Boys Without Talent (才能のない少年達, Sainō no nai shōnen-tachi) is the second episode of the Ahiru no Sora anime. The opening theme is Happy Go Ducky! which is performed by the pillows. The ending theme is Tsubasa which is performed by saji.
Synopsis[]
Sora's skill and enthusiasm remind Momoharu of what it means to be passionate about basketball but will Momoharu keep his promise to get serious about the game again.
Summary[]
Madoka and Momoharu trying to stop Sora from shooting a three-pointer
As Sora is going for a layup, Yasuhara kicks Sora near his groin area. The girls' team member questions Yasuhara about his illegal move. Chiaki seeing that exits the court and head towards the Kawasaki bridge. Momoharu approaches Sora and throws the basketball ball at him, and lets Sora know that it is now a ten-minute match and there are no rules in this game. Momoharu urges Madoka to stand back as the game is about to get intense. Madoka replies she is not backing off and has no intention of losing to Sora. Upon hearing, Sora ties his basketball shoes properly this time and tries to score. While dribbling, he recalls the time with his mother when she gave him advice on the benefits of being a short athlete. Momoharu and Madoka are guarding him carefully, and they easily read Sora's movements. However, Sora is not fazed by their efficient defense and he performs a step-back three-pointer jump shot.
Madoka and Momoharu are amazed by Sora's better than expected shooting range. Masahiro and Yasuhara inform Sora that they have accepted him as a member of their team and he can be their errand boy. Momoharu furiously gets angry at his companions and instructs them the match is far from over, and there are 8 minutes left. At the Kawasaki bridge, Chiaki eagerly waits for his assumed-to-be girlfriend Tomo and sees a depressed Momoharu and his friends approach him. Momoharu informs his brother that the kid Sora has got a strong heart, even after receiving all that furious beating by them during the match; Sora never gave up, kept scoring, and in the end, won the game by a significant margin.
After the match's conclusion, Madoka approaches Sora and offered him a handkerchief to wipe of his injuries. She also asked Sora if he is okay and he didn't get extremely injured. Sora assures Madoka he is fine and he didn’t sustain any severe injuries. Sora further states, in comparison to the other team members, Momoharu is an experienced basketball player. He was very impressed by his defensive skills and believes that his twin brother Chiaki has also played basketball at an elite level in middle school.
Madoka wishing Sora best of luck on joining the team
Upon his triumphant victory over the current members of the Kuzuryu High boys' basketball team, Sora is uncertain whether to join the team or not. Thinking about his indecisiveness, Sora passes out in the classroom. His colleagues notice him dozing and request the teacher to escort him out. Afterward, during lunchtime, Sora heads to the school's rooftop and meets Madoka and her friends. Madoka asks him if he has decided to join the club officially; Sora informs her that he hasn't made his decision yet. Before leaving as a token of appreciation for his yesterday's efforts, Madoka gives Sora her lunch and tells him the girls' team is also not that great either, but she will place some hope on him. Hearing Madoka's words of encouragement, Sora excitedly heads over to the boys' locker room and requests the current members to practice with him. Masahiro, Nabe, and Yasuhara angrily refuse and tell Sora that they are his upper-classmen and should focus on cleaning the locker room. While cleaning the untidy locker room, Chiaki meets Sora and starts to do his unusual antics by retrieving a fallen jacket in the girl's locker room by using a pole vault. During his retrieval attempt, Sora asks Chiaki if both of them, including Momoharu, have played basketball in middle school. Chiaki replies the boys' team doesn't participate in any basketball practices and leaves the locker room.
Madoka is amazed that Sora didn't show up for his first day of basketball practice. She then heads over to the boy's locker room and is shocked and astonished that the once untidy and messy locker room is now clean. She also feels relieved at the same time that the newbie team member she put faith in is starting to bring a positive change to the boys' basketball team. Afterward, she sees Sora practicing making three-point shots diligently. Also, during that time, an angry and annoyed Momoharu on the other side of the court sees Sora practicing. Afterward, Momoharu heads over to the nearby convenience store and meets his brother Chiaki.
The Hanazono brothers at a nearby local convenience store
Chiaki tells Momoharu that Sora is not an ordinary basketball player. He has the ability of depth perception, which is a necessary skill set for an efficient shooting guard. While in conversation, Hanazono brothers and their friends meet the troublemakers from Shinmaruko High. Both sides get into a small confrontation. Momoharu, and his friends easily beat them up and warn Maru High students not to mess with them. As the fight has reached its conclusion, one of the Shinmaruko High troublemaker attacks Momoharu with a cutter, injuring him from his left eyebrow. Seeing an even more angry Momoharu, Chiaki intervenes and warns that student again not to mess with them in the future. The Hanazono brothers and their friends head back to their school’s locker room. Momoharu, while smoking, sees the lights of the basketball court are still on. An astonished Momoharu makes his way to the court and sees a determined Sora practicing. While seeing he questions how many three-point shots have Sora made, Madoka hearing him, replies that Sora has made over 1021 baskets in total.
Momoharu, while seeing Madoka late at school, questions her presence. Madoka tells him that she thought about leaving, but her curiosity on seeing Sora's practice got the better of her. Momoharu questions Sora's naiveness on practicing diligently. Madoka explains that Sora is practicing hard to make up for his disadvantage in height, meaning-making 1000 baskets every day. She further informs Momoharu that Sora believes in him and is waiting to play basketball with him and his colleagues.
Characters by Appearance[]
- Sora Kurumatani
- Madoka Yabuchi
- Chiaki Hanazono
- Momoharu Hanazono
- Yasuhara Shinichi
- Ryuuhei Nabeshima
- Masahiro Saki
- Yuka Kurumatani (flashback)
- Chiaki Hanazono (Kid)
- Momoharu Hanazono (Kid)
Episode Staff[]
- Storyboard: Shingo Tamaki
- Director: Yasuyuki Fuse
- Animation Director: Kim Bongdeok, Park Changhwan, Cho Yongju