Not gonna lie! Sora really got on my nerves during this episode.
I mean I get it. He’s small and has to prove himself a lot more and so when everyone is saying that he’s just not cut out for point guard. It makes sense that he’s going to react in spite and continue to prove them wrong. Basically, the description of him being a little kid and throwing a fit is all too accurate. But let’s also not forget that Kite… doesn’t really have a way with words. He’s blunt and can be quite the asshole.
But in all of this, I really appreciated hearing Nao and Chiaki’s perspective on the difficulty of being a scoring point guard. Not only do they have to be cognizant about their surroundings to keep the game moving, they also have to be prepared to take a shot if needed. Which is certainly easier said than done. A split second is all someone needs to screw up your plan. Essentially, you have to be on your A-game at all times as a point guard, at least that’s what I gathered from their conversation. And yeah! I’d be bummed to if I was told that I wasn’t quite ready for a position so it totally makes sense why Sora’s immediate response is “OH YEAH??? Well I’ll show you!”. But it’s still important to know that everyone on the team has a strength or a weakness and it’s important to understand them and work with them. Not just bull heading your way through – that’s how we end up with very close games that we ultimately end up losing. But, it’s always good to try and improve yourself at something that you’re not absolutely skilled in. (I sure hope Sora can claim victory soon)
MOKICHI IS A VERY GOOD KID and I’m very excited to see more of him. Everyone seems so against him joining and I can’t really blame them. He has the hook shot skills and the height, but physical prowess and stamina are certainly lacking. I mean, do you really want to rely on a team member who could possibly pass out at any moment during a match? That just adds a lot of extra stress factors into the situation. And Kite has made it very apparent that he’s not willing to put up with anything that could be considered dead weight. So skills or not, the new kid is definitely not in favor right now (but you know? Kite and Mokichi will probably go up against each other in the next episode so we’ll probably get a change of heart… or at least a very tsundere “fine, I guess you can join” reaction.) Aside from general well-being concerns, I also don’t really blame Chucky and Nabe for also being hesitant for allowing a new member on the team. They… currently don’t have any strong skills going for them. They do provide extra defense on the court, but shooting and moving with the ball is still something they cannot reliably do. So, being worried about a new kid sliding in and showing them up and potentially permanently benching them is a valid concern. I mean, the last new person they added to the team was Kite and he hasn’t really been the best team player.
I did, however, really enjoyed the interactions between Mokichi, or Kaname, and Sora in this episode. Their so far in height but they both are jealous of each other for other reasons. They have very similar situations when it comes to the sport! Sora desperately wants to be taller, he’s managed to make do with his height by becoming skilled at 3 pointers to prove himself as a valuable asset to their team and other players. Additionally, since it’s a sport where height is such a core part for players, he has to find ways to use his height to his advantage. He’s got a ridiculous amount of determination. And then we have Kaname, he’s tall which is immediately what everyone was drawn to when he stepped on to the court. But because of his lack of stamina and general muscle mass he dedicated his time to excelling with hook shot. He has a desire to play the game, but his own body, like Sora’s, is a road block to him. However, Kaname seems to be jealous of Sora’s resolve. Sora actually managed to join the basketball team and is pursuing the sport that he enjoys so much. Whereas Kaname has since joined the Chemistry club, essentially accepting that he just want’s cut out for the sport. (But I mean, he’s in a Shounen anime we aren’t going to let that happen). I also really enjoyed how Nao approached recruiting him for the team. She isn’t a in your face ” I want and need you on the court” kind of person, but she instead recognizes that she can’t make him immediately join. It’s honestly refreshing to see, because I have a feeling in the next episode we might get some hard-core recruiting.
All in all, while I wasn’t super enthused about the beginning of the episode, I think this was a pretty good one overall. Looking back on it a lot of plot and character development was able to occur. Plus any episode where we get to meet a newbie is always a highlight. I’m looking forward to next week’s episode and seeing the dynamic between Kaname and everyone else grow 🙂
