Here's why you should watch Haikyuu !! (Haikyū!!)

My genre for anime are usually more towards the action, thriller, mystery type eg. Attack on Titan, Tokyo Ghoul etc. But when I discovered Haikyuu which was like a few days ago 

(*note: it came out during FALL 2014 & 2015, and here I am watching it 2 years later..so outdated right?), I literally got hooked on it that I went on marathon mood and finish season 1 & 2 within  2 ½ days.. SAY WHAT?!

So..What is Haikyuu about?

A sports-themed anime that tells about how Hinata (a short player with fiery determined spirit) and Kageyama (a talented setter), two players who originally stand at the opposite side of the volleyball net ended up attending the same high school, hence being in the same volleyball team are forced to work together as a team to bring them to nationals. During their journey to nationals, they learn the importance of working as a team and that you don't lose or win alone. 

Ok.. so let's start with the plot, it is really like the typical sports-themed anime plot where the main character start off as a newbie with a sudden passion for a particular sport, aims for nationals/championship etc, having team conflicts in between, facing strong rival team and slowly develop into a great player. 

If you're expecting that then Haikyuu is exactly like that. However I have no complaints about it because what other plot can a sport-themed anime have??

For someone who played volleyball, I can totally relate to this anime. I'm even sure someone who has zero experience in volleyball will eventually love it and understand even the technical stuff in this anime by watching it because its so simplistic.

Here's why I'm so hooked on Haikyuu !! (and you should watch too!)
[warning: minor spoilers ahead]

1. Team Spirit

Well... what is a sport without team spirit ?? As each episode goes by, their team spirit keeps getting better and better, although conflicts always happen in between, still their team spirit will always eventually get back to its fighting mood ! Not just Karasuno team, but the other teams has got the team spirit that makes you wanna root for them too.


2. The Suspense

In almost every match, there is always suspense like
"Woah ! that's a freaking good serve, definitely in ! ......WTF?! it's out?!",
"Oh.. he's gonna set to the ace .....WTF?! did he just dump it?!",
"Oh...that spike is gonna give them a point ! ...... WTF?! its being blocked?!"
That uncertainty of what's coming next is really nerve wrecking especially when it's during set point.


3. The Epic Score Hype

There is no denying that every single time a player (or probably your bias) lands an epic spike or epic serve to gain a point, together you'll go shouting "F- YEAHHHHHHHH!!" as if you're the one who score it. 

4. Silly Humors

What's not to love Haikyuu other than their silly humors and crazy shenanigans?


5. Technical Information

Another thing I like about Haikyuu is their insightful technical information. Since volleyball requires technique and also strategy for a team to lead, all these technique and strategy are explain either through mostly dialogue, throwback scenes and illustrations (like above) which are easy for viewers to understand.


6. Character's Development & Backstory

In any anime, the main characters are usually the one that goes through the development phase the most right? But in Haikyuu, because there are so many players in a team, each of them (or some of them) have their own flaws which will affect the team's performances. Hence, they too go through the development phase which also brings you to their backstory. The thing I like about is that not only they show the development of each players in Karasuno (the main team), but they also give viewers some insight on Karasuno's rivals or other teams backstory which IMO a good way to let viewers know more about a certain character/team.


7. Interesting Matches

If you've seen both season, you'll know that the match with Aoba Johsai is among the most interesting matches in all season. However there are also some match which IMO is interesting to watch because most of the opposing team that Karasuno faced has their own specialty (eg. Dateko/Date Tech High, known for their high level blocking skills; Johzenji for their spontaneous moves; Nekoma for their solid receives) and it shows how the team overcome their powerful opponent.


8. Love-Hate Relationship with Opposing Team

Via (source)

I'll admit that no matter how much I root for Karasuno to win in every match, I'll always have a soft spot for (some) rival teams especially Nekoma & Fukurodani. Love them for being dorky, but hate them for fighting against Karasuno. You'll get it after watching their Summer training camp arc. 

9. These Commercial Breaks

I friggin' love these commercial breaks ! I find it creative and amusing at the same time. I like how they use random players in each episode to do the serve break and it also gives you the anticipation on whether or not they will hit the bottle or miss it. (WHOEVER CAME UP WITH THIS IDEA IS GENIUS !!)


10. Motivation to play volleyball

Not sure about you but... after watching the whole season (and not sure what to do with life after that), the strong urge of wanting to play volleyball is tooooo intense especially for those who had once play volleyball before.





(BONUS)
NISHINOYA YUU

Via wifflegif

Seriously? How can we not love this fella? Rated as one of the top favorite characters in Haikyuu, Nishinoya or commonly known as "Noya-san" crazy and boisterous personality is what makes him a lovable character together with his insane reflexes and speed that makes him IMO one of the best libero in the entire series.

Hopefully this will convince you to watch Haikyuu. :)
And if you so happen to love it just as much as I do, be prepared as Season 3 is coming this FALL ! October to be specific. I'm a very impatient fella so I went on ahead to fill myself with some spoilers by reading the manga and I can say that season 3 is gonna be epic. Nope, not gonna spoil readers here but if your too curious and impatient like me, then by all means... ;)

Till then,