Basquash! - Episode 15

Now that the qualifying championship is won, it's time for Dan and company to take some well-deserved rest before embarking upon their trip to the moon. Yeah, like that was ever going to happen...

While you might expect some kind of deeply high-tech spaceship to be on hand to take people to the moon, it appears that isn't the case at all in the world of Basquash!, with those with the appropriate passports delivered to the moon via... a huge cannon. This cannon is situated at the planet's closest point to the moon, a place known as Skybloom, complete with a beautiful marble city and more signs that begin with the words "Do Not" than you can shake a stick at. For all of its money and amazing amusement park, Skybloom is a pretty lifeless place at its core where the safety of the people (and more importantly the infrastructure) take priority - Kind of like Britain really.


Of course, there's no point telling Dan not to do anything, and despite rules about not playing basketball and especially not using Bigfoots, in town, he proceeds to do both and in no time at all finds himself behind bars, in a situation where even the political clout of James Loan and his lunar contacts can't help him. Thus, a plan is hatched to break him out and send him on his way to the moon, making for a tense but rip-roaring finale that takes Dan and some of his fellow travellers and team-mates to the brink of the moon - It appears that their journey is far from over yet though...

From its humble and seemingly simple beginnings, it seems like Basquash! is really trying to build up its story into something far more sprawling and important than a tale of a guy, his sister and lots of basketball. Indeed, this episode really opens up the story considerably, dragging Sela and her father's murder into sharper focus and hinting at "Alan" and the royal families involvement and knowledge of something big regarding Dan's status; something which seems to be confirmed by James, who suggests that Dunk Mask is more of a legend than even he realises. Whether this broadening of the story will improve the overall quality of this series or cause it to ultimately falter is still impossible to comment on, but after a shaky couple of episodes a while back it does seem to be on a far stronger footing again right now with a number of decent episodes in place, so I'm more than willing to sit tight and see what transpires.