Haikyu!!

It's got exactly what you want a sports anime to have – suspense, sweat, blood, tears, a drive to constantly outdo each other, and a great team. It doesn't stand out in any genre, unless you count the fact that the boys play volleyball and pretty soon they form a nice team. Watching it, you think it's a shame he's not in high school anymore, because he would have wanted so badly to play sports like this, to give it his all and form strong bonds with his teammates. It's a well-paced series and it's not just the volleyball that drives the series, but the characters that complement each other perfectly. At the same time, they're also fun to be around and you get a kick out of the entire team. On the other hand, I wasn't that impressed with the matches. Sure, it was thrilling at times and I was curious to see what else they would come up with, but I wasn't on the edge of my seat and even though I wanted them to win, again, I wasn't totally into it. The matches couldn't completely absorb me. Still, definitely a very watchable sports anime that doesn't leave an aftertaste. (04/23/2019)

This anime is an accurately aimed cannonball between the eyes of all those who are convinced that sports anime is not for them and avoid it like the plague. Haikyu!! is a sports anime, but it is not primarily an anime about sports. The volleyball practices, tournaments and matches here only provide the narrative framework, or rather the backdrop against which the main thing that is going on – namely the development of perfectly written characters and their interactions. Although there is someone who could be described as the main character, there are many other characters vying for attention in the background, none of whom are neglected and each of whom is portrayed as realistically and in as much depth as possible. The plot of Haikyu!! is all about the clash of different motivations, overcoming mutual differences and animosity, finding commonalities, and finding ever new ways to improve teamwork. The creators let the heroes win and lose, the black and white nature of good and evil is done away with from the very first moment, and the events we see on screen transcend sports and can be applied to any group of people trying to achieve something together, and primarily by trying to change themselves. The realism comes to the fore here, so you do not have to worry about any silly displays of superhuman powers and techniques with overcomplicated, ridiculous names, as is sometimes the norm of this genre. All of the above is spiced up with a nice dose of humor and thrilling fights that will keep you on the edge of your seat, great soundtrack, likable artwork and smooth animation – and so there is no doubt about the rating I should give. Although the other seasons are also of high quality, I consider the first season to be the best due to the fact that there is the most room for what makes this anime so impressive, that is the aforementioned character development and relationship building. So if you are one of those who eye sports anime suspiciously, I recommend watching Haikyu!! as an excellent way to see the light. (07/09/2019)