Off-Topic: Top Basketball Anime/Manga

Most of the main characters in Slam Dunk
(image from bestanimepicture.com)

Slam Dunk:

Slam Dunk was created by Takehiko Inoue. It revolves around one of the zaniest characters in all of manga-dom: Hanamichi Sakuragi. He tries to get into basketball to impress his crush, Haruko Akagi. As the story progresses, Hanamichi's natural physical gifst (height and athleticism) help him become part of the Shohoku basketball team. It's a classic underdog tale about someone who knows squat about basketball eventually becoming a great success. Hanamichi forms interesting connections with his teammates, as well as his rivals from other schools. Character development is really good. Animation is well done, especially since it was animated back in the 90s. My only gripe is that the anime didn't finish the whole story. One has to read the manga to see how Shohoku did in the Inter-high tournament. Definitely one of my all-time favorite anime series! Inoue even got a commendation from the Japanese Basketball Association for helping popularize basketball in Japan!

The blue-haired dude is Kuroko, the main character
(image from tenmanga.com)

Kuroko no Basket:

This one I stumbled upon just recently. It was launched in 2008 by writer/illustrator Tadatoshi Fujimaki. It revolves around a strange high school freshman named Tetsuya Kuroko, who was a champion ballplayer back in middle school. He was a part of the most elite middle school team in Japan that was so good they were dubbed the "Generation of Miracles." (Weird name? It's Japan, okay?) Now all members of that strong group are in different high schools. Kuroko goes to a little-known school named Seirin where he meets a lot of interesting personalities. Together with a Japanese-American high-flyer named Kagami Taiga, Kuroko aims to face his old teammates and prove to them that his brand of basketball is great. If Hanamichi from Slam Dunk was known for his dunks and rebounds, Kuroko is more like a Jason Kidd-ish player. His "brand of basketball" is misdirection, and his "special move" is the bullet pass. This series isn't finished yet, but it looks very promising. Character development is close to Slam Dunk's and the art style is very good too. No anime version yet, though.

Weird name, but good story
(image from elleway.wordpress.com)

Dear Boys:

The "least well done" of the three series. From the strange title to the weird animation, this series is like a nice little gift in terrible wrapping. It revolves around a player named Kazuhiko Aikawa. Aikawa was the star player of his first school, Tendoji High, until he transferred to Mizuho High, where the basketball team is in crisis. With Aikawa persuading the remaining players to re-form the varsity team, Mizuho enters a renaissance of sorts. Despite having only five players in the roster for most of the series, the team is able to succeed due to superior teamwork and Aikawa's unparalleled skill. Character development is quite good, with series creator Hiroki Yagami focusing on other players and schools aside from Mizuho. Too bad the anime was hampered by terrible animation (in spite of using 3D-enhanced images).

Anime Intros:

Slam Dunk

Fan-Made Intro for Kuroko no Basuke

Animax Intro for Dear Boys