“Even if we're not confident that we'll win, even if others tell us we don't stand a chance, we must never tell ourselves that.”
-Daichi Sawamura
In today's anime age; a world filled with over-analyzations and deconstructions, it's always nice to see a series like Haikyuu come along as if to passively antagonize critics with its immense amount of hype. I've been quite guilty of it in the past, often thinking there was no other reason to watch a series than to critique how much it made you 'think'. But to all the fault-finding reviewers and critics out there (myself included), I have one thing to ... say... just save your words for once. People aren’t watching this anime to tirelessly dissect its story or characters on a philosophical level. Haikyuu is about having fun, comradery and the love of volleyball. The ultimate underdog story. That's pretty much it.
If you told me a couple of years ago that an anime franchise involving high school sports would become one of my favorites in the medium, I probably would've laughed in your face. But I've come to realize that the quality of an anime goes beyond how it makes you think. How it makes you feel is just as important... because at the end of the day, most of us watch anime as a means to escape the repetition of everyday life and just enjoy ourselves. It transports us somewhere exciting, somewhere we normally don’t experience ourselves. Anime should be fun, and Haikyuu is no exception to that.
Haikyuu's third season could almost be viewed as an expansion pack to the main series, or as one reviewer put it, much like DLC for your favorite video game. This is a fair assessment given the truncated 10 episodes compared to the first two seasons of 26 episodes each. Karasuno finds themselves pitted against the powerhouse Shiratorizawa, in a 5 set match no one expects them to win. There is less character development overall, but more than enough action to make up for it. I’d say this season emulates the intense tone produced by the last few episodes in season 2, my favorites of the entire series. The result is a nail-biting, pulse-pounding thrill ride to the match's epic conclusion. It's just what I needed to get me through a relatively lackluster fall season.
There isn’t much in the way of story this season, due mostly to its shorter run time. Being in a 5 set match is unfamiliar territory for our favorite Karasuno team, which begins to show as the series progresses. Exhaustion starts to become a factor, and for the first time I can remember in Haikyuu, players begin to tire mentally and physically. This incorporates an important aspect of playing sports, making the characters that much more relatable to someone who’s been there. We also see a culmination of the variety of new skills Karasuno’s players have been practicing come to fruition when they matter the most. Whether from Nishinora’s jump-setting or Tsukishima’s read-blocking, each player plays a pivotal role in turning the tides at one or more points during the match. The writers of Haiykuu also continue their emphasis on the backgrounds of Karasuno’s opponents throughout the match. It was a tad watered down from last season, and I would still have liked to see Ushijima’s past elaborated on more.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the whole series up to this point is the sudden mental involvement displayed by none other than the deadpan Tsukishima. Normally Tsuki exhibits a personality as dynamic as a cardboard box, but shocks us all as he begins to become more engaged and driven to help out his team. He emulates the mentality that no one likes to lose, and I found myself actually cheering out loud for him when he blocked Ushijima for the first time. Another refreshing point to bring up about the cast is how passive a role Hinata and Kageyama actually play in this season. As the series progresses, the narrative shifts from the drive and determination of Hinata as an individual to the importance of teamwork and synergy. The result is truly powerful and I’ve begun to really get attached to every member of Karasuno’s team.
Obviously the hype in Haikyuu is beyond unreal, and the third season is the best example of this. Even the relatively stone-faced members of Shiratorizawa get wrapped up in the excitement. Anime has proven time and time again that you can breathe life and intensity into any subject matter. Some people may fault the series for its plethora of overreactions and such, but at this point the viewer should come to expect it based on the precedent laid out by Haikyuu’s first two seasons. It’s the necessary evil of sports anime, but one I have grown to forgive Haikyuu for because I love it the series that much. Even up until the last episode, the result of the match was unclear and allowed me to stay glued to my screen for the entire 10 episodes. Karasuno doesn’t always win, and that vulnerability makes you cheer for them even harder when they do.
Is it better than Season 2? Unfortunately, the abridged format coupled with less interesting characters cause it to fall short of the brilliance surrounding the second installment. Many of the training camp episodes from last season did more to add to the story than I realized, causing viewers to really bond with the opposing players that much more. Not to mention Oikawa being the character you wanted to cheer for but couldn’t. Another aspect of the series I didn’t find to be irritating until this point was the lack of family members from Karasuno’s players being shown in the stands. Instead we are limited to a select few that are grouped together while the rest of the crowd seems to consist of the student body. From attending many high school sporting events in the past, it can be somewhat hard to fathom how the parents of these kids aren’t even in the picture in their matches. A small complaint, but one I just don’t understand. Maybe Furudate (creator) though Haikyuu had enough characters already!
Voice acting is still solid and the music is consistently upbeat and powerful. There are quite a few recycled tracks from the earlier seasons, which I actually found comforting more than stale for the series. The sound editing and effects are some of the best in the business, as Haikyuu delivers again with its realistic gymnasium sounds and crowd noises. The animation also seems like it received a significant upgrade from the show’s debut season, rivaling other sports series like Ping Pong in its level of “over-the-top-ness”.. Granted, only having to edit together one setting for the entire season probably allowed the animation team to expand their skills in other, more intricate areas.
To sum up this season in one sentence (as recommended by one of my MAL pals), Haikyuu S3 is “A white-knuckled underdog story driving 100 mph over the speed limit, wearing a huge grin the entire time.” It’s a series best viewed in one binge-watching session rather than enjoyed week by week, and is only bested by it’s previous installment. If you’ve seen the first two seasons, you’re already behind the curve by not picking this one up... it’s a hell of a good time! Thanks for reading and be sure to look out for more of my Fall ‘16 reviews!
 Alternative Titles Synonyms: Haikyuu!! Third Season, Haikyuu!! Karasuno High VS Shiratorizawa Academy Japanese: ハイキュー!! 烏野高校 VS 白鳥沢学園高校 Information Type: TV Episodes: 10 Status: Finished Airing Aired: Oct 8, 2016 to Dec 10, 2016 Premiered: Fall 2016 Broadcast: Saturdays at 01:55 (JST) Producers: Dentsu, Mainichi Broadcasting System, Movic, Sony Music Entertainment, TOHO animation, Shueisha Licensors: Sentai Filmworks Studios: Production I.G Source: Manga Genre: Sports Demographic: Shounen Duration: 24 min. per ep. Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older Statistics Score: 8.781 (scored by 778,247 users) 1 indicates a . Ranked: #372 2 based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #117 Members: 1,172,804 Favorites: 15,340 Available AtResources |
|
