Dear Boys/Hoop Days: Let's Get to Know the Characters... <3 (a Basketball Anime Review)
What's up OTAKU!!!?
Harumi/Tegoshei here! :)
Yep.. Thanks to Triple AAA, I found a platform which is very suitable for my anime/movie reviews. They curate mostly movie reviews and TV shows, but I am glad to know that they also welcome even anime <3 So, I might post using this account mostly for anime-related content... but if I get the chance to watch some movies, then why not? ^^
I am a fan of anime, especially sports anime. And last night, I got to finish watching a basketball anime called "Dear Boys/Hoop Days".
When someone mentions "Basketball Anime", people from the 90's usually remembers SLAM DUNK while a new millennial might think of KUROKO NO BASUKE. Well, I can't blame them since these two anime series are pretty cool. I love both of them, but while I was browsing through my "sports anime to watch" list, I decided to give "DEAR BOYS/HOOP DAYS" a shot.
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The story is about a high school basketball player named Aikawa who came from a prestigious high school which is also known for basketball. However, for some personal reasons he quit going to that school and transferred to a school with a very problematic basketball club.
Because of his love for the game and his fantastic basketball skills, the once problematic team has slowly taken shape. Despite that, there are literally only five members of the basketball club. How will they survive... or will they? It's for you to find out.
Now, let me introduce to you the first five... or shall I say the only players in the protagonist team. (These are my opinion of them, mostly) :)
| Number | Name | Position | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Fujiwara Takumi | Point Guard | He's great at ball handling and he really makes way for the forwards and other members to score. He's good at shooting and defense as well. At first I thought he has a personality problem, but it was later on explained why he became like that. |
| 8 | Miura Ranmaru | Shooting Guard | |
| 6 | Tsutomu Ishii | Power Forward | Well, this guy can be annoying af. haha He isn't that good in playing basketball, either. Though he's also improving more and more and has become useful. But... I just find him annoying, sorry.. xD |
| 5 | Dobashi Kenji | Center | He's a giant cinnamon roll! He somehow struggles every time he plays due to his weak legs.. and perhaps heavy weight since he loves eating junk food. But he's just adorable. lol He's Ishii's friend and basketball partner since middle school. |
| 7 | Aikawa Kazuhiko | Small Forward | He's a really great basketball player. I must say he's a genius at it, but he puts in a lot of effort as well. He's in love with basketball, so he wants to enjoy it more than anything. :D |
Well, there are a lot of interesting characters in the anime as well, the rival teams, the girl basketball team, etc.
Coming from a basketball fan and a sports anime fan, I enjoyed watching it, though I wanted to have more action. Of course, the games were also exciting, but I believe the author focused more on the character's life and development. Not that I'm complaining, though.
Compared to Slam Dunk and Kuroko no Basuke, this is more realistic. However, in terms of action and excitement, this is a bit below them. If you're more into the drama type and character build-up type of person, this anime is for you. However, if what you're looking for is excitement in the game... well, there sure are exciting games in this anime as well. ;) But I'd rather recommend Slam Dunk and Kuroko no Basuke. <3
All in all, I still enjoyed the whole series and would love to continue the story if ever its made into anime. And I must say, I love the art style in this anime. T_T Ohh classic feels!!! <3 Anyway, thanks for reading this review. I hope you enjoy it. :)
Movie URL: https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/24304-hoop-days?language=en-US
Critic: AAA