Haikyuu!!

How athletic were you back in high school? Scratch that; what was your high school experience like? You may have had a tightly knit group of friends with whom you could overcome many challenges and rely on for almost anything. We have all faced and defeated various “opponents” in the battle of life and have multiple triumphs to speak of. Things are even more action-packed on the Sports front, within Stadiums where legends were born. So let’s dive into an Anime full of such action, friends, and relationships!

Haikyuu!! is a 25-episode TV Anime series that aired from the 6th of April until the 21st of September in Spring 2014. It was produced by Dentsu, Mainichi Broadcasting System, Movic, TOHO Animation, Shueisha, and Spacey Music Entertainment, licensed by Sentai Filmworks, and brought to life by Studio Production I.G.

While it flaunted the genre of Sports, it also included themes like School and Team Sports. Each episode ran for 24 minutes and received a rating of PG-13 for teenagers 13 years of age or older. The targeted demographic was Shounen. The first Season of Haikyuu!! covers the first eight volumes of the Manga of the same name.

Haikyuu!! is based on the Manga, which ran from the 20th of February 2012 until the 20th of July 2020. This series spanned 45 Volumes and won multiple Awards as well. From July 5, 2016, to August 3, 2021, VIZ Media published it in English under the Shonen Jump imprint after winning the 61st Shogakukan Manga Award for the Shounen category in 2015. It was serialized in Shounen Jump Weekly and was the work of Author and Artist Furudate Haruichi.

Two Side Stories titled “Haikyuu!! Lev Genzan!” and “Haikyuu!! (OVA)” were released. The sequel, titled “Haikyuu!! Second Season,” aired in the Fall of 2015, and it received two Summary Movies titled “Haikyuu!! Movie 1: Owari to Hajimari” and “Haikyuu!! Movie 2: Shousha to Haisha." The “Haikyuu!! Quest Picture Drama” was released as three OVA episodes in September 2014.

The story centers around Shouyou Hinata, who has been captivated by the fluid dynamics of the Volleyball sport ever since witnessing the "Little Giant" and his remarkable skills on the Court. Even though his attempt to debut as a Volleyball regular during a middle school tournament failed, he longs to demonstrate that his lack of height is no longer an impediment in the face of his pure will and tenacity.

Hinata believes he is one step closer to his dream of becoming a professional volleyball player when he enrolls at Karasuno High School, the Little Giant's alma mater. Although the school is barely a shadow of its former self, our MC’s resolve is unshaken until he discovers that Tobio Kageyama, the prodigy who humiliated Hinata's middle school volleyball team in a crushing defeat, is now his teammate.

Hinata must reconcile his disparities with Kageyama to leave an imprint on the world of volleyball, which is typically seen as the province of the tall and the powerful. Only when Hinata understands what it takes to be a team member will he be able to fully participate in his quest to the top.

The Plot of Haikyuu!! is neither noteworthy nor stellar. The premise is straightforward: one fateful year, a group of unlikely heroes gathers together to form a Volleyball squad that just happens to be incredibly good for multiple reasons. They set their sights on making the Nationals and went through numerous tribulations to get there, only to fall short when they were almost there. The story is straight out of the Shounen Jump Manga, which can be distilled down to fairly conventional Shounen tropes.

It features an underdog, teamwork, perseverance, and so on. However, in my opinion, Haikyuu!! blends these concepts exceptionally well while distinguishing itself from your average Flash production. The protagonists are rookies who are far from the top Volleyball players in the world. But there is no such thing as 'crazy quick leveling up' here, and there are no unexplainable successes either. Instead, we get a carefully developed plot with decent pacing that unfolds around Karasuno's inception and their eventful journey into the Elite High School Volleyball League.

In the character department, Hinata is a conventionally sincere, upbeat, and determined MC. His motives were narrow and lacking in depth, but this can be good or bad, depending on how you see things. He lost a match in his junior year against a good team when he was on a bad team, so he pledged vengeance for the rest of his life. It's that complex, really! This is seemingly his main incentive for the rest of the series as well. It’s almost as if he intended to defeat his foe in a one-on-one match in Volleyball.

His demeanor is generally terrible, but some like the simplicity of it all. Each interaction he has with other characters is a "feel-good" discussion, trying to get another guy back on the ground, which becomes tedious after about two episodes. This issue then moves on to several additional characters as well. Interactions begin with somebody feeling depressed and finish with them being wonderfully motivated again after two mere sentences... Very cliche. But hey, they can always credit that to the power of friendship and love.

The Art and Animation of Haikyuu!! are pretty good. The Animation is quite fluid for a Sports Anime, and the Artwork is just so clean. Production I.G. deserves props for handling this department well and making it an excellent visual experience. However, it is not without flaws because, at first, you might find the long, peculiar character necks irritating because they give some characters an odd overall appearance.

Expect many reused and recycled animations as well; the sheer lack of variety in their hits might become glaring at one point. But you can get used to these hiccups and enjoy the overall visual appeal of the show, thanks to how well it's presented. They also handled the Volleyball aspect exceptionally well, where the Ball itself is detailed and looks exactly like one in real life.

The Sounds and Music can range from excellent to decent, depending on how much attention you pay. The OSTs were excellent, effectively setting the tone and keeping audiences engaged throughout the passionate, humorous, and heartbreaking sequences. The Music draws people in and doesn’t go over the top, just like the visual department. Specific sound effects come into play when something exciting is about to occur, like a spectacular move. Another melody foreshadows facing off against an outstanding rival.

The Studio perfectly used the sounds to set the atmosphere for this Anime, be it the squeaking of Sneakers on gym floors, the banging of the ball, or the sound of the ball flying through the air. It just sounds so authentic and makes the match more immersive. The Opening themes are "Imagination" by SPYAIR and "Ah Yeah!!" by Sukima Switch, while the Ending themes are "Tenchi Gaeshi" by NICO Touches the Walls and "LEO" by tacica, all of which are pretty good tunes. The Voice Acting is also praiseworthy because the Cast nailed the tones and nuances to fit each character's personality.

Haikyuu!! is an Anime that makes its simple plot come to life. The general humor sprinkled throughout the episodes is another plus, making it a highly entertaining Anime. It also hypes you up for the next season. However, thanks to all the hype and praise, don’t go into this with too high expectations because it's not an absolute masterpiece devoid of flaws. Just chill and watch; you’ll most likely enjoy it. I generally recommend this!