Now Is The Perfect Time To Get Into Haikyu!!

“Oh, I don’t really care for volleyball,” were the words I had used to reply to a good friend of mine when he first suggested that I watch Haruichi Furudate’s Haikyu!! Anime. He added something about it being different from the rest, that no other anime would make me feel the same after. I am the type of person to never succumb to peer pressure, so his words fell on deaf ears… at first.

It was around the beginning of the 2020 Pandemic when he brought it up. The world was reduced to chaos and everyone was hanging onto whatever thing could to bring them comfort. The fact that I lived in a third-world country made the whole ordeal worse. So, when he recommended it, I believe it was his sense of camaraderie to share something dear to him in the hopes that I too may find what little light there was in that period.

I eventually caved, as you could tell from me making this post. He did not need to beg, when he initially sold it, it already sounded interesting enough, with the only thing stopping me being my lack of interest in the sport of volleyball. The only proper volleyball memory I had in my youth was when the principal of my former high school was turning into a bright red tomato under the Saudi sun, screaming at my seniors to get it together and receive it properly. It just looked like a pain.

Do not get me wrong. I do enjoy sports, mainly football. I just did not understand what the deal of volleyball was. It looked illegal to hold the ball, but then I would see players hold it. It looked like it was against the rules to kick the ball, but then I would see players use their feet to save it. It was so different than to what I was used to when it came to the sport I enjoyed.
 

 

I do not think I could have ever predicted how I would come out by the end of it after my prejudices were set aside. Watching an anime that was supposed to be a mere show of high-school kids goofing about and playing with a ball turned into a life-altering decision I had taken, and I definitely do not mean that sparingly. Furudate wanted to show everyone how fun volleyball can be, but he succeeded in doing way more than that.

Reminiscing the time he was a mere high-school kid, he described that he enjoyed volleyball more than his regular studies, later revealing that he held poor grades because of that. I do not really blame him, as the ordinary child would not have enjoyed studying when they had hobbies they would rather tend to. Beautifully, he stated,

“I am still attached and unable to let go of that period of time in my life, so via the medium of manga, I wanted to play a volleyball that would “come to an end once I lose” just once more.”

Haikyu!! made me see the fun in volleyball, but more than anything, it truly touched me enough to see the beauty in people, and in life, despite how cynicism controls my mind to believe all of it does not matter in the grand scheme of things.

I mean, I already know everyone is a main character in their own story, everyone has their own share of sadness and belief, and everyone will amount to something even if it is not up to their own standard. So, why try to make a big deal out of things that will cease to exist after you are gone? Why confess your love to that one person? Why try to do your best in something even if chances are you end up being hurt?

Well, what bigger reason do you need than pride? That is the answer Tadashi Yamaguchi, a bench player, had to say when Kei Tsukishima, the character I saw a lot of myself in, had the same type of question – why try so hard for a club sport that is volleyball?
 

 

“You’ve been acting really lame lately! Why do you keep drawing random lines, telling yourself anything past them is impossible?”

Lame. It really felt lame to hear my personal thoughts and Tsukishima’s reasoning out loud. Like, what was going on in my head when I thought about how nobody should try their best at things to avoid feeling inadequate? I would never discourage someone else like that, so why was I doing it to myself?

And it is not just Tsukishima, even Yamaguchi tugged at my heartstrings. His inability to be a starting player set him on a journey to gain his confidence by being a player when his teammates needed him most. Seasons of the anime went by, and he struggled, a lot. He failed so often, but his hunger to be better-brought tears to my eyes when it eventually paid off.

Haikyu!! is a story where anybody can find themselves in any character; people can find themselves in Hinata’s willpower to fight against the norms that held him back from being considered a serious player, Oikawa’s desire to make it with hard work despite competing against prodigies, and Kageyama’s wish to be found by someone who truly understands his capabilities and can keep up, are just a few examples.

Volleyball does play a big role in this narrative, but I think what stuck with people most, including myself, is how Haikyu!! presents adolescence and life’s directions. Life led to Hinata being the partner Kageyama needed, life led to Tsukishima rediscovering his love for volleyball, and life led to my friend recommending this show when I needed it most.

After a four-year hiatus, Haikyu!!’s animation studio added their final installment to the series as a movie, leaving everyone in proper despair. When the announcement initially happened, everyone was already upset as the adaptation was nowhere near covering what the manga offered. There were still many ways to go.
 

 

Though I never fall for the pressure peers can give, the same could not be said for the studio in charge of Haikyu!!’s animation. Another decision has been made on the occasion of the series’ 10thanniversary; they will be animating one last movie that captures the beloved cast in their adulthood – the time skip arc.

The time skip arc is what the fans refer to as possibly the best conclusion a series could ever get. It is well-earned to the bone. Without entirely spoiling it, I will still say that showing where the characters ended up is not the only thing you will see. The time skip arc has a story in itself with the same level of depth, despair, and happiness the adolescent story gave us.

As children, we often have a plan set out on what we want our futures to be like, even if it seems bleak. Stepping into your adulthood, whether you actually end up on the path you set for yourself or not, is a feeling people my age can often associate with bittersweet. The process of actually working to get where you want to be does not come as easy for most folk, and whether you get the ending you feel that you deserve is a daunting question that stays at the back of your mind.

When I stepped into adulthood, I felt as if I had committed a crime by daring to dream of a bright future. It was certainly rough and still is. Haikyu!! captures that emotion perfectly, and by the time of the time skip, you already have an attachment with all the characters to care, even if you disliked them at first. Seeing all of them as grownups with their own diverging paths in life will surely bring tears to your eyes.
 

 

I would like to reinstate that, despite Furudate’s goal with Haikyu!! being to show the ordinary person how fun volleyball can be, we have a piece of media that is timeless and will instill a feeling in your heart that you will welcome time and time again.
 

Jennifer
Editor, NoobFeed