It’s been 4 years for the reason that finish of season 4 of “Haikyuu!!,” the super-popular sports activities anime a few younger highschool volleyball crew, and now followers will lastly get to look at the start of the top of the story created by Haruichi Furudate, due to the characteristic movie “Haikyuu!! THE MOVIE: Decisive Battle on the Rubbish Dump.” Very like final yr’s beautiful “The First Slam Dunk,” the film takes place throughout a single match, which turns into the epicenter of a conflict of beliefs and personalities. In contrast to that film, although, this match is rushed, unnecessarily quick, and missing in context.
The issues with “Decisive Battle on the Rubbish Dump” start with its adaptation, which takes about 33 chapters of the manga and compresses them right into a single 85-minute film (in comparison with the anime’s standard pacing of about 5 chapters per 22-minute episode). The place “Assault on Titan” famously squeezed its closing arc over 4 years and lots of comically-titled seasons, “Haikyuu!!” makes this climactic second come throughout as rushed. Because of the quick operating time and quantity of story to cowl, this film isn’t for newcomers in any respect.
Very like “Demon Slayer: Mugen Prepare,” “Decisive Battle on the Rubbish Dump” picks up the story from the anime proper the place it left off, with out a lot concern for both newcomers or established followers who’ve forgotten the place issues ended final season — contemplating it aired in 2020, it appears like a lifetime in the past. The film totally expects the viewers to be intimately conversant in the primary 4 seasons of the anime, the character arcs and relationships, and even Karasuno’s crew historical past, as a result of it gives none of that right here.
The plot issues the titular Battle on the Rubbish Dump between long-time rivals Karasuno Excessive and Nekoma Excessive, who’ve confronted one another quite a few instances in follow matches. Now, they’re taking part in each other within the Nationals Event, giving protagonist Shoyo Hinata an opportunity to play an actual match with stakes in opposition to friend-rival Kenma Konzume. For Shoyo, the match isn’t just an essential step in successful the entire event, however a battle for the soul of Kenma and whether or not or not he’ll ever be taught to take pleasure in volleyball — which results in many a tear-inducing second.
A lot of the “Haikyuu!!” anime is about love of the game, about opening your thoughts to new experiences, and ready for the second if you discover your ardour even in case you weren’t initially anticipating it. Notably, the movie highlights Kei Tsukishima’s rising appreciation for the game, whereas largely specializing in Kenma’s reluctance to take pleasure in taking part in. Certainly, whereas the first characters are clearly the Karasuno gamers, Kenma is our major character, as we get a number of flashbacks showcasing his historical past with volleyball. As for the volleyball and the match itself, “Decisive Battle on the Rubbish Dump” seems to be and feels designed to show film theaters into sports activities arenas stuffed with cheers and chants, requires “likelihood ball” and insults to the ref.
Sports activities anime are inclined to fall into one in all two classes — superhero tales or character dramas. The previous treats expertise as inhuman feats of energy, like “Blue Lock,” whereas the latter are typically extra grounded and really educate in regards to the sport, portraying actual strikes and performs, like “Slam Dunk” and “Hajime no Ippo.” Relating to “Haikyuu!!,” the anime and manga credited for an increase in highschool volleyball gamers in Japan, the story has lengthy served as a reasonably good introduction to the mechanics and psychology of volleyball. The anime not solely explains phrases and guidelines, but in addition how each little factor impacts a match, from the other crew’s cheer squad to the function a televised match’s gymnasium lights have on participant consideration.
The film continues this, with an exhilarating POV sequence displaying every little thing a setter has to consider when doing a play, a whole subplot about how singling out a participant and blocking his assaults demoralizes all the crew, right down to easy issues like how sweat can smash an entire play. We see this in Kenma’s arc all through the movie.
Although already a unbelievable participant within the anime, the film reveals him getting more and more invested within the sport and the match, and the extra he cares, the higher he performs — and the extra harmful he turns into to Karasuno. At instances, Kenma is portrayed as a correct mustache-twirling villain, a Hannibal Lecter-type genius who’s forward of everybody, and with a merciless humorousness, whereas the mentor-mentee relationship between a number of gamers throughout each groups makes for even increased private stakes than different matches within the anime.
As fast-paced and energetic because the match itself is, nevertheless, it’s slowed down by the pacing. It’s already arduous to make what is actually season 5 of “Haikyuu!!” right into a characteristic movie that may stand alone whereas even be continuation of the continuing story, however the quick operating time means the movie finally ends up being largely a sequence of highlights reasonably than a correctly flowing narrative. There are large emotional pay-offs through the match, positive, however by the point the ultimate whistle is blown, it’s sort of stunning to suppose they really performed three full units in so little time. This has extra in widespread with the earlier “Haikyuu!!” films, which have been simply compilations of the best moments of every season, reasonably than a narrative made for the large display first.
This comes at the price of the characters, too, because the deal with Kenma and Shoyo’s relationship means the movie glosses over the remainder of the solid. Although everybody will get a second to shine, the movie depends closely on the viewers filling within the gaps of the opposite particular person rivalries and even the historical past between the 2 groups (the title itself by no means will get correctly defined within the movie, so that you’ll have to recollect the scene during which it was defined, means again in Season 1). What is meant to be Karasuno’s greatest match ever finally ends up being the shortest in all the sequence.
If the plot of “Decisive Battle on the Rubbish Dump” suffers from its transition from TV to movie, the animation no less than will get a giant glow-up. Although the characters look simply as they do within the anime, the large price range permits for characters’ facial expressions and delicate physique actions to get as a lot consideration as the large volleyball performs and the spikes. Although there may be some 3D used, it’s to offer extra affect and suppleness to the 2D, reasonably than change it. A POV sequence from Kenma’s perspective during which the motion speeds as much as showcase the adrenaline and rush of the game, earlier than slowing down in a climactic second, is a definitive spotlight of the movie and nearly justifies this whole endeavor.
“‘Haikyuu!! THE MOVIE: Decisive Battle on the Rubbish Dump” has sufficient moments of volleyball thrill to fulfill followers who’ve waited 4 years for the return of Karasuno, however when the credit begin rolling, and it turns into clear simply how a lot story is left to inform. Largely, it’s unclear what precisely was gained by avoiding a fifth season and dashing via the climax of this whole story.
Rating: C+
Crunchyroll will launch “Haikyuu!! The Film: Decisive Battle on the Rubbish Dump” in theaters on Friday, Might 31.