PLEASE WATCH THIS SHOW!!!!!
I am in no way a diehard fan of sports or sport anime in general. I usually find them tedious and boring. I had a very hard time convincing myself to watch this show because of that fact. I mean, it's volleyball, I figured I would have more fun watching paint dry. Oh boy was I wrong.
Giving this diamond in the ruff a try might be one of the best anime decisions I've ever made. You know an anime is pure gold when it gets you fully invested in a story you otherwise wouldn't care at all about. The story telling in Haikyuu!! and it's second season, were absolutely spectacular. The ensemble cast all had significant roles to play in the story, and it never felt like the story was too focused on the main characters. This anime even made you feel bad for the minor characters on the opposing teams. Haikyuu might have the best character development of ANY anime I've ever seen.... regardless of genre.
I personally found the pacing to be perfect. Each match was given ample time to develop without feeling rushed or drawn out. As a viewer, I felt like a member of the team who needed to give every opponent the respect they deserved, rather than just automatically disregarding a team as a stepping stone. From a larger scale (season to season), the pacing was also excellent. From very early on, a clear goal for our protagonists was presented. It was made very clear where the story was going, and what the team would need to do to reach their goal. I found myself very satisfied with the way the team's progress towards this goal was approached. Very high marks all around in terms of plot.
I think one aspect of an anime that can sometimes be overlooked are the sound effects in each episode. Haikyuu!! did a wonderful job of making the audience feel like they were in the gym training, or on the court with the team in during a match. I very much enjoyed the immersiveness of the sounds in this anime.
As a pessimist, it kind of annoys me that I can't find anything major that's wrong with Haikyuu!! This anime was very enjoyable and should be given a chance regardless of your feelings about the genre. I have high hopes for season 3, and hopefully this wonderful anime will continue to impress me.
