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Kuroko's Basketball Omnibus #9
Kuroko's Basketball, Vol. 9
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!
In the quarterfinal match of the Winter Cup, Seirin is up against Yosen, which has won its last two games by shutting down its opponents. Can Kuroko and company come up with a strategy to break their defense?! And can Kagami really take on his “big brother” from America, Himuro?! It’s time for the tip-off!
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!
In the quarterfinal match of the Winter Cup, Seirin is up against Yosen, which has won its last two games by shutting down its opponents. Can Kuroko and company come up with a strategy to break their defense?! And can Kagami really take on his “big brother” from America, Himuro?! It’s time for the tip-off!
392 pages, Paperback
First published December 5, 2017
25 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
About the author
Tadatoshi Fujimaki
163 books186 followersTadatoshi 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.
Also known as 藤巻 忠俊 and 藤巻忠俊.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 11, 2023
“Working hard is how you achieve things you couldn’t before. It’s got nothing to do with winning or losing. Just putting in the work to be the best in Japan. I can’t help but have fun with it.”
While the Yosen game is by far slower than the fast-paced and hectic game against To-oh that proceeds it, its more grounded nature and the contrast of ideals allows it to be no less exciting and significant.
In a sense, it felt like the culmination of a thread that had been presented to us earlier on. This idea of everyone excelling and working separately to add to the team that was presented earlier on but left incomplete finally finding a fuller view and stronger basis felt cathartic and valuable. It may not be the final, complete expression of it, but it feels more understandable and able to stand on itself than it did earlier, and I quite like that.
Switching from Kuroko having a strong emotional investment in the game to Kagami was quite fun, and it complements the idea that they are two sides of the same coin. Especially as their issues are reversed.
The way Murasakibara is drawn through these volumes was really intimidating and added so well to the feeling and knowledge that the Generation of Miracles is on another level than the rest of the players. It could be, at times, creepy and intense, without losing Murasakibara's essence in its midst.
All the character growth that the characters show is nothing short of very touching and moving. Having witnessed all the hard work they have all put into improving, seeing the results is satisfying to the utmost.
“Oh. Right. A team isn’t just people you gotta protect. The team’s also there to protect you. And it’s not like each person is supporting the team itself. It’s only a real team when everyone supports each other. That’s a team. And that’s why I can’t let myself falter again.”
December 24, 2021
A solid 4 Stars. Murasakibaras team has never been my favorite so that’s probably why this volume was just a 4 star. Overall I loved the ending where Kise basically called out Kagami for relying on the zone. I also loved the team moments with Kiyoshi and him learning teams aren’t just to be protected. Overall while this isn’t my favorite match I still really enjoyed this and I can’t wait for the next one.
August 23, 2021
At the time of this review, I have read volumes 9-18 in the omnibus volumes, but I will focus on on this omnibus volume for this review.
Kuroko's Shooting and Aside
As you know, Kuroko asked Aomine to help him with his shooting. Right off the bat, we see them practicing. We get teasers about why Kuroko was so bad at shooting. I really like page 9, because we get some honesty from Aomine even though he doesn't tell Kuroko that "I'm actually the grateful one here." That is some growth. This rift between the Generation of Miracles needs to be healed! I mean this rift is so bad that Aomine said this when he left Kuroko after their shooting practice: "Next time we meet...it'll be as enemies." I have no idea what Japanese word got translated into English to be "enemies," but that is a pretty strong term. I don't think even Haikyu!! was this vehement about the other teams being "enemies," which means this could be side effect of the rift. Unless, this is just how some sports are? Will Kuroko ever get an official position? Everybody else gets words, such as "shooting guard" and "center," but Kuroko gets three question marks.
Symbols of Yosen
Yosen gets introduce as the Aegis Shield and Hyuga says this line "They're Giant Trees, With Deep Roots...Totally Immovable Objects!!" Those are some pretty strong analogies. Aegis Shield is a reference to Greek Mythology and the word itself means protection according to the American Heritage Dictionary. This means right out of the gate Yosen is playing mind games with their opponent. I am not sure about you, but when I hear the phrase "immovable object" I immediately think of Blob from the X-Men comics. This is actually a fair comparison, especially when we use Murasakibara as a representative of Yosen.
Murasakibara
What's with this obsession with crushing? He seems to want to crush a lot of people. He's all "I'm gonna crush you." While he says more words than Aone from Haikyu!!, it is similar to Aone "locking on" to his opponents, but nobody from Yosen seems to tell Muraskibara not to crush anyone. "Come to think of it, he was like this in the street tourney. He just stands under the basket and doesn't do much on offense. That means he doesn't run back and forth from offense to defense...THERE's NOTHING WE CAN EXPLOIT!" Because he just stands there, I first thought this was goaltending. Yet, when I look it up, it doesn't seem to be goaltending. With that said, just on his height alone Muraskibara has to be careful not to goaltend, because he is the same height as the guy who the goaltending was written in response to: George Mikan.
Speaking of height, Muraskibara seems quite please by his height. Yes, 6'10 is marvelous thing to be in sports where height is an advantage, but it is not the end-all-be-all. When basketball first got started, tall people were frowned upon in the sport. They were thought to be too slow for the sport and not useful at all, which is strange to think in our modern times. I first heard about this in Gene Luen Yang's Dragon Hoops when he talked about George Mikan, a guy from Poland.
Muraskibara is a scary beast with an insecurity. Insecurity? Yep, an insecurity which you will find out more in detail from Kiyoshi. I will also say Muraskibara is also kind of like the goliath in Haikyu!!. He thinks height is the main thing. We see this time and again with him. He is always talking about crushing and his face on page 222 was a bit chilling. He said it himself: "Basketball's always been a broken game. The hoop's ten feet up in the air. That alone kills any notion of FAIRNESS. The game's made for bigger people to win. That's at the heart of this stupid sport. What's fun about that? Whatever skills you pipsqueaks might have...they can't beat my destructive power. UP AGAINST ME, ALL YOUR DUMB IDEALS...ARE JUST PISS IN THE WIND."
Yet, as we we know basketball was not created by very tall people nor were tall people think that highly of when it came to the sport that came later. Also all sports has a degree strategy where even physical "defects" can become advantages. Kuroko said it best: "Basketball's not so simple that being big guarantees you'll win...Murasakibara-kun." With that said, on page 247 we do see how scary and intimidating an offensive/defensive power such as Murasakibara can be. Mind-blowing!
Himuro
This was painful to see his interactions with Kagami. Why do we have to be enemies? That is one of things that I do not like about this series: is reviewing the other team as enemies even if you were friends previously. We see it here between Kagami and Himuro. There is some painful moments here, but we also see Himuro as a player. It is very telling when Kuroko says this about him: "But the vibe I get from him...is similar to the Miracle Generation's." I would say Himuro is comparable to Slam Dunk's Rukawa in terms of style, especially on page 135 from Riko.
Offensive Teams
I am not an expert at all and I am basing this observation on two sports manga that feature two different sports. Why does it seem that offensive teams use a lot of tricks and different plays in their arsenal? When you think you got them cornered or they used up their tricks, they pull out another one. We saw this Karasuno in Haikyu!! and now we are seeing this with Seirin in Kuroko's Basketball. On page 308, we see another play from Seirin that Yosen was not expecting.
Teamwork
Teamwork is a thread that we see time and again in Kuroko's Basketball. We see why near the end, if the manga follows the anime with the same conclusions. Each team that we see has to understand the meaning of teamwork, including Seirin. Yes, Seirin by far understands the concept better than anyone else, but they have to understand that individuals can shine, too. This volume we get two quotes about teams, where one comes from Kiyoshi and the other one naturally comes from Kuroko.
1. "Oh...right. A team...isn't just people you gotta protect. The Team's Also There To Protect You. And it's not like each person is supporting the team itself. It's only a real team when everyone supports each other. That's a team. And that's why I can't let myself falter again."
2. "Basketball isn't something you do alone. I want to fight and win with all of you. And I believe we can."
Miscellaneous
Hyuga continues to give me the Bakugo vibes as seen in this quote: "It Ain't Just Kuroko. I'M ALSO HERE...TO MAKE YA CRY!" Ah, there's my Basketball Bakugo!
We see some more awesomeness from Kiyoshi! I love Kiyoshi! He's my favorite!
Kise gives Kagami a reality check. I also like this, because Kise doesn't seem to be all "everyone is enemy!" as some of the characters, especially when he uses a certain word to describe Kagami.
Verdict: Seirin is not done, yet, but Kagami and the rest of the team has to think of something.
Kuroko's Shooting and Aside
As you know, Kuroko asked Aomine to help him with his shooting. Right off the bat, we see them practicing. We get teasers about why Kuroko was so bad at shooting. I really like page 9, because we get some honesty from Aomine even though he doesn't tell Kuroko that "I'm actually the grateful one here." That is some growth. This rift between the Generation of Miracles needs to be healed! I mean this rift is so bad that Aomine said this when he left Kuroko after their shooting practice: "Next time we meet...it'll be as enemies." I have no idea what Japanese word got translated into English to be "enemies," but that is a pretty strong term. I don't think even Haikyu!! was this vehement about the other teams being "enemies," which means this could be side effect of the rift. Unless, this is just how some sports are? Will Kuroko ever get an official position? Everybody else gets words, such as "shooting guard" and "center," but Kuroko gets three question marks.
Symbols of Yosen
Yosen gets introduce as the Aegis Shield and Hyuga says this line "They're Giant Trees, With Deep Roots...Totally Immovable Objects!!" Those are some pretty strong analogies. Aegis Shield is a reference to Greek Mythology and the word itself means protection according to the American Heritage Dictionary. This means right out of the gate Yosen is playing mind games with their opponent. I am not sure about you, but when I hear the phrase "immovable object" I immediately think of Blob from the X-Men comics. This is actually a fair comparison, especially when we use Murasakibara as a representative of Yosen.
Murasakibara
What's with this obsession with crushing? He seems to want to crush a lot of people. He's all "I'm gonna crush you." While he says more words than Aone from Haikyu!!, it is similar to Aone "locking on" to his opponents, but nobody from Yosen seems to tell Muraskibara not to crush anyone. "Come to think of it, he was like this in the street tourney. He just stands under the basket and doesn't do much on offense. That means he doesn't run back and forth from offense to defense...THERE's NOTHING WE CAN EXPLOIT!" Because he just stands there, I first thought this was goaltending. Yet, when I look it up, it doesn't seem to be goaltending. With that said, just on his height alone Muraskibara has to be careful not to goaltend, because he is the same height as the guy who the goaltending was written in response to: George Mikan.
Speaking of height, Muraskibara seems quite please by his height. Yes, 6'10 is marvelous thing to be in sports where height is an advantage, but it is not the end-all-be-all. When basketball first got started, tall people were frowned upon in the sport. They were thought to be too slow for the sport and not useful at all, which is strange to think in our modern times. I first heard about this in Gene Luen Yang's Dragon Hoops when he talked about George Mikan, a guy from Poland.
Muraskibara is a scary beast with an insecurity. Insecurity? Yep, an insecurity which you will find out more in detail from Kiyoshi. I will also say Muraskibara is also kind of like the goliath in Haikyu!!. He thinks height is the main thing. We see this time and again with him. He is always talking about crushing and his face on page 222 was a bit chilling. He said it himself: "Basketball's always been a broken game. The hoop's ten feet up in the air. That alone kills any notion of FAIRNESS. The game's made for bigger people to win. That's at the heart of this stupid sport. What's fun about that? Whatever skills you pipsqueaks might have...they can't beat my destructive power. UP AGAINST ME, ALL YOUR DUMB IDEALS...ARE JUST PISS IN THE WIND."
Yet, as we we know basketball was not created by very tall people nor were tall people think that highly of when it came to the sport that came later. Also all sports has a degree strategy where even physical "defects" can become advantages. Kuroko said it best: "Basketball's not so simple that being big guarantees you'll win...Murasakibara-kun." With that said, on page 247 we do see how scary and intimidating an offensive/defensive power such as Murasakibara can be. Mind-blowing!
Himuro
This was painful to see his interactions with Kagami. Why do we have to be enemies? That is one of things that I do not like about this series: is reviewing the other team as enemies even if you were friends previously. We see it here between Kagami and Himuro. There is some painful moments here, but we also see Himuro as a player. It is very telling when Kuroko says this about him: "But the vibe I get from him...is similar to the Miracle Generation's." I would say Himuro is comparable to Slam Dunk's Rukawa in terms of style, especially on page 135 from Riko.
Offensive Teams
I am not an expert at all and I am basing this observation on two sports manga that feature two different sports. Why does it seem that offensive teams use a lot of tricks and different plays in their arsenal? When you think you got them cornered or they used up their tricks, they pull out another one. We saw this Karasuno in Haikyu!! and now we are seeing this with Seirin in Kuroko's Basketball. On page 308, we see another play from Seirin that Yosen was not expecting.
Teamwork
Teamwork is a thread that we see time and again in Kuroko's Basketball. We see why near the end, if the manga follows the anime with the same conclusions. Each team that we see has to understand the meaning of teamwork, including Seirin. Yes, Seirin by far understands the concept better than anyone else, but they have to understand that individuals can shine, too. This volume we get two quotes about teams, where one comes from Kiyoshi and the other one naturally comes from Kuroko.
1. "Oh...right. A team...isn't just people you gotta protect. The Team's Also There To Protect You. And it's not like each person is supporting the team itself. It's only a real team when everyone supports each other. That's a team. And that's why I can't let myself falter again."
2. "Basketball isn't something you do alone. I want to fight and win with all of you. And I believe we can."
Miscellaneous
Hyuga continues to give me the Bakugo vibes as seen in this quote: "It Ain't Just Kuroko. I'M ALSO HERE...TO MAKE YA CRY!" Ah, there's my Basketball Bakugo!
We see some more awesomeness from Kiyoshi! I love Kiyoshi! He's my favorite!
Kise gives Kagami a reality check. I also like this, because Kise doesn't seem to be all "everyone is enemy!" as some of the characters, especially when he uses a certain word to describe Kagami.
Verdict: Seirin is not done, yet, but Kagami and the rest of the team has to think of something.
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September 7, 2022Probably my least favorite volume so far. I always thought the Yosen v. Seirin game was boring and Murasakibara is my least favorite GoM player, so that’s why I didn’t particularly love this volume. Onto the next one!
August 10, 2024
This is still good, but it just didn’t have the same weight as the last one, of course. I mean Yosen team has some stakes but I don’t feel like it has as much meaning of the last game at least. It’s still important game and important part of the series in. I’m really excited for what they’ve been building to but overall it’s 4/5 for pretty good
October 4, 2022
A remarkable store of friendship all set into epic basketball. I absolutely love this. It will forever be my comfort series.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews