All-rounder Artist-Chapter 831 - 788: Until The End Of The World

Audiences, whether they had read the manga or not, all immediately took notice of the updates to "Slam Dunk"!

"It’s updated!"

"They actually released two episodes!"

"Awesome!"

"This one’s worth it!"

"Even waiting another two days would be worth it!"

"I’ve read the manga, this episode is iconic!"

"Mitsui, here I come!"

"..."

Although the connection between the manga and the anime is deep, the addition of voice actors, visuals, and music in anime makes it far more engaging than the manga, which is why many manga only explode in popularity after being adapted into anime.

Therefore,

even those who had read the manga were still full of anticipation for the anime!

Of course,

most were viewers who hadn’t read the manga.

Take Lu Bin, for instance.

Lu Bin was a high school student from Chu Continent.

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He loved "Slam Dunk," and although he hadn’t read the manga, he’d been spoiled by those who had. He knew Mitsui held a very high regard in the hearts of manga fans.

About this, Lu Bin was doubtful.

Because in the previous plot, Mitsui had already appeared.

This guy with the long hair, surrounded by a bunch of delinquents, started a conflict with Sakuragi Hanamichi and others, beating Rukawa Kaede and his teammates until they were bloody.

A total villain image!

Anyway, Lu Bin couldn’t bring himself to like a character like Mitsui and even disliked him a bit.

Why then was Mitsui so revered in the hearts of manga fans?

It must be because the character was redeemed later in the manga.

Many works use this technique: starting with a disgusting villain and then redeeming them.

This was one of Lu Bin’s least favorite tropes.

Yet, annoyingly, it worked. Many redeemed villains often ended up more popular than the heroes.

About this, Lu Bin said:

It’s just the creators’ tactics.

Go ahead and redeem him, if I end up liking the character, then I’ll concede defeat.

With this subtle resistance, Lu Bin clicked on episode twenty-seven.

This episode didn’t involve any physical conflicts.

The plot mainly consisted of verbal conflicts and Mitsui Hisashi’s flashbacks.

At first, Lu Bin sat with his arms crossed, a stance that read "I’m just going to watch how you try to redeem him."

However...

When Lu Bin saw Mitsui getting injured while scoring for the team;

When Lu Bin saw Mitsui in the hospital, looking lost because he couldn’t compete;

When Lu Bin saw Mitsui ignoring the doctor’s advice, struggling with all his might to return to the court;

When Lu Bin saw Mitsui standing outside the court, turning away lonely and melancholically;

When Lu Bin saw...

Mitsui’s youthful memories came flooding in like a tide, silently but overwhelmingly stirring up tumultuous waves.

The quiet room.

Unknowingly, Lu Bin’s crossed arms had dropped.

With eyes slightly stinging, a sudden pang of sympathy stirred within him,

Sympathy?

Lu Bin suddenly shook his head vigorously!

It’s just Shadow’s creation tactics!

Realizing this, Lu Bin continuously reminded himself, as if brainwashing himself, still unwilling to easily accept the character’s redemption!

"Mitsui is a villain!"

No matter how much you redeem him, that fact can’t be changed!

While Lu Bin was internally conflicted, the flashbacks and reality kept overlapping on the screen.

"You’ve never actually given up on your love for basketball!"

"It’s you who is trapped in the past and can’t get out!"

Questioning and counter-questioning, arguments and struggles, the plot took a turn with the appearance of Coach Anzai.

The door clicked open.

In the glaring light, the coach stood there and said two words:

"It’s you."

Mitsui’s expression changed instantly.

The young ace who had made a name for himself by leading his team from defeat to championship victory with his solo endeavor in the county finals, had received offers from prestigious basketball schools. Yet, he resolved to follow Coach Anzai to the obscure Shohoku…

All because of the coach in front of him.

Coach Anzai, the man he respected the most in his life.

In a daze,

Mitsui felt as if he was back on the court.

Coach Anzai’s teachings echoed again in his ears:

"You mustn’t give up hope until the last moment because the moment you give up, the game is over."

At that time, he had picked up the basketball resolutely and charged into the crowd.

...

In front of the screen.

Lu Bin’s face changed.

His heart was churning like never before!

It felt as if countless ants were crawling over his heart, a sensation that was slightly painful yet tingling.

Then,

The ants crawled over his head and skin, making his scalp tingle and his body break out in goosebumps!

His eyes stung again.

Hold on!

It’s all a trope!

He desperately tried to stop that overwhelming feeling, but it was to no avail, as if something was choking his throat.

Just like the once arrogant boy on screen, no matter what, he couldn’t hide the injuries he suffered after leaving the court.

That face, once filled with negativity and disdain, showed pain and regret for the first time.

Trembling face, tears of self-reproach slid down the face and chin.

Memories began to flash back again.

In Lu Bin’s desperately constrained emotions, a surging song suddenly erupted as if to pierce through his soul!

"Until the end of the world,

(Until The End Of The World)

I won’t part from you

(I won’t wish to be separated from you)

I hoped,

(Countless nights I wished)

through thousands of nights

(Made my wish)

only the irretrievable time

(Time that never returns)

why does it shine so brightly?

(Why is it so radiant?)

..."

Like a dam releasing a flood, breaking through the last line of defense, Lu Bin’s tears completely burst forth amidst the intense fluctuations in his chest!

In the surging song,

Mitsui knelt before the coach, his hands scarred, supporting the ground and sobbing uncontrollably:

"Coach... I want to play basketball."

Whether it was the influence of the song or the shock of the scene before him, Mitsui’s sudden realization at that moment became a scene Lu Bin could never forget.

Who hasn’t made mistakes?

Who hasn’t taken detours?

Who hasn’t felt lost and disheartened?

And who else, like him, would cast aside all dignity and pride for a distant, dazzling dream, to dive in recklessly once more?

For the first time,

Lu Bin completely fell in love with this character!

And at this moment,

there were countless Lu Bins shedding tears around the world!

Even if they had read the manga and were mentally prepared, it was useless!

When that song "Until The End of The World" played, nobody could remain indifferent!

Let alone the many viewers who initially felt indifferent or even negative towards Mitsui, they were instantly mesmerized in the blast of the last wave of the song!

...

Tribes.

The emotions brought by the song and Mitsui crazily spread!

"Even if I read the manga, watching the animation again still made me cry, and I cried harder than when I read the manga!"

"What is that song?"

"The moment I heard it, I couldn’t help but cry!"

"This song is so tear-inducing!"

"That insert song had just started one line, and I couldn’t take it!"

"Ah, I thought having read the manga and watching the animation wouldn’t move me as much, but I was broken down a second time by this song!"

"..."

Meanwhile,

Blogs also fell one after another!

"Thank goodness I prepared tissues in advance!"

"A prodigal who returns is more precious than gold, Mitsui is a real man!"

"This song is so apt, willing to give up pride for a dream, well done!"

"In the song, Mitsui kneeling didn’t lose dignity, instead, he earned everyone’s respect, not everyone has his courage to start over from scratch!"

"I really like this song!"

"This song is even better than ’I Really Want to Shout Out I Love You’!"

"What’s the song title?"

"..."

All netizens were shocked!

Amidst this massive shock, finally, someone in the chat provided the song information:

"This is Fish Papa’s new song, titled ’Until The End of The World,’ I’ve downloaded it!"

The animation hadn’t completely ended yet.

Netizens were already rushing to open their music players!

At the same time,

The comment section of this song exploded!

"The only song that makes me want to cry from the first line!"

"This is Mitsui’s exclusive BGM!"

"Combined with the plot, this song made me cry terribly!"

"Beautiful, so beautiful!"

"Fish Papa’s song must top the charts!"

"This is one of the best songs among all the anime background music I’ve heard!"

"I love basketball, I love Mitsui, Until The End of The World!"

"..."

No one has ever fully counted just how many fans of "Dunk" there are, but the fact that the download numbers for this song soared to the top of the seasonal charts is an undeniable fact!

This isn’t just from the song’s own quality!

It’s also because it soared high together with the anime’s popularity!

In fact,

Even some who hadn’t seen the animation listened to this song, but some feelings are consistent, and some even became interested in watching "Dunk" after learning the background story of this song!

Some thought so, and some actually did so.

And when they saw the latest updates, they only fell deeper!

For a time,

The entire network was discussing Mitsui and this song!

The long-missed line "Coach, I want to play basketball" swept across the screen again, even more tumultuous and fierce than before!

Even...

Due to countless topics and discussions, even the anime "Dunk" got even more popular!