Haikyuu!!

Ever since having witnessed the "Little Giant" and his astonishing skills on the volleyball court, Shouyou Hinata has been bewitched by the dynamic nature of the sport. Even though his attempt to make his debut as a volleyball regular during a middle school tournament went up in flames, he longs to prove that his less-than-impressive height ceases to be a hindrance in the face of his sheer will and perseverance.

When Hinata enrolls in Karasuno High School, the Little Giant's alma mater, he believes that he is one step closer to his goal of becoming a professional volleyball player. Although the school only retains a shadow of its former glory, Hinata's conviction isn't shaken until he learns that Tobio Kageyama—the prodigy who humiliated Hinata's middle school volleyball team in a crushing defeat—is now his teammate.

To fulfill his desire of leaving a mark on the realm of volleyball—so often regarded as the domain of the tall and the strong—Hinata must smooth out his differences with Kageyama. Only when Hinata learns what it takes to be a part of a team will he be able to join the race to the top in earnest.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Hinata, Shouyou Main

Murase, Ayumu Japanese

Kageyama, Tobio Main

Ishikawa, Kaito Japanese

Oikawa, Tooru Supporting

Namikawa, Daisuke Japanese

Nishinoya, Yuu Supporting

Okamoto, Nobuhiko Japanese

Kozume, Kenma Supporting

Kaji, Yuuki Japanese

Tsukishima, Kei Supporting

Uchiyama, Kouki Japanese

Kuroo, Tetsurou Supporting

Nakamura, Yuuichi Japanese

Sugawara, Koushi Supporting

Irino, Miyu Japanese

Tanaka, Ryuunosuke Supporting

Hayashi, Yuu Japanese

Yamaguchi, Tadashi Supporting

Saitou, Souma Japanese

Kananiwa, Kozue Producer

Maeda, Toshihiro Producer

Morihiro, Fumi Producer

Matsushita, Keiko Producer, Production Assistant

Reviews

Sep 21, 2014

SheasonDuerulo

Recommended

To be honest, I'm guilty of being biased and judgemental, and more than once to boot. A few years ago I had seen my friend's collection of Naruto manga. I scoffed and even teased him a bit, having seen what appeared to be ridiculous anime promos on TV aimed at children. Within a year, I had discovered anime and manga myself. I have since apologized. Then, a year ago in the fall FAL league, I found myself incredulous at how popular and highly praised the sequel to Kuroko no Basket was. Subsequently, I stumbled across a volleyball anime with what seemed to be an interesting ... premise.

Therefore, I believe apologies are in order. I'm sorry, sports anime genre. I'm sorry I looked down on you. I'm sorry I didn't give you a shot sooner. I'm sorry I wrote off Kuroko no Basket and Yowamushi Pedal and the several other of the genre I have since added to my plan to watch list. If you want to give thanks for my change of heart, you need look no further than a wonderful little gem called Haikyuu!!

Quickly becoming one of my favorite anime, Haikyuu!! was the show I looked forward to most each week. It is a well-rounded work that made every Sunday a little better. As today is the day it finished airing, I'm a bit surprised that more people haven't completed it and/or written reviews. Hoping to help others that may not have given Haikyuu!! a chance, here I am now expressing my humble opinion.

Adapted from a Shounen Jump manga, the story could be boiled to to pretty typical shounen stereotypes. It contains an underdog, teamwork, perserverance, etc. However, in my opinion, Haikyuu!! integrates these themes incredibly well, and also sets itself apart from your run of the mill Jump product. The protagonists are relatively inexperienced and are far from being the best volleyball players out there. Crazy quick 'level up's don't exist, and you will find no inexplicable victories here. Instead, we receive a well crafted story with good pacing that follows the formation of the Karasuno to their foray into the high school volleyball circuit.

Another issue people typically have with the shounen genre is flat, 2-dimensional characters that have little or poor development. I like to think this problem does not plague Haikyuu!! In fact, I'd say this is a strong point in relation to many other anime/manga. Haikyuu!! mainly focuses upon the exploits of the two main characters and the team as a whole, but does take the occasional detour to explore backstory, relationships, character development, comedic moments, and minor characters. That last item especially separates this show from the rest. A recurring theme throughout this sports anime is, not surprisingly, losing. I was very impressed with Haikyuu!! on how it depicts the emotions and point of view of nearly all minor characters, whether they appear again or not. For me, the level to which they were explored is rare among any story I've come across. On a side note, having not experienced not much from the sports genre, I am no authority on how others deal with losing games. However, subjectively, I think it handles the concept fantastically, and possibly better than the above-mentioned basketball and biking anime. It spends a fair amount of time presenting how the characters react and cope with loss.

As far as technical aspects go, Haikyuu!! does not disappoint. The artwork is clean and the animation fluid. Production I.G. did a wonderful job putting together a great visual work. In addition, the OST is superb. Personally, the background tracks helped set the scene and kept me emotionally invested throughout intense, comedic, and dramatic scenes. I cannot compliment the audio side of this anime enough with how well it worked. As a bonus, I fell in love with all of the openings and endings. Hopefully, you're as lucky as I was.

I pray you give Haikyuu!! a chance. If you are new to the genre, this might be a gateway to a new horizon for you. If you have enjoyed sports anime before, Haikyuu!! will continue your enjoyment of the genre. Inevitably, this show is and will be compared to Production I.G.'s other sensation, Kuroko no Basket. In the interest of bipartisanship and brevity, I will simply say that the main difference is that Kuroko no Basket relies more on spectacle, whereas Haikyuu!! integrates more realism. Regardless of opinion, I believe that you will really enjoy Haikyuu!!and, quite possibly, like me you will be eagerly awaiting season 2.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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May 2, 2019

jzombee

Mixed Feelings

I just want to start this by saying i have never seen a sports anime before, this is my first step into the genre, and i've heard this show has a lot going for it, it isn't reliant on fan service like others, it has a rich story and unique characters, and it has a killer art style. Sadly i would say only 2 of those things are true, the killer art style and it not being reliant on fan service.

No Spoilers.I gave the story a 3/10
It's nothing special at all, nothing surprising happens, and its very predictable. The story begins with Hinata watching ... a clip of "The Little Giant" his inspiration playing a game of volleyball. And thus the ball gets rolling for the team to begin forming.

Art: I gave the art an 8/10 its actually pretty damn good, some of the scenes were amazing and full of energy. It also had a good mix of styles, swapping fluidly from hyper detailed, to simple and charming.

Sound: 7/10 Good sound design, and okay openings and endings. From every shoe squeak on the shiny wooden floor to the cheers from the crowd.

Character: 3/10, nothing special at all, the characters are generic, they don't go anywhere new or shocking. They fit their mould PERFECTLY, and never overstep their marks. If you have even dipped your toe into anime, you have seen these characters before, in some other anime show or movie. They just have different names here.

Enjoyment: 5/10 Mediocre. It was fine ... i guess, which sucks because some episodes are actually very good, with interesting with new characters showing up. Like team Nekoma with Kenma. Who arguably has more character and growth than the main characters and team.

Overall: Haikyuu!! is a 5/10 its Mediocre. And it sucks to say it. It had some genuine moments and episodes i thoroughly enjoyed, but for every episode i liked there was one that dragged and delivered bland character after bland character. And forced predictable outcomes that any anime watcher can spot from a mile away. Its even more sad that i found myself saying "why can't that team be the team we are following instead of Karasuno, they are so much more interesting and dynamic". (Karasuno being the main team)

I think you will know if you will like the show from episode 1. Which is good, if episode 1 doesn't click, i say drop it and move on. If it does, stick it through, you will probably enjoy it a lot.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Oct 23, 2022

Im_Stuff

Not Recommended

Funny

Overall rating: 5, further review below.

This season of Haikyu has a special place in my heart. Not only is it the first anime that made me fall asleep in the middle of the episode. Not only is it the first anime to do it twice, but this is even the first anime to make me do it 3 times, I'm even considering going for a nap as of writing this review, this is just how boring I find Haikyu to be.

So, if I were to explain what is Haikyuu, the only thing I could answer is, Haikyuu is a sports anime, a volleyball anime in ... fact. And you would tell me "No shit, but what makes Haikyuu different from other sports anime?" The answer is nothing. If you have even the most basic understanding of sports anime tropes, chances are you would be able to predict the outcome of every match. Even assuming you know, there should be something to keep your eyes to the screen? Not really, leaving aside the match against Ao... something something, OIkawa's team, the second match, which I actually believe was pretty good, if only for the fact that this is an end of season match, and thus could go both ways. Well, aside from this one match (which was still a solid 5 episodes), the matches are pretty dull. Maybe it would be better if you cared about volleyball, although I doubt it.

Well if there's only one match that couls scratch the itch, maybe outside of the matches is where the anime shines. Well no, honestly, it may be a good idea to skip everything that isn't a match. There's like 2 characters who don't feel like a waste of time listening to in the main cast, comedy is dull, aside from some moments and the rest of it is the same overplayed tropes, like "oh no, the third years will be leaving" or "waaaah, I want to play" or even "grrrr, I don't like this main character guy" (same tbh).

The production is just as dull as the rest of the anime. The animation looks to be a decade late compared to its release date, and while the sound effects are good, it's just volleyball sounds, nothing that crazy really. Some voice actors have a really good delivery, the rest is just as boring as the anime itself with a voice adapted to the role it plays and nothing more. I'm sure of you somehow managed to give a shit about the main cast, the anime gets a lot better. Even I, who barely watched the anime could tell that the matches were at least well written, if not well executed.

But that's the thing, I didn't manage to care.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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