Haikyuu!! S2 – 19

Some opponents strike fear into your hearts. Others….make you feel sorry for them.

Poor Date Tech just can’t seem to live up to their name. I remember them being a tough team that Karasuno had to face way back when, yet here they are flailing all over the place. I think they made the entire stadium pull a derpy wtf face in reaction to their struggling…and that’s not a good thing.

For what should have been a match between two great teams that gave Karasuno varying degrees of trouble, this game was pretty quiet. Not only was the action sparse, but even the behind-the-scenes drama was pretty lacking. Last week we had like 3 people crying, an injury, and plenty of raw emotions being exposed. It makes this episode’s focus on Koganegawa being the new guy seem dull in comparison. Furthermore, Date Tech’s response to losing wasn’t very dramatic. They just shrugged and mentally prepared themselves for next year. Not very thrilling, huh?

Of course, this is just in Haikyuu!! terms. In general, this was a good episode with some interesting plays by Oikawa and his team as they broke through what was depicted as an otherwise completely impenetrable wall. That was an intense scene! The rest of the match was a bit lacking in everything aside from goofy faces, compared to the norm. But I think this match was supposed to give us some breathing time before the big showdown between Karasuno and Aoba Jousai. This is meant to be the grudge match the second season has been working towards all this time. Karasuno suffered a terrible loss to them and now it’s time for them to face them again.

So this is a nice reminder at how fearsome Aoba Jousai is. Oikawa is as tricksy as always, and the rest of them know how to pull their weight too. Hinata is usually the one who starts up rivalries with the opposing players, but this time Kageyama is the one with an axe to grind. He’s such a strong player that it’s hard for any one particular player to even meet his standards as a rival. Oikawa is one of those rare few who is strong, plays the same position as Kageyama, and has the precise combination of personality traits that manage to rub Kageyama all the wrong ways. It’s a perfect match-up, and I love the rare chance to see Kageyama get riled up.

Look at this loser filing his nails before a match

The whole lead-up to the Aoba Jousai match was actually more memorable than the Aoba Jousai vs Date Tech match itself! Everyone was so unbelievably nervous. I felt the nerves a lot more thanks to the flashback…and I usually hate flashbacks. The memory of passionate their last play was had eroded in my mind, so I needed that refresher to see just how hard they pushed only to ultimately fail. Of course a loss like that would be soul-crushing. I’ll be looking forward to seeing how that feeling of inferiority plays in the match. Mostly for Kageyama, but also for Freckles to a lesser extent. I think Ukai will see this as the perfect chance for Freckles to kind of “undo” his past mistake. That way, he can get a positive experience that boosts his confidence. The problem is…if he blows it then I don’t know if he’ll be able to recover. The guy is already so anxious he’s on the verge of puking! As long as he doesn’t reach Yachi’s level of excitability, he should be fine though…

Prepare for next week. It’s going to be a good one!!!

Just don’t get as excited as Yachi

About Overcooled

A neuroscience graduate, black belt, and all-around nerd. You'll either find me in my lab or curled up in my rilakkuma kigurumi watching anime.