The hero of the piece is Sakuragi Hanamichi, a loud-mouthed, red-haired guy who has been rejected by girls 50 times in junior high. He meets the latest girl of his dreams, Akagi Haruko, and falls madly in love with her. He even goes so far as to join the basketball team to impress her, even though he knows nothing about the sport. But soon, he realizes that he truly loves…