First Impressions – Haikyuu!! S3

Ike Ike KARA-SU-NOOO!

Karasuno has come a long way from a fledgling team to a formidable power house. They are not seasoned yet but are in the process of becoming one. This is a beautiful thing to see for long-time fans, who have stayed with the series. And even when we don’t have many sports fan on Metanorn, Cools and I are tagging for one of our favourite shows in sportswomanship spirit. (◕‿◕✿)

SO GOOD. I really missed seeing the Karasuno boys (and girls) in action. It hasn’t actually been that long, but I’ve become such a fan of the show that any absence is felt profoundly. It feels good to be talking about volleyball with Kyo again~

The Boys Are Back In Town

ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ

Ahhhh Karasuno. Ever the lovable underdogs. Even now, after such a long season, they get nervous at the start of a match. I still think it’s endearing to see them all shaky and anxious at the beginning, because it shows just how talented they are at overcoming their own personal issues when push comes to shove. It’s also amusing how everyone deals with their stress in different ways. Hinata…when will you stop having toilet trouble right before a match?!

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ ✧ﾟ･: *ヽ(◕ヮ◕ヽ)

There was a lot of time spent building up the tension for this match in showing all the little things that happens beforehand. For example, I really liked how much attention they gave the cheer squad in the crowd. Cheering has always been a part of the show, but there was a huge difference between Karasuno’s makeshift cheer squad and Shiratorizawa practically having an entire concert of choreography nailed down. The amount of people, the passion, the co-ordination, the volume, and the aesthetics of it was all much more impressive than Karasuno. It may seem like a bunch of sideliners yelling has nothing to do with how a volleyball match goes, but these kinds of things can really get into a player’s headspace during a match. The whole pre-match segment really set up Karasuno as the underdogs in this thing. They’ve come a long way, but they still have far to go…

Look at them Fly

Karasuno boys have grown so much! Not only on skills level but even on life points. Everyone has practiced their butt off in honing their individual skills to contribute to the overall team effectiveness. From Coach, Managers, to seniors, regulars and even the backup players; everyone has done their best to reach the Miyagi Prefecture Qualifiers, just a step away from Japanese Nationals. It’s a big one folks because it is the time that the crows will take flight!

(▰˘◡˘▰)

On life points, Daichi gets highest marks because the captain got himself a girlfriend! It’s not official yet but an actual ship has been born. Forget about all the BL baiting, which is mild in this series. I’m just happy to see Daichi and Yui hitting it off (Girls’ Volleyball Club), and making a cute couple. One of the best moments of this starter episode was when Daichi accepted the good luck charm from Yui, who was finding it difficult to find adjectives to praise Daichi’s team. Subtly in the background, Koushi walked off Asahi because the big lug is clueless in such matters and could have even interrupted them without knowing. Seems like friends from both sides are supporting Yui and Daichi. Heck, I’m cheering them on with orange pompoms!

ლ(´ڡ`ლ)

On the other hand, the baka-pardners are as glorious as ever. They would not leave a single moment of possible glory to waste. By rule they should be the ones acting mature but they are worse than young’uns because their adult brain cells basically got spent while training for volleyball. However much they try though, I have a feeling some of their thunder would be stolen by Shoyo, Tobio and even Tsukki, who have all gotten way better than when they first started.

I’m curious about Shiratorizawa on why Ukai thinks that they are incomplete. I know they heavily depend on their ace but what about others? Are they not up to par or just working as a close-knit army, providing support to the ace rather than showing their individual skills? It would be a fluke if Ushijima is the only powerful player in Shiratorizawa and how do you think the next 10 episodes go if that was the case? Nay, I believe they are hiding some interesting skills under their sleeves. I’m up for cutthroat matches, filled with many twists and turns.

Don’t mess with the seniors!

It’s a little surprising that this entire season will just be this match. On one hand, Shiratorizawa is a really powerful team, and it should be exciting to see a 5-set match. The best parts of Haikyuu are the games, so this season is essentially just distilling the formula down to its best parts. On the other hand, Shiratorizawa seems like such a boring opponent. We really only know the ace – everyone else is a completely new character. There are no established relationships or rivalries that have been developing…they’re like an end boss that’s been hiding in the shadows all this time.

All in all, this should be another good season of Haikyuu…but perhaps not the best. It’s hard to complain about getting more Haikyuu though!

I can’t be happier for Haikyuu’s return! I missed the boys, their adorable shenanigans and power-ups. This will be Karasuno’s first big match after Aoba Johsai and would require a high level of perseverance to stand up to the powerhouse team, who are ranked at number 8 in Japan.With 10 episodes, the match with Shirotorizawa should be fast paced. And I’m okay with less episodes, which checks out with the manga still being serialised. Production I.G doesn’t want any fillers or original content unlike Bleach, which is great for the fans.

We won’t be covering this on weekly basis but will revisit once this season ends. Tanoshimi da ne!

About Tag Team

We live, laugh, enjoy and strictly believe on "more the merrier". When together, we usually come up with very chatty, conversation-based episodics and interesting posts.