2006Haikyuu!! season 4 part II, is perhaps one of the most hyped up anime in the upcoming fall season. It boasts an average of rating of 8/10 on myanimelist.com (the largest anime review site on the internet). Haikyuu!! was originally a manga series published in Jump back in February of 2012. It was originally illustrated and written by Haruichi Furudate and has recently just ended. It quickly amassed a large amount of popularity as an anime adaptation despite the manga debuting two years prior. This is a feat that has rarely been achieved. Does it deserve all the appraisal and hype over it?
Story (5/10):
We follow our protagonist Shoyo Hinata who is inspired by a short volleyball player several years back nicknamed “Little Giant”. Hinata is 162.8cm tall and is often ridiculed for his height. The first episode showcases how he gets crushed in his very first volleyball match. On the opposing side is Kageyama Tobio is deemed as a genius setter. He is a highly uncooperative player who exerts a large amount of arrogance. Hinata, looking for revenge, joins his high school’s volleyball team only to see Kageyama on it. The series then follows Karasuno’s (Hinata’s volleyball team) struggle to become the number one volleyball in Japan.
Haikyuu’s plot follows the Shōnen Jump formula. This formula is a major downfall as it becomes repetitive and cliché after watching shows that also follow it. Shōnen Jump is a reputable company that ranks shōnen manga by popularity weekly. The problem a lot of writers and illustrators have is staying in the upper ranks. If a manga enters a filler arc in order to develop their characters, sales oftentimes drop. Once these sales drop too low the publishing companies end up dropping the manga due to the low sales. That is why Shōnen anime follows a very simple formula. The formula goes from practice to practice game to tournament arc and rinse and repeat. This simple formula will always result in the next tournament arc having much more powerful characters than the last. It gets to a point where the original “strong” antagonists look unrealistically weak. The main characters in shōnen manga also almost always have the same personality.
This formula is like watching Marvel movies (not counting infinity war) because the storyline is highly predictable. A lot of people complain that Marvel movies always use the same formula. This formula, however, has recently been changed ever so slightly. The writers themselves are aware of these formulaic flaws, so they evolve upon the formula. Haikyuu not only uses the same formula as countless other sports/ shōnen anime, but also doesn’t evolve upon it either.
Overall, Haikyuu!! has followed the formula that Kuroko no Basket and countless other shōnen anime/manga. However, these tropes have been continuously used for the past twenty years and becomes painstaking to watch after seeing it done so many times. This is why the story seems so dull to me.
One of the reasons a lot of people enjoy this anime for its realism. However, this simply is not the case. I asked Maximillian Nagel (Varsity volleyball player) who stated that he did not like Haikyuu!!. I asked him why and he replied,” It just isn’t realistic.” Most of the people that enjoy Haikyuu!! typical are girls who “ship” the characters and non-volleyball players. This is because most higher-level volleyball players dislike it because it is unrealistic.
Animation (8.2/10):
The animation in this anime is breathtaking. The reason a lot of people such as myself have continued to watch was largely in part due to the animation. Production I.G has done a wonderful job with famous titles such as Attack on Titan, Vinland Saga, Psycho-Pass and Haikyuu was not an exception. Specific scenes in the anime where a character overcomes a hurdle is satisfying within itself. However, when paired with clear, crisp and clean animation, the scene hits a huge level of hype. The animation is the best part of this anime because it single-handedly carries the enjoyment factor of the anime. From a subjective point of view this anime is a 7 because the animation works so well.
This is both good and bad because its animation is a crutch. If the overall quality in animation dips, then the enjoyment will also suffer significantly.
Characters (4/10):
Haikyuu!! has the most average Shōnen characters conceivable. Naming a few anime with almost the exact same character personalities is not challenging at all. Black Clover; Naruto; Fire Force all have similar characters to Haikyuu!!. They all have a short, loud, colored haired protagonists who wants to be the best in the world. These protagonists are always paired with an edgy dark-haired rival/friend who is always much more skilled and learn faster than them.
To say that Haikyuu!! has great characters at all would definitely be an overstatement as it the character writing is much like other action Shōnen. Most of the fans that say the character dynamics are great simply haven’t watched enough shows similar to Haikyuu!! that came before it.
Overall enjoyment (6.7/10):
Contrary to what I have said earlier Haikyuu!! is actually an extremely hype anime that anyone can watch if they want to relax and enjoy some good action. Sure, its character dynamics and realism aren’t strong, but there is a lot of hype that is generated throughout the episodes that make it an anime worth watching. Edward Nolan (who has seen several different sports anime) has stated that Haikyuu!! was one of the best sports anime to be put out so far. So, if you’re looking for a fun sports anime give it a shot.
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