Ahiru no Sora Episode 2 | Boys Without Talent | Review

I must say, I was pretty impressed with this episode. The first episode laid down a ton of groundwork but didn’t really make many characters interesting. The true challenge it faces is trying to rope the viewer back in with more than Sora’s skill and determination. Can he get this gang of misfits to play as a team? Is there more to Momoharu than his Pompador? Can Chiaki be more of a perv? We find some of that out this week with Ahiru no Sora Episode 2: Boys Without Talent.

The episode picked right up from last week with Sora attempting to drive home a layup but we learn things don’t go as smoothly as they seem. One of the jackasses kicks him and tells him that he lost. Fuck rules, right? Thankfully, Momoharu is not willing to let it end there and declare it is a game up to 10. This was the first sign that Momoharu is not just holding the basketball team hostage from playing. There is more to all this.

Sora destroys the guys and to no real surprise, Momoharu is bothered by it. We learn more this episode about how hard he practiced and how one bad game changed his status on his basketball team in middle school. I can see why this would bring him away from the sport but there must’ve been better outlets to find then being a bully and creating a gang of some sort.

Towards the end of the episode, Momoharu learns of the dedication that Sora puts into the sport. I would say Momoharu and Madoka are almost mesmerized by the effort and talent he has at this point. This will likely lead to some spark under Momoharu’s butt next episode. I’m really looking forward to it since the episode is called “Momoharu’s Wings”. What will he do with his lackeys? How will he get Chiaki to play? What role will Madoka play in all this other than a spectator?

This was a great episode to follow the last one. Now I’m more invested in some of the characters like Momoharu. It sucks that Momoharu put in the hours of practice and due to an unlucky chain of events he was dropped from the starting line up. I’m just hoping at this point Chiaki’s reasoning for giving up is somewhat justified. Also, yes he was more of a perv this episode BUT didn’t help Sora was totally down for it.

I’m a big fan of this water motif because Sora is like a duck swimming on the court. This kind of reminds me of Run with the Wind. There’s just a lot of neat things that they have been able to add to the basketball play. I wasn’t expected any crazy animation but they are doing some cool things to keep it interesting. I’m really looking forward to what will actually happen in a real game and how much it will be centered around Sora.

Overall, I’m super into Ahiru no Sora, mainly because  I have so many questions and I need answers! I also wonder how long this series is going to run. The manga started in 2004 and is still going to this day with around 50 volumes. The sky is the limit really. Let’s see what our boys get into next week. I’ll try to get next week’s review up on Saturday too. I will be out of town for the week for a work conference but I’ll do my best!