Now... (今・・・・。, Ima...) is the eighteenth episode of the Ahiru no Sora anime. The opening theme is Never Mind which is performed by flumpool. The ending theme is Over which is performed by Yuma Uchida.
Synopsis[]
With Sora on the sidelines, Kenji becomes the target of Kitasumi High's latest defense strategy: the insidious 2-2-1 zone press!
Summary[]
Triangle and Two Defense
This time a determined, and resolved Masahiro tries to guard Tarou but is unsuccessful. Nabe notices and then heads over to help his teammate. Chiaki then instructs Nabe that he is breaking their current defensive formation into a Triangle and 2. Triangle and 2 is a defensive formation, two players from the defense mark one player, and the remaining 3 protect the zone. Kenji requests Chiaki to let them be, and this way, both by working together have a fighting chance in stopping Tarou. Momoharu then instructs Kenji there are two players of Kitasumi High incoming from the low post and advises not to go out too far. Momoharu requests his brother, Chiaki, to assist him in defending inside the zone area as if their life depends on it. Koga becomes impressed with Kuzuryu High’s new defensive formation. Upon seeing, Nao praises Nabe that his defensive method might work.
Nabe, while guarding Tarou, urges his friend, Masahiro, not to falter and stay on guard. A frustrated Tarou tries to shake them off and is unsuccessful. Katori requests Tarou to pass him the ball. Tarou ignores his teammate's request, both Nabe and Masahiro while guarding, glance over at Katori. Tarou uses their diverted attention to his advantage and quickly passes them. Kitasumi High bench praises their senior, Tarou. Kenji, in a spur of a moment, steals the ball from him. Nabe grabs the loose ball and passes it to Kenji. On noticing, Koga switches his team’s defensive formation to Triangle and 2. This time, two Kitasumi High defenders guard Kenji. On seeing the change in their defensive formation, Kenji gazes at Koga and states that two people won’t be enough to stop him. Kenji displays his efficient dribbling skills and quickly passes his two adversaries. Koga outsmarts Kenji and places another defender. Now Kenji is being guarded by three defenders.
Tachibana and Tarou guarding Kenji
Kenji tries his utmost best to shake off his opponents but is unable. Tachibana steals the ball, and Kitasumi High gains possession. Katori grabs the loose ball and passes it to Konishi, who then scores the layup. After scoring a confident Konishi inform Momoharu that his team, Kitasumi High, will be victorious at the end. A frustrated Momoharu stares at him. Koga then instructs his team to go all out and take the lead. Chiaki has the ball and urges his brother Momoharu that few minutes remain in the conclusion of the third quarter, and their team needs to score and grab the lead. Hence, this will help keep the morale up for their team heading into the next final quarter. Kitasumi High switches its formation to a full-court press. The full-court press is a defensive formation in which team players cover their opponents around the court rather than near their own basket.
Hasebe, Kitasumi High power forward, steals the ball from Chiaki and scores. The tables have turned, and Kitasumi High leads the match by one point. The score is 57 to 56. Kenji has the ball and tries his best to score. However, while he is dribbling, Tarou sees an opening and steals the ball from him. Tachibana grabs the loose ball and scores. Kitasumi High widens their lead now to three points. A frustrated and low-spirited Kuzuryu High team looks at each other. Upon noticing his teammates struggling, Sora requests Nao that he has rested long enough and she should make a substitution. Nao states only 30 seconds remaining in the conclusion of the third quarter. However, Sora still insists, and Nao then requests the referee for a substitution.
Sora's last minute three-pointer
Sora scores the last-minute three-pointer, with a score of 61 to 61. The third quarter concludes on a high note for Kuzuryu High. Tarou angrily looks at Sora and vows to return the favor in the final quarter. An energized and confident, Momoharu empowers his team that they can win this match. Midway through the conversation, Chiaki gives his opinion. If their team wins this match, they should go out for a dinner treat. Everyone astonishingly looks at each other and states that they don’t have that kind of money. All of them then look at Satsuki-sensei, the advisor, and smile. Satsuki notices their awkward behavior and furiously instructs them that the dinner treat is out of the question because he paid for the training camp from his salary. Nao then goes into her strategist mode and lies to Satsuki-sensei that he should agree to give them dinner treat because there is no way their team will win this practice match. Satsuki agrees to Nao’s suggestion and informs Sora and his teammates that he will give them the dinner treat if they attain victory. Kenji confronts Nao and states that he overheard their conversation, and the two of them are underestimating their team. Nao comments that his judgment about her is incorrect. Further on, Nao stated that she lied to Satsuki-sensei to keep the morale up for the team and believes that their team will indeed win this practice match.
Koga sees the match's scoring sheet, notices Momoharu hasn’t scored a single point and instructs Konishi that he will be the key to their victory. To further tighten their defensive formation, Koga requests Tachibana and Hasebe to cover Konishi inside the paint area. The final quarter begins, and both determined Kuzuryu High and Kitasumi High enter the court. Tarou sees Sora and states that his team will be victorious. Sora again gladly accepts his adversary's challenge. Katori has the ball and urges his teammates to go all out and score. Kitasumi High squad then notices that Kuzuryu High has placed three defenders inside the paint area, similar to their defensive formation. Sora continues to keep up to pace with Tarou. Kitasumi High team calmly passes the ball around. A gritty Tarou vows that he will break Kuzuryu High’s defensive formation. Kitasumi High outsmarts Kuzuryu High and purposely takes their entire defensive formation on the right side of the court. Upon seeing it, Nao states that they’re doing an overload formation. An Overload Formation is an anti-zone formation in which the offensive team draws the defense to one side.
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Overload Formation (anime)
Kuzuryu High defense breaks from the inside. Hasebe sees Katori on the other side of the court and passes the ball to him. Konishi quickly makes his way inside the paint area; Momoharu sees Konishi and tries to stop him. Konishi receives the ball from his teammate and easily scores the layup. Momoharu, while attempting to stop Konishi, gets himself in foul trouble, slips, and falls to the ground. A confident Konishi states to Momoharu that his team will be victorious and then tries to assist his sempai from getting up. Being angry at the given moment, Momoharu refuses his help. While heading towards the free-throw line, Konishi informs Momoharu that he holds a grudge against him on a lie he told him in Middle School.
Characters by Appearances[]
- Chiaki Hanazono
- Tarou Kabachi
- Ryuuhei Nabeshima
- Manabu Konishi
- Tachibana
- Sora Kurumatani
- Shingo Katori
- Masahiro Saki
- Kenji Natsume
- Nao Nanao
- Yasuhara Shinichi
- Momoharu Hanazono
- Koga
- Hasebe
- Madoka Yabuchi
Episode Staff[]
- Storyboard: Tomoyuki Itamura
- Director: Ryo Kamon
- Animation Director: Song Hyeonjoo, Jeon Duhwan, Kim Gwansik, Kang Daeryong