Dear Haikyuu, Random Thoughts

Chapter 1

Chapter 365

Kageyama’s first ever line to Hinata in the entire series….and the fever which ultimately took Hinata off the court…

Kageyama cares for Hinata, he really really does. Whatever you say about him, this is a fact and shall always be.

This is also one of Haikyuu’s greatest strokes of genius in illustrating realism - don’t push yourself beyond your limits, but work to push those limits higher. Treasure your body, because if you force yourself to the point of a physical/mental breakdown, it’s no longer hype or passionate. It’s no longer your best.

Kenma: Sleeping beauty

Kuroo: Oooooh so you want a prince’s kiss to wake you up? That’s cute, I can do that for y-

Kenma: No, I just want to sleep for 500 years

Akaashi: But you’ll be dead by then…

When you wanna read/reread the last arc of Haikyuu

1.) Go on youtube, and search ‘Haikyuu re-build’, and click on the first result

2.) Get comfy and start reading

It’s not about Hinata dominating the competition and being the top volleyball player in Japan, it’s not about him getting the gold medal and that’s it.

It’s about Hinata loving volleyball, having the never ending hunger for this thing he so, so loves. Because once you lose and get eliminated, you can no longer stay on the court. And Hinata has to continue fighting for his place on the court, fighting for every opportunity to touch the volleyball and savoring every moment with his teammates around him.

For Hinata, winning is never the destination - it’s the vehicle.

Hinata is special with his huge potential, yet he is not the ‘chosen one’. He, like everyone else, is never destined to win every game. He has to work so damn hard to continue doing what he loves, with people he loves, as much as possible in his very short career as an athlete.

Haikyuu is not about winning, or achieving, but it’s about living. Embracing the ups and downs in life, embracing every passion you have, embracing the moment and indulge yourself in it. It doesn’t have to be a grand dream, you don't have to win or prove your worth by having great ambitions - you can still live.

that’s a big fat mood

can we appreciate how realistic these characters are

Oh wait

It’s canon

Haikyuu light novel 12: The Views From After Graduation

*proud mom’s tears*

Does anyone hate that trope where the female protagonist is trying too hard to be a tsundere and playing hard to get but fails because she’s overestimating her wits

Like her love interest ends up leaving her and she just throws a fit over it, and I’m like girl you did this to yourself...if I were them I would yeet myself out too

And it isn’t even entertaining, it just gets extremely cringey and annoying and I end up hating the protagonist

I mean if you execute it well I don’t have any complaints

But I’ve seen it portrayed so poorly too many damn times on shitty local TV shows it just kills me

Though not explicitly developed or explained, one of the most well-illustrated themes of hq is sportsmanship.

You find it easy to love and cheer for every team and every character in hq, the first reason being Furudate’s masterful crafting of characters throughout the series. They illustrate the characters’ details so carefully, giving them quirks which make each of them unique and memorable to the audience.

But it’s also because of the sportsmanship. The way that characters deeply respect and admire each other even if they compete relentlessly on the court. Furudate utilises narrative foils and parallels very very well, as the characters develop not only individually but through their complex connections with each other.

Hinata is the perfect protagonist to portray this.

How Hinata and Kageyama strive to defeat one another while still syncing perfectly on court, being the literal definition of twin flames.

How Hinata inspires everyone on other teams to enthusiastically play and fight for their own victory, from Kenma to Bokuto and Aone.

How Hinata cheers Hyakuzawa up, giving him advice and shows him the true joy of competitive volleyball.

But also, how Tsukishima comes to love the sport after Bokuto’s lecture and him discovering ‘the moment’ for himself.

How Karasuno absorbs and learns the technical plays of other teams during the Tokyo training camp while simultaneously enjoying the barbecue with them.

How everyone gets fired up and excited as they play against each other, they get us, the audience, hyped too.

And many many more.

We love them because they’re all respectful and respectable, whether they belong to Karasuno or the opposite side of the net. That’s why we all cheer when they win, and cry when they lose.

Hq shows us that at the core of it, sports does not have to be brutal. While trainings can be harsh, injuries can be painful, and losses can be heartbreaking, in sports, it’s your most formidable allies and opponents who drive you to love and find the fun in playing. And it’s the sportsmanship and the adrenaline which push you to your limits and make you thirst for more.

In hq, there is no evil villain, but just a group of high school morons who work hard and strive for victory, holding the volleyball dear to their hearts.