Hideyoshi is mad that Julius is so confident in a TV interview, but before the game against the Sonics, he has something he must do. His groupies notice his shoes are getting ratty and advise him to buy new ones before the game, but what Hideyoshi has in mind is a nice flashback on the roof. We see how Hideyoshi was just a petty thief back in the day, and how he had to hide in an abandoned house to get away from cops. As it turns out, the house isn’t abandoned, and Hideyoshi meets Kenta and Olivier, the two Gorans who own the place. Olivier, the Goran with one broken horn, tells Hideyoshi that it is hard to live alone, even though Hideyoshi wants to rely on his own strength.
Kenta and Olivier finally gain Hideyoshi’s trust after they save him from the cops. Kenta shows Hideyoshi some footage of Olivier’s glory days as a basketball player, and Hideyoshi is inspired to learn the game. At first Olivier refuses to teach him, but eventually Hideyoshi’s genki attitude bring him around. Hideyoshi thinks that this path will lead to mad lootz, and wants to enter a contest with a big prize. Naturally, Olivier is against this, as he says that kind of a purse will attract gangs. They agree to play one-on-one to decide it, and Olivier just absolutely destroys Hideyoshi. However, Kenta later tells Hideyoshi about how Olivier has been totally pumped as of late, and has even been practicing on his own in secret. Thus, Hideyoshi enters them in the contest anyway.
Unfortunately, this is when things take a turn for angstiness. Olivier gets in the back of a limo and doesn’t get back until very late, causing them to miss the contest. He gives Hideyoshi a nice pair of shoes (the ones he’s still wearing), and tells Hideyoshi not to feel helpless about the future. The next day, Olivier is gone, and we are led to believe that the limo ride from before involved gangs and trouble. Hideyoshi feels completely betrayed, but Kenta then explains Olivier’s backstory. Turns out that Olivier used to be a star player, but some gangs kidnapped his son and forced him to throw games. In the end, Olivier never got his son back, and the league found out about his actions and banned him. The shoes Hideyoshi got were originally for Olivier’s son T_T. The next day, Kenta also disappears and leaves a note for Hideyoshi giving him permission to use the house. While practicing, two kids try to extort some money from Hideyoshi, and that’s how his entourage came to be. With the flashback over, Hideyoshi is finally ready for the game!
Unbelievably, this episode was very good, and even a bit emotional. I’m glad that occasionally Buzzer Beater is worth watching beyond the major games, and Olivier was a great character. Maybe later on Olivier and Kenta will show up again, because between this backstory and the funky mood that DT is sometimes in, there seems to be some really great potential for angst!
BTW, how about that cop brutality? They even beat up the puppy, WTF?!??!?!?!
This post was written by...
Kabitzin – who has written 1970 posts on Sea Slugs! Anime Blog.
One of the founders of Sea Slugs, I handle most of the blog admin tasks while wearing my I AM BOSS shirt. I like my action series well choreographed, and my romance series extra trashy. I also have a soft spot for puns.
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