User Reviews

2024film-008(2/24/2024) I've finally reached "The Dumpster Battle". Having been produced as a movie, the animation was filled with spirit and was incredibly captivating. It felt more like a continuation of the anime rather than a standalone film, so it was appreciated that they inserted flashbacks at key moments without excessive explanation. Since I haven't read the original manga, I'm not sure if these flashbacks also exist in it. I've been a big fan of Yaku from Nekoma High School since just before watching this movie, so I was delighted to see him shine in this installment as well. I'm really looking forward to the continuation, but I wonder if they'll continue it as a movie or an anime?

Even for those unfamiliar with the manga or the television series, HAIKYU!! THE DUMPSTER BATTLE holds interest for the audience. The film does a good job depicting the thoughts, strategies, and emptions behind volleyball. The animated medium actually helps illustrate concepts that would be much more difficult to convey in a live action film. HAIKYU!! THE DUMPSTER BATTLE has a far more thoughtful depiction of volleyball than the recent live action film CHALLENGERS does of tennis. The artwork is glorious, and an extended point-of-view sequence during a game is impressive.

Karasuno High School made it through the Miyagi prefecture preliminaries for the Harutaka Volleyball Tournament, which was crowded with strong teams, and advanced to the third round by defeating Hyogo Prefecture representative Inarizaki High School, which was considered one of the favorites for the championship. Their opponent, Nekoma High School, used to have a rivalry with Karasuno, and although their interactions with each other decreased at one point, after Hinata and the others joined the club, they once again became good friends, working out together at training camps and practice games. The battle is called the "Battle at the Garbage Dump'' because of the "crow'' and "cat'' names in the school's name. Their play styles are completely opposite; Karasuno is super offensive, while Nekoma is a defensive team with a motto of "connection." They will finally face their first official match with the current members, and they will engage in a heated match on the stage of the national tournament.

Karasuno High School made it through the Miyagi prefecture preliminaries for the Harutaka Volleyball Tournament, which was crowded with strong teams, and advanced to the third round by defeating Hyogo Prefecture representative Inarizaki High School, which was considered one of the favorites for the championship. Their opponent, Nekoma High School, used to have a rivalry with Karasuno, and although their interactions with each other decreased at one point, after Hinata and the others joined the club, they once again became good friends, working out together at training camps and practice games. The battle is called the "Battle at the Garbage Dump'' because of the "crow'' and "cat'' names in the school's name. Their play styles are completely opposite; Karasuno is super offensive, while Nekoma is a defensive team with a motto of "connection." They will finally face their first official match with the current members, and they will engage in a heated match on the stage of the national tournament.

As a fervent fan of the Haikyu anime and manga series, I approached the much-anticipated Haikyu movie with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. However, my concerns were quickly dispelled as the film unfolded, delivering an exhilarating experience that surpassed all expectations.

The animation quality of the Haikyu movie is nothing short of spectacular. The dynamic and fluid animation sequences capture the intensity of the volleyball matches with a level of detail that is truly impressive. The characters' movements, facial expressions, and the sheer energy on the court are brought to life in a way that enhances the overall viewing experience. The animation team deserves commendation for their meticulous attention to detail, creating a visually stunning masterpiece.

One of the movie's greatest strengths lies in its ability to condense the essence of the Haikyu story into a cohesive and engaging narrative. The pacing is expertly crafted, allowing both dedicated fans and newcomers to immerse themselves in the world of Karasuno High School's volleyball team. The filmmakers skillfully balance character development, intense match sequences, and moments of humor, creating a well-rounded and captivating storyline.

The Haikyu movie pays homage to the beloved characters that fans have grown to adore. The film not only brings back the familiar faces of Hinata, Kageyama, and the rest of the team but also introduces new and compelling characters. Each character's personality is expertly portrayed, with their individual growth and struggles taking center stage. The movie delves deeper into the personal journeys of the players, making them even more relatable and endearing.

The soundtrack complements the movie's energy perfectly. The uplifting and heart-pounding music enhances the emotional impact of pivotal moments, creating a sensory experience that resonates with the audience. The well-chosen soundtrack contributes to the film's overall atmosphere, drawing viewers into the intensity of the matches and the camaraderie of the team.

In summary, the Haikyu movie is a triumphant celebration of the beloved series. It successfully captures the essence of the anime and manga while delivering a visually stunning and emotionally resonant experience. Whether you're a long-time fan or a newcomer to the world of Haikyu, this movie is a must-watch for anyone seeking a thrilling and heartwarming sports anime adventure.

I'm a relatively new Haikyu fan (the kind that watched BECAUSE it was about volleyball), but I was hooked from the first episode. The anime already did character development, comedy and tonal shifts very well and always put on a darn good show of volleyball. Part of me was worried that somehow with a movie, the pacing or storytelling would feel off -- let me tell you all doubt dissipated as soon as the movie started. The soundtrack drove the mood the entire time, building anticipation for the game, pulling at your heartstrings, reviving sentiment for the characters. Everything we loved about the anime was present here and taken to another level. There were so many callbacks to season 1, rewarding loyal fans and using those moments and some new flashback scenes to fill in the gaps of the push-and-pull between the main characters of Nekoma vs. Karasuno over the course of the Dumpster Battle.

I had always wondered how they could show us volleyball differently or still give characters new things to work on, but the creator manages to do so readily. Now I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for more Haikyu content!

Animation:

The animation of this movie can't exactly be compared to many other animes out there. This movie was likely strongly limited by thejr lack of locations. With 90% of the movie showing a single place, a stadium. But even with that, each scene looks great. Many animes suffer from deadlines hindering how much detail they can add. But since it came out as an movie, they had more time to work on those things. Most of the scenes look great, and the animation absolutely adds to the emotions of each scene.

Plot:

I was on the edge of my seat for the whole show. I even had to sit up from the theatre's reclined seating. There's plenty of tension in the story, and the stakes feel high. While I did safely expect the protagonists to win, the story keeps you engaged. Every moment I was wanting more! There was so much symbolism and scenes with figurative language that I would love to spoil, but I want more people to see this review and watch the movie with zero spoilers. However, both me and my friend were locked in. I was afraid to blink. The pacing was excellent and there wasn't a moment where I was going 'hurry up and get back to the good stuff'.

Music:

It was hard for me to judge the music throughout the movie without distracting myself from the action, but they do use it well. There is one scene in particular, where the music is used so amazingly to drive the stakes up.

Characters:

If there are any characters you already love from Haikyuu, especially if they're from Karasuno (Hinata) or Nekoma (Kenma), you will love them even more. I do think they could've given a little more time to some of the other characters.

Other:

I wish I could rewatch it again for the first time, and it's great to go with friends.

You ABSOLUTELY will enjoy it a thousand times better if you have prior knowledge (atleast watch the anime first) before seeing this movie. I can imagine that it would be difficult to enjoy if you have no prior experience.

If you're a Haikyuu!! Fan, I'm sure this one has been on your watchlist. Had a chance to watch it yesterday, my 2nd Japanese movie in a theater.

There's this troubling trend of anime makers releasing a movie before the beginning of the next season, then breaking the movie down into episodes as a part of the season when it releases. Happened with Db Super, Attack on Titan, Mugen Train, and now, sadly this. Capitalism over content, I guess. If you can sell tickets and not release the episodes online, might as well make some money if it's there to be made.

Haikyuu IMO is one of the best written shows - ever- and I was afraid that they'd skimp out on the details in the movie. Folks familiar with the manga said they've covered everything they're supposed to but the film did feel rushed.

Haven't read the manga - I enjoyed the film but I felt something was missing. The focus is on Nekoma - i didn't necessarily mind that, leave it to Haikyuu to tell the story from the opponent's POV and still do it well, right!? I guess the emotions and the excitement (with the game) that one's used to in the anime had to be cut out for the sake of runtime, this entire match could have been a whole season. But of course, you can do that with a film.

The game itself wasn't as thrilling as the ones I'm used to in the anime, but I guess that was also expected...? The animation was nothing mindblowing, but first person POV in the game was WELL DONE! The sound design was still GOOD but I've been blown away from what the anime has had vs what was in the film.

Subs were BAD, at least for me. There's a lot of going back and forth in time, players 'thinking' in the present and talking to each other. This happens in quick succession and the flashback subs stayed on the screen for longer, there wasn't any difference between the subs for the Internal monologue and the actual interaction. The scenes cut back to back, and so does the audio but the subs just kept stacking on top of each other and it became hard to heard but knowing the context you didn't need to read and could follow along.

All that said, it still amazes me how they're drop a movie not in the Heroes' POV and still make good content out of it. That's been one of Haikyuu's strengths and they played it well. Kenma's character development was impressively shown and if he were the star of the show, this would have been a great film. Still felt something was missing - for me. Not sure if it was the POV. But it still ended up being a good film in my books. Just not what I expected it to be. Enjoyable movie still, can't wait to see what the anime's got. Quarterfinals with Kamomedai beckons; just hope it's not another movie because I want 20 episodes and not an 85min movie.

Just Got out of a Screening of Haiku!!: The Dumpster Battle

It was a Fantastic Watch 🎉

Elements I Loved about the Film -

• 📜 I Loved the Setup of the 2 Teams Nekoma & Karasuno each possessing a Number of Tall, Strong, Fast & Formidable Players.

• 💭🤔 Another Excellent Element was Kenma being not very Athletic, but Mastering the Tactics of Volleyball, and Knowing the Game inside out & Knowing the Mentality of the Game inside Out.

• 🦅🐈 The Cat and the Crow Symbol of one Team Being Formidable in the Air 🦅 & the Other Team being Strong Across the Floor 🐈

• 🏐 The Actual Battles in the Some of the Rounds were Fantastic to watch, with Build Up in different Motions, Hyperreal Jumps, Slow Motion, Realm Shifts, Symbolisms etc. It was Such a Watch.

1 Gripe I have with the Film -

• 🤷🏻 Why End the Film Like that? It would of been far more effective for him to do a slow motion stunning swerve ball shot that curls wildly and it falls just outside of the line and they lose. And then he should say "At the end of the day, I Still had Fun"

Overall, a Very Good Time at the Cinema.

After an astonishing run of success in the Harutaka High School Volleyball championships, "Karasuno" school must now face their rivals from "Nekoma" and the film depicts, in almost real-time, the ebbs and flows of that game whilst providing us with a narrative of the characters in each team and of their relationships with each other in "peace time" - past and present. The animation of the game is lively and at times quite visceral. Each player has their set task within their own team - they must continually evolve their tactics on the court as each pushes the other to new standards, to move quicker or jump higher. One team is much more aggressive and forceful with the ball, the other much more adept at controlling the pace and hopefully frustrating errors from their opponents - and the exhausting dedication required to play as well as the emotional trials faced is well captured as the story reaches it's denouement. It's based on a series I haven't seen, but unlike many of it's contemporaries, this film provides for enough of the backstory via flashback and narration to give us enough information to be able to treat this more as a stand alone story within the confines of the match itself. The style of artwork is very two-dimensional with precious little effort gone into activating the crowd beyond the audio, but the close up nature of the facial and athletic imagery as well as the soundtrack give the thing quite an intensity and show just how team sports can be character-building and to an extent, even life affirming. Tough old game volleyball, too!

I ended up crying, such a rollercoaster, every single moment was amazing, I feel like I was watching a real match. I was expecting the movie to be longer but it felt like just a few minutes, maybe because of the excitement of the match?.

The ending felt very sudden tho, even the main character didn't believe the match was over hahaha

I will probably watch it again because there were so many good moments and I didn't get to enjoy every moment as I should. (And probably will try to see the English dub version)

If any of you are still not convinced to see this movie, it is really worth it. Every moment is worth it.

I really enjoyed watching in at the cinema, the scenes were amazing! Kenma scenes especially, although I was hoping for more backstories like nekomata and coach ukai grandad. That is why I gave 9 for rating.

I would definitely recommend you to go and watch it, even if you have read the manga. Honestly, I read it and at some points of the movie i thought the reality will be different. That's what kind of thrill it gave me.

I hope that they will not rush with the end of the anime, because for people that don't know, manga ended with 402 chapters. The movie gave us the story until 320th chapter or something like that. It can be a two part movie or a season.

Anyway, please go watch in the theaters and enjoy!

It's almost exactly what I expected out of this. For fans of the anime, this is a treat on the big screen. Even though I have already seen all that came before, I was never a huge fan and I remember little since the last season came four years ago. So those may have dampened my experience a little but it must work great for hardcore fans. The girl sitting beside me was certainly excited by the whole thing, trying to make her boyfriend excited, who hadn't seen the series. This is definitely not for anyone not familiar with the series.

The series and this movie always show the hard work and passion of these high school sports players in a very over-the-top almost touching toxic positivity level viewpoint. But it still has an endearing spirit that doesn't exactly make it too annoying. Even though I don't have any aptitude for any kind of sports, every time I watch Haikyuu, it does make me want to push myself physically a little bit. That's one of the things I like about it and keeps me watching this even if the whole thing as a narrative doesn't interest me too much.