One of my favourite scenes in Haikyuu is a bit of an overlooked one that takes place
during episode 16 of season 1.
During the early stages of the Interhigh, we witness an integrated montage of the Karasuno
boys and girls playing in their matches, each experiencing varying levels of success.
But what is unique about this is that the narrative’s perspective is solely focused
on the teams that are losing.
Chiefly, Michimiya from the Karasuno girls team, and Ikejiri of Tokonami High, the Karasuno
boys’ opponents.
Taking away the perspective from the protagonists for this sequence and focusing on the underdogs,
and ultimately, the defeated - turns this into what I consider an encapsulation of one
of Haikyuu’s main themes.
A proper exploration of how painful loss is for the defeated, and the show’s first real
way of using perspective to strengthen the story.
But the key here that puts the cherry on top of the scene, shifts the perspective back
and brings it all together is a telling look from Hinata as Ikejiri walks away, witnessing
the desperate sadness of one of the defeated.
This look here is a curious one, an innocent one, and most of all, one that shows Hinata
his worst nightmare.
Here it is clear that Hinata will do anything to avoid this sad fate, and this element is
why the theme I describe here has two sides to it: The agony you feel when that which
you love is ripped away from you, and the hunger and desire you feel to continue playing
that spurs you on towards victory.
It’s all about a deep yearning and need to be on the court.
It’s a line that is repeated numerous times throughout the series: if we keep winning
and don’t get eliminated, we can play more volleyball.
This in itself is the main reward for these players - the attraction of winning volleyball
games is to play more of it, simply because they love it and it’s their passion.
For players like Hinata, Kageyama, and most of Karasuno, it is as much of a factor in
their desire for victory as a need to win or a want to celebrate with team mates.
Honestly, it’s probably even more of a factor.
These characters are bona fide volleyball idiots, and there’s a reason that they are
consistently shown to be licking their lips in the midst of a match.
They hunger for more.
The main theme here is not mankind’s innate thirst for victory, but his sheer desire to
pursue his passions and constantly reach that high.
Here, winning is not super valuable just for winning’s sake, but more importantly, victory
essentially translates to “I get to play more volleyball.”
And this is a tiny distinction, but it is also one that makes a ton of difference and
contextualizes the series.
Losing is deeply frustrating, but it wouldn’t be nearly as much so if it didn’t mean that
you had to stop playing.
Everyone wants to be on that court - it’s scary but thrilling, there’s anxiety and
nerves, but there’s nothing quite like the rapid beating of your heart and that familiar
rush of adrenaline to make you feel alive.
Tsukishima learns to develop this love for the court.
The bench players fight to find a place on it.
The veterans learn to savour this feeling in what could be their last matches in high
school, and the first years blaze through, not worried about anything except for the
idea of not being able to have some fun.
Again, winning means more volleyball, so why the hell wouldn’t these guys push themselves
to hell and back when it means so much to them?
In stories, I
tend to look towards the main protagonist to see how effectively they shoulder the narrative
and help to communicate the main themes and strengths of the work, and no doubt Haikyuu’s
writer, Haruichi Furudate, holds a similar philosophy, because this pure need I describe
is most exemplified through Hinata, who is the ideal type of character for a story trying
to fill every fiber of its inner machinations with this idea.
His earnest journey to defy the unfair realities of his genetics to play on a grand stage is
enticing in and of itself just because of how endearing he is and how clear he makes
it that he wholeheartedly loves this sport.
But I think the most indicative presentation of this aforementioned “need” is in an
element that has a bit of a different complexion than the sentiment-heavy, pathos driven style
of the story.
As I said, this hunger and necessity to play is described in two ways - on one side, we
have the pain of being defeated, and on the other, we have.. well, we have what Hinata
shows us.
Every so often, Karasuno’s number 10 gets a tiny little look in his eyes, a bit of a
crazed stare.
This isn’t the gaze of a psychopath or anything, but it’s a glimpse into the deepest foundations
of Hinata’s soul.
Mankind is at its most basic, it’s most primitive, and it’s most scary when it comes
to fundamental human needs.
Toss a man on a remote island and he’ll become a cutthroat hunter to survive, for
example.
This instinctual animalism is buried inside each of us.
The depth, meaning how close it is to the surface level of our personality, depends
from person to person, but it’s there in everyone.
Now, what’s so incredible about Hinata is that this crazed animalism simply rears itself
whenever the prospect of playing more volleyball comes up.
In the first episode, when he simply couldn’t see the logic in giving up and just looked
for ways to continue to play.
When he made the declaration to Ushijima that he would defeat him at nationals and became
filled with an indescribable excitement at the sheer prospect of it.
When he communicated his simple yearning for victory to Yachi, questioning whether he needed
a reason to want to keep winning as if it was ridiculous.
When he was so hungry for the ball that for a moment, he forgot about all who were around
him and tried to overpower Asahi.
It’s an inherent, almost innocent sort of defiance that he applies to every situation
as he struggles to do more and more of the thing he loves.
He lives and breathes volleyball, and he is characterized by this inherent, consistent
and insatiable hunger.
Kageyama is definitely possessed by the same spirit as well, and the duo are adorably oblivious
at how one-track their minds are due to how they conflate winning with being able to play
more.
The two concepts are ingrained into one.
But as funny as it is, it speaks of the profundity of that idea and how much Haikyuu imbues the
story with it’s essence.
For them, it has become a survival instinct, and those key looks I mentioned in particular
are a glimpse into the most carnal and base aspect of that instinct.
It’s an element of Hinata in particular the makes him an extremely dynamic and flexible
protagonist.
It’s a double edged sword of sorts - it represents innocence due to how pure and one-minded
it is, but it also hints at a darkness, as the series has made it quite clear that Hinata
can get scarily tunnel-visioned at times.
And both of these sides key us into the idea that I’m talking about here.
Hinata isn’t very complex, but aside from the nuances of his endearing personality,
he is a pristine vehicle for Haikyuu’s exploration of the necessity of partaking in your passion.
The want to spend your time doing what you love the most, no matter what obstacles stand
in your way.
It’s a common, tangible thread that links the vast majority of characters in the series,
a sort of innate mutual understanding between all of the players - friend or adversary,
that gives the story an extra layer of sentiment and emotion.
Everyone in Haikyuu uses volleyball as a superior replacement for the lives they live.
They all play it to feel good, to feel more worthwhile than they usually do, to have fun.
Winning means being able to seek these higher planes even more, and losing means an abrupt
drop back down to earth.
Moreso in this story than any other sports anime, loss results in a stifling of passion,
a return to the ordinary, a clipping of the wings.
And no words are needed between players - everyone understands just how painful this is, which
provides the emotional establishment of the stakes.
There really are no straight up villains in Haikyuu - the closest thing to one really
just uses volleyball as a way to feel good and satisfy his powerlust, but in the end,
everyone has a decent idea of what is at stake for everyone else.
These players understand each other - and due to this, they want to win even more for
each other, and can relate to the pain of a fallen opponent.
And this is what provides the story with such a sense of perspective and empathy, and why
every loss seems to hit hard even if its a loss for a team you were rooting against.
It’s all linked by this theme, because being cut off from what you love is tragic in any
context.
Haikyuu understands, more than any work I’ve ever seen, how someone can yearn and hunger
for their passion, how they can be possessed by the need to remain on the summit of human
experience.
And it is something that digs deeper into the essence of human nature than one would
expect through this - it says that while our thirst for victory for victory’s sake is
very much an element in sport, so too is a simple desire to do the things we love with
the people we love.
We want to avoid pain, and conversely, we seek pleasure and fulfillment.
Everyone does.
That’s essentially what this all comes down to, and that’s what Haikyuu has been touting
from episode and chapter one.
Many thanks for watching.