Don’t worry. It’s spoiler free.
Almost everyone has either seen or at least heard of Haikyuu!! Its one of the most popular sports anime to date. Season 1 aired in 2014 and its not stopped being popular, for a good reason. Its a great show!
The plot is simple- as it generally is in sports anime. It is about Karasuno High’s formerly mediocre volleyball team, and their uphill battle to become the national volleyball champions. The has an amazing array of characters, and is heartwarming, thrilling, and comedy gold.
I have one issue with this show. Season 1-3 were perfection. Season 4 had a change in animation studio, and I’m just going to say…its unwatchable.
Maybe I’m being dramatic. Some people didnt have a problem with it, but I couldn’t get past it. It went from watching a super well done sports anime to watching flat, awkward early 2000s saturday morning cartoons.
But, you can decide for yourself what you think about the new animation. Maybe it won’t bother you as much as it did me. Now- on to the ratings.
Plot: 5/5. The plot is simple, like I already relayed, but still, it never gets tiresome. Some sports anime gets a little grinding since you are watching the same thing on repeat (eg. the ice skating in Yuri on Ice.). In Haikyuu each game and play and exchange is different as the team works to learn new skills, build relationships, and get stronger. It’s both fun, thrilling, and heartwarming to watch.
Characters. 5/5. This show has an enormous variety of characters. We have our main characters, Hinata, Kagayama, and the rest of the Karasano team. Then there are the umpteen other teams that our protagonists battle on the way to reach their goals of the nationals. Each character is diverse, interesting and has their own quirks, talents and flaws.
Intro/Outro: 5/5. Always good. I especially liked the intro and outro for season 3.
Genre: Sports 5/5. What can I say that I haven’t already?
Overall score for this? I give it a 5/5. Putting Season 4’s animation disaster to the side, it is still worth watching and enjoying. It is a great sports anime, great ensemble show, and something I will watch again in the future when I need some uplifting comedy.
Did you watch Haiykuu? What do you think?
A Tiny Ray Of Light 
Definitely worth looking into in my book sometime, though I’m not reallt a volleyball kind of guy (ice hockey and basketball are more my thing haha). The only underdog sports anime that seems similar to this I’ve seen is a rather obscure one called “Dragon League”. But you won’t be able to find it other than in Spanish, Indonesian, Portuguese, or Korean which is a rarity for an anime.
From the looks of it, yeah the season 4 animation looks way too cartoony and less serious. I almost can’t imagine if AoT or BNHA pulled off something like this.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awesome! Thanks!
Right? If AOT did that I would die. Lol!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person