Kuroko no Basket Movie 4: Last Game

NOTE: Please read with caution for this review consists of several spoilers from the movie that might affect your experience with it. One of the biggest challenges that writers deal with when coming up with a continuation of an already concluded story is the seamless transition between old to new content. If your characters have already had their resolution, what else to write about? But in Kurko no Basket's stead, the cannon TV series' finale already felt like an interrupted sports program, and if that did not help, Sports, in general, are about the challenge rather than the destination, so inherently, the genre of this story gives free passes for limitless spin-offs or even plot expansion on demand. Story (8/10): Right after the end game of the third season, a new challenge has the Generation of Miracles bond together in order to face, a foe so formidable that the all of them were required to form a one-off team of dreams to save face and pressure a group of the world-renowned street basketball team to eat their words after humiliating and talking badly about basketball in Japan. There is really no story to recognize other than a standalone intense game of Basketball, the motive behind this felt kind of forced as though the writers were looking for the slightest excuse to force this game to make happen, but the pay-off is making for all of that. The game did not feel dragged or longer than it should, very intense and never boring with minimal dialogue and actual play. Every player on cour got to shine and show off their skills. Fast forward to the end of the movie, it becomes straight up apparent that this is less of a spin-off screening and more of a real conclusion to the story as it devolves into what happens to Kagami and Kuroko and how they are planning their separate futures. Art (9/10): As if the original TV show wasn't much of eye candy already, the art style in this one is so true and more faithful to that of the Manga. The animation doesn't fall short on delivering also, you know the key Zone moment has to have the most fluid and organic flow from frame to frame so that it looks seamless and sells the movement and speed in a more believable manner. The use of CGI is even better and less noticeable in this movie, as they say, good 3D is the one that blends well with 2D that it's almost as if it's nonexistent. Sound (7.5/10): I think the play of the basketball is way too powerful of a visual immerse that everything else pales in compassion. My memory is kinda hazy but a beat was present there, perhaps remixes of the OSTs from the parent show as well. The voice acting was as generic as any other episode from the TV show. Characters (8/10): I mean, the TV show has already expanded so much on the main cast, that it leaves nothing else to discuss regarding them, but somehow, Akashi's resolution find its way into this movie, and thus his split-personality finally got a good wrap up arc that was very consistent with the mini-story that plays in-parallel to the game. The opposing team was nothing very special, the character design was cool, to say the least, however, personality-wise, they brought nothing new to the table and felt more like a placeholder for any strong team that could shake the Generation of Miracles. Enjoyment (9.2/10): What a great watch it was. Non stop blood thrilling moments one after the other, literally, a fan-service movie that fulfills all the fantasies you had about the main character and all the team-ups you've ever wanted. What's even better is the rewatchability, it's insane, I was ready to jump straight back in after finishing the movie. Overall (8.34): This is the types of movies that you can safely watch or show to a friend that hasn't seen any of the parent show and still get an immense sense of enjoyment out of. It's very easy to follow, doesn't really have that spoilers either, nothing too important, and really makes you in the spirit of re-watching the series again and again.

I have mixed feelings for this movie. I'll go by each category, then. Plot: Weakest part of the entire thing. Standard villain vs. heroes story. The only thing it really added to the series was the ending. Before that it was just a battle to reclaim Japan's pride from awful Americans which, as an American myself, left a bad taste in my mouth. This is not to say the villains weren't 100% awful, but it does make you wonder the impression it left on people who don't know much about Streetball and American players. Art: Seeing the GoM + Kagami battle as a team against a common foe was a great ride. There was a lot more focus put into the animation in this movie as far as dynamic movements but it's hit or miss depending on the scenes. Some scenes look AMAZING where it's clear they took reference from actual basketball players while others on par with that first Sasuke vs Naruto fight. The art style changed a little but nothing jarring. It's mainly noticeable in their hair. I liked it. Sound: It's nothing special. Which is not to say the music isn't good, because it is, but they did recycle themes and such from the series so it's not something that had me perking my ears up to hear again. The ending song is a jammer, though. BUT, oh my gosh, the Engrish is BAD. Akashi does it at some point and it killed his threat for me. Can't take it. Characters: Ehh. . .they tried to jam every character - even some that only made short appearances in Season 3 - into that stadium and give them something to say. Felt very forced and I often wondered why they were even needed. Their absence wouldn't have affected the movie or flow of the scene. Trying to jam all 5 guys from the GoM + Kagami and Kuroko obviously put a strain on the time of the movie as well, which left the plot feeling rushed at times and the conclusions to each member of the GoM popping up out of nowhere /cough Akashi's. Enjoyment: Personally? Despite all these flaws I give the movie a 8. It's something I watched just to enjoy seeing the GoM be a team and I enjoyed myself. Not as much as any match in the series but there were some moments. The last few minutes are near tear-inducing and left a bittersweet feeling, but I felt it was an ok attempt to give a second ending to the series (because imo Kuroko's birthday OVA should have been the real ending for season 3.) Overall: 7 Many flaws but average. It has enough eyecandy and 'fanservice' for Kuroko fans that it's worth watching, even if it's just to see Kagami have his story concluded. This felt more of a movie about him than anything else. Kuroko, despite being the MC of the series, was pushed back again until the last scene.

Okay, I'm gonna warn you all: This perfect score is extremely biased on my part. So, let me start by laying out some of the things that might deter you from watching this movie if you're in it for anything other than watching these characters one last time. I feel like this is very much a fan-service movie. I'm not familiar with the community or fan base of Kuroko no Basket, but I assume that one of the biggest wishes for them was that they see the Generation of Miracles, the Phantom Sixth Man, and Kagami Taiga play together on the same team. This movie delivered on that wish. However, if you're looking to watch this movie to see some extreme character development for Kagami and Kuroko,if you're looking for a anyone-could-win basketball game, or if you're wanting to see Seirin play again, this movie will disappoint. It seems to me that this movie was solely made to combine the strongest Japanese basketball players together onto one court. However, that's what I loved most about it. I wasn't looking for a suspenseful match, I wasn't looking for character development, and I wasn't looking for something I'd seen before. I enjoyed this movie plenty just getting to watch these strong players duke it out with the worst antagonists of the series. I will say that the opponents were lackluster and were simply there to be hated. They weren't delved into at all, but that didn't bother me, because they aren't what the movie is about. Truly, the most important aspect of this movie is watching these characters support each other. One thing you will see that is similar to character development but not quite so is the Generation of Miracles complimenting and/or working with Kagami. More so, they respect him, which is also really superb to watch. If you're worried about a bad ending, let me lay your minds to rest. It was a complete and satisfying ending. I won't give anything away, but you'll feel like this movie leaves these characters in good hands. Honestly, you'll only fall in love with this movie if you're seriously in love with this anime series. Otherwise, it's easy to nitpick. I'm not saying you won't enjoy it if you're not a super-fan, but you definitely won't find it as strong as the series. To me, the imperfections in the quality were made up for by the strong and well-written characters. It was a nice way to send off the series, so I'm happy I watched it.

[review contains slight spoilers - but written with consideration] The premise of the Generation of Miracles+Taiga teaming up for a match against a streetball team from the USA (touted to be at NBA level), is the stuff of fan service porn for those who like the first three seasons of Kuroko no Basket. Art: The art presentation was pretty standard with relativity to the TV show's quality. There's no complaints, but no special 'bling' either, which some TV anime have the privilege of getting, when they have a movie installment. Story: Decent. The DNA of Kuroko no Basket isn't meant to deliver Code Geass levels of plot narrative - but rather, the show lends its strengths from the characters and the basketball matches themselves. Characters: Now this is where, about 20 minutes into the movie, I was starting to wonder about how well the movie would pitch the antagonists. What the TV show did so well was making the basketball matches hype. It did this not simply from making opponents strong or using the shonen escalation cliche, but because there was a build-up of personality and mystery to the Generation of Miracles - the opponents Taiga and Kuroko played against. With these Jabberwock, the movie simply pitched them as racist assholes....which I guess is pretty common even in professional sports, especially among the fans (I'm looking at you football). There's no new intrigue to the latest 'boss battle' Kuroko has to face. Just powerful bball players who apply different contexts to 'powers' already seen in the first 3 seasons. On the premise alone, I would definitely recommend it to the fans of the show. While I feel more could have been done in the antagonism department, this movie proved to be a worthwhile watch for me.

What a FUCKING awesome movie! Kuroko no Basket The Movie: Last Game is practically a direct gift to the fans. And it doesn't try to hide that at any point: it's fan service from beginning to end, but the well-done kind that truly delivers everything the audience wanted to see. The great appeal of the film lies precisely in its premise: reuniting the legendary Generation of Miracles, but now playing on the same team, alongside Taiga Kagami and, of course, with Tetsuya Kuroko as a key player. It's the kind of idea that seemed like a fan's dream, and the movie goes and makes it a reality. And to make this confrontation work, a worthy opponent was needed. Enter the Jabberwock team, led by Nash Gold Jr., who quickly establish themselves as a real threat. Unlike many antagonists who are only strong "on paper," here their superiority is felt on the court. They are skilled, arrogant, and play at a level that truly puts pressure on the protagonists. This creates constant tension: for the first time, even the most overpowered players in the series seem to be at a disadvantage. The narrative is simple, but extremely efficient. The film doesn't waste time with unnecessary details; it knows the audience wants to see the game, the confrontations, the impossible plays. And it delivers this with full force. At the same time, it builds the antagonism well, making you quickly understand who the "villains" are and, more importantly, feel that genuine desire to see them defeated. Another point that greatly elevates the experience is the animation. The level of quality is extremely high. The plays are fluid, dynamic, and full of impact. Each movement on the court is exaggerated just the right amount, maintaining that characteristic Kuroko no Basket style, where basketball borders on the supernatural, but without losing the hype factor. It's the kind of animation that makes you vibrate with every play. And of course, the film also works as a conclusion. There's a clear sense of closure here. It ties the characters' journey together in a satisfying way, as if it were a "final game," not only on the court but symbolically for the work. After that, it really seems difficult to imagine a sequel that surpasses or even justifies something new. In the end, Last Game is exactly what it promises: a spectacle for fans, a dream showdown, and a grand farewell. If you like basketball or have watched Kuroko no Basket, this movie is practically mandatory. I highly recommend it. Final score: 9/10 =================================================================================================================Versão em Português===================================== Que filme FODA. Kuroko no Basket The Movie: Last Game é praticamente um presente direto pros fãs. E não tenta esconder isso em nenhum momento: aqui é fan service do começo ao fim, mas daquele tipo bem feito, que realmente entrega tudo o que o público queria ver. A grande graça do filme está justamente na proposta: reunir novamente a lendária Geração dos Milagres, só que agora jogando no mesmo time, ao lado de Taiga Kagami e, claro, com Tetsuya Kuroko como peça-chave. É o tipo de ideia que parecia sonho de fã e o filme vai lá e transforma isso em realidade. E pra fazer esse confronto funcionar, era preciso um adversário à altura. Entra em cena o time Jabberwock, liderado por Nash Gold Jr., que rapidamente se estabelece como uma ameaça real. Diferente de muitos antagonistas que só são fortes “no papel”, aqui a superioridade deles é sentida em quadra. Eles são habilidosos, arrogantes e jogam num nível que realmente pressiona os protagonistas. Isso cria uma tensão constante: pela primeira vez, até mesmo os jogadores mais apelões da série parecem estar em desvantagem. A narrativa é simples, mas extremamente eficiente. O filme não perde tempo com enrolação, ele sabe que o público quer ver o jogo, os confrontos, as jogadas impossíveis. E entrega isso com força total. Ao mesmo tempo, ele constrói bem o antagonismo, fazendo você entender rapidamente quem são os “vilões” e, mais importante, sentir aquela vontade genuína de ver eles sendo derrotados. Outro ponto que eleva muito a experiência é a animação. O nível de qualidade é altíssimo. As jogadas são fluidas, dinâmicas e cheias de impacto. Cada movimento em quadra é exagerado na medida certa, mantendo aquele estilo característico de Kuroko no Basket, onde o basquete beira o sobrenatural, mas sem perder o fator hype. É o tipo de animação que te faz vibrar a cada lance. E claro, o filme também funciona como um encerramento. Existe uma sensação clara de conclusão aqui. Ele amarra a jornada dos personagens de forma satisfatória, como se fosse um “último jogo” mesmo, não só dentro da quadra, mas simbolicamente para a obra. Depois disso, realmente parece difícil imaginar uma continuação que supere ou sequer justifique algo novo. No fim das contas, Last Game é exatamente o que promete: um espetáculo para os fãs, um confronto dos sonhos e uma despedida em grande estilo. Se você gosta de basquete ou já acompanhou Kuroko no Basket, esse filme é praticamente obrigatório. Recomendo demais. Nota final: 9/10

English. A film that reflects the power that our protagonists could have if they joined again in a single team, that itself is beautiful, it is without a doubt the greatest fan service that the series could have or with the opponent that is put on it is also impressive what they could do. Now, in terms of the movie, I think it's quite interesting, because we saw the development of our protagonists, even though you haven't seen the main series, I think you'll like it, although you may not understand many things, such as entering the zone and the emperor eyes as you need the context of the original series to understand all these powers. The animation does improve a lot, it shows that the budget for this was already planned for a movie and many scenes feel very fluid, you might even think that you are watching a basketball game, but in the end they also have the same problem as the original series, which is The fact that the protagonists have powers, there comes a point where these are unreal or, well, more than unreal, very little credible like the eye of the bad guy's emperor that can see the entire playing field. In conclusion, it is a quite entertaining film that gives a decent closure to the series and has our characters, to be able to feel that we could see the best team in Japan with our protagonists from the original series. Español. Una película que refleja el poder que podrían tener nuestros protagonistas si se unieran de nuevo en un solo equipo, eso mismo es hermoso es el mayor fan service sin lugar a duda que pudo tener la serie u con el contrincante que se le pone también es impresionante lo que pudieron hacer. Ahora en cuestión de la película creo que es bastante interesante, porque vimos el desarrollo de nuestros protagonistas aún así aunque no hayas visto la serie principal creo que te gustara está, aunque puede que no comprendas muchas cosas como lo es entrar en la zona y los ojos de emperador ya que necesitas el contexto de la serie original para entender todos estos poderes. La animación si mejora muchísimo, se nota que el presupuesto de está ya estaba planeado para una película y bastantes escenas se sienten muy fluidas hasta podrías pensar que vez un partido de basketball, pero al final también tienen el mismo problema que la serie original que es el que tengan poderes los protagonistas, llega un punto de hasta ser irreales estos o bueno más que irreales muy poco creíbles como el ojo de emperador del malo que puede ver toda la cancha de juego. En conclusión es una película bastante entretenida que le da un cierre digno a la serie y ha nuestros personajes, para poder sentir que pudimos ver el mejor equipo de Japón con nuestros protagonistas de la serie original.

I LOVED THE MAIN SERIES. If you watched the main series this will probably disappoint you a lot. The movie is fine, the story is OK, but they kinda cut out the whole match. They weren't even all in the ''zone'' which is something to be expected from ''last game''. It was a worse game than games in the main series. The opponents were stronger and the game was weaker. I don't really get that. We didn't see any of their abilities really and when they were in a zone it was almost the same as if they weren't. In the main series, it had interesting moments and great motion. Here it looked just like they have some light threads from their eyes. The ending is stupid. In the manga, he did not say he will go to America. Yes, it gives them some kind of goal in life, but it's a comedy series whit a plot twist of a drama. Like after 2 years, bye, bye. I didn't like that at all because I expected it to be finished in a more ''happy ending for everyone'' manner. Even if they decided to play more games as a new team (even though they are in different cities) it would suit the shoe much better. It would just have more logic for this show in particular. Kuroko would finally have ''dream team, best in Japan''. With some additional characters from other teams. I would probably finish it with something like that. This team with some more exceptional characters who are now climbing to the top as a team or something like that. It would just go with the flow of the show more. And you would have a happy ending kind of thing like in the main series and the manga.

This is the first movie i review. Its the "4th season" of Kuroko no basketball. I say its the 4th season because its cannon and it happens after season 3 but its just like the manga calls it: "an extra game". Because its a movie i do have higher expectations of character development and animation(and story telling but its a season 4). STORY: 7/10 Some Americans(that know Japanese for some reason??) come to Japan to play the 2nd best player of the teams we love (except Seirin) and they destroy them and the they laugh at Japan cause they cant play basketball. So the Generation of miracles (plus Kagami and some other good players) challenge them to a game. The story feels cliche and the pacing is pretty bad. Also they hype us about how Akashi is going to put everyone in the zone, but then he just doesn't. (The ending is also really good.). The story earns points just because it just focuses on a game which is entertaining. ART: 8/10 For the 1st 3 quarters the art is as good, maybe even better than season 3, but for some reason the last quarter just goes full season 1. Maybe they ran out of budget, or maybe they couldn't meet the deadline, I don't really know but it ends up hurting the movie a lot in my opinion because that was the best part story wise. SOUND: 7/10 In a movie thats all about the game they are playing music and sound really just get to sit back and relax cus, fuck me, i don't think i remember anything about it. ( I think that was a decision the makers of the show actually made, not a mistake). i'm just going to give it a 7 and move on. CHARACTER: 6/10 Here the movie, really, really drops the ball. They cant talk about the existing characters anymore because we already know everything about them. They should have did something with the guys that came from America. The just said: " Oh, these guys are assholes and they are good at basketball"(except b-tec Akashi, he got a little bit of development). Really disappointing that they don't tell us how Seirin (or any other team ) is doing, they just ignore all that. The ending kinda saves it some pity point because its really heartfelt and we get to fully see another side f Kagami but it's still not enough. ENJOYMENT: 8/10 Its Kuroko no Basketball, but without the fear of the guys we are rooting for actually losing. Enough said. ENDING STATEMENT: It was a wild ride, i was glad to see the gang back together(+ Kagami) and the ending finished the series well. I will remember Kuroko no Basketball for all the amazing and fun memories but honestly "season 4" or "the last game" was pretty underwhelming. If you liked Kuroko no Basketball a lot, then give it a watch, just don't expect the same quality that you saw in season 3 or 2. OVERALL: 7/10

This movie is just fan service for those who love the Generation of Miracles. Want to see multiple gifted characters get in the zone? Have you dreamed of the prodigy gang getting together one last time and playing as a team? Was Kuroko and Kagami's bond 50% of why you watched KNB? Look no further. This is all what the movie is for. The movie goes as expected. There's no twists or suspense in regards to the plot. Your characters have the same moves as before, you just get to see them a little closer, and more often. The villains are your very basic form of evil, coming from America and quite literally spitting on the honor-bound Japanese team. They "be claiming that Japan don't know how to do no basketball, yo." The villains are really what I wanted more from. For a series that idolized and mentioned American athletes like Shaq and Tiger Woods, you would think they'd have an American team that was more like...well, an American team. They could've gone above and beyond by having an group of guys that were gifted, and still had them show good sportsmanship and character. This would've made the rivalry even better, and had the audience unsure who to root for! What we got, however, was a hulking, Shaq-like character named Silver and a Kise-looking reject named Nash. Nick, Allen and Zack are characters who only got their names spoken in the manga, and had no importance really? The team was pretty much just Silver and Nash? The movie was fun. Animation was wonderful, the music was great, and the all the shots were classic of the series. I'm a huge Murasakibara fan and to see him in action, going all out and pissed off was a real treat. Everyone of the Miracles gets to shine and you're sure to love the scenes where the team's abilities work in tandem. But this move is SO extra, and doesn't feel in line with the series at all, so only if you're a die-hard KNB fan will you really enjoy it. (Also, the English parts are hilarious. They're putting an effort, no doubt, but still funny.)