Haikyu!! Second Season

Episodes 1-3

Ah, Haikyu!! – it's like you never left. There's a wonderfully seamless quality to the way Haikyu!!'s second season just sweeps you back into the story with nary a hitch – honestly, I was expecting episode one to be a recap or clip show, but delightfully the story just starts right in where we left off, with Karasuno's team still fully intact, the third years have decided not to quit, and everyone raring to go after their previous defeat. All seems unchanged, from Hinata's manic enthusiasm to Kageyama's grim determination, though there are a few noticeable differences. Some are aesthetic, like Asahi's new headband and looser bun (in episode three we learn that's because Kiyoko mentioned that he might go bald with such a tight bun), but others are much more plot-relevant. The major one of these is the fact that, unlike the other third years, manager Kiyoko is very definitely thinking about the future. She knows that she's going to graduate, and to that end she begins a quest to find a new manager to train before the team is left without her. The person she lights upon is Yachi, a first year with an ability to overthink and worry that rivals mine. Although she enters in episode one, it takes all three of these first episodes to convince her to actually join, which shifts the focus of the show from “strictly volleyball” to being more about the people.

In some ways, this is really too bad. A large part of Haikyu!!'s appeal is that it develops the characters through volleyball, but in the case of a new manager, someone who doesn't necessarily play the sport, that wouldn't really work. So for episodes two and three, the boys take a backseat as Yachi is developed, and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a bit of a letdown. The only game we really see played is only shown in bits and pieces and feels like it exists just to remind us how awesome Hinata is rather than to get us all worked up over the fate of the team. Given that it is just a practice game, I can see why it might not get the attention that I presume the Tokyo games will, but still, if you're watching for the games, you're likely to be disappointed.

On the other hand, Yachi makes for an interesting character with a different point of view. Her shyness and insecurities are really holding her back, not just from joining the team, you get the feeling, but from just about everything that isn't classwork. Her mother (apparently a single parent) is very well-meaning, but she's busy and not great at expressing herself, coming off as cold and a little harsh to her very sensitive daughter. (Her assistant seems more concerned about Yachi than she is, although that's revealed not to be true; she's just not a demonstrative parent.) So despite the fact that Yachi is flattered that Kiyoko wants her and that the boys are all really enthusiastic, she's also clearly scared and hesitant, and not a little weirded out by the fact that Hinata seems to really want to talk to her. Her first instinct appears to be to run for the hills, but something keeps her going forward, and that indicates that she's going to be a good addition to the group: she shares their determination.

There's some debate about whether or not Yachi was introduced to be a romantic interest for one of the boys, presumably Hinata, or to set up a love triangle with Kageyama and Hinata. While I can see where that could come from, and in any other series it would absolutely be the norm, I also don't necessarily think that's going to happen. The boys are so focused on volleyball that there isn't much room in their brains or hearts for anything else, as evidenced by the threat of not going to Tokyo if their grades aren't good. Kageyama, who seems like a put-together kind of guy, is revealed to be less than an excellent student at just as much risk of failing as the goofier guys on the team, which indicates that volleyball really does take up most of his brainpower. As for Hinata, this is the boy who made friends with not only major rivals on other teams, but also Kageyama, the least friendly individual on the planet. It makes sense that he'd put himself forward to be friendly with someone new, regardless of gender. He also seems to want people to feel comfortable, and Yachi is so clearly not that he'd put in extra effort to make her feel safe and wanted on the team. So I'll be surprised if this takes a romantic turn, at least in this season – if there were a third, I might revise my opinion.

Despite the lack of major volleyball action, when it is there, the animation is more than up to the task. This show has a knack for knowing when to take shortcuts, like the scene in episode one where Hinata and Kageyama run around in circles like ninnies in their excitement, and when to give things its all, such as anytime a game is on. The characters look a little more elfin to me this season, and there is seriously something off about Yachi's mom's legs at the end of episode three, but the show continues to look good.

All in all Haikyu!! is just a really fun show with characters you like to spend time with. This season, despite the lack of playtime thus far, seems like it is going to keep on being that show that I couldn't help liking in its first season, despite exactly zero interest in any kind of sports. Expanding the characters beyond the team has possibilities, and watching Yachi grow along with the boys (and enabling Kiyoko to evolve as well simply by virtue of her having someone to talk to) seems like it could help to round things out in ways we didn't even know it needed.

Rating: A-

Haikyu!! Second Season is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Rebecca Silverman is ANN's senior manga critic.