Still pissed about that Kamomedai match.
Not from a critical perspective.
The fact that they could've—.
No, that they would've won that match, were it not for Tsukki's cramp and Hinata not properly taking care of himself was the point, after all.
It's different to all the other huge Haikyuu matches (Seijoh 2.0, Shiratorizawa, Inarizaki etc).
The reason why the losing team's defeat stung so much was exactly because they could've won.
They could've had it. They gave it their all, and so did Karasuno, but at the end of the day, the winners played just a smidge better on that particular day.
Had it been the next day, or the day before, maybe Seijoh or Shiratorizawa or Inarizaki could've been the winners.
Exactly because these teams were all such strong contenders, and pretty evenly matched with Karasuno. (Though that's not entirely it, but that's a different conversation)
The difference is, with Kamomedai, Karasuno would've won the match.
That they could have goes unsaid.
It's more important that they would have.
And that's the point, and why this defeat stings even more than it would've if they just gave it their all and still lost.
It's not that Kamomedai overwhelmed them, or that they were just objectively better.
Had Hinata been more careful with his health, they would've won.
Self care has been a subtle, ongoing theme throughout the series, which became that much more prominent during the ball boy/nationals arc.
This loss needed to happen, for Furudate to get the point across without leaving a shadow of doubt in anyone's minds:
Taking care of oneself, eating healthy and sleeping well and taking breaks etc, is one of the most mundane, but most important, parts of being an athlete.
A message not just for the audience, but for our protagonist as well.
Personally, I find that this loss was the most meaningful one during Hinata's career.
And the lifestyle he built and maintained for himself in Brazil reflects that he's learned his lesson, and he's not planning to ever forget it.
It was just one of the things that needed to happen, and I think Furudate executed it beautifully.
Hinata's fever also happened around the same time Itachiyama's captain, Iizuna, injured his ankle.
Which highlights the difference between an unpredictable injury you couldn't have prevented, and, say, a fever that could've been avoided had you taken better care of yourself.
Besides all that, it was a good point to end it.
Quarterfinals are nothing to sneeze at.
Not to mention, the boys achieved everything they set out to accomplish.
They made it to nationals, which was the initial goal.
And they finally had the trashcan showdown, which became the second main goal after a point.
All that said, to reiterate my initial statement, I'm still pissed about that Kamomedai match.
I desperately wish that my boys advanced to the semifinals, won those too, and went onto the finals and played against Fukurodani.
Apart from another two legendary matches, we would've gotten to see an official game against Fukurodani, a school that we've been seeing for ages, a school that we've built up, one we know, and one that I was convinced we would encounter in an official match.
And I know that it wouldn't have been all that realistic to beat Ichibayashi, the tournament winners.
But even if they lost in the semifinals, we would've gotten at least one more badass match.
Yes, yes, I'm whining at this point, I know.
However, understanding, appreciating the ending we got doesn't mean that I don't also wish for the fun outcome.
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