Dear Boys

Dear Boys is a 1994 Super Famicom basketball game based on the manga of the same name. The game features both a story mode, which follows the plot of the manga, and an exhibition mode that allows the player to go straight into a match.

The game features a “dramatic” perspective that is also slightly turn-based, similar to the Captain Tsubasa games. A window demonstrates what is happening – a ball is passed, a shot is thrown, the tip-off – in dramatic comic book style that is reminiscent of the manga. While a player’s athlete has the ball, the player can pull up a menu that allows them to choose to pass, shoot or look at the present characters stats – each character has their own strengths and weaknesses that the player should keep in mind.

Dear Boys would eventually be followed by a Konami PS2 game based on the same property named Dear Boys: Fast Break!, which was released in 2003. The manga has no exposure outside of Japan, and so neither game would see an international release.