Haikyu!! : The Dumpster Battle: The Review

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WARNING: SPOILERS

“Next time, I will make you desperate to win and we’ll win. And I’ll make you say ‘I hate losing’ or ‘I had a blast’ instead of just ‘Sort of..’” - Hinata Shouyo

And Hinata was right. The Battle that both sides have been desperately waiting for, we finally have Cats versus Crows, Nekoma vs Karasuno, The Dumpster Battle. The stakes are high: losing team would not only face defeat against the oldest rivals but also elimination from the spring nationals.

I was pretty sceptical about the concept of the movie, a very short one at that, considering how last season’s match with Inarizaki was of the same length, yet had 10 episodes to it. And I must say I would have loved if this movie was longer. But it did not dissapoint. Somewhere I must also say that maybe it was fast paced and it took you time to settle in, and by that time half the film was over. But nonetheless less it was enjoyable.

I must admit when I went in, I hadn’t watched Haikyu!! Content in years. So I had a bit of trouble remembereing some names (Sorry Tsukki). Also, I knew the outcome of the match (thanks to my sister and I hate her for it) so I definitely felt that it would have been more enjoyable had I not known who wins. I was rooting for both the teams really because I knew them both so well. Hence I was prepared for a heartbreak. But I must say they handled the ending really well. Here are some highlights of the the watch-

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Hinata V/s Kenma

The major focus of the entire film was on this ‘Rivalry’ and Kenma discovering his drive for Volleyball. We know he is a tactful player, but this film shows us exactly how intelligent he is. It also feels satisfying to see how much he has grown from their first meeting. He is someone who enjoys volleyball now and wants to win every game desperately. And it’s all thanks to Hinata.

‘Keep being interesting, Shouyo” - Kenma

It feels so great when at the end of the match Kenma declares that he had so much fun playing, fighting to prevent the ball from hitting the floor. There is also an incredible scene towards the end of the last set, which is from Kenma’s point of view, which makes us realise how tired he is, and how much effort he is putting in to win. A funny scene, where he does a very quick set and all the players are shocked at his speed. Kageyama asks what everybody is thinking- “You can move?”. “I mean I am alive.”, he replies.

He was particularly villainous in this film, devising the most wicked strategies to demotivate Hinata. It didnt help that he gave the most spine-chilling smiles at times and there is an animation of him trapping Hinata in a cage. The plans didn’t work of course, and thanks to that, we got the most amazing moment of Hinata jumping to an ungodly height.

Speaking of Hinata, I was disappointed that we didn’t get to see much of him in the first half of the film. But as usual he lit up the screen when his time came. Hinata was the same as usual, never giving up. Fighting to reach the ball even in the face of failure, and reaching new heights ( literally as well ). Kageyama didn’t get much screen time or any significant role in this movie. I figure they were trying to insert a lot of things in the short runtime.

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Kuroo and Kenma

There was a really sweet flashback of Kenma of how Kuroo got him to play volleyball. Kenma spoke of how Kuroo knew exactly what to say to cheer people up. Through sweet talk he got Kenma to join a volleyball academy, where Nekomata Sensei encouraged him to spike, because he liked it, even though he was short for it (can you imagine Kuroo was short for it lol). He took Kenma out to play volleyball and when they couldn’t, he brought in CDs for them to watch. Seeing Kenma’s interest in strategies, he encouraged him to become a setter. When Kenma’s dad asked Kuroo to take him to play football outside, he explained in the nicest way how Kenma shouldn’t be forced to do something he doesn’t like. As someone with a soft spot for Kuroo, I loved these scenes.

I also love that they showed the flashback of Kenma and Hinata’s first meeting from Kuroo’s point of view. He was really surprised when he heard that Kenma thinks their team is pretty great.

But the best part was when after the match he thanks Kuroo for teaching him Volleyball. Let’s just say Kuroo was not the only one trying to hold back the tears.

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Amongst other things, I love how Bokuto and Kuroo have almost adopted Tsukishima. I absolutely adored the banter that went back and forth between them. They really think of him as their stubborn disciple. And as usual we have Kageyama struggling to compliment Hinata.

Unfortunately, the other Karasuno teammates didn’t get any screen time. But on the plus side, the animation was miles, and I mean miles better than last season’s animation. The change last season was abrupt and I really hated the new animation. But this movie was somewhat of a middle ground and I liked that.

A great watch, overall. Not entirely satisfying but great nonetheless.

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