topic, we didn't really see much of him apart from the game. I'm sure all the fangirls out there, like myself, would have loved to have seen more of him instead of just having to read fanfictions :(

I also would've liked to have seen the match between Kuroko and his old best friend, but I guess that didn't happen either.

WHAT HAPPENED TO KIYOSHI?