Haikyuu, a shonen-sports-comedy anime, was directed by Susumu Mitsunaka, written by Taku Kishimoto, and has been out since April of 2014. It was animated by the people at Production I.G and was adapted from a Shonen Jump serial created by Haruichi Furudate.

This show follows Shoyo Hinata and his quest to be the best volleyball player at Karasuno High after seeing the “tiny giant” play in a game on TV. Hinata is very short for a highschooler at 5’3” so he needs to make up for a lot of things most players would generally be expected to have. The “tiny giant” was also just as short but he was the ace of the team (the strongest blocker and best hitter).

Haikyuu has a very good way of building up everyone’s character. No matter how much everyone on the team improves they always get better somehow. It is very thought-provoking, making this show unlike many others that fall victim to being simple. Some just have an average feel of entertainment to them where the audience watches it and then moves on. With Haikyuu, there is a feeling of suspense and excitement, and a need for more. Don’t get me wrong, there are points where the show gives you a bit of a simple feeling, but when I was watching it, I was usually in suspense waiting for the next scene.

The majority of the time, in sports anime’s the rivalries can get annoying or exhausting, but that wasn’t the case in Haikyuu. Typically, people end up rooting for one character or get annoyed by anything the rival does against the main character. However, Haikyuu handled this differently, they made it so that both the rivals had about the same amount of flaws making it so the rivalry doesn’t get burnt out. Sometimes Kageyama is mean, while other times Hinata is just annoying, causing there to be a balance between the rivalry.

Another thing I liked about this was how sports is for sure the main aspect of the show, but it doesn’t always feel like it is. Throughout the show, the characters are always set in some type of gym or volleyball setting, but the way the show was made assured I didn’t feel overwhelmed with the sporty aspect. There are still other aspects to the show so that it doesn’t get boring by being only sports-based.

Overall, Haikyuu is a great show that does fall victim to some sports anime tropes but makes up for them with great writing and characterization. The plot is fun and easy to follow, and can be very exciting at times, almost as if I was watching an actual match. Not only is it about sports but it teaches you not to give up and to strive for what you want the way Hinata and Kageyama do. I really recommend this show to anyone who is interested in character driven animes that use sports as a backdrop.