Haikyu!!

This is one of the anime that I recommend for beginners. The one I insist to watch.

Haikyu!! (The exclamation is not from my excitement. The name is written like this only)

Sure. Death Note and Attack on Titan seem cool and all. But are you ready to deal with the sadness it brings? It is like recommending Dark or Game of Thrones right off the bat. First, you recommend Friends or Brooklyn 99. You get them to enjoy these sitcoms and then suggest the hardcore series. 

Likewise this is the anime that I suggest to get viewers into the genre of anime. 

Okay. For this anime, I really don't know how to start. Because there is a lot to say, but I don't want to drag this out. This is one of the anime that I really, really, really love. 

That is the gist of it. Let me give you the details  now.

In the world of volleyball, height is everything. Hinata Shoyo falls in love with volleyball after watching Karasuno High School play at the national high school volleyball championship. He is inspired by Karasuno's wing spiker, who is also short like Hinata but can jump really high. The commentators call the spiker 'The Little Giant.'

He rushes to join the volleyball club at his junior high school. But alas - he is the only member there. So he spends his next two years convincing other students to join the club. His efforts finally bore fruit when some students agreed to join him in his third year. And off they go to the junior high school volleyball tournament. But.....

They suffer a crushing defeat in their very first official game. Hinata was able to put up some fight using his exceptional athletic ability. But that wasn't enough. The team of the prodigy setter Tobio Kageyama, nicknamed 'The King of the Court,' wipes the floor with them. 

Does Hinata give up? No, he does not! He vows to defeat Kageyama in High School. He then proceeds to join Karasuno High School - the same high school the "Little Giant" played for. And guess who is there too. That's right. Tobio Kageyama - the rival whom he swore to take down!

Hinata is like...

And that is how their journey starts. The rivals must work together - because they are on the same side of the net now. 

But things are not that easy.  Karasuno is not the same as it was. It is no longer in its glory days. They are now a fallen powerhouse nicknamed 'The Wingless Crows' by other local teams. (Karasu - カラス - means crow btw).  However, all that is about to change.

A passionate prodigy and an awesome athlete has joined the team! This is their story. The story of a fallen team climbing to the nationals. A story of teamwork. (Oh yes, completely different from Blue Lock).

Then we have the other team members. A cool coach. A vibrant libero (#4). A level-headed middle blocker (#11). A shy pinch server (#12). A delinquent wing spiker (#5) - I simply love him so much. Our main hero donning #10 while his rival with #9 jersey. The gentle vice-captain and setter (#2). The ace and wing spiker samurai dude (#3). The fearless captain who is the backbone of defense (#1). A cute manager. And a wise teacher in charge. (There are other team members as well whom you will meet later down the series.)

Make no mistake. This team is as chaotic as it can get! But super fun to hang out with.

You might have noticed some terms while reading, like a setter, wing spiker, middle blocker etc. So you might be thinking - should I know basic volleyball terminology to enjoy this show? The answer is no! You don't have to. This anime actually teaches everything about volleyball, starting with the basics. So you can enjoy it even if you know nothing about the sport. 

Besides, this is a feel-good comedy anime. There are a lot of moments to laugh. The interactions between teammates, their relations with other schools, events during practice, and so on. Basically, this show is a meme machine.

And as far as the anime is concerned, nobody dies. Yeah, there are a lot of anime where people die left and right. So thank you Haikyu!! for existing.

But this is not a mere comedy show. There are a lot of cool moments. Especially during the matches. Who knew volleyball matches could be this dramatic and nail-biting? Almost all the games leave you on the edge of your seat (praying for Karasuno, of course). 

There are some more cool moments I want to show. But I cannot do so without giving away spoilers. So I a going to leave it to you to discover all these cool moments yourself. Or maybe you can watch this Instagram reel to get an idea.

So it's comedy. It is cool. Is it anything else? Yes! It is inspirational too!!

The character growth of each player will inspire you. The words of the cool coach. The vibrancy of the libero. The perseverance of the delinquent wing spiker. The utter chaos that this pair (#4 & #5) causes.

The level-headed blocker becoming more passionate. The shy pinch server finding his confidence. Our passionate hero becoming more level-headed. His rival learning to work efficiently with others.

The ace shines bright at the time of need. The gentle vice-captain and fearless captain have their own moments as well. So do the other team members. The manager turns out to be more than just a cute face. The manager in training has tremendous character growth as well. (Townperson B can fight too!) And the wise teacher in charge who drops wisdom bombs. Kaboom!!!

He is not the only one to say inspirational quotes. Players from Krasuno and other schools have also dropped wisdom bombs like that. Like this guy.

He is Shinsuke Kita. Captain of the  Inarizaki High School Volleyball team. Oh yes! The same Captain Kita that I use as my pen name. (Or maybe my email name? Idk). Keep watching, and you can meet him in season 4. Then you will understand why I chose him over all the other cool Karasuno players.

Psst. I will let you in on a little something else too. My phone wallpaper. If this doesn't convince you  to take up this show, then I don't know what will). This actually works for me.

Okay. As an added incentive, I will leave my collection of Pinterest Haikyu pins here as well. 

Do check out this anime. This series is as beautiful as a haiku. (For those wondering - Haiku is a short-form poetry originally from Japan. Short, sweet, beautiful, and wise poems.)

If you want to watch this show on Netflix, you will need a VPN. It is available only on Japan Netflix. But worry not. It is also available on Disney+. (Pssst. If both don't work, Telegram is always there...)

Have a good week ahead.Itadakimasu!