The fourth season of Haikyu!! aired on January 10, 2020 and it did not disappoint!
In the world of high school volleyball, height is king. Unfortunately, our main protagonist, Hinata, is short. After watching a national high school match on television, Hinata was awestruck by the Tiny Giant, a small volleyball player for Karasuno High School that appeared to fly on the court. Inspired by the Tiny Giant’s performance, Hinata begins the path to Karasuno High School to follow in the footsteps of his favorite player. Unfortunately for Hinata, his rival also arrives at Karasuno. Or is it?
Once a powerhouse, Karasuno has fallen from grace. The third-year members are docile having joined the team in its decline. Their love of volleyball and their teammates is the only reason they still play. Could the arrival of Hinata and his fated rival be the catalyst to turn things around and give the third-years a taste of the glory they could never reach alone? The first three seasons take us on that hard-fought journey.
What I love about Haikyu!! is there is so much depth to the show. This anime really develops each and every member of the team. There is a lot of thought and creativity placed into each interaction and relationship. Each team member adds an essential piece to the puzzle of their success.
Hinata has to grow in ways to compensate for his lack of height. He’s a boisterous and positive character you cannot help but love. Their success does not hinge on Hinata alone which makes me enjoy this show much more. He is flawed, but his attitude makes up for what he can’t physically do.
Haikyu!! makes me laugh. A lot. If you’re looking for an anime that spans the entire emotional range and does it well, you will not be disappointed. I am generally not a sports anime fan. It takes a lot for me to invest in a show that requires me to feign interest in a sport that I don’t enjoy. This anime expertly centers the action around volleyball without it feeling like it’s just about volleyball. Each match, each practice, each tournament all have a lot of growth happening.
So far, season 4 has been centered on each team member realizing that their success won’t continue without more personal growth. Old demons come back and they’re not quite meshing like they did before. Will the team really be okay? Was their prior success just luck?
I highly recommend giving Haikyu!! a try. Netflix has the first two seasons. You can catch the rest on Crunchyroll.
Filthy Casual for Life 