Anime Review : Haikyuu
To be honest, I had my reservations about watching this anime. I was quite hesitant to start-off with it and didn’t expect much. I mean its volleyball, never had the slightest interest in it but for some reason, my instincts told me that I had to watch this anime, whilst the rest of me questioned what was so good about volleyball anyway.
I was glad I went with my instincts because this anime turned out to be a gem.
Story
“Talent is something you bloom, instinct is something you polish” Coach Ukai Sr.
The story of Haikyuu is what amazes me the most. Its all volleyball and yet I’m never tired of it despite not being an avid volleyball fan. The story follows Hinata Shoyo, a boy who desperately wants to play volleyball and become like his idol, the little giant, who played nationals for Karasuno High School when he was an elementary student. However, Hinata’s middle school didn’t have a volleyball team, so he spent most of his middle school life practicing on his own and in his final year he was able to participate in a tournament, thanks to his friends who became his temporary team. In his very first match he faces Tobio Kageyama (The king of the court) and gets stomped. That is when Shoyo declares Kageyama to be his rival. As fate would have it, both of them end up at Karasuno High School after their final year. Rivals become teammates. The volleyball team at Karasuno High School has become a shadow of its former self, but with highly talented newcomers like Shoyo (Speed and insane spikes) and Kageyama (Highly precise tosses) the team once again dreams of going to the Nationals.
Once the team starts to train together the story becomes a little predictable. They follow a tournament format, meet powerful opponents and slowly rise to the top. However, the best part of the show is how unpredictable and intense the matches are. It keeps you on the edge the whole time. The series does a great job of balancing the serious moments with comedy.
Characters
The real joy of watching Haikyuu doesn’t come from watching the protagonist doing well or his team doing well. The real joy of this anime comes when you get to know the characters. Haikyu manages to create a bunch of supporting characters that gives the show its flavour and at the same time they are amusing and fun to watch on screen. The characters are very believable and realistic.
Hinata Shoyo is a fantastic character. He may be a midget but he sure can jump and is very agile. Despite being a typical shounen protagonist like Naruto and Luffy he’s one of my favourite character from the show. His underdog status feels very genuine and he doesn’t have that magic ability to win when the plot needs it. He his a spiker in the team and doesn’t overshadow the rest of the cast.
Tobio Kageyama (King of the court) is obsessed with winning but in a different way than Hinata. He berates his teammates for the slightest mistake. As Hinata’s rival kageyama is a tall fellow and plays the setter position (sets up the ball for the spiker)
Then there is Nishinoya or Noya as they call him. He plays Libero (A defensive specialist) and the only guy shorter than Hinata. Even players who are substitutes or on the bench in Karasuno’s team have epic moments. One of the most epic moment from the anime involves a character who only comes to pinch serve, because he isn’t good enough to do anything else reliably. The series definitely centers around Hinata and Kageyama but the whole team is important and the cast is very well balanced. Infact your favourite character won’t be among these two. It may be one of rival team’s character as several of them are featured prominently with a backstory.
Animation
The animation was crisp throughout the show. Production I.G did a great job with this show and proved once again that they are the masters of sports anime. The characters’ movements always appear fluid. The animation does a great job of upping the intensity in certain scenes. Some of my favourite shots are when a player is about to hit a ball and the camera changes from 3rd person to 1st person, those are really cool to look at. Overall, the anime is a visual feast.
Sound
The soundtrack fits the mood of what’s happening on screen which is great. It compliments and enhances every scene perfectly. The Ops and EDs also fit the anime really well. Not to forget the sports sounds, the squeak of the shoes on the gym floor, the smack of the ball everything just makes it very realistic and perfect.
The Verdict
Overall this show is amazing. If I get a chance I would go back and binge watch all the seasons again. The best part is you don’t have to love volleyball to watch this show. If you’re a fan of character development and stylish action you’re in for a treat.
If you wish to buy the Haikyu!! manga do visit the website comicclan.com.
