Haikyuu!! S2 – 17
Should we call 911 or the tooth fairy?
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My sweat towel for working out is some Haikyuu!! merch I picked up in a Shonen Jump store, so I could be a secret weeb posing as a member of a volleyball team. Today some dude on my team recognized it though so the gig is up…I can’t pretend this was something my old team gave me *sigh*. That’s my story for today. Back to what y’all are really here for: DAICHI! |
At first I thought Daichi messed up his shoulder and would really be down for the count. Thankfully, he just got a tooth knocked out! I mean, I’m sure no one is thankful Daichi busted a tooth and nearly got a concussion, but it sure is better than dislocating a shoulder. Daichi handles it like a champ though. He not only trusts his team enough to leave them, but he’s grounded enough to comfort Tanaka – the guy who slammed into him – and make sure he doesn’t feel guilty. He does this effective micromanaging all while he has blood and a loose tooth sloshing around his mouth. I’d be screaming in pain, not worrying about coddling the uninjured Tanaka. This really hammers it home that Daichi is the foundation of the team and without him, everything can fall apart.
However, they don’t completely fall apart.
There is one player with the potential to replace Daichi. He still has a long way to go to truly fill those shoes, but he’s the best fill-in they’ve got right now. That player is Ennoshita, a guy who I honestly don’t remember ever existing up until this point. We see some flashbacks about the time he skipped practice, which I watched with a glazed look, wondering if this was something that happened before that I was supposed to recall. Maybe I’m getting old. Anyways, I still really liked seeing Ennoshita as a capable captain. I love when underdogs are given a chance, and Ennoshita is a green player who rarely sets foot on the court during official matches. He deserves something for his hard work.
What makes Ennoshita a good captain is his ability to work with everyone: the more serious players like Asahi, the ruffians like Tanaka, the hyper idiots like Hinata and even neurotic players like Freckles. I think the fact that he tried to quit and realized he couldn’t isn’t something he should be ashamed of, because it just shows how much he actually loves the sport. Sometimes you just don’t realize how much you appreciate something until it’s gone. So although I had no recollection of this dude whatsoever, I started to cheer for him right away. It’s kind of amazing how well he pulled off the leadership role given the huge amount of weight being placed on his shoulder.
ONCE YOU JOIN THE CULT YOU CANNOT LEAVE
While Ennoshita rises to the occasion to the best of his abilities, the same can’t quite be said for Freckles. I got really excited when he subbed in as a pinch server. Unlike the other players, he’s quiet and shy (whereas Tsukki is quiet and rude as fuck). He’s the not the type that usually does well in an athletic environment where you have to be loud, bold, and sometimes a little reckless. Given the small amount of time he’s had in real matches where the level of stress you feel is on a whole different level from scrimmages, it’s not surprising he crumbles under the pressure. He barely gets his first serve in, and he chickens out of his second jump serve at the last moment.
It’s one of those moments where Karasuno scores anyways, but that’s not really the point. The point is that Freckles is there to do his special killer serve, and if he backs out of that…what’s the point of subbing him in for a regular ‘ol serve anyone can pull off? His change from a jump serve also implies that he isn’t trying his best. Given that Daichi almost blacked out from tenaciously chasing the ball, it’s insulting for him to not put forth at least that amount of enthusiasm. As Ennoshita says, Freckles probably realized all this the second he !hit the ball. You can tell by his face that he is in absolute misery. It’s actually pretty hard to watch. Nothing good ever happens to Freckles!
TT^TT
This episode actually didn’t show much of Wakunan at all, which is fine by me. It was more about Karasuno, how they survived without Daichi, and how they’re starting to fall behind now. I think things are starting to get set up for when the third years graduate, which is sad to think about, but it will inevitably have to happen (unless someone fails and stays back….). I know Karasuno will pull out a win somehow, it’s just going to take a bit more effort.
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.
