Dear Boys

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Dear Boys
ディア・ボーイズ (Dear Boys)
Genre	Sport
Manga
Authored by	Hiroki Yagami
Publisher	Kodansha
Serialized in	Monthly Shonen Magazine
Original run	16 December 1989 –
No. of volumes	23
TV anime
Directed by	Susumu Kudo
Studio	OB Planning
Network	Animax, TV Tokyo ABS-CBN , Hero TV
Original run	8 April 2003 –
No. of episodes	26

Dear Boys is a manga by Hiroki Yagami, published by Kodansha in Monthly Shonen Magazine.

It concerns the progress of the Mizuho High School Basketball Team as it attempts to win the prefectural championship. It also deals heavily with the relationship between the players on the team, especially the two main characters Kazuhiko Aizawa and Takumi Fujiwara.

1 Plot
2 Anime
3 Influences & Follow-ups
4 External links

[edit] Plot

At the outset of the manga the team is in trouble, as there are not enough players to play a game. Additionally, the coach has left after a conflict with Fujiwara. However, Aikawa transfers to Mizuho and, through his enthusiasm and sheer love of the game, infuses the few remaining members with a sense of purpose. Despite the fact that there are only five of them (i.e., they have no substitutes), they manage to get the coach of the girls' team to coach them, as well. At first, she seems very strict, but later reveals her attachment to her "Dear Boys." Together, they do their best to make their dreams come true.

The manga deserves credit for focusing not only on the Mizuho team, but also on several rival teams. In fact, the author spends quite a bit of time developing the characters of other teams' members, so there's never a sense that Mizuho are the "good guys" and the others are evil.

[edit] Anime

The anime version of Dear Boys, also known as Hoop Days, was released on TV in Japan in 2003. Like many Kodansha adaptations (e.g., Peach Girl), it was made on a rather low budget. As a result, it had somewhat lower quality animation than many other shōnen anime that came out in the same year. It follows the storyline of the manga quite closely.

Opening Theme: "Sound of Bounce" by DA PUMP

Ending Theme: "Baller No Shougou(Baller's Number)" by Chris F.

[edit] Influences & Follow-ups

Both the manga and the anime clearly owe much to Slam Dunk, not only for plot and character points, but also for popularizing basketball enough in Japan to make Dear Boys a salable prospect.

Yagami followed Dear Boys with Dear Boys: Act II, which continues the storyline after the conclusion of the prefectural tournament.