Haikyu!! A Batalha do Lixão

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.

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 big fan of Haikyu!!, I approached "The Dumpster Battle" with high expectations and a strange, almost personal connection to the series. The movie delivered in many aspects with great scenes and compelling storytelling, capturing the essence of what makes Haikyu!! So special.

The animation quality was top-notch, and the intense volleyball matches were as exhilarating as ever. The character dynamics and emotional moments were handled beautifully, and surprisingly, the flashbacks integrated well without feeling disruptive.

However, despite these strengths, I couldn't shake off a feeling of unfulfillment. While the movie did an admirable job of compiling the story, it felt like there wasn't enough time to dive deeply into the intricacies and character developments that a full anime season could have provided. The depth and nuance that come with episodic storytelling were missed, leaving me wishing for more.

In conclusion, "Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle" is a great watch and a satisfying experience for fans who have waited so long for this installment. Yet, it left me yearning for the richer, more detailed exploration that only an anime season can offer.

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.

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.