Manga Review: Kuroko's Basketball, Volume 15 & 16, by Tadatoshi Fujimaki

Rating (Out of 5): ~2

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: October 2017

Volumes: 30.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 1&2. 7&8. 17&18.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Seirin High’s greatest basketball superstar was the one no one literally saw coming—the invisible Kuroko!

Tetsuya Kuroko doesn’t stand out much. In fact, he’s so plain that people hardly ever notice when he’s around. Though he’s just as unremarkable on the basketball court, that’s where his plainness gives him an unexpected edge—one that lets him execute awesome moves without others noticing!

It’s the third quarter of Seirin’s game against To-oh, and the team faces a tough time when Momoi’s strategies nullify Kuroko’s effectiveness. His misdirection is failing, and Aomine’s unbelievable skills are leaving Seirin in the dust… Now all hopes for victory rest on Kuroko’s ultimate move!

Review:

There's a game going as the volume starts, and there's a lot of technique and emotion behind everything. We get some strategy and some back story moments. Then they get to prepare for the next game, strategize against this new team.

I think there's a lot going against this series for me to like. Firstly, I've discovered that I really don't care about basketball. At all. It might be my least favorite sport, and I don't really like any sport. I also don't understand how the game works, really, and so jumping in here with so little explained didn't help. If you like basketball—and were following the series—I'm sure this was better than I experienced.

I also don't really care for the art. Something about how sweaty the characters are drawn, in a somewhat realistic way, just doesn't sit with me right. Then one of the characters, Aomine, refuses to go to practice, because apparently he's so good it's a waste of time, and he wants to find an opponent who will actually give him a challenge.

I hate this. That motivation is rude and there's so many reasons why that's an asshole motivation; practice helps you learn from the other players, which he could still try to do, and also helps with team morale and building an actual team that works together. There's so many things wrong with this character's ideal and I hate him for it.

I just cannot get into this series. I tried, and I don't want to read any more of it.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!