#HaikyuuBookClub

[haikyuuprettysettersquad]

I love Emotionally Adept Bokuto so much!! Bo being so wise and smart and just shows that he really thinks about these concepts a lot (I mean what else is he to do when he’s overwhelmed and sitting under tables? He thinks!! He has a brain!!!!). And then he turns around and asks Akaashi if he's used a word right ohhhhh he loves language i know he does.

Bonus Akaashi knowing all too well the way Bo can come across and Bo’s cute lil confused face:

[haikyuusbookclub]

Haikyuu Chapter 34 - 322

[hammerhai]

bokuto himbo appreciation post

bonus akaashi:

[karasuneko]

when i say karasuno vs nekoma is THE most iconic team rivalry in any sports anime/manga ever I'M NOT LYING

both teams that value teamwork and strategy instead of brute individual strength, both underdogs that clawed their way up from the trenches, simultaneously beating and inspiring the sht out of each other. INSANE if you think about it.

*

my personal stake in this of course are two of my fave characters (i.e. the bestest and most annoying blockers you'll ever face in a volleyball court) having the funniest and most intense middle blocker show down in haikyuu history

*SCREAMS*

[ghostbkg]

Haikyuu Book Club Week 8: 326 - 330

1. the significance of this game

something that stood out to me was this panel. the chapter is titled "the game you can't afford to lose" and the focus is on akaashi. this doesn't seem all that logical considering that he's a second year student, so he could just try again. plus, i don't think we've ever seen him express an intense desire to win (but correct me if i'm wrong here). so, why is this game so important? because if they don't win, he won't be able to play volleyball with bokuto anymore.

but that's not the only goal akaashi has. bokuto wants to win - and akaashi is going to get him there at any cost. he is going to make sure that bokuto achieves his goal.

2. akaashi

akaashi has a tendency to overthink. this can be a good thing - he is able to predict bokuto's reactions fairly well thanks to his analytical mind. however, he gets lost in his head sometimes, and that's when he can get outsmarted by an opponent.

at least he's self-aware, though

3. bokuto appreciation time

look at him! doing his little excited jump!

bokuto x kuroo friendship

bokuto x hinata friendship

this panel.

bonus: live kuroken reaction

4. kiryu - emotional investment

wakatsu kiryu is not the person we should be rooting for. the characters we've known longer are fukurodani - they're even friends of our main characters.

and yet.

he is not simply the antagonist of this arc. instead of focusing on how our mc's can defeat kiryu and his team, we are made to feel sympathy for him. and his backstory if very similar to several other characters'! by now, we know what it feels like being defeated by people more "talented." we know what it feels like being scared to take on the responsibility of being your team's ace. all of those fears are ones our protagonists also experience.

kiryu is just like them. he is just another teenager who wants to keep playing volleyball with his friends for as long as he can.

and that's both the beauty and tragedy of haikyuu. you can't pick a side. you don't want anyone to lose. there is not a single character you can look at and think, "i don't like you, i don't care about your motivation and hopes, i hope you lose."

5. this line daishou says.

often, when it comes to sports the focus is on who wins and who loses. but at its core, that's not what any sport is truly about. and this is especially obvious in haikyuu. it's never (well. almost never. looking at you oikawa) about defeating another team. it's about having fun. i will never stop screaming about this

6. kenma and hinata

i love their friendship so much. i have talked about them every week and i have run out of new things to say about them. but just, look at them.

7. one of the most important panels this week

it's kuroo thinking this, which i think matters because it shows he cares for his friend. it also reminds us that bokuto's ability to play well depends on his mood. and the only one who can make sure that bokuto either stays positive or gets out of his "emo mode" is akaashi. which brings us back to my very first point. the key element to winning this game and making sure bokuto reaches his goal is akaashi.

[yaku-paisen]

HQ!! Book Club!! ch. 358

aaa this tag is such a neat idea I'm excited! More scattered thoughts under the cut:

Their love language is describing things to each other in gaming metaphors

I forgot how funny Hirugami can be!

In the last rally, Nozawa's thought process was basically "I can go over my mistakes later. Right now the important things are what I can do now, and what comes next." And poor Akaashi's like "Dang, I fought for my life to reach that conclusion but y'all are already there."

Then he glances over at their banner, "Habit is Second Nature". I like that. It's as if to say that Akaashi can get there too, eventually. He's just gotta keep practicing that Task Focus.

I'm not gonna lie, on my first read I was with Atsumu, lol. I thought Kamomedai being good at everything across the board made them less memorable than other teams, which generally had one or two notable strengths. Now I see that's just how it is at the higher levels: you have to be able to do everything well.

This chapter does a good job of illustrating how important the mental game is. Coach Murphy purposely emphasizes mental fortitude as a key skill; the callback to Akaashi's mental struggles; Kita calling them a "good and proper" team for their consistency. As someone who struggles a lot with anxious thoughts, it's a nice reminder that mental toughness and mindfulness are skills that can be practiced. They're not just inborn traits that you have or you don't. I might not be super resilient now, but if I keep at it, maybe I can be.

[groundzero-redriot]

It's Week 2 everyone! This week was chapters 298-302. The first chapter had a lot, so this week will have multiple posts.

Here's my favorite moments from chapter 208!

1) Picking up where we left off last week. Tsukishima has such complete confidence in Tadashi's serves. He knows how much his best friend has improved, both in skill and self-confidence. Bonus for Kuroo's confused face.

2) Is he proud of Tadashi's service ace? Definitely. Will he stop being a little shit to Kuroo? No.

3) Shimada is so proud of his protege. And Akiteru thinking back to tiny, shy, elementary school Tadashi is so cute.

4) The second serve didn't quite go where Tadashi wanted, but that's alright. Tsukki is ready. And the way he knows exactly what Tadashi is thinking!

5) The framing! You can tell that Tadashi was ready to dig, but who needs that when you have the perfect weapon duo on the court?

6) Bokuto and Akaashi. The excitement. The quiet pride. They are everything.

7) I don't know if this is Tsukki's memories, or Tadashi's, or some combination of both, but it's amazing to see their story all together like this. The way Tadashi was always following Tsukki around until he got confident and finally passed him. And now that Tsukki has finally let himself enjoy volleyball again, they're back on the same level. But he never would've gotten there if Tadashi hadn't called him out at the Tokyo training. He never would have stuck around in gym 3 without that fight. They're the ones pushing each other to get better. I love their friendship. And Tsukki's smile when they high-five, bc you know he doesn't smile like that for anybody else.

8) He's having fun! And not being sarcastic!

9) Bonus Fukunaga bc the ref's utter confusion at his commentary is cracking me up.

That's a wrap on the first chapter. Part two coming soon!

[wynsnerdyrambles]

Haikyuu!! Book Club Week 1: Thoughts and Notes

Spoilers ahead for chapter 293-297 of the Haikyuu!! manga. If you wish to avoid spoilers, do not read further.

To briefly add some context, this comes as a reread of the Haikyuu!! Manga for me, but it has been a while, and the last time I read it was in a fervent binge session. My thoughts will be spoiler free for all future chapters however.

Chapter 293: A whole lot of introductions in this chapter, but they feel very earned. After all, Karasuno’s practice match against Nekoma was one of the first real matches in the whole series, alongside the practice match against Aoba Johsai. This is a match the series has been building up for a long time, and I think they can have the fancy tournament introductions as a treat. The real standout of the chapter though, was the friendship between Nekomata and Ukai. Seeing their relationship evolve from their youth to their adult lives is really a pleasure to read, and I think Furudate-sensei’s excellent skill in writing character relationships shines through here through the course of only 1 chapter. Certainly an impressive feat regardless of the metric you judge it by.

Chapter 294: The game begins! The disparity between the Nekoma Peanut Gallery’s perception of the players and the personalities we are privy to is honestly a great gag that had me letting out a genuine chuckle. The dynamic between Karasuno and Nekoma is one of the best in the series. In my opinion, they really bring out the best in each other, Nekoma is the yin to Karasuno’s yang. Seeing that so wholly encompassed by Kenma and Hinata’s interactions this chapter, both in the present and in flashbacks, was a genuine delight to read.

Chapter 295: The game continues! Both Karasuno and Nekoma get to show off their skills with a couple of quick sets! There is an excellent chemistry between Karasuno and Nekoma when they play, a sort of vibe akin to two good friends competing- they each know so much about the other, and neither is giving it anything less than their all, yet they still don’t have any animosity towards one another. Genuinely one of my favorite dynamics in the series.

Chapter 296: I love the way this manga presents the various rules of volleyball. When they explain the loophole of how Nishinoya can set, it feels like discovering a loophole in a typical shonen power system, which is a really cool way to present something that is so much more objectively mundane than the contents of most of its shonen peers. As a side note, I love the Nohebi dude whose name I can never remember immediately being ticked off by Tsukki, despite having never played against him. It feels a bit like the pot calling the kettle. 

Chapter 297: Tsukishima and Kuroo have been on full display this chapter, and I absolutely love their dynamic. Both of them are very overly smug to get under the skin of their opponents, and so seeing them both trading jabs is really quite amusing.

[haikyuuprettysettersquad]

[haikyuusbookclub]

[hammerhai]

a love story in three parts

[ghostbkg]

it's really interesting how hinata and tsukki are being paralleled here. it's the very first page of the chapter, and specifically the two panels that contain the chapter's title - and it does set up the theme for the rest of the chapter.

hinata and hoshiumi are "monsters." a while back, tsukki would've said that there's nothing he can do against people like them (if anyone can find panels for this i will love you forever). but now? now he knows that "even a mere human" like him has a chance. he may not have that special something, "talent" that hinata and hoshiumi have. but that doesn't mean he is helpless.

tsukki is incredibly smart, and he is very good at understanding other people. he knows how to get on their nerves, but he is also able to read them in other contexts. and this is so impressive! he can tell just by hosihumi's eyes what he's about to do. and on top of being able to read him, tsukki also has the speed to react.

look at him! his satisfied little smile. he knows he did well. (also look at kageyama. he's so surprised.)

tsukki has come so far (a sentence i keep saying over and over again, but it's true!!) and he no longer gives up when faced with stronger opponents. now, he has the will to fight and the means to do it.

[groundzero-redriot]

Welcome back for week 5 of the Haikyuu Book Club. This week, we're looking at chapters 313-317, still in the middle of the trashcan showdown, and Nekoma's been maintaining their close lead in set 2, although Karasuno has finally caught up. As always, let's get into my top moments from each chapter.

Chapter 313

1) Kenma, you terrifying human being.

2) Hello Mr. Refreshing!

3) I love seeing Suga's internal monologue. And Kuroo's reaction to Suga being out on the court.

4) And my favorite crazy sunshine boy sets up his replacement (affectionate) with a pretty perfect set. It's enough to make Nekoma's blockers late on their reaction, but Yamamoto keeps it in the air.

5) He's learning! And improving! And it's amazing!

6) As far as intelligence and analysis goes, Kenma will always be number one (Tsukishima and Tendou take a close second). But when it comes to pure, reflexive love of the game, nobody will ever be more terrifying than the monster duo. How does Hinata always have so much energy?

7) Well this is bad. The slip here may have been unlucky but at least Hinata isn't hurt. Nekoma did manage to get another point, and they're closing in on the end of the set. Hinata cleaning up the sweat from the court did make me laugh a little. Guess that ballboy training really stuck with him.

8) Wonderful observation from Akane, as always. Also, is this tournament during a weekend, or a school break or something? Because she never seems to be at school.

9) Bonus Kenma doodle from the end of the chapter.

[wynsnerdyrambles]

Haikyuu Book Club: Week 5

As usual, spoilers for the Haikyuu manga. This week spoilers will be through chapter 317.

Chapter 313: I love, love, love the central parallel of this chapter. Kenma believes Karasuno to be desperate enough to win/avoid losing that they will begin to take shortcuts to score points, which is an exercise in futility which will only lose them points. However near the end of the chapter, Hinata reveals to the audience that he knows full well that there are no shortcuts he can take, showing just how resilient he is, even in the face of Nekoma’s brutal attempts to shut him down. In another note, I love that Suga got a chance to shine in this chapter. Unfortunately, with his role as setter, it often doesn’t make a ton of sense for him to be on the court alongside Kageyama, but Suga’s laid back attitude and positivity was just what Karasuno needed in this situation. Not only that, but the fact that they had two setters on the court was also well utilized in their attack! 

Chapter 314: Chills! Litera chills! This chapter is just so hype inducing, and it all comes down to Furudate’s art. Having the panel of the crow bursting through the top of the cage into elegant flight is just so telling. Wonderful, just, so good. I literally am at a loss for words.

Chapter 315: One of my favorite parts about Haikyuu is the creative use of imagery and metaphors that Furudate uses to get his point across. I’m not a particularly sports-oriented person, but when I see the panel of Shoyo’s RPG action window only being ‘Attack’, I understand what they mean. Of course, one can’t consume Haikyuu without improving their knowledge of volleyball unless the reader is already well acquainted with the sport, but my point still stands.

Chapter 316: We’re in the final stretch of the second set, and Karasuno and Nekoma are neck in neck. You can really feel both teams doing all in their power to take the lead. Yet, in a surprise twist, there’s a new member of Nekoma we haven’t met yet! I wonder what his pinch serve might be, to have saved it for the 11th hour?

Chapter 317: And Karasuno takes the second set! This, to me, is one of the most exciting victories in the whole series. Despite not winning the game, Karasuno has never taken a set from Nekoma before, so to finally see them succeed in that endeavor is just so satisfying to see. It really feels earned.