Atarashii Prelude

Is Ro-kyu-bu right for you?

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Folks, it is no secret that I love sports. That is why it really hurts my feelings when nobody would take me seriously when I declared Ro-kyu-bu the spiritual successor to Slam Dunk. However, I will be the first to admit that its cutesy characters might give the impression that it is nothing of that sort...

Folks, don't allow paedohysteria to cloud your perception - just because it has little girls doesn't mean that it is pandering to the paedophiles. Anime has simply...evolved with the times, and the producers...streamlined character designs to appeal to a wider audience... If you took the time to actually try it out, you too will come to realise that it has more to it than just an excuse to see prepubescent girls drenched in sweat.

Ro-kyu-bu is a story of a damaged teenage boy who has been denied the one thing he wants in life - to play basketball. His team was disbanded due to the misconduct of the captain, and he hardened his heart, telling himself that he didn't care about basketball. His aunt saw his pain and tricked him into coaching a girl's basketball team, where he rediscovers his love for the sport in a little girl's technically perfect jump shot.

On the other side of things, the show is also about gender inequality and a little girl's coming to terms with the fact that while she's a genius when it comes to technical skills, the fact that she's a girl means that she'll never be able to truly be an athlete. Faced with a world in which the boy's basketball team will always be more important, she nearly resigns herself to complete femininity - giving up the game as long as it means she can have her friends. Her coach, inspired by her level of skill, pulls her back from the brink and in the process she learns to play simply because she loves basketball too much not to, and that things like winning and prestige don't really matter.

It's truly an inspiring sports tale, folks. Don't let the lolis fool you.

Conversely, there are voices of dissent from my esteemed brethren in regards to how Ro-kyu-bu places too much emphasis on the sport rather than its young cast members; No matter.

Ro-kyu-bu is also a story of a damaged teenage boy who has been denied the one thing he wants in life - to have sex with little girls. His team was disbanded due to the captain getting the goods, and he hardened his heart, telling himself that he didn't care about sex with lolis in the jackhammer position. His aunt saw his pain and tricked him into coaching a girl's basketball team, where he rediscovers his love for the sport in a little girl's technically perfect jump shot, as he saw her perfectly formed underaged ass encased by the tightly gripping spats.

On the other side of things, the show is also about gender inequality and a little girl's coming to terms with the fact that while she's a genius when it comes to sex skills, the fact that she's a little girl means that she'll never be able to truly be an acceptable partner. Faced with a world in which the boy's crotch will always be more important, she nearly resigns herself to complete femininity - giving up the sex as long as it means she can have her friends. Her coach, inspired by her level of skill, pulls her back from the brink and in the process she learns to love dick simply because she loves dick too much not to, and that things like winning and prestige don't really matter.

It's truly an inspiring paedophilic tale, folks. Don't let the basketball fool you.

Ultimately, we should not be so pedantic as to how we interpret this show and instead embrace the fact that lolis and sports can go together. Not convinced? Coach Anzai puts it best: