Anime: Dear Boys 522d2w

Animation

As other reviewer mentioned the animation is combined with some CG. The character are nicely drawn and all, but under the basketball matches and when the character are in movements it looks awkward. Like if the main character catches the ball, which is CG, it doesn't look like he is holding it.

Sound

As said before it's techno. I won't comment about the OP/ED but I'll say this I skipped them. The techno kinda matches the anime and it gives you a thrilling sensation when you hear it.

Story

The story is the usual sports anime beat some team or rival win etc etc.

Some guy the main character s a school where the boys basketball team isn't active etc etc

Character

The character are all very well done and all, but it's weird how the main character becomes almost a side character. The main character comes in the first episode impresses everyone bla bla and makes the other boys him and all. Then later on it seems more like the anime focuses on the former basketball captan who was in the inactive group. It started ending up like he became the main character and this is where i stopped watching. It doesn't seem like the anime focuses on the other team past and story. This is the main reason why I gave this anime such a low rating.

Value

Well the first episode is the greatest due to me being impress also by the main characters sudden intrusion and him showing his skills. Later on the anime just drifts along or so I feel. If you wanted exciting matches you should watch Slam Dunk instead for this. The title of the anime doesn't even match the anime,

Enjoyment

Well the only episode I enjoyed was the first one then it just go downhills. This anime is more about character relations than about basketball. Also it doesn't explain much about the technical stuff about basketball. Seems more like basketball was a add on. In otherwords they could have exchanged it to any team sport they wanted and still keep the same character and problems they go trough.

Overall

If your really bored you could watch it, but I atleast recommend the first episode, but don't be tricked by it like I was. You may enjoy the first one but you may not like the second episode.

Dear Boys tells us the story of 5 high school kids who try to become a successfull basketball team and take part in the Inter-High tournament.

Graphics/Animation:
The animation style is different from the other animes I watched till now. The faces are drawn quite angular and the proportions of the bodys are a bit messed up as well. The girls look more than boys with long hairs, too. The anime uses partly computer generated animations during the game scenes, which are done rather poorly and get repeated too often. However, I got used to it, so it's not too bad. It resembles the drawing style of Initial D, as it's done by the same creators. However, I haven't watched Initial D, so I can't comment on that further.

Sound/Voice acting:
Let's start with the music of this anime. The OP and ED are both some sort of Japanese rap, which sounds quite strange. The OP was so annoying I skipped it most of the times, something I usually never do. I could live with the ED though. However, the music played during the basketball court scenes is techno/dance driven and adds a main part to the atmoshpere. It's really stirring. I would've rated it 10/10 if they chose the OP/ED in the same style.
The voice acting as ok, nothing to brag about.

Story/Characters:
Well, I guess you can't build up many different plots around sports games, it's either winning or loosing. However, this anime manages a nice balance between character development and play scenes. The first half of the show is basically character development only, which was very nice. The main characters get plenty of room to develop relationships between them (and there are sorts of relationships to some girls as well), and even their past is illuminated thoroughly. Also, it makes the game scenes more intense, when you "care" about the protagonists. Matches usually span over 2-3 episodes, which was acceptable as there were usually some twists in the gameplay or similar things. Overall, pretty well done for a sports anime. The end is kind of open, so there is much room for a second season.

Value/Rating:
I think this series could be worth rewatching if you're a sports fan. However, I deleted the episodes right after watching. I usually don't like sports anime too much. Nonetheless, this anime really moved me. I really struggled with the protagonists. I'd recommend it to sport/basketball interested viewers. If you don't like this genre, checking out the first eps might be worth a shot though.
I'd rate it 13/14 years and up. Might be a bit boring to "action only" viewers though.
In addition to all the sports mumbo-jumbo, you learn quite a bit about Japanese school and sports culture, which sometimes is a bit strange when compared to western society. Nonetheless, quite entertaining for me. I wouldn't mind a second season.

This is my impression after watching the first 5 eps. The depiction of basketball is poor. For many sports/skill based shows, they usually show a great deal of technical knowledge in the subject at hand. Dear boys is painful to watch for this avid basketball fan. The action sequences of a game being played never seem to end due to much character angst and thought monologues.

The show is primarily character driven, and in that aspect the show is ok. I like some of the characters, but they seem to develop a bit too slowly for me. Just for comparison, I like the characters in Initial D much better.

Finally, the closing theme (and associated video) really irritate me. JPOP hip-hop rap is an acquired taste that I havent acquired.

Other than the bad basketball, its an ok high school drama. I really wanted to like this show, but I just can't.

A very nice anime, the ghapic is cool(like initial-D), character is cool~ and the music is nice~!