Higher Than Anyone (誰よりも高く, Dare Yori mo Takaku) is the nineteenth 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[]
Dedication. Perseverance. Commitment. These are the qualities that make a basketball champion and thanks to Konishi, Momoharu isn't sure if he possesses any of them.
Summary[]
Momoharu layup attempt during his middle school years
Momoharu, while attempting to stop Konishi from scoring, gets himself in foul trouble, slips, and falls to the ground. After scoring the layup, a confident Konishi states that his team will be victorious and tries to assist his senior from getting up. Momoharu furiously refuses his help. While making his way to the free-throw line, Konishi informs Momoharu that he holds a grudge against him on a lie he told him in Middle School. Konishi successfully makes the free throw and then heads towards his teams’ courtside. A confused Momoharu asks Konishi as to what lie he is talking about!? Konishi doesn’t respond and walks away. Chiaki then advises his brother that they’re in the middle of a match, and he should concentrate. Chiaki has the ball possession, and Momoharu instructs his teammates to keep constantly passing the ball to one another, and if Kitasumi High scores, they will score as well.
Upon seeing his senior Momoharu’s leadership, Konishi recalls when he first started playing basketball in Middle School. At that time, Konishi was physically thin and athletically weak and struggled to learn fundamental basketball skills. Compared to him, Momoharu had decent basic basketball skills but struggled to score. Konishi saw Momoharu for the first time in Middle school as his sophomore attempted to do a layup shot. Momoharu, due to his imperfect scoring skills, missed the layup and received a scolding from his seniors. Momoharu responded to his upperclassmen that there is nothing wrong with making mistakes, and besides, every day, he is improving as a player by practicing.
Momoharu attempting to score
Upon hearing, Konishi gets moved by Momoharu’s words. After the conclusion of their practice session, Konishi tries to raise the basketball hoop. Momoharu requests him not to do that cause he will be using it for basketball practice. Chiaki informs Konishi that his brother does some extra basketball practice when everyone on the team leaves. Momoharu then corrects his brother and states it is called self-practice. Konishi then requests the Hanazono brothers if he can join them as well. Chiaki says he would allow him to participate if he is willing to purchase some snacks for them. Konishi agrees and buys the requested snacks for him and joins them. Due to his poor stamina midway through exercise, Konishi faints and unconsciously falls to the ground. Afterward, Konishi questions Momoharu on his work ethic and informs him that they can still play basketball without doing this much practice. Momoharu responds to achieve results; one has to train hard, and without it, nothing is possible. Upon hearing, Konishi tears up and replies that, similar to Momoharu, he will give his best effort every day.
Meanwhile, back to the practice match, Momoharu has the ball possession and furiously informs Konishi that what he said to him earlier is nonsense, and the one thing he hates the most is people calling him a liar. Momoharu quickly passes Konishi’s defense and attempts to do a layup. Konishi somehow manages to catch up and blocks him. The Kitasumi High first-year students praise Konishi for his defensive efforts. An angry Kenji informs his captain, Momoharu, that what he just did was reckless. Being mad at the given moment, Momoharu replies to Kenji to be quiet, and as captain, he knows what he is doing. Konishi then asks his senior, Momoharu, if he has forgotten what he said to him. Konishi then recalls the moment to Momoharu, when they last spoke to each other back in Middle School, and Momoharu lied to him about meeting him the next day for practice and didn’t show up. Upon hearing, Momoharu goes in a state of shock. Tachibana receives the pass from his teammate Katori and tries to score; the ball touches the rim. Konishi grabs the rebound and scores the layup shot. Kitasumi High takes the lead from Kuzuryu High. A depressed and low-spirited Momoharu stares at the ground. Chiaki then notices his brother’s unusual behaviour and requests the referee for a substitution, and a concerned Sora stares at his captain.
Young Konishi and Momoharu
After hearing Konishi’s resentment towards him, Momoharu goes in a state of shock and stares down at the basketball court. Chiaki sees his brother’s unusual behaviour and requests the referee for substitution. A concerned Sora stares at his captain and tries to comfort him and ask if he is okay. Momoharu replies that he's alright. After his response, Sora then requests Nao to cancel the substitution and reassures his manager that Momoharu is fine and will not lose to anyone. The match resumes, Momoharu has possession of the ball. Being a bit absent-minded causes a turnover. Katori, Kitasumi High’s point guard, steals the ball from him. Upon seeing the turnover, Natsume becomes angry at Sora for not subbing out their Captain. Kenji somehow manages to catch up to Katori but gets himself in foul trouble. The Kitasumi High bench praises their senior for his layup attempt.
Momoharu becomes frustrated at himself for causing the turnover and tells himself that he is nothing but dead weight. Sora notices his Captain being hard on himself and heads over to ask for his wellbeing. Sora informs Momoharu that a free throw attempt will occur and encourages him to get the rebound. Upon closing his conversation, Sora requests Momoharu to show him how it feels to fly? Momoharu regains his composure, Katori successfully makes the first free throw. As he attempts to make the second free throw, Momoharu apologizes to Konishi for breaking their promise in Middle School and requests to forgive him. Momoharu further states to Konishi that he may not catch up to him. However, he will give his best effort because his teammate Sora taught him the value of never giving up or yielding.
Sora attempting to score
Katori misses the second free throw, and Konishi efficiently grabs the rebound. Upon seeing Momoharu’s poor rebounding attempt, Chiaki becomes a bit upset. Konishi sees an open Tarou from the three-point line and passes the ball to him, who scores. Kitasumi High widens their lead to eight points. A frustrated Sora looks down onto the court. Momoharu then kindly pats Sora on the head and encourages him to let's go on offense together. Madoka sees their friendship and smiles. Momoharu then instructs his team that eight points deficit is nothing, and they will indeed catch up. While guarding Konishi, Momoharu wishes that he hadn’t given up on basketball back in middle school. Chiaki passes the ball to his brother. Momoharu attempts a fake jump shot and passes it to Sora, who then tries to shoot the three-pointer. Tachibana touches the ball, and it doesn’t go in. An energized and fired-up, Momoharu grabs the rebound. Konishi astonishingly stares at his sempai and is amazed at his jumping ability. Upon witnessing, Konishi recalls the moment in Middle School when Momoharu stated that no one is better than him at rebounding. Everyone at Kuzuryu High becomes delighted to see their Captain return back to normal again. Momoharu then instructs his team to go on offense.
Upon grabbing the rebound, Momoharu instructs his team to go on offense. Everyone at Kuzuryu High becomes excited about seeing their Captain return to normal. Meanwhile, at Kanagawa Hospital, upon seeking advice from the head nurse Sumi takes Yuka out for a short walk. At the practice match, Chiaki passes the ball to Kenji, and he efficiently evades Kitasumi High’s defense and then tries to score. The ball touches the rim and goes out of bounds. Nao notices an exhausted Kenji and requests the referee for substitution. An overly tired Natsume heads towards his bench, and Yasuhara joins the match as his substitution. Nao urges Yasuhara not to get in any foul trouble. Koga, Kitasumi High instructor, sees the substitution and notices that Kuzuryu High’s offense has gone down since their best scorer Natsume has left the game.
Madoka meets her sister and Yuka outside the school's gymnasium
Kitasumi High does a tight man-to-man defense in the game. Chiaki passes the ball to Sora. Being a bit drained in the given moment, Sora, while attempting to score, bumps into Tarou and gets himself into foul trouble. Katori praises Tarou for defensive effort and Kabachi then confidently stares at a tired Sora. Tachibana easily scores the layup, and Kitasumi High widens their lead to 9 points. The score is 72 to 63. A doubt full, Madoka stares at her team and receives a phone call from her sister. Sumi requests her younger sister to meet her outside the school’s court. Kuzuryu High misses another opportunity to score, and with fatigued at its peak for them, their chances of winning the match now seem very little. Madoka goes outside the schools’ court and meets her sister, and furiously informs her that she came to visit her at a crucial moment. Later on, Madoka notices that alongside her sister is Sora’s mother, miss Yuka Kurumatani.
Meanwhile, at the ongoing practice match, Kitasumi High confidently scores another point, and the match becomes completely one-sided. Being worried and confused, Masahiro asks his manager, Nao, if she has a plan to counter their adversary. Nao being a bit uncertain about their victory, doesn’t respond. Chiaki sees a low-spirited Nao and requests Sora to change his position from a shooting guard to a point guard. Upon concluding, Chiaki tells Sora that he will now attempt to score some points for their team besides just passing the ball around. Sora then questions Chiaki’s scoring capability. Chiaki responds that he can’t do two things simultaneously and then encourages his teammate Sora to attain some points and close the deficit gap between them and Kitasumi High.
Characters by Appearances[]
- Manabu Konishi
- Momoharu Hanazono
- Chiaki Hanazono
- Madoka Yabuchi
- Shingo Katori
- Masahiro Saki
- Sora Kurumatani
- Kenji Natsume
- Hasebe
- Ryuuhei Nabeshima
- Nao Nanao
- Koga
- Yuka Kurumatani
- Sumi Yabuchi
Episode Staff[]
- Storyboard: Takeshi Mori
- Director: Kenichi Eto
- Animation Director: Tatsuo Honda, Michiko Makita, Masashi Omura, Mubon Hyeongjun, Jeon Hyunjin, Kim Jieun