Discover Haikyu!! – The Volleyball Anime Show

Sports have historically been an unpopular topic for animation. Other than seeing a character like Bugs Bunny playing, it’s not much fun to watch a whole anime show about sports, character play a real baseball or golf game. 

In animation, athletic accomplishments just don’t seem as impressive as they do in real life. not seem so impressive. that is until you discover the volleyball anime we’re going to tell you about. 

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By concentrating on the human experience behind the sports, Japanese artists regularly create thrilling sports series. Haikyu!! is one of these anime shows following a boy who wants to be a volleyball star despite his small stature.

Discover Haikyu!! - The Volleyball Anime Show
Image Source: The Star

What Is Haikyu!!?

Haikyu!!, written and illustrated by Haruichi Furudate, started as a Japanese manga series. From April 2014 to September 2014, an anime TV series adaptation by Production I.G aired with 25 episodes. 

A second season aired, with 25 episodes, from October 2015 to March 2016. A third season aired, with 10 episodes, from October 2016 to December 2016.

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During the Jump Festa ’19, a fourth season was confirmed and was scheduled for release in two cours, the first cour of 13 episodes aired from January to April 2020, and the second cour of 12 episodes in October 2020. 

The fourth season is being simulcast by Crunchyroll. It will run for 25 episodes, with the first cour running from 10 January 2020 to 3 April 2020; the second cour was expected to return in July 2020 but has been postponed.

Plot

After catching a glimpse of Karasuno High School winning their game to qualify for the nationals on TV, junior high school student Shōyō Hinata becomes fascinated with volleyball. 

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Hinata is influenced by Karasuno’s short but talented wing spiker, a player called ‘The Little Giant.’ Hinata is athletic and has an impressive vertical jump, and although he is inexperienced, he joins the volleyball club of his school.

He then finds out he is the only member of the club, causing him to spend the next two years trying to persuade other students to help him train. Some of Hinata’s peers decided to join the club in his third and final year of Junior High.

In their first official game ever, they suffer a crushing loss to the team expected to win the tournament. Hinata has a rivalry with Tobio Kageyama who is a prodigy setter for the other team dubbed “The King of the Court.”  

Discover Haikyu!! - The Volleyball Anime Show
Image Source: Manga Thrill

Karasuno Losing and Restoring its Reputation

Hinata studies and is admitted to Karasuno, the same high school for which the Little Giant played. He is also surprised to discover that Kageyama has also chosen the same high school to attend. 

Following the era of the Little Giant, Karasuno is seen to have lost its reputation as a powerhouse academy. The school is often referred to as ‘The Flightless Crows‘ by other teams.

By combining the setting skills of Kageyama with the incredible athleticism of Hinata, however, the pair vow to change things. They produce an impressive new volleyball strategy and establish an unlikely relationship between setter-spiker

Hinata and Kageyama drive each other along the way to achieve their full potential. Hinata establishes relationships with his first real team, starting Karasuno’s journey of redemption to regain their integrity and make it to the nationals.

Conclusion

While not a typical anime, there is heart in this show. You can see how the characters are really into the game they love and how vital each match is to them. 

Essentially, the show tells us that if you’re passionate about something and give it your best shot, you won’t regret it.