I like Haikyuu
like, really like Haikyuu
and one day I plan to write a very long review professing my love for the series
but until then, enjoy my fangirling on various other series
Wanted to say that your review is better than other "reviews" on this site, but let me write about some unfairness;P
1) I get what you mean about Yumeko, but it is also about - how her hedonism will affect others. I think the second season conveys that well.
2) It is only natural that cynical people do not want to rely on mere chances, hence being a cheater. Yumeko just does not enjoy that, otherwise she also could cheat. So I see no problem with cheaters.
3) Suzui has no focus anyway, so I would not really care enough to mention him in review. Can't really say that focus on boring character will affect the series positively. Altough, Yumeko does affect him. Instead, you could have talked about the antagonist, IMO.
hey, i see that you don't use MAL frequently anymore but i read your Free! review and it made me laugh my ass off. it's spot-on, perfect, and it was everything i thought about the series put into words. and haikyuu being your favorite anime-- you have great taste (☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞
I want to make a disclaimer to say that the review was written almost 3 years ago when I was 15, so I would probably have different opinions and word my arguments differently if I wrote it today.
Hinata is very stereotypical for the anime sports genre. He's the classic inexperienced, high energy character that always has a chip on his shoulder. You see pretty much the same archetype in one of the main characters of most shounen sports shows because this type of character is very simple, you understand their behavior, and you want him to succeed. This in itself isn't necessarily bad, having a character like this makes a series more appealing to a broader amount of people. The way Hinata affects the people around him isn't a testament to his incredible characterization, that's just how series are written. The main character is the central piece and the side characters are deliberately written either to play off the MC (like the girl coach the Ace), challenge the MC (Kageyama), or be changed/change the MC (the main girl assistant). That's how all shows are written, Haikyuu! is not unique in that matter. You could potentially argue that Haikyuu! does this better than other series, which would be a valid opinion, but saying that it's the only show to have a main character be challenged by his peer and to change the lives/opinions of those around him is just not true.
I understand what you're saying about the technical aspects and my opinions have somewhat changed on the matter. I see them as more of a necessary evil than something that just makes the show worse. I don't enjoy them but I understand that some people genuinely do like learning the mechanics of a sport they don't know anything about, and that's cool. I could do without them, but I no longer think they should be removed. For me, I just think it added a sort of lack of complexity that I wished the show had, where rather than introducing and explaining concepts so that anyone could understand, I was hoping for something that would challenge me. And that's just not Haikyuu!. As much as you may disagree with me about the quality of the show, you can't argue that Haikyuu! is not a very confusing show, it's extremely easy to understand, and I had come into it hoping for something else. That's my mistake because I wasn't judging the actual quality of the show, I was judging how my projection of what I wanted it to be aligned with what it actually was. So yes, I agree with you about this.
Yeah my main issue was that I just felt like it was inventing random positions and pretending like they're a real thing. An Ace is a real thing in Asia, they refer to their best player as an Ace and I genuinely didn't know that. I still hold the opinion that the offense they run should have been more complex than just "Set me", though. These are supposedly top-level high school players, so having the hitting calls they have be so dumbed down does make it easier for most people, but this is my opinion so therefore that's just how I feel personally.
I'm gonna have to disagree with you about this. I don't think that the females are treated derogatorily per se, but they're definitely extremely unnecessary to the story at all. It's not about sexualization, it's the opposite. Their roles are so plain and their personalities are so one-dimensional that they might as well just be cutouts. Kiyoko behaves the same way she does in episode 1 as she does in the third season. Another thing they do is display all the female volleyball players in the show just being absolutely helpless and constantly oogling over the boys team and it just made me uncomfortable. There's just no point, I don't see how it contributes to the plot in any way other than just "look there are females in this world too".
I think that the cast is very well-rounded, but not because they're all incredibly layered and interesting characters, but because their personalities were created in a way that they all interact well together, which is no small feat in terms of writing, but other shows just have better characters. You learn everything about the characters from what they directly tell you, there's no need to use your brain to figure anything out. You can tell when Hinata is mad because he says "I am mad", you can tell when Kiyoko is nervous because she says "I am nervous", etc. There's no subtlety.
I do agree that Haikyuu! is one of the best sports anime, but I'm not going to lie to you, I don't really like sports anime. Haikyuu! has extreme similarities with regards to character archetypes and plot progression to shows like Kuroko no Basket, Major, Yowamushi Pedal, and other team-based sports shows. Haikyuu! is incredibly high energy and has a better depiction of the passion for sports than other shows, and also makes you care unlike any other of the shows listed above, so I do agree, Haikyuu! is a good show. I plan on watching every season that comes out. Don't think that just because I have criticisms of the show that I don't like it. I could write you an entire 3 page paper on everything wrong with Steins;Gate even though it's my favorite tv show I've ever watched.
If you really want to understand what true plot complexity and character development in a sports anime is, watch Ping Pong. In my opinion, it's just better than every other sports anime.
Either way, thank you for taking your time to write me this. I truly do enjoy reading these because it challenges the ideas I had in the past and helps me remember why I feel the way I do. I am very glad you like Haikyuu! and I don't think you shouldn't like it, I'm just trying to explain why I feel the way I do.
All Comments (4) Comments
1) I get what you mean about Yumeko, but it is also about - how her hedonism will affect others. I think the second season conveys that well.
2) It is only natural that cynical people do not want to rely on mere chances, hence being a cheater. Yumeko just does not enjoy that, otherwise she also could cheat. So I see no problem with cheaters.
3) Suzui has no focus anyway, so I would not really care enough to mention him in review. Can't really say that focus on boring character will affect the series positively. Altough, Yumeko does affect him. Instead, you could have talked about the antagonist, IMO.
Hinata is very stereotypical for the anime sports genre. He's the classic inexperienced, high energy character that always has a chip on his shoulder. You see pretty much the same archetype in one of the main characters of most shounen sports shows because this type of character is very simple, you understand their behavior, and you want him to succeed. This in itself isn't necessarily bad, having a character like this makes a series more appealing to a broader amount of people. The way Hinata affects the people around him isn't a testament to his incredible characterization, that's just how series are written. The main character is the central piece and the side characters are deliberately written either to play off the MC (like the girl coach the Ace), challenge the MC (Kageyama), or be changed/change the MC (the main girl assistant). That's how all shows are written, Haikyuu! is not unique in that matter. You could potentially argue that Haikyuu! does this better than other series, which would be a valid opinion, but saying that it's the only show to have a main character be challenged by his peer and to change the lives/opinions of those around him is just not true.
I understand what you're saying about the technical aspects and my opinions have somewhat changed on the matter. I see them as more of a necessary evil than something that just makes the show worse. I don't enjoy them but I understand that some people genuinely do like learning the mechanics of a sport they don't know anything about, and that's cool. I could do without them, but I no longer think they should be removed. For me, I just think it added a sort of lack of complexity that I wished the show had, where rather than introducing and explaining concepts so that anyone could understand, I was hoping for something that would challenge me. And that's just not Haikyuu!. As much as you may disagree with me about the quality of the show, you can't argue that Haikyuu! is not a very confusing show, it's extremely easy to understand, and I had come into it hoping for something else. That's my mistake because I wasn't judging the actual quality of the show, I was judging how my projection of what I wanted it to be aligned with what it actually was. So yes, I agree with you about this.
Yeah my main issue was that I just felt like it was inventing random positions and pretending like they're a real thing. An Ace is a real thing in Asia, they refer to their best player as an Ace and I genuinely didn't know that. I still hold the opinion that the offense they run should have been more complex than just "Set me", though. These are supposedly top-level high school players, so having the hitting calls they have be so dumbed down does make it easier for most people, but this is my opinion so therefore that's just how I feel personally.
I'm gonna have to disagree with you about this. I don't think that the females are treated derogatorily per se, but they're definitely extremely unnecessary to the story at all. It's not about sexualization, it's the opposite. Their roles are so plain and their personalities are so one-dimensional that they might as well just be cutouts. Kiyoko behaves the same way she does in episode 1 as she does in the third season. Another thing they do is display all the female volleyball players in the show just being absolutely helpless and constantly oogling over the boys team and it just made me uncomfortable. There's just no point, I don't see how it contributes to the plot in any way other than just "look there are females in this world too".
I think that the cast is very well-rounded, but not because they're all incredibly layered and interesting characters, but because their personalities were created in a way that they all interact well together, which is no small feat in terms of writing, but other shows just have better characters. You learn everything about the characters from what they directly tell you, there's no need to use your brain to figure anything out. You can tell when Hinata is mad because he says "I am mad", you can tell when Kiyoko is nervous because she says "I am nervous", etc. There's no subtlety.
I do agree that Haikyuu! is one of the best sports anime, but I'm not going to lie to you, I don't really like sports anime. Haikyuu! has extreme similarities with regards to character archetypes and plot progression to shows like Kuroko no Basket, Major, Yowamushi Pedal, and other team-based sports shows. Haikyuu! is incredibly high energy and has a better depiction of the passion for sports than other shows, and also makes you care unlike any other of the shows listed above, so I do agree, Haikyuu! is a good show. I plan on watching every season that comes out. Don't think that just because I have criticisms of the show that I don't like it. I could write you an entire 3 page paper on everything wrong with Steins;Gate even though it's my favorite tv show I've ever watched.
If you really want to understand what true plot complexity and character development in a sports anime is, watch Ping Pong. In my opinion, it's just better than every other sports anime.
Either way, thank you for taking your time to write me this. I truly do enjoy reading these because it challenges the ideas I had in the past and helps me remember why I feel the way I do. I am very glad you like Haikyuu! and I don't think you shouldn't like it, I'm just trying to explain why I feel the way I do.