On April 6, HAIKYU!! the anime series celebrated its 10th anniversary. However, with the franchise having stopped coming up with new episodes since 2020, the latest chapter, which comes into the form of a movie was much anticipated, also because it brings Karasuno against Nekoma and Hinata against Kenma, in one of the most intriguing clashes of the whole series.
Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment spikes the all-time favorite volleyball anime into theaters in the United States and Canada on May 31
In that fashion, Susumu Mitsunaka follows the usual path of similar anime movies, as dictated recently by “The First Slam Dunk”, where the movie is essentially a full match, peppered with flashbacks from the past that put the ‘duel' into dramatic context. In this case, the way two quite similar players, Hinata and Nekoma, met in the past, the way the former tried to affect the latter into admitting his love for volleyball and the fact that Karasuno had lost a number of times from Nekoma before the current match, provide the dramatic background of the story. The last aspect in particular also makes the whole thing even more intriguing, since there is no guarantee that the ‘good guys' win, an element that definitely benefits the whole movie.
Apart from the dramatic aspect, “HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle” follows the recipe of most sports anime, which proceed in a fashion that can only be described as ‘bigger than life” while including an educational element about the sport. As such, each block, each spike, each receiving is framed as an action of epic proportions, thus essentially being the main source of entertainment here. Furthermore, the fact that the rallies occasionally last for a significant amount of time before any of the two teams gets a point, adds even more to that aspect while intensifying the agony about what is going to happen. The overall style will remind many of shonen anime and the battles there, with the approach actually being the one most sports titles from the country implement.
That the game has another level, of Hinata challenging Nekoma to get out of his detached bubble and admit that he loves volleyball, adds even more depth to the game itself. Lastly, the reactions of the fans, the coaches and the referees conclude the rather layered presentation of the match, allowing it to move much beyond a simple game.
As expected, the animation by Production I.G. is top notch, matching the epicness of the match/story with frantic speed, with the sound adding even more to that regard, particularly through the sound of the ball, and the reactions of the audience and the players. The rather bright coloring adds even more to the visual aspect, while Takahiro Kishida's character design is both impressive in detail, and in the varying presentation of the many characters that appear throughout.
Granted, the interest somewhat deteriorates when the narrative goes away from the game, but the technical quality and the entertainment the latter offers is on such a high level, that the rest do not matter. As such, “HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle” is an excellent, and much welcome return to one of the most popular titles of the last few years.
