Hoop Days

Publisher
Bandai
Director
Kudo Susuma
Production
OB Planning, Avex Trax, TV Tokyo
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
26 episodes
Year
2003

Hoop Days V. 1

By David Rasmussen
25th Jun 05

Yes, it’s true, unless there’s a special something out there you’re waiting to play for the most part the Summer is a cultural deadzone of new video games. Lucky for you the Anime industry doesn’t seem to have that same problem as we have new releases coming this June in Region 1 format (hopefully Region 2 sometime soon) to look forward to.

This week I’ll be reviewing three series from BANDAI, all releasing during the first month of the Summer of Reviews, June! We’ll be looking at… D.I.C.E. DVD V. 1, shot in the arm for basketball fans and hot new sports series Hoop Days DVD V. 1, and finally the long awaited Anime of the sleeper hit Manga that’s infecting fans left and right like a T-Virus outbreak in Raccoon City, Planetes DVD V. 1.

But this is the review of Hoop Days, the sports series!
If you are one of my US or Canada based readers then you might be winding down on your basketball high. NCAA is done for the time being, and NBA (probably WNBA as well) are nearing the ends of their respective seasons. So, then, what do you do? Why you go out and grab the newest basketball anime series, of course! That’ll see you through until the season kicks starts soon (or EAGames/ESPN puts out their 2006 hoops games) -- UNLESS of course the NBA follows the same mistakes made by the NHL and decides to foolishly lock out their players this coming season, then your only fix for basketball will be video games and good Animes series, like this one! Hoop Days! Voted “…one of the best sports anime ever!” by the folk over at AnimeOnDVD.com! And I don’t even need to ask the people at BANDAI to know that they’re not going to “lockout” the DVDs anytime soon!

And, really, how can you go wrong? The character designer (Akira Kano) used to work on Initial D (the street racing Anime series) and everyone’s favorite old school series Tenchi Muyo. It’s directed by Susumu Kudo, whose known for work on RahXephon and SoulTaker. Music produced by AVEX Trax (the people who brought you Initial D), and finally we have mega Japanese Hip Hop artists DA PUMP & CHRIS! Yeah. I don’t know who they are either, unless you’re really into Japanese Hip Hop you might not know who they are even if you stumbled over them at the local mini mart. But I have a feeling they’ll be rocking the house (DVD) when we start watching so get ready!

But now… wait for it… what if you are one of my UK based readers? Or, heaven forbid, the NBA DOES go through with their threatened lockout and alienates their fanbase? Now that is a different story altogether! I don’t know if the game of basketball is hot in the UK or not, but I’m going to assume that basketball (like hockey) is not a prime sport. Also I’ll take it despite optimism to the contrary we might yet have an alienating lockout to contend with. then what?
Then the series needs to hit you with it’s solid storytelling, fine animation, perfect characters and music.
Even if it’s not a sport you might be a fan of (or was a fan of prior to the alienating of your affections for said sport), you can’t go wrong with a well crafted and finely done series no matter what the sport is that is being portrayed. Heck, you might even gain a finer understanding and fascination of the game if the series wins you over… you can never tell.
Short end of the story is that if the sport isn’t the thing to win you over, and the sport is possibly working hard to alienate you as a fan, then everything else concerning Hoop Days other than the sport will be the deciding factor as to whether or not you pick this series up. I figure it’ll be like this : If it’s well done, and the sport is not the dominating theme, then you will be hard pressed not to consider it for your collection. But there’s no way to tell unless we crack open the case and start watching! So let’s get to it!
Let’s start, shall we? And there’s no better place to start than the beginning.

DVD Volume 1
Episode 1 - The Intriguing Transfer Student
For some the sport of basketball is more than just that, a sport.
For some it can be a way of life unto itself, a game that pushes that individual to his limits and tests him like stealth action tests Sam Fisher every “Splinter Cell” game. That is where we are with one Kazuhiko Aikawa, new body at Mizuho High School.

Basketball is like unto life itself for Aikawa, and he is good at it no questions asked. So coming to his new school he looks forward to seeing their basketball team in action. And what does he find? He finds a girls’ basketball team that rules their game like nobody’s business. Now for you, and for me, that’d be enough. But then again basketball isn’t my lifeblood… heck I’m not even going to try to review a basketball game, let alone play it, so I’m for watching the girl’s team. But while he cheers the girls on, despite the fact they seem rather pissed at him for no reason, he wants to see the boy’s team rock… only to find that may not be possible.

Besides the fact the entire school staff either needs to lower their caffeine intake, or needs uppers to stop being such downers, the school seems to suffer from a hidden problem : a lack of a boy’s basketball team. You see the boy’s team has had… well… problems. Problems that kind of had them… well, suspended from active play… yeah, those kind of problems. Major problems. Of course they could just TALK about it instead of being so dysfunctional and all -- oh, wait, that’d be too easy. Let‘s just say the first day of school for the new kid just doesn‘t go very well. Not very well at all.

So what do you do if basketball is your life, and you can’t seem to find any signs of that life in your new school? You go straight to the top and ask questions. Aikawa wants to revive the team -- even if it kills him. The school? Well they’re already moving after his announcement in the staff room, and heck they may have already hired the janitor to start digging the unmarked grave as we speak… anyone want to do the eulogy?

Episode 2 - The Revival of the Boys’ Basketball Team
For one whose life is basketball, and whose personality is Prozac addicted happiness, what to do when the school you go to has a “deceased” boy’s team and a weird attitude problem? Why you try and resurrect the team even when everyone else has given up on them to support the excellent girl’s team! Not an easy task, especially when violence and ignorance comes right at you full out. The new guy has to kick the pride back into the boys, who can’t even show pride in themselves. But with even the school AND the girl’s basketball team fighting against them how can they hope to succeed? It’s going to be a long long road. Maybe a one against five game against the girls will begin the long road to the rebirth of the boy’s team? It’s a good start.

But it’s going to be a long road, and this is only the beginning. Bringing the boy’s team back to life, bringing about it’s rebirth like a glorious phoenix born from it’s own ashes, will not be a task for the meek or those who can’t take the long and grinding challenges. But yet for Aikawa this is something he can’t fail at if he wants to play basketball in his new school. Slowly, but surely, his rep begins to spread and hope may yet begin to return to the downtrodden boys.
But is it enough to revive the boy’s team? Or is it too little, too late?

Episode 3 - The Practice Game Opponents Are…
The past hurts, like a short blade dug into the flesh, cutting deep yet leaving little outward signs of the pain. But can such a deep cut kill a dream to the point that nothing can bring it back to life again? Can the dream of the boy’s team ever be reborn at this rate, after they‘ve been cut so deep?
Apparently even a team so burned like the boy’s team can be reborn, after much effort that is. So now that it seems the boy’s team is on the rebound they are about to take on their first major challenge. But as this episode opens you find out that the seemingly happy go lucky Aikawa has his own ghosts to slay on the court, and his own burdens to bear. Will this, as well as the ghosts of the other team members, drag them down or help them rise above their first challenge?

Episode 4 - Winning Spirit
The team is now training hard with the girl’s team, working to resurrect their killer spirit, but can it be enough for their first major game? And how can they fight when that game is against the very man who cut them deep in the first place… the coach who caused them to be penalized way back when! There’s lots of bad blood between the team and the coach, and this game will spill it into the open once again as old wounds are reopened and the team is christened in their first trial by fire. If they are to succeed in their goal they must win, there is no retreat or surrender here.

Episode 5 - The Crippled Comeback
As we end this review this episode is knee deep in the game itself, and hopes are fading fast. Victory is imminent, but for who? Who will draw away from this confrontation a winner? And how will it affect the dreams of the Mizuho High School Boy’s team? Only time, and this episode, will tell. That’s that. Breakdown time.

Hoops Days Breakdown the 1st
What’s Hot?
As you know I’m not a major sports style fanatic. Sports is not my thing, and from what I may know of my UK readers basketball might not be their thing. So what is there for us who will watch this then?
Easy. 1) Story, 2) Characters (do they attract us and make us care about them?), 3) animation, 4) music and 5) overall package.
1) The story is good. I like how it came out and it’ll be appealing if you are a basketball fan, but fanaticism of the sport is NOT necessary. There is more than enough story and plot to keep you watching even if the game is not exactly your cup of Earl Grey (hot).
2) I like the characters. They do make you want to care about what the heck is happening. Not an annoying character in the bunch, and even the bad dudes are done fine. You will actually give a heck about the teams (the boy’s and girl’s team) and about the school, and you’ll care if they win or lose. It’s that good.
3) The animation is fine. So very very fine. Another plus is that the story is solid, the characters make you want to care about what’s going on, and the animation looks damn good too. Can’t lose here.
4) Music… uh… yeah, I’m old. Hip-hop does NOTHING for me, but that being said it does do something for the action of this story. So, then, am I down on the music? Oh, no. Do I think it fits? Yes.
Sure, I’m not a big hip-hop fan but here I think it works wonders. Just never ever stick it into a Prince of Persia game or something, OK? I couldn’t take that.
5) The great overall? You’ll find that out soon enough.

What’s Not?
Guess what? It’s basketball yet I am as fascinated and entranced by it as all those fans who made it as big a series, as it is in Japan. It’s good, and I for one have no complaints about it. None whatsoever.

Moments to Remember?
Now that would be a dreadfully long list. It’s a good watchable series and you’ll remember lots about it.

What to Ignore?
Nothing. Solid is as solid does and while I’m not a big b-ball fan I do like what I see here. It’s one of those sports titles that is watchable whether or not you’re a fan of the sport in question. And, yes, while I am not a fan of basketball I am going to be a fan of this series. Oh, yeah.

Overall?
I think the above said it all, right?
Basketball may not be your thing, and if it is it will make you forget any “mistakes” made by possibly power hungry owners who may not have the common sense to realize that following in the NHL’s example may not be the brightest thing they’ve ever considered doing (if they‘re smart they won‘t lockout). Don’t be alienated from your favorite sport this year! BANDAI, ESPN & EASports have your back! Play the games, of course, but don’t forget to watch this series! Fan of basketball, non-fan of basketball, as well as refuges from possible basketball lockouts are all welcome in the warm glow of Hoop Days. And BANDAI’s owners even promise not to lock their doors on you when you come to purchase this series, really! It’s basketball on anime with no threat of lockouts, where can you go wrong with that! Now if BANDAI would only pick up a hockey anime series, hockey fans could use some love their way.

-- David Rasmussen 25th Jun 05

Hoop Days Images