Kuroko's Basketball Season 3: Episode 4-6 Full Length Reaction!
Added 2023-04-05 13:00:02 +0000 UTC**WARNING - HEADPHONE WARNINGS AND RANTS AHEAD**
NOTE: If you like Akashi, skip the discussion on this one. I was DONE with his character by the end of this episode set and I spend the entire discussion trying to figure out what I don't like about him...it's rough and I am harsh. I have calmed down since then. I think.
I do realize that I will probably find out things about his character, and I will probably eat my words and be wrong, but PLEASE. Don't try to comment about things with Akashi that will come to light later -- that is a spoiler, and I will not read any comments trying to persuade me about how to think with his character. Please let me sort out my feelings this season about him as we go. ^^
With THAT being said, I LOVED Midorima and Takao in this set -- the OTP they create, the backstory on Miyaji we get, RAKUZEN'S TEAM and their team dynamics -- and then this game. It was all SO GREAT! And hey, we DEFINITELY have a villain in this series to be on the lookout for, now! Yay?
LINK TO REACTION: https://share.vidyard.com/watch/qdk2xTGVea8kMaVzrF99A3?
Thank you for watching with me and for all the support!
Comments
I totally get and respect that! I feel I want to wait to talk about anything with Akashi, for me personally, until I've seen the show in its entirety and have a "complete" picture of him -- and then I am more than happy to go into discussions, hahaha! :D If that makes sense, but thank you so much for the support and the comment!
Romaniablack
2023-04-12 00:15:07 +0000 UTCOh that's alright There's really no spoilers in my comment if you did want to take a look and I also kept it to within the context of this episode set. I made quite sure of that. And I'm not really trying to sway you either way. I just didn't understand your point of view completely so I commented. And I always enjoy engaging with people on their different perspectives.
Preetam Ozarde
2023-04-11 23:11:53 +0000 UTCI just love that the “extra” content is literally becoming canon! That’s AMAZING! And YES, that is the question: Which nickname is better? Hm, Kagami would probably go for the shorter one. And of COURSE, Kagami and Aomine with the same shoe size – as if they don’t share enough, already! Rakuzan is STACKED and it’s ridiculous! Akashi being a Sagittarius – oooh, interesting! Okay! Thank you for that and I really like Hayama already! He reminds me of a Yona of the Dawn character that I really like. And Mibuchi being called “big sis” – interesting! I’m glad you enjoyed the Hot Hanamiya comparison – he really does have a 90’s BL vibe to his character design for me! Himuro with a Mary Poppins purse would be HILARIOUS – it just pulls out constant snacks! Midorima’s growth is so wonderful in this series! I just love him! Plus, we got Miyaji backstory! I do think he looks a LITTLE different in this season, like you commented. And ugh, Takao syncing up with Midorima? Come on, show! How can we NOT ship them as an OTP at this point?! The Shutoku group coming together was such a great moment in this set and I love how much it highlights that Midorima has grown as a person and a player! :3 So sweet! And the backstory between them!? OMG…I love it…good tie to Haikyuu, there! Akashi’s elitist one liners are VERY villainous – but that’s a great point about the “one liners” of the GoM players! Maybe why Muri and Akashi are lowest on my list is because the one-liners they have are directed towards OTHERS in addition to themselves, whereas the others are just reflections of their own resolve or being? But Muri’s I can tolerate more because his actual personality doesn’t seem to outright “want” to crush anyone; it’s just a last resort, whereas Akashi is a bit different. Need to think on that one and mull it over. Yeah, I feel even Imayoshi would shudder away from a game with Akashi. OOOH, Yes, Kagami HAS blushed around Kuroko – great point! I agree, we both sound pretty biased on the matter, but mangaka, COME ON. That’s good to know about the shoes though as well! I wear an 8.5 in US women’s sizes so I may need to see how that converts… Murisakibara nomming on those onigiri is SO cute! I loved the end cards and end credits so far – but man, the MidoTaka one is greattttttt, as is the Kagami and Aomine one as well. Thank you for the kind words and comment! It feels good to hear that it’s okay for me to rant and not be a “true” neutral person in the discussion for once. ;)
Romaniablack
2023-04-11 21:49:12 +0000 UTCAhahahaha, DEFINITELY don’t remove your eyes – that part was so disturbing (maybe because I have sensitive eyes and touching them makes me want to gag) that I wouldn’t want anyone to go through with that! Like I saw, I’m not touching any parts of people’s comments that mention the word “Akashi” until the end of the series, just to be safe, but y’all talk amongst ya-selves! ;) Midorima and Takao are just so good, aren’t they? The development with Midorima’s character will never cease to amaze me, especially in this game – our green-haired man giving his ALL in this! And the Miyaji backstory? UGH, all the feels with Shutoku that I didn’t think was possible in this set! I think with the “Veteran Kings” line – it was mainly his tone of “sleep well” – it’s just – so pompous to me. At this point, I would never invite Akashi to any social outing with me, because I’d probably push him into moving traffic by the end of the evening if he was going to be that elitist. But again, there I go. I need to keep an open mind and just keep a safe distance from him and examine him like a baby deer in the wild until I can make a better examination of him! 😛 And calling me wrong? My opinion wrong? Is it wrong if it’s all subjective? Hmmmmm…bwahahaha, we’ll see about that. ;) But I’ll do - my best - to keep an open mind. Thanks for comment!
Romaniablack
2023-04-11 21:31:22 +0000 UTCI mean, YES, a wild comparison, but it was the closest I could get to a character like that in Daiya, hahahaha!! :D That's a REALLY interesting note about what Momoi said -- I hadn't thought about it that way, but it's interesting you brought that up! @.@ And yessss, I love Cat Boy -- he's so FUN! Awwww, and yes, Miyaji was SO giving some Kita vibes in this set! That's such a great comparison! :) I love that! Thank you so much for the kind words and comment! I'm so ready for this next week!
Romaniablack
2023-04-11 21:04:18 +0000 UTCFinally got to watching this reaction lol. First, I can't believe you compared Mei Narumiya to Akashi 😂😂 that's a pretty wild comparison I find Momois talk about Haizaki with Kuroko to be really interesting because honestly it sounds like Momoi actually liked Haizaki back in middle school (not romantically but like she speaks fondly of him) and she seems to have faith in him that he isn't actually the worst the way he came off in that last set of episodes. That cat boy on Akashis team is the best to be honest lol he's my favourite of Akashis teammates. Something else I noticed was Miyaji giving Midorima the idol fan that he needed for his lucky item reminds me sooo much of Kita from Haikyuu putting all the food and medicine in a bag for Atsumu lol. Scary senpai that care about their kohai. So cute.
Kelsey
2023-04-09 02:15:27 +0000 UTCThanks for the comment! Like I said in the discussion, I don't want ANY outside bias created about a character when I want to organically engage with them in the show, since I'm seeing it for the first time, so sadly, I won't be reading anything about Akashi until the end of the series, but I appreciate the comment! :)
Romaniablack
2023-04-05 21:25:24 +0000 UTCWe'll see how I feel about him by the end of the series; I was pretty explicit in that I'm ready to be proven wrong, but I'm not going to shy away from how I feel in the discussions. :) Thanks so much for the comment!
Romaniablack
2023-04-05 21:23:52 +0000 UTCThanks for the comment! We'll see how I feel about him by the end of the series!
Romaniablack
2023-04-05 21:19:41 +0000 UTCThanks for the comment! Like I said in the discussion, if I see the word "Akashi" in the comments, I'm skipping that entire section or anything about him, so sorry if I didn't get to see all your comment! I am looking forward to the rest of the series, just please, let me be about him -- who knows, if people let me experience his character naturally in the show, maybe I'll change my mind about him. We'll see. If people try to sway me, though, I usually end up liking them even less. #tauruslife so hopefully we'll see what happens. :)
Romaniablack
2023-04-05 21:19:07 +0000 UTCWas so excited for you to get to this episode with Kuroko and Kagami looking for shoes after all the audio dramas that included shopping dates. Kagami has now got another nickname with Momoi calling him Kagamin. I wonder which he prefers: Kagamin or Kagamicchi? 🤭 Kagami and Aomine having the same size feet always cracks me up a little. But I love that of course Aomine turns even this moment into a chance to play one-on-one against Kagami. The way Aomine is though in this scene just feels like there's a giant flashing sign calling him out for his tsundere behaviour. Was waiting for that reveal about the Uncrowned Kings when you theorised of there being at least one, or two on Akashi's team. Rakuzan is a stacked team! Akashi is a Sagittarius, like me. And his birthday is the day after mine 😅 But at least it means he's one of the birthdays I won't forget. Hayama really is a catboy. His reflexes and agility when he almost runs into Kagami, and then how he walks on to the court balancing the ball, really sets that in stone. Then he has fangs and his entire personality 😻 Himuro *really* knows the best way to get Murasakibara to stay and watch, so as to provide Himuro with some insightful (or worrisome) comments about Akashi. Himuro needs Mary Poppins' bag to be able to keep up with Murasakibara's voracious appetite. But the purple giant is such a mood just snacking away throughout the game. Romania: Why is he so creepy?? You look like you're really questioning the taste of anyone that likes Akashi 🤣 Honestly love that Midorima took the loss (and tie) from Seirin and used it to fuel his determination to win. It's really amazing how far he's come. Nakatani (Shutoku's coach) is definitely my favourite of the coaches with the way he speaks to and treats his players. Also he's quite involved with deciding on their strategy. Miyaji in Season 3 I feel like his hair gives off a fluffier feeling, but that could just be me. Can I just say how much I love Takao using Midorima's reactions/feelings as a gauge for his own? Midorima's scared of Akashi, therefore Takao also is. Midorima's scared of Miyaji, therefore Takao is too. And both occasions Midorima vehemently denies being afraid. The Shutoku senpais give me so much life. They could easily be arrogant players considering their school being one of the three Tokyo Kings, but they work hard so as to attain a good enough level that they won't let down their school's image and their teammates' pride. Out of all the Generation of Miracles Midorima has honestly progressed the most with following Kuroko's playing *with* his team. Sometimes does make me tear up to see him giving support to his teammates and being proud of them! 🥺 Kamiya Hiroshi does such a good job with some simple lines to make you feel extremely cautious of Akashi/dislike him. But I honestly do love his 'Lower your head'. It's so very villainous. All the Generation of Miracles kinda have a line of dialogue that is inherently their character and carries a similar vibe, that they repeat several times: Kuroko: I'm a shadow. Kise: I won't lose. Midorima: That's why my shots never miss. Aomine: The only one that can beat me is me. Murasakibara: I'll crush you. Akashi: Lower your head/I am absolute. Gotta love the choral music to hype up the ominous aura that is Akashi. Was laughing at you coming up with ideas to blind Akashi. Easy there Hanamiya 🤣🤣🤣 Takao being all soft with his Shin-chan 🥺 But Miyaji is not one for mollycoddling. Shutoku really are a great team! And it's because of that and Midorima's experiences with his team (and Midorima's own inner strength) that Kuroko doesn't need to say anything but just silently support his ex-teammate from the sides. I loved how you went from looking like you were thinking 'a flashback *now*??!' to 'first meeting!!! 🤩🤩🤩'. The MidoTaka is strong this episode. I feel like this flashback to even before we actually met Midorima at the Seirin-Kaijo practice match, just hits home all the more how much of a change not only Midorima but also Takao have gone through. Of course that makes their loss all the more frustrating and painful. Also, now that I've watched Haikyuu!! Takao and Midorima at the start really remind me of Hinata and Kageyama. They played against each other in Middle School and Takao/Hinata swore revenge and held Midorima/Kageyama as his rival. But Takao and Hinata differ in that Takao doesn't want revenge or to feel hostility towards Midorima. He just wants acknowledgement of his abilities 🥺 And then Takao passing the ball into Midorima's hands is just like Kageyama's precision setting the ball to Hinata. I always laugh at Nebuya calling Otsubo 'old dude'. Otsubo is a third year, Nebuya (being an Uncrowned King) is the same age as Kiyoshi so is a second year. Also put some respect on our Shutoku captain!!! You might be an Uncrowned King Nebuya, but Otsubo is deserving of respect! And just in case we needed more confirmation on the MidoTaka ship, we get a comparison with KagaKuro 🥰 I love that they've come so far from their first interactions with one another to being the light and shadow of Shutoku. Also Mibuchi saying that Midorima could have done a normal three-pointer, but he trusts Takao that much 🥺 Romania (about Akashi scoring in his team's basket): Why? Akashi: I am absolute. 😂 I figured when you mentioned Akashi's gaslighting it would be how he spoke to his team. Definitely reeks of manipulation of the highest degree. Akashi's strategy skills in this episode remind me of Hanamiya. Though where Hanamiya's trap was a spider's web that's threads were snapped by Kuroko; with Akashi it feels like he's playing 4D chess against people who thought they were playing checkers. Hayama calls Mibuchi 'Leo-nee'. The 'nee' suffix is from Nee-san/Onee-san, i.e. big sister. There is a bit of a continuity issue with Mibuchi's first name with the Crunchyroll subs. Due to the issue with Ls and Rs in Japanese sometimes Leo gets translated as Reo. So if you do see Mibuchi referred to as Reo it's just due to that. I'm actually unsure which (Reo or Leo) is correct. In the half-time clip for Rakuzan Mibuchi has R as the initial of his first name. Gotta laugh at the irony of Akashi saying to an entire team physically taller than him that they fell short. All the while the image is of Midorima not giving up and trying to get to his feet again, but is unable to get higher than Akashi before he shoots the ball. (I had to throw in at least one mention of height 🤭) Giggling at your Akashi rant. My parents raised me to believe that there's no excuse for being an ass, and being nice goes a long way; so I completely get where you're coming from. He comes off as a bit of an entitled controlling person with what he says to the opposing team and his own team. You saying Mibuchi is like a hotter version of Hanamiya nearly made me choke from laughing so hard! Even his character (like that line about him being greedy when he draws the foul on Takao) is like some 90s BL I've read so I can definitely get behind that comparison. Kagami doesn't blush around Alex who is *naked* in his bed, no. Do you know who he *has* blushed around, though? Kuroko! He blushed when Kuroko thanked him and told him he was glad to have met him 👀 His sigh definitely feels like an 'ugh, women; no thanks' to me too. But as an avid KagaKuro shipper I might not be the most neutral party to agree with that. In Japan I believe a US size 12 is considered pretty big. Apparently it's common for shops to not stock anything bigger than a US size 9 for men's shoes. In the UK the average size is a UK size 10 (US size 11) for men's shoes. I don't consider this as overly big as both my Dad and brother are around that size, but I do consider them big mainly because my feet are tiny in comparison (UK size 3 or 4/US size 5 or 6). 'I'll give them to you' can also be in reference to Takao giving Midorima the ball with a pinpoint pass. I enjoyed your reaction and discussion. Everyone has different characters that they can relate to/love more than others. Never apologise for your feelings! In the extra scenes I love Murasakibara just hunkering down and feasting on the onigiri. His chubby cheeks are adorable. I may like cooking but he's honestly such a mood! Also where he is means he's out of everyone's way. The Aomine and Kagami End Card is probably my favourite of these three, but I do love the MidoTaka one. Midorima definitely doesn't look like he's resisting Takao all that much. Our Grade A tsundere secretly wants a selfie with his boyfriend. Though the Miyaji and Hayama one is cute too...also makes me kinda want pineapple 🤣
Anime Annie
2023-04-05 19:27:11 +0000 UTCOKay soooo,,, DOn’t worry I’m gonna reread this comment like 20times to make sure that All of Akashi that I do speak is only about these episodes. If I accidentally spoil smt I’ll remove my eyes and send them to ur PO box. (it said no food, nothing about human parts) I have so much to say tho, but I’m saving off for some later time because I’m afraid my established knowledge might be colouring those thoughts. MY personal bias towards Akashi is unavoidable tho, but that’s just because I see everything that he does through rose tinted glasses. And the fact that if I see Akashi and go “Uwu that’s a cute speech my lil meow meow” is not gonna be spoilers so don’t worry about it. ONe thing about the Episodes tho, when Takao was like “He’s not that good I can’t keep up with him” you took it as “without his eyes, he isn’t special” BUt I, may be wrong, but I don’t think that’s what they were going for. Later on in the episodes, he mentioned “he couldn’t be more careful” So i think it was just Akashi being the strategist that he is and testing the waters with Shuutoku. I mean I can see him being noticeably less strong without his eyes, but not on Takao level of less strong. (writing that down hurt me so much, I’m sorry Takao but you’re just not a miracle level baby, it’s a fact) On defence of the coach tho, his giving up the strategy spotlight to Akshi wasn’t necessarily less of him, since KAashi is both a strategist and the team captain. Maybe he just had the feeling that all of the tactics and stuff is already things that they have been going through in practice and he trusts AKshi to know how to lead his teammates. Or smt. But then again, I'm very much on his side 100% just because he’s hot. Actually, take everything I say with a LOOT of salt because I’m just a simp for Dilf with some nice white strikes in their hair. Rakuzan as a team is great, idk If I prefer Shuutoku or Rakuzan as my fav team tbh. They’re my fav teams, my top 3 characters are Midorima, Akashi and Takao (on OT3 *wink* *wink*) so it’s probably clear as FU- that these episodes are my fav game. Miyaji was great in this, one of my fav background dudes. And I really ship him with Hayama. Who is my fav Rakuzan member? Also, uncrowned kings x uncrowned kings would be an interesting crack ship ngl. The whole “no looking in the eyes” is actually suchh a huge culture difference moment for me. Where I’m from, you look in the eyes. No buts. Teacher talks to you? Look at the eyes? You’re greeting people? Look in the eyes. You’re talking to a friend, lover or family? Look in the eyes. You’re doing literally anything in any shape or form of a formal thing? Look. In. The. Eyes. Eyes are a window to your soul. Looking into another person's eyes shows your sincerity and your pure intentions and… something else too. BUt if Akashi was Finnish he would be like “Look me in the eyes you peasant” instead of “Lower your head” Also, when he was calling Shuutoku veteran kings,,, idk if you missed it, but Shuutoku ARE veteran kings. The announcer announced Shuutoku as Veteran kings as they walked into the court. THIS WEEK, wasn’t as bad as you were making it out to be on the discord. I mean, I had an emotional breakdown that I will tell you all about when you’re done with this show. (but don’t worry it’s the sad kind bc you’re wrong yet so right and right yet so wrong and wrong but so wrong and stuff. ) Can’t wait for next week. I cannot wait to see your opinion about what will happen there. hehehe.
The truck
2023-04-05 18:34:51 +0000 UTCI honestly don't understand the extent of your hate towards Akashi. It makes it seem as though you are determined to hate him. Don't worry all of this is within the context of this episode set and no spoilers at all. I just want to explain what I meant. Please know that you are entitled to how you feel. With regards to the threat of him gouging out his eyes, you say that it's manipulation and making threats is not the way to inspire your team. I fail to see the difference between what he did and what Kiyoshi has done on multiple occasion emotionally blackmailing Riko to get in the game saying he'll hate her forever. That's also emotional manipulation. Also, when he gets back on the court, you hear Hyuga feeling that he has to make the shot because if Kiyoshi goes for a rebound a lands awkwardly, he can't play anymore at all. That's also him threatening himself with bodily harm if he doesn't get his way. Not only that you cried during that like it was the sweetest thing ever. Also, Kiyoshi decided ro skip surgery and sacrifice maybe a pro career (considering how good he would have been had to continued to play after surgery and the fact that if he doesn't his knees continue to deteriorate). It seems insane to sacrifice this to use your words 'just a high school game' for ONE more year. Now, again, I know that him and Akashi don't merit the same treatment primarily because we've followed Kiyoshi and have insight into his motivation. But you're comments seem too harsh in Akashi's case even you don't have an insight into Akashi yet. Speaking of, Riko has also done several questionable things so far. She has hit players on multiple occasions and has made them swear that they'll stand on top of the school building buck naked in the freezing winter if they lose stating multiple times how serious she is. All this just for a high school game as well and it is something played for laughs. This whole anime is basically a bunch of people taking basketball too seriously. All I'm saying is that being on the complete end of the spectrum for them doesn't make sense. From weeping and laughing when Kiyoshi and Riko do it to openly scoffing and hating Akashi when he does it. Regarding how one-note Akashi is. You said that he is not vulnerable, not fun to be around and doesn't think anyone's a challenge etc. I would argue that the signs were all there and you missed them. It is pretty clear when the Rakuzan players are interacting with Akashi before the game that they definitely think he's fun to be around and they seem to enjoy his personality. I don't think anything suggested otherwise. We didn't get much vulnerability but I think that the moment with Midorima is him being vulnerable. He apologized to Midorima when he realized he was coming across as snide because that's not the way he meant it. Him looking forward to Midorima seems like he is looking for a challenge. I don't know if the words cocky and arrogant apply to him. If anything, Midorima was more cocky and arrogant than he was. Akashi had a methodical approach to the game and kept a cool head throughout maintaining control. He is full of himself, yes, but he treated Midorima and Shutoku throughout. Acknowledging that they were strong from the beginning, not relaxing even when they were up 20 before Shutoku started coming back, giving Midorima his respect and saying that he was strong and finally showing respect that not one of Shutoku's players gave up until the end. None of that is him looking down on people. Meanwhile, the other Rakuzan players that you seem to like more were actually looking down on the Shutoku players. That's why they started panicking when Shutoku started storming back. In terms of being OP, Kasamatsu said last game that Kise can use all of the abilities of the GOM for 5 minutes. He definitely used everyone's except Akashi's during that match. I would say that is definitely more OP. And emperor eye is actually one of the most realistic GOM abilities. It is basically extremely high basketball IQ with amazing reflexes and observation. Again, you are allowed to hate him and don't let anyone make you feel guilty (even me and if it came across that way I'm sorry) for sharing your thoughts. I enjoyed listening to you immensely.
Preetam Ozarde
2023-04-05 17:23:04 +0000 UTCI'm glad someone else dislikes akashi too because I didn't like him either, even by the end of the series. I've just grown really indifferent towards him compared to the other GoM! Maybe it's because he's the villain at the end of the series and we don't get as much time with him as we do the rest? but really I never got into his character as much as the others even though I'm usually a sucker for an insane character. anyways midorima is better anyways <3
Roman
2023-04-05 15:58:02 +0000 UTCI don't know if you'll come around on Akashi by the end of this series, but boy am I excited to find out! Lmao Side note, last week my jaw dropped when in your discussion you casually threw out "maybe his ability is seeing the future" . That was some insane foresight, though I wonder if at the time you meant it to be as literal as what the show ultimately went with. Even the prediction you actually went with, "he can see people's potential", was mentioned by Himuro when he was speculating on what Akashi's power might be. I'm gonna talk a lot about Akashi starting from the next paragraph (I'm only mentioning things up to this episode set, don't worry.) This is in no means an attempt to sway you on Akashi, this is just something I've been thinking about as I was rewatching the series with you and now is the time I can finally let it out. But you can skip it if you want. I'll just say that the reaction was very entertaining, even if your takeaway from the set was completely different to mine. Here goes. [I've decided to delete this section and just save all Akashi-related discussion at the end of the series. That'll be fun.]
Arjo
2023-04-05 15:37:40 +0000 UTCHaha, honestly it's pretty funny how much you hate him. A lot of people love the unabashedly arrogant and controlling characters, especially the female kuroko fans (in my experience in the fandom) for some reason. Although I guess arrogance is the wrong word to use here since he has canoncially never lost so he does not have an exaggerated sense of his own abilities.
Zecxel
2023-04-05 14:01:42 +0000 UTC
