But enough about me, let's get onto the volleyball.
The huge overarching plot is your typical sports anime kind of thing, where the main team has to overcome the obstacles presented by other teams in order to win the championship or whatnot. In that, Haikyuu!! isn't really anything special or different from other anime in its genre. But that's okay, because it makes way for this series' biggest strong point: the impressive characters and characterization.
Of course, Hinata and Kageyama are the main characters, and their relationship is focused on the most throughout the series. They're both written extremely well, and they also have a ton of character development, both individually and as a team. But they by all means aren't the only characters in the series, and the producers make sure you know that extremely well, by making sure you both get to know and in some cases fall in love with the other, more minor characters. From the tough-looking teddy bear spiker Azumane Asahi to the super-energetic "fight me!" attacker Tanaka Ryuunosuke, as well as all the other characters you meet, the series lets you meet your teammates and know them really well, almost as if you were playing on a real team instead of watching one. Most of them also undergo a lot of character development themselves, Asahi really standing out among the rest of the team, although I can think of at least two other characters who undergo some as well. However, the main cast is huge, making for some characters to almost get left out of the action. Yamaguchi Tadashi especially comes to mind, as he sometimes gets a little bit of the spotlight, then practically disappears for episodes at a time. And even so, some of the other characters barely get focused on at all.
But that's not it. Along with getting to know your teammates, you also get to know your rivals and your enemies, too. After all, Karasuno High has to play against someone to win, right? There's a lot of focus on rival school Nekoma High and its players, especially quiet setter Kenma, in a few episodes, and the match against "Iron Wall" blocking central Dateko has a lot of focus on their team, too.
The greatest school other than Karasuno to get the spotlight, however, is definitely Aoba Johsai, Karasuno's true rival. Not only does the team have a lot of players from Kageyama's middle school, but their captain, Oikawa Tooru, is given a huge spotlight on his own in the later episodes of the series. I won't spoil it, of course, but while you might hate him early on, Oikawa just might become one of your favorite characters, and his motivations are both relatable and heart-wrenching. Aoba Johsai will probably make you question who you're actually rooting for, due to the amazing characterization on both sides of the net. That's what happened for me, at least.
The sound is great, the characters all have lots of expression and they all are voiced extremely well. The voice cast was wonderful to listen to, and Oikawa's "Yahoo!~" never gets old. Plus, the music is great. The openings and endings are all extremely catchy, but the OST that plays during the show itself is also a work of art that enhances the feeling of the series a lot and contributes to its success.
The art is also pretty great, being from Production I.G. and all, and in some cases it enhances the over-the-top feeling of the show, which I loved. There were bits when it seemed a bit repetitive, but overall, it was great visually. Some of the facial expressions were pretty hilarious, too.
Haikyuu!!, overall, is a great anime, one of the best in its genre, at least in my opinion. But hey, I played a lot of volleyball before watching the show, so maybe it's just me. Either way, it's an extremely fun watch, and it gets even better as the show goes on, at least until you end up crying over something or another. Even then, you will still love it. The elements all combine to create an amazing experience, and the characters especially stand out as characters you may just fall in love with. I'm extremely excited for season 2, and if it's anywhere as good as this season, it'll be a hit in my book.
