Kuroko's Basketball, Vol. 3

Kuroko's Basketball Omnibus #3

by Tadatoshi Fujimaki

Seirin High's greatest basketball blessing was the one no one literally saw coming…the invisible Kuroko!

When incoming first-year student Taiga Kagami joins the Seirin High basketball team, he meets Tetsuya Kuroko, a mysterious boy who's plain beyond words. But Kagami's in for the shock of his life when he learns that the practically invisible Kuroko was once a member of “the Miracle Generation”—the undefeated, legendary team—and he wants Kagami's help taking down each of his old teammates!

Aiming for the finals league, Seirin has challenged Shutoku and their ace, Midorima. The team’s fired up thanks to Kagami, but is there any guarantee that fire won't be quickly extinguished by the sharp-shooting Midorima?! Meanwhile, a friend from Kuroko’s middle school suddenly shows up before the team and shocks everyone by revealing some insight into Kuroko's mysterious past!

Genres: Manga, Sports, Action, Shonen, Comics, Contemporary, Young Adult

384 pages, Paperback

First published December 6, 2016

About the author

Tadatoshi Fujimaki (藤巻 忠俊, Fujimaki Tadatoshi, born June 9th, 1982, Tokyo) is a Japanese mangaka, most known for his manga Kuroko no Basuke, serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump. Fujimaki was brought up in a good household and environment. He attended Toyama High School and enrolled to Sophia University. He chose for a manga career after finishing his studies.

Also known as 藤巻 忠俊 and 藤巻忠俊.

Reviews

[Alexandra Elend Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Aomine’s dribbling and shooting motions are completely formless. Complete freedom. That’s why he’s an unstoppable scorer. That is why Aomine Daiki is the Ace of the Generation of Miracles.”

Because of the nature of this series, we have a constant influx of new characters coming into the scene and the new introduction, Aomine Daiki, is someone I'm already obsessed with. He certainly seems complex and full of potential, which is always exciting.

Truly, the game against Toho has to be both the most fun and heartwrenching one we've had so far. The very dynamic and fluid way that Fujimaki draws Aomine helped greatly in making this game one for the ages. I could hardly keep my eyes away from every single panel.

Without a doubt, the relationship between Aomine and Kuroko, and the way time parallels itself with Kagami, are incredibly fascinating. History, in whichever form it is presented, will always enrich a story.

Having flashbacks seems like something vital for the premise of this series and we get a good dose of them now. They were really interesting, with how little we know, and certainly served to make the anticipation of the game all the more intense.

Finally, as much as I love to see fast-paced games that get my blood pumping; having little moments of normalcy and the boys being boys and living their lives will never stop being a huge treat, and some of my favorite scenes. We get naught but a taste, and that was enough to enrapture me.

“Aomine’s dribbling and shooting motions are completely formless. Complete freedom. That’s why he’s an unstoppable scorer. That is why Aomine Daiki is the Ace of the Generation of Miracles.”

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the time of this review, I have already read omnibus volume 4 (volumes 7 and 8).

There were highs and lows with this volume, which is to be expected. The game that set the tone for the rest of the volume is comparable to Karasuno's first official game with Bluecastle. Just like how Kageyama and Hinata got a wake-up call in that game Kagami and Kuroko got a wake-up call in this game. That is all I am really going to say about this volume, because it is just too much of a spoiler minefield. What I am going to talk about is Slam Dunk vs. Kuroko's Basketball and realism.

Slam Dunk vs. Kuroko's Basketball
Based on comments on Youtube and a coworker, people seem to put Slam Dunk as top tier basketball manga and some very praise-worthy. Then there is Kuroko's Basketball, which seems to be deemed as entertaining and not very realistic. Then there is me.

I saw bits and pieces of Kuroko's Basketball in its anime form before I read Slam Dunk and the manga form of Kuroko's Basketball. I actually enjoyed Kuroko's Basketball. You still learn something about the sport and they do practice. Then I decided to give Slam Dunk a try. Slam Dunk is not bad, but I am not sure if it is anything noteworthy. Before I get criticize for that comment, let me give you some of my background that I am basing these comments on. Before I read Slam Dunk and I think after I saw bits and pieces of Kuroko's Basketball, I read Haikyu!! and saw Grease.

Grease? What does a movie starring John Travolta has to do with sports manga? Well, I saw this movie WAY before Haikyuu!!, Slam Dunk, and Kuroko's Basketball. This is important detail. Haikyuu!! was amazing for me! It had everything that I could possibly want in a series. It had great lines, group dynamics, inspiration, and exciting games. For me, this is what a sports movie or book should be about. That is why I like the movie Miracle, which is about the 1980 male American Olympic Hockey team. Then I got into Slam Dunk and Kuroko's Basketball.

At this point, I am reading Slam Dunk and Kuroko's Basketball concurrently. My main stumbling block when deciding which manga presents a better view of basketball is I keep viewing Slam Dunk as Grease, if Grease was about a bad boy becoming an athlete. Sakuragi's story is similar to Danny Zuko's story when it comes being involve with a sport. Yes, Slam Dunk moves away from the fighting aspects, but that still kind of threw me. There is no slug fests in Haikyuu!!. Lots of tugging of shirts when the characters are mad, but there are no full on punches. Kuroko's Basketball deals a lot with prodigies, but that is not exactly new for Haikyuu!! is LITTERED with prodigies. Personally, I cannot compare Kuroko's Basketball to many things. I can make connections with Haikyuu!!, but it is still different enough. I am also not a basketball person. It was not the sport that I did in school, which means I am not sure about how plausible Kuroko's Basketball is.

Realism
I will admit out of all the characters so far in Kuroko's Basketball Midorima's abilities seem the most otherworldly and does not seem possible on Earth. Yet, they do make the effort to ground him in reality. Those shots he does take time to set-up, which means if you rush him or disrupt the shot it is not going to make it. His shots are possible, due to the shock value. In theory, Kise is possible. Some people are really good at copying whether voices or moves. Now the rate at he which he does it is questionable on its reality. Yet, there is a line that I am going to talk about a bit later. Aomine is also possible. If someone is practically introduce to a sport as a child and keeps up with it they are going to be GOOD. We already seen that with Kageyama. Haikyuu!! Volume 44 shows Kageyama's backstory and my point. Now some people who may read this review would ask me "Okay, that is all good and fine, but how can you say it is possible or even realistic?"

Good point! Now we get to the point I alluded to with Kise. In Haikyuu!! volume 21, there is a line from a volleyball coach who basically said who is to say the sport won't change in the future or new plays would be possible. That is what we are seeing here in Kuroko's Basketball and we already have examples of this in real life: The Olympics. World records get broken maybe not all the time, but they do. We have seen Ladecky do amazing things in her events. Michael Phelps got 8 golds in the 2008 Olympics. The only people who can put limits on what we can do is ourselves. If we believe something is impossible then it will be impossible. To paraphrase Bokuto from Haikyuu!!, things are not impossible just in improbable.

Verdict: I like this series and I am excited to see what happens. Whether Slam Dunk is better than Kuroko's Basketball, I have to pause on that debate. These two manga are framed differently, especially how I am viewing them. While Slam Dunk's summary is about trying to win nationals for Captain Akagi, I keep seeing it as Grease. Kuroko's Basketball is about a boy trying to prove to his former teammates that the way he plays basketball is valid and maybe superior to their way. While I say I want to pause the debate, I will leave you with the thought of why do we have to decide on what's better?

[ej_bookcorner · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this Volume, we finally get to see the Ace of the Generation of Miracles Aomine Daiki. One of my favourite characters.
Aomine Daiki is like an old man who is so bored in his life but at the same time his this badass character that would literally murder you with only his eyes.

The game between Tōō was devastating, I was actually rooting for Seiren to win. To be honest this is probably one of the scenes that I had skimmed through and did not know that Seiren had lost a game. I understand why it has to happen, in order for you to be stronger, you need to lose at some point.
And finally, we get to see a sneak peek of Teppie. I was actually wondering when we would see him.

This series keeps getting more interesting.

[Landon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like comic books, I own a few. It didn't take me long to finish this comic, just two days, lol I'm reading 5 books at once this book made 6ix because I read the other books I started on. can't wait to find the other books to this serious so I can go back and read them in order.

[Somu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely one of my favorite volumes. A lot of Aomine in this which is always good. A bunch of devastating things also happened and it leaves you wondering what’s going to happen with the team but I’m definitely loving the story and can’t wait for the next volume.

[Angel Gomez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just a necessary body check done by the author. A very necessary one that our character’s needed to grow that pointed out their flaws not only in their game but their characters as well. Overall a 3.9 it was fun in way, and I loved the development of the story.

[Dakota · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume at least attempted at character development. There were a few pages dedicated to Aomine's past and they were much appreciated.

[megs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I forgot how many unnecessary shots there were of Momoi's chest

[Isel · Rating 4 out of 5]

💔🙈

[P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading these volumes always makes me put Netflix back on and rewatch the episodes again. Kuroko no Basketball just gives me so much life and i love them so much!

[lois · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wasn’t expecting them to lose. Really crushed me, but I love the manga (the story, the art) so far so imma continue

[James Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

really excited for the upcoming arc to see where this is going

[tigerflame · Rating 5 out of 5]

i dislike how these manga portray women, but I really like the story so it still gets 5 stars

[Julie (Let's Read Good Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

After the dramatic end to the game against Shutoku, the Seirin basketball team has set their aim sky high. Kagami played so hard he hurt himself, and resting up is a foreign concept to him, despite direct orders from Riko. And with proficiency tests looming, Riko worries that even tutoring Kagami 24/7 won’t help him pass. His grades are terrible, and if he fails, he’ll have to attend extra Saturday lessons, so he’ll miss the Finals League. Ugh!

The whole chapter on the proficiency tests felt like a flashback to Haikyu!! The stars of both manga are idiots when it comes to their schoolwork. Kagami’s test scores barely add up to double-digits, so there is cause for concern that he’ll be unable to play in the Finals League. While the chapter felt like a rehash of something I’ve read before, the conclusion was pretty funny.

After passing the tests, it’s back to basketball. Kagami has been banned from the gym to rest up, but being Kagami, he does not heed this good advice. Instead, he decides to shoot a few hoops at the park, where he meets his rival, Daiki Aomine. This guy makes the previous Miracle Generation guys look like rank beginners. Aomine is big and blunt and arrogant, and Kagami really shouldn’t have played one-on-one with him in the park. Receiving a huge blow to his ego, Kagami wonders how he could be so badly overpowered, and why it makes him feel so unsettled.

Aomine’s playing style is to use brute force to wring any bit of hope from his opponents. As a superpower, I guess that is pretty impressive. He has the speed and the skill to tromp over pretty much everyone, and he’s such a high scorer, and dominates the games so much that he doesn’t take practice, or getting to games on time, very seriously. I can hardly wait for this guy to get taken down a peg or ten because he is such a major jerk.

Seirin faces major adversity, and Toho High makes the game against Shutoku seem like a cakewalk in comparison. There’s lots of great action scenes, and the coaches for both teams go head to head and pull out all the stops. And just when all hope is lost, we learn – there’s a missing player for Seirin! Not sure where he’s been, but I am sure that he will shake up the current dynamic of the team and cause some drama. Yay!

[Bings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most fun I had reading about some boys playing basketball and there is so much more going on than just playing basketball even though that is what they are doing most of the time.

Did that make sense?

Manga be good. Manga deserves a read.

There simple and straight forward, just read it.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I definitely appreciate Fujimaki's efforts to include female characters as more than just "the hot manager" or similar roles. The whole "women's intuition" bit was a little uncomfortable, but nevertheless the girls' roles give the series an edge over some of its fellows.

[Michelle Easton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A remarkable store of friendship all set into epic basketball. I absolutely love this. It will forever be my comfort series.