Haikyuu!! To the Top

I will keep it short. I enjoyed this season, while they lack some elements from first one they improved others. It may be not tense as 3rd but games are still fun to watch.
Character development is in the first place and they did a solid job. New characters introduced, also new possible side story.

I did not like forever lasting matches from season before and they really improved that part. Characters who were avoided before got some spotlight and they did not stall.
Animation and music were still on point.
This is great, fun to watch sport anime. I recommend.

It's my first time writing a review but, i hope i can tell the reasons for why i really like this season.

First of all, I love how they focus on them so much in this season. Their training is so fun to watch. And every time Hinata's eyes shows up on screen, i'm just----- Oh, I like the new characters too!

About artstyle: I really liked it a lot, I know it's not the best but it's pretty cool and enjoyable i think. (Tho can't say that for Daichi, i didn't like his new style)

It's been very good for now. Can't wait for the second part. ... (Maybe i really won't wait and read the manga, but anime is pretty good so don't know what to do...)

OK... So I came back here after watching the 12th episode and now i'm going to decrase art point by one.

Haikyu returns for a a disappointing fourth season compared to its previous seasons. The changes that first caught my attention were changes in art style and Coach Ukai's voice actor. While the art is by no means bad, I do think it's a step down from the old animation. Some stylistic changes include adding character introductions before matches. It's a good attempt to build hype and acquaint the viewer with the enemy team, but it comes off as tacky sometimes—having flames in head to head portraits is a bit much. Now Ukai's original voice actor died, so they had to replace him. The replacement isn't ... bad; I'm just too used to the old voice. Every time Ukai speaks feels off to me.

What killed this season for me was the pacing. Everything until the official matches felt so slow. The training camp feels like a waste of time for Hinata, and the practice match feels too similar to previous ones. At one point, Hinata asks himself what's he doing wasting his time, and I found myself asking the exact same question then. While Hinata does improve after his "unconventional training", I question how realistic this improvement is. Conventional practice just seems so much better; the show didn't do a good job convincing me otherwise. On top of that, the payoff for the official matches feels short lived. The official matches are as thrilling as they've ever been, but they're over in a flash. In the end, I wasn't sure if they were worth the wait.

The charm of Haikyu's characters is getting a little stale. While each character remains endearing, they've become predictable. You kinda already know how characters will react to team drama and challenges. Sometimes characters feel like flat caricatures that occasionally say snappy sports one-liners. Kageyama and Kiyoko are perhaps the exceptions this season with their new development. As a Haikyu fan, this has me worried about future seasons, since the hearts of this series is its characters.

I didn't dislike this season, but it was a letdown compared to previous seasons. The season did many things right, like music and the official matches. However, this season has to stand in the shadow of ones, and it just failed to live up to expectations.

The fourth season of Haikyuu. Story-wise, there are nothing really major this season. I like to think that this season is the part where they focus on character development, we get to see a lot of character development stories this season. This season is sort of a build-up to the main story in Part 2 later.

The animation is Haikyuu-esque like usual, with the change of staffs recently I did not hoped anything, but this season's art is wonderful like always.

The Opening is great, it symbolises the whole of the season. The BGM are glorious as always. Haikyuu always has nice OST.

The characters are great this ... time around, I really like the character development in this season. The new antagonists like Miya is also great. I really like how Miya is impacting Kageyama's character development. The addition of Hoshiumi serves as a rival to Hinata.

As usual I really enjoy watching Haikyuu (maybe because I play volleyball regularly), but Haikyuu just has a charm unlike any other sports anime. It's just entertaining. Can't wait for the second-part in the Summer.

It'd be hard no matter what happened to follow up the adrenaline rush of the Shiratorizawa match. This season continues to develop the dynamics between the teammates and those they practice with, and Hinata continues to be a compelling character you just wanna cheer on. Other characters that sort of went by the wayside previously are also given some development and setup for later development (potentially). Speaking of, romance is typically played off as a joke in shounen, so it'd be interesting to see it go somewhere other than a punchline. Outside of that, a significant portion of this season didn't so much feel as ... a training arc with satisfying progress than it did a stopgap before the spring tournament. Not bad, though not as engaging as I wanted it to be. I sort of noticed some differences in the animation, though I'm not really an expert on whether it's better or worse. Personally, I liked the previous animation style a bit better even though there's not much of a difference.

I love how consistent this show is. Each season is just as good as the last and always presenting something new to engage the audience. I loved the approach this season took regarding Hinata, who finally started to try and master some of the more fundamental skills of volleyball as he saw his fellow first years start to advance past him. His concentration face during the times he was a ball boy was really well designed. Also, I noticed that there were some subtle differences in the character designs in this season compared to the other three. I'm not sure if was a different approach ... to shading, a difference in the line work, or tweaks to the design of the face, but there was definitely something different this season. And it wasn't necessarily bad, I just noticed something different. Also, the animation throughout this season is spectacular and it continued to show that the people behind this show really care. It contained a myriad of cuts that really impressed me. The animation was a real standout in the new characters that were introduced this season as well.

I also want to mention how absolutely amazing the OST has been for this series. The composers always nail it with each new season and this is no exception. There's this certain guitar solo track that played a couple times as Hinata starts to understand certain moves that really stood out to me. Overall, another solid half-season. I can't wait for the second-half.

Haikyuu!! To the Top

Ok ok, where do I start here?
After the unexpected victory of the protagonists against Shiratorizawa, the national games finally begin. And as you would naturally expect, some silhouettes from the first seasons are revealed and you see more of our legendary "misplaced JoJo antagonists" who happen to be the best of the best players and bend the laws of physics as they please.


This season begins with arguably the best and most surprising training arc yet in Haikyuu. This may seem boring at first glance but is actually the best self-reflection for Hinata to destroy his own dependence on Kageyama.

After about ... 8 episodes, the actual games begin, which brings us almost to the end of the first part.

This season felt different from the previous ones, with much less atmosphere and passion. It had a typical Ova vibe as if it was practically a studio original project and not a manga adaptation.

Haikyu has always been an anime that captivated and convinced with its exaggerated motivation and dynamics. And it's this strength that was missing this season, giving us only a mediocre game and a relatively decent training arc.

Enjoyment 6

This outstanding stunning anime is deserved to be the best anime of the decade. No im not talking abt Sports anime but all anime. Its the BEST Anime tier list EVER. Weeb Lord R/anime and weeb Lord Sseibaa has persuaded me tro write this review.
This anime has such amazing husbandos and is just spectacular. This anime made me lose 10kg of weight because i binge watched it for 4 days straight. I couldnt keep my eyes of the screen. Im at the hospital right now because of this but it was worth it. Cant wait for the next season to air. PogU

Where to start with Haikyuu's new season?

The season has barely even started and we have been blessed with a fire opening that can hold its head high in comparison with the other.

Even though the season is only roughly 5 episodes in, we see a lot of new characters, really interesting and unique characters, who will pose a threat to the development of Karasuno in this new tournament, and instead of feeling worried for the roster, I can feel the anticipation and excitement to see them duel it out in the air.

So far so good is what I have to say about Haikyuu season 4.

Hello, this is my first review, so I hope I am doing this correctly.

While I am still very much in love with Haikyuu, something about it doesn't feel right. And that for me is the change of style.

I remember seeing the new designs on Instagram and immediately felt my love for the characters drop. Don't get me wrong, I still very much love my good boys, but that only characters that didn't seem to change are Yuu and Tanaka. I miss Hinata's wild, detailed hair and I miss Kageyama's distinctive look that came with the prior seasons. Kageyama in this season just looks different ... and it's doesn't sit well with me. But, I understand what change comes with a few tweaks in storytelling, whether it is through animation and the actual storytelling.

Story: 8

I still consider the story very well written. I have not read the manga as that art style isn't really my thing. I will have to give it an 8. I feel that some story elements are rushed.

Art: 6

This could just be me, but the simplicity of the animation makes is look lazy. Yes, in certain scenes (ex: Kagayama trying to understand the layout of the building that they are playing in a grid-like pattern used as visual to enhance that) are very well but together. I made most of my points in before these rates, so I will not get into that again.

Sound: 8

I am no expert, but it mostly sounds pretty good to me.

Character: 7

Some characters seemed to be dumbed down, personalities don't match with the prior seasons. The characters could be handled better.

Enjoyment and Overall: 8

I still very much love this series. While I feel that many things could be handled better, I will not fault the studio and the team for making such a wonderful series for us.

I hope this looks all right and I hope I could get my point across. Enjoy the rest of this series!

Firstly, the fourth season starts right before the end of the third one, giving the spectator a great chance to compare the art style between both.

Although, some may argue that the quality decreased, I say with confidence that it changes for the best. An uniform mix that includes both the author art style in junction with it's counterpart from the other seasons. But, again, if you are pleased with it or not, it is entirely subjective.

The formula is simple, yet effective. Karasuno's style keeps changing and improving based on other teams. What characters thought about for a matter of seconds, takes minutes (just like JJBA). ... Strategies that make sense, no special powers, carismatic characters and nothing happens based on nothing or plot devices.

Then why are you rating the anime that high? Well, the application is perfect. Not every anime has to be a innovative masterpiece, if you feel pleasure, tension and can understand the character's beliefs, you already have a masterpiece.

Haikyuu is the anime that hooked me into volleyball, also being the anime that showed me that you do not need to be a genius in order to become a great player, you do not need to have 190cm to be a great spiker and you do not need to be perfect in order to win.

Practice makes perfect, and enjoyability makes a great anime.

Clarification:

Unfortunately we have come this far .... At the moment, because due to the global pandemic that affects everyone and the cheer houses were no exception. This adaptation of "To the Top" was intended to have 24/25 chapters actually, but as I mentioned the chapters were delayed too long, so they chose to divide this season into 2 parts and the second one would arrive in October if everything goes well. OK and the rate of infected in Japan allows it, otherwise we will continue to wait. But if there is something clear, it is that there is still Haikyuu for a while

General: (7.7 / ... 10)

This new season of Haikyuu was very comforting and somewhat nostalgic, since 4 years have passed since that adaptation of the match against "Shiratorizawa" and despite the time it continues to maintain the same appeal with its daily condiments of good sport and comedy. Although something that if I notice at times was a certain drop in the animation and deformity of faces, but well let's hope they can solve it in the face of the continuation and the worst case scenario does not fall further.
I do not want to return more extensive, finally I remain relatively satisfied, understanding the crisis we all live through but it is still an incomplete adaptation so I cannot give it any more average score at the moment ...

I have never really written a review on here, but I really do enjoy this series as a whole. I really enjoyed Hinata's character development in this season. The art is good but nothing spectacular since its a tv series. I think the character designs are able to stand out and pretty good for how many characters there are. As a ex-athlete, I can relate to wanting to be better and achieving new heights. The OPs and EDs are always good. The story/plot of Haikyuu is pretty generic. I honestly find myself bored during the matches. I used to be super into them in ... the beginning of the series, but I just feel like they are drawn out and nothing is new. I like Haikyuu, it isn't my favorite anime ever, but its pretty close.

I'd say haikyuu is overall a good show but this season feels so off to me. Setting apart the fact that Ukai's voice actor is different which is a bit of let down most of the characters are very weird to me. Sugawara is the most noticable, he went from being extremely kind and friendly to constantly teasing the others. Since I binged the first three seasons and I have all of the characters' personalities fresh in my head I can tell this is so out of character for him. Same goes for Hinata and Kageyama who both act out of character from time to ... time throughout the entire season. The animation also has some subtle changes which I am not really a big fun of. This season wasn't good in my opinion and it definetly ruined the image I had for haikyu but you might want to watch it to continue the story. Honestly though if you don't mind learning what happens next it is probably good to end it at the third season.

This very much feels like the first half of a really strong season, which… yeah, it is. It’s a lot of setup for some major matches that will come to pass in the next half of this season. As such, it doesn’t have the oomph of the previous seasons, at least not yet. That’s not a huge problem, especially since this season has one of the better training arcs with Hinata in particular, but I do think that focus comes at the cost of showing growth in other characters as well. All that being said, it’s some great build-up and I’m looking forward to seeing ... how the second half plays out.

This is essentially the beginning of what we have been waiting for since the very start. In the first half, we see training for nationals and in the second half, we get to see it begin and the result of the hard work of all of the teams there.


I have mixed opinions on this new and very different art style. In some parts, it looks great and actually has significantly more detail and depth. But the faces seem to be a big struggle - the noses look strange and the eyes of the characters make a lot of them look very different and it just ... feels off.

Since the death of Kazunari Tanaka, the original voice of Coach Ukai, you can tell the difference significantly. Hisao Egawa is a great VA but he pales in comparison to the Ukai that we all came to love, which felt like it fit the character better. The op and ed also felt like it wasn't bad, but just wasn't as good as the previous seasons.


Shouyou Hinata (Simpleton Idiot, Chibi-chan, Dumbass)

Tobio Kageyama (King of the Court, Bakageyama, Bateyama-kun, Kalm-geyama, Yamayama-kun, Wearyama-kun, Simpleton Idiot)

Haikyuu!! To The Top once again takes a calmer start as s2 did, giving both us and team Karasuno some much needed time to catch our breath after the adrenaline overloading match vs Shiratorizawa

This time the calming pace serves to focus on the more introspective side of the characters
The maturing thought process is not only shown as the great evolution it is however, we also get to learn alongside the characters the fine line between introspection and overthinking

The one thing i wasn't a big fan of this season was the change in animation style, i much prefered the aesthetic of previous seasons and felt they ... had a certain fluidity to them this season seemed to be lacking in, so i was a lil worried it wouldn't be able to pull off the intensity of the matches

Thankfully with the start of the Spring Tournament i was proven wrong, well sorta...
The matches don't have the intensity of the first 3 seasons, they have a different kind of intensity
The introspective nature of this season's tone made way for observing the more analytical side of playing volleyball, a side that compliments the current animation style a lot better than the ultra-hype we were used to so far
If we were watching previous season's matches from a spectator's point of view, this time round we're watching matches unfold from on the court, almost as if we're getting the same slow motion sensation the players feel

The 10 episodes from season three that focus on one game are now followed by a 13 episode season that gives much more time to breath and refocus before really getting into the national tournament. And Haikyuu!!: To the Top does a good job at getting more into the cast. Kageyama and Hinata both have moments of learning to overcome weaknesses they've had, being communication about tosses and receiving respectively. Hinata finally getting a handle on receiving, which is something much more suited for him on defense than really trying to make an impact on blocking is good to see. Something rubbed me the wrong ... way about Kageyama's few episodes in practice and facing Date Tech. I'm not sure what exactly but the kind of energy that Haikyuu always brings to its volleyball and non-volleyball related moments was just sucked out and I was not into it.

So the first half of the season had some ups and downs, especially with how uncomfortable it was for Hinata to really deal with the consequences of just showing up to a practice camp he wasn't invited to and sheepishly having to be a ball boy for it. That could be comedic in another anime but this plays it realistically. But things improve a lot when the tournament gets going. I loved the New Years episode where everyone is kind of struggling with what to do with themselves when they need to rest and the biggest games of their career are about the start. The episode that finally fleshed out Kiyoko more was great with her kind of playing the opposite of Yachi and her relationship to help running the club. Tanaka is as inspired as ever, and the third years all had nice moments and really came together for a hell of an ending when they played Tsubakihara, Go Sugawara.

The animation was clearly different and took some getting used to during the first episode but it seemed to look better during all the motion shots than before, but there was something a bit off about the more still, talking sections. It's noticeable in some instances but not a deal breaker.

All I need now is a published list of all of Bokuto's weaknesses and I'll feel like I've really completed this series.

**edited and reposted after season finale** SPOILER-FREE!!

I will keep this short:

This is the first time I rate any season of Haikyuu!! 8/10. It's always been 9/10 (I even think about making it 10/10). It's one of the first anime I watched and loved so I may be biased. I recently read the manga as well and I was looking forward to a new seasons for so long.

The characters are still great, the story too, even though this season was a bit slow. I still enjoyed it, not as much as in the manga, but not because it was the second time I was ... experiencing it but because I felt it was lacking something.

Let me say that the new character designs are I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E. They look way cooler, plus it's much more similar to Furudate's current art style. The thing that bums me out the most is the animation and directing. Being different from the previous seasons' is expected, it's been a while, but it's a bit disappointing to me. It's still pretty good, but it's not 'special' and that's what I used to love the most about Haikyuu!! The extensive shading, the extra lines, the thinner lines, the fluidity of the animation and continuity of the scenes. Those extra, unnecessary to the plot of the story layers, or a facial expression changing multiple times, or a background character's pointless movements, are all the things that made Haikyuu!!' extraordinary for me.

Now instead, I get the feeling that the episode I'm watching was made in a rush (very possible because of the deadlines but...... really? you had 4 years and you announced the new season 1 year ago). Like, the movements of the characters are rigid and stiff both during volleyball games and normal dialogue scenes. For example the hair doesn't even move most of the time and if it does, it's the same repetitive two layers (I make gifs). Sometimes layers are missing and it shows during the episode as well. Next thing, there are TOO MANY still scenes or very sloppy slow motion scenes. Nothing like the scenes with Hinata's eyes reflecting the ball midair in a previous season. That scene with Hoshiumi jumping is pretty impressive, but they reused the same scene like, 3 times. His scene during the Spring High Tournament match was really good though. Last thing I want to say: a lot of should have been funny scenes are not so funny, I find the reaction time (facial expressions, dialogue, sound effects) too slow. Speaking of sound effects, they are very generic, and the soundtrack hasn't even made an impression to the point that I don't even know if it exists (OP and ED are amazing though, I love them). Where are the character soundtracks, like the one that played every time The Grand King appeared?

I know a lot of the things I mention are insignificant details to most people, but those are the things I notice the most when watching any anime. I realise it's a lot of work and I appreciate the effort that has gone into this season but it's just good animation. It's ordinary with a few exceptions. There were things I liked of course but that's because of the nature of the story and the characters in general. Of course, I still love Haikyuu!! but I had to share my disappointment. I'm not trying to offend anyone (especially not the people who have worked on this) and I don't know if others agree or disagree with me.

I really hope next season is better!!

Ok, when I wrote this review I was already watching Haikyuu season 1-4. And I will combine all the reviews in here

STORY
The story in this anime has the same concept as other anime such as Naruto, Black Clover, and My Hero Academia. What makes them similar is the main character who never gives up and fights from zero to hero. The story in this anime is not boring because they managed to mix the epic volleyball scene with drama and comedy. So in every volleyball match our feelings will go up and down like a roller coaster

ANIMATION
As we know the animation of Haikyuu anime season ... 1-3 with animation in season 4 is slightly different. Actually, my eyes are more comfortable seeing animation in seasons 1-3. But I also have no problem with animation in season 4

OPENING & ENDING SONG
For the opening and ending songs, in my opinion, there is almost nothing special. But I never skipped the opening entitled "Imagination" and "Fly High" for the ending song there is only 1 song that I never skip, the song called "Kessen Spirit"

CHARACTER
There are many characters in this anime, but in my opinion all the characters are the best, because each of them has a unique personality. The story of their past is also told briefly but well conveyed. One of the things I like about this anime is the side characters that their volleyball team is not very strong. They give up because they always lose but they keep fighting to win. Their mental awakening always touches me and makes me want to cry

OVERALL
Overall I really enjoyed this anime. In my opinion, the best season of this anime is in season 3 because in this season Ushijima, who had thought that his team was the strongest team, was defeated by the school he underestimated. Overall I really enjoyed this anime. I was also surprised when I watched season 2 because I didn't expect there would be a new character and the character was named Yachi. For some reason I really hope and think that Yachi and Hinata both have feelings of love :)