Basquash! - Episode 16

With the moon literally in sight come the end of the last episode, Dan and company find that oh-so close dream snatched away from them at the last moment, as a mistake in the trajectory of the moon cannon sees them reach the far side of the moon; a place which seems to hold plenty of secrets and where nobody is welcome. Thus, before they know it our group of intrepid basketball players are unceremoniously sent crashing back down to earth.


Stuck seemingly in the middle of nowhere, discussions of legends about the moon follow (with some descriptions that sound more than familiar) as Iceman Hotty reveals a little more about both himself and his robotic arm and leg - No, it wasn't anything to do with his auditioning for Fullmetal Alchemist. At least, I don't think it is. Iceman then decides to take off on his own, with Dan choosing to follow close behind while the others have to sit tight and wait for Mizuki to repair their Bigfoots.

So, both Iceman and Dan end up in different parts of "Underground" - A place that the former seems more than a little familiar, while the latter finds himself caught in a life or death game played for the entertainment of the masses in this dirty earthly outpost with only his basketball skills on-hand to get him out of trouble.

Truth be told, I found this episode to be a rather cliché-ridden affair in many ways, from the sprawling underground city through to the gladiatorial battle that Dan is forced to participate in - This kind of thing has been done so many times by various anime series that it really doesn't hold anything of genuine interest. Indeed, apart from the sights seen by the crew on the far side of the moon, this almost feels uncomfortably like filler, although I suppose the revelations about Iceman Hotty and "Alan"'s true identity being somewhat revealed belie that thought. Still, after some really good episodes of late this felt like a very run of the mill episode of Basquash!, that seemed content simply to go through the motions.