Kuroko no Basket: Tip Off

The Generation of Miracles is a team of dominance who is both feared and respected. The team became a unified group of players who went on to dominate Teikō Middle School with many of its victories. A lot people wonders about their origins and the paths they walked down to achieve such glorious recognition. Luckily, there's some hope because Kuroko no Basket returns in this special episode and gives YOU the viewers, a chance to see their past.

Kuroko no Basket Tip Off is a special OVA episode that sheds a little insight on Kuroko's past and when he was a member of the Generation of ... Miracles. Kuroko is seen as a boy who is the sixth and final member of the team. However, his impression doesn't give off the vibe of 'saving the best for last' but rather as a member who is virtually unknown. In fact, he is even nicknamed as a “phantom” for his lack of presence on the field.

The OVA episode gives us a small scope of all the members of the Generation of Miracles on the physical surface. This includes all the members (including the coach) that made their physical debuts from the original series. With their leader, the scarlet hair Akashi, the team follows a motto of “to win at all costs”. In other words, losing is out of the question. There is no other pleasure but to win for the team. This sort of motto follows a professional code of conduct. It's not like the usual fun games where the best enjoyment of a game is not to just win but have fun. For the Generation of Miracles, win is absolute and and glory always comes with motivation.

One thing that this OVA episode shows is to not to underestimate someone. In other words, never judge a book by its cover. Kuroko demonstrates his nickname, the “phantom” on the field as he surprises the spectators in a performance. With his ability, Kuroko is able to pass the ball and work effectively with other team members, particularly Kise. Unfortunately, the true origins of Kuroko and his past are not revealed and more questions may pop up to viewers' minds regarding on how his skills were discovered.

The artwork and soundtrack of the series remains consistent throughout this episode. It shows the uniform of the team and how they became an unity. The seiyu did a standard job from my estimation and it was a fresh insight to hear Akashi's voice. Kuroko's voice mannerisms continues to reflect his soft tone of speech given his lack of presence on the field. It's not surprising either though that Akashi's voice reflects a more challenging tone.

Personally, I found the OVA episode to be a simple piece of a big puzzle in the glorifying journey of the Generation of Miracles. It seems that not all the members got their highlights although that it is understandable given the time limit of only 25 minutes involving the episode. Furthermore, there seems to be a lack of competitive atmosphere that was originally portrayed from the first season. Nonetheless , I found this a pleasant watch for its simplicity and realism. Despite some of its exaggerated style of basketball plays, this OVA was a fun watch for me. Season 2 is on the horizon and I hope it will be a miracle as well.

This is my first time writing a review... Ive watched this today and after ive watched it, i was like, oh god make the season two air faster... The tense and nervous that i felt when i watched the kuroko no basket which has 26 episodes came back after watching this special episode, there is no doubt that this anime is one of the best anime that ive watched.. The special episodes speaks about kise ryouta P.O.V,, i wont tell any spoilers but if you love this anime then u must watch it! Its worth it,, now im watching reborn and im having a doubt ... whether i should watched the episode 41 of reborn or this special episode but i ended up watching this... I told to myself that i dont regret watching this first than the ep 41 of reborn coz im starting to love it again after one month passed... And when ayashi told something like hes the one who noticed kuroko's talent, im planning to read the manga *^* ( im not really a manga lover, i rarely read manga.. Only if im being cliffhang by the anime...) im really excited to see the season two and thank god that they already released this ova

You will really enjoy this Ova...

Kuroko's Basketball: Tip Off is an episode-length special included with the home video releases of the first season. What's interesting is that this little extra story is actually a flashback to the days of the Generation of Miracles playing together as Teiko's basketball team, and if you're watching this after episode 22 like intended then it's the most you've gotten to see of the old Teiko team and the previous relationship between the GoM members which is fairly exciting.

More specifically though this special focuses on Kise joining the team for the first time and discovering Kuroko's hidden talent. This is a nice little addendum to ... the backstory of these two characters, but disappointing compared to finally seeing the chemistry between the old Generation of Miracles. There wasn't really much of a need to address the beginning of Kise and Kuroko's relationship - for all we know from the series, Kise could've seen Kuroko's ace passing in the first Teiko game he saw and would've been his fanboy we see in the series right there. This special answers something that was never a question in the first place, yet we've had the vaguely defined past of the GoM hinted at us repeatedly through the whole first season. It still manages to deliver highlights for the latter, it's just unfortunate the best part of the OVA isn't its actual focus. The animation quality is about the same as the series and I didn't notice any new music, but since this is marketed as an additional episode that's to be expected.

Regardless, this is enjoyable and adds to the series and characters, if not enough to really be called essential. If you have access to Tip Off and haven't seen the whole first season yet, it's recommended you do watch it after episode 22 as it very slightly defines more of a character relationship that's the center of the final match of season one. If you didn't watch Tip Off first it's a marginal difference anyway, but it still has its moments to make it worth experiencing on its own merits as a Kuroko's Basketball fan.