Haikyu!! has been a pillar of sports anime for the past decade. The misfits of the Karasuno High School volleyball team and their journey to become champions again have proven that every team member matters which is executed magnificently by its wonderful character development. Not many sports anime achieve this level of character building, and it’s that kind of foundation that has brought the series to its heights today.
Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle takes Karasuno and their counterparts from Nekoma High School to the movie theater for their very first official match – bringing all the emotion, intensity, and beautifully animated action of the TV series along with it. The relationship between the opposing sides of the “Dumpster Battle” – so named for a theoretical battleground from the team’s Japanese names, “karasu” for crows and “neko” for cats – makes for a contentious face-off of pure friendly rivalry. It’s a contest fit for the big screen, and one of the series’ best matches ever.
It’s a truly unique matchup: Both teams are respectful to and gracious with one another, and they’re almost identical in many ways. The anxiety and dread of Haikyu!!’s on-court action melts away. Instead, it feels like both teams are excited to show each other how far they’ve come, even though their goal of winning Spring Nationals is on the line.
It’s this relationship that really makes the movie shine in comparison to the rest of Haikyu!! Since this is a di.