Basquash will almost definitely be my favourite show of the spring season. Though there are still a few shows to air and to get subs that I’m remotely interested in (Polyphonica, Tayutama, Eden of the East and more) I’m not expecting as much since they’re not really my genre type and the promotional material wasn’t that amazing. In fact, before the season even started Basquash! had a leg up on every other series simply because of the 30 second PV I saw that got me hyped for the show. Taking my words from that time, the show just looked hilarious to me, some random well-animated mindless fun. And, in contrast to almost every other show I’ve seen so far, the show turned out not only to meet but surpass my expectations.
Let’s get the obvious out of the way first: there is no way that the show is without fault. It’s crammed full of cliches, from the arrogant male lead to the Sparky snarky sidekick, to the tech whiz fat kid and even the worst one of all, the “childhood friend” with huge boobs that dominate the screen for almost 20 seconds at one point. But to me (and this is the mark of a good show for me) none of that matters. In fact, overall, I like those aspects of the show (except the childhoohd promise which was shoved in awkwardly and needlessly). There’s something endearing about all the cookie-cutter characters which means I can’t help but like them from the off.
I think the main thing I like about Basquash, outside of the GORGEOUS animation, is the fact that it’s simple. I haven’t got anything against deep anime (because anime IS deep) or complex/subtle messages, but every now and again I just want to sit back and get swept up into a show. And that’s exactly what Basquash did to me: like the crowd who were witnessing REAL BFB basketball for the first time, I was completely engrossed in the moment (especially when he started RUNNING ON THE WALL).It was cheesy, typical shounen fare and I loved every second of it.
What really impressed me is how the first episode ended. There was always the fact that everyone is aiming for the FABULOUS moon of their dreams and it seemed like Dan was probably the most likely to achieve that goal. He was skilled, ambitious and pig-headed and technically had all the tools he needed to surpass God fly to the moon. But everything changes after he actually has to face the consequences for his actions: he’s sentenced to a year in jail. But his amazing display of mad basket skillz is not without effect: the legend of Dunk Mask has triggered a revolution in terms of Bigfoot Basketball. Now everyone’s passionate and skilled with both the sport and the mechs. He’s been surpassed by his own legacy and is now in a world where he isn’t the unique, rebellious, h4x idol anymore. And he has a lot of catching up to do.
I love almost everything about Basquash. I love the characters, the music, the (potential) plot, the style and the animation. Not to mention the ED which is well-synced up with the awesome song as well. I haven’t been this excited about a show in a long time, and I look forward to seeing how it unfolds.
Credits to METANORN for the caps.
Subjective appreciation is subjective, but hey! Good for you that you loved the first ep. May the rest of them fulfill their promise to you. I’m committed to this, and I won’t drop it regardless of how I feel about it.
My problems with the premise you’ve enumerated already, the cliches do need some subversion/lampshading as I expect to happen the way Macross Frontier did them (cleverly at times).
So I wasn’t swept up, and just like you – I’m predisposed to like this show:
1. I’m a huge basketball nerd.
2. I’m pretty big on mecha.
3. I’m a fan of Kawamori Shoji (for his work in Macross, Gundam, and Escaflowne).
I want to be swept up, and I might just be. But for now, the premise is still pretty lame.
What I did like:
1. The presence of the three abovementioned elements.
2. The animation and overall look: staggering.
3. The whole time skip which meant Dunk Mask served his time in full. Somehow I really find this refreshing.
It was refreshing to see someone actually pay for the “collateral damage” thing, though he probably should’ve gotten more time in a realistic setting. In this show about giant robots playing basketbal.
The premise is weak, but as long as they don’t try to shove in any sort of ill-conceived drama (though the crippled sister kind of hints at that) I think it’ll be enjoyable. At least they dealt with the “childhood friend” angle as quickly as they introduced it.
It made you feel like a kid again. Who can argue with that? 😀
Shin Mazinger, which is equally simple, made me feel like a kid again, or perhaps reminded me that parts of my brain still think I really am a kid, but Basquash made me temporarily dislike kids.
I think I’m going to have to file this as one that is probably good, but isn’t for me. I’ve certainly no problem with simplicity or cliches — these days I practically welcome them — and I don’t even require, like Ghostlightning, that they be subverted. There was a kind of brashness to Basquash that reminded me of Soul Eater, and it didn’t work for me in either show. I hope the rest of it turns out as good, though.
Well I wasn’t going to watch this show, mainly due to a fact that it was about mecha, and sports, two genres of anime I usually stay away from, but after reading this post and others, and hearing the term “great animation” I watched it….and yes, it does indeed have SOME OF THE BEST ANIMATION I HAVE SEEN IN A LONG ASS TIME. Therefore, I like it a lot. Thanks for the post.
@moritheil
Uh, not really. I was just saying that it’s a show which I can enjoy without focusing on the flaws. Plus, I’m still kind of a kid deep down inside 😛
@The Animachronism
Get off my lawn, you damn kids!
I can’t reallly see the “brashness” your talking about, so that must just be a difference in perspective.
@giothelegend
I’d never watch a show solely for the animation if there wasn’t anything else that interested me, but it’s your call.
Hmmm, I’ve actually heard very little of Basquash until this post, but I think I might have to check it out now if I somehow find the time. Just from the caps, the animation looks AMAAAAAAAAZING, and the mood kind of reminds me of Soul Eater? (I do need something to fill in the silly shounen gap that SE has left, anyway.) I’ve never been big on the sports animu, but I guess basketball is more approachable than some others.
I’ve only watched episode 0 so far, and I like what I see. The whole team consists of Frenchies!
glad you liked it, and I too defintiely enjoyed the first episode. Animation, fun pacing, allt hat was great, but the best part was the TIG OL BIDDIES and the sweet, sweet dark chocolate.
[…] Do I really ned to say anything that hasn’t been said? […]
@Kiri
Ugh, just remembering Soul Eater reminded me how bad the ending was. Hopefully this doesn’t turn out the same.
@Shin
There’s an episode 0? Wait, there’s a team? Must not watch due to possible spoilers.
@digiboy
*boing* *boing* *boing*
I don’t think I’ll watch this one since the premise doesn’t interest me much (or at all, really), but I’m definitely with you on your take on simplicity. Cliche isn’t always bad, and there’s a limit to how much depth you can handle – I still have to finish White Album, which I expect to be great, but I think I’m looking forward to kicking back and relaxing with K-ON even more than that.