Haikyu!! Season 1 Collection 1 Review

4 stars for this highly entertaining sporting adventure.

Haikyu!! is based on the Japanese shōnen manga series of the same name, written and illustrated by Haruichi Furudate. This anime adaptation is from I.G. production, directed by Susumu Mitsunaka and is presented here the original Japanese with English subtitles.

Inspired after watching a volleyball ace nicknamed “Little Giant” in action, the similarly short Shouyou Hinata revives the volleyball club at his middle school. At first the only member, few of his fellow students are interested, but eventually he scratches together enough players. The newly-formed team even makes it to a tournament; however, their first match turns out to be their last when they are brutally defeated by the “King of the Court,” Tobio Kageyama.

Hinata vows to surpass Kageyama, and so after graduating from middle school, he joins Karasuno High School’s volleyball team, only to find that his sworn rival, Kageyama, is now his teammate.

Thanks to his diminutive stature, Hinata struggles to find his role on the team, even with his superior jumping power. Surprisingly, Kageyama has his own problems that only Hinata can help with, and learning to work together appears to be the only way for the team to be successful. Can the two rivals find it in their hearts to learn to cooperate?

Haikyu!! is a very enjoyable watch, I now know far more about the technicalities of volleyball than I did before! The characters are well written and the story is both funny and heartwarming as the protagonists begin to learn how to work as a team.

If you’re into sporting stories this this will suit you down to the ground, with lots of tense and exciting match action to get your teeth into. Very entertaining and definitely worth adding to your collection.

” A player is not a soloist. They are one member of an orchestra. The moment even one of them believes that they are unique, all is lost.”

 Haikyu!! Season 1 Collection 1 is available to buy now on DVD and Blu-Ray.