Why I Keep Rewatching Haikyuu!!: Life Lessons from the Court
The one anime I keep rewatching multiple times even though I know how the story progresses. I have lost count of how many times I have rewatched it, at least 10? No maybe 15 times? Why do I love this sports anime so much that fills me up with so much joy? I have a couple of reasons. Hinata Shoyo, the main character in the anime is a short 5'3’’ boy and I am short too just about 5'0’’. Maybe I relate to him because we are both short? 🤔😄
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Hinata aspires to be like “the little giant”- a short skilled volleyball player in Karasuno High School who led them to Nationals. Hinata’s journey has been incredible, from being short and not having great skills to use against tall skilled volleyball players (or even the experience), to always learning, practicing, and improving his abilities, despite his short stature. He did not have either of these: 1) Height, in a game like volleyball where it is advantageous, and 2) Opportunities that other people used to get for example having access to a volleyball club and coaches in schools or having someone take you to volleyball courts for practices(coming from an affluent family). He also stays far away from his school. But there is one thing he gained, cycling all the way from his house to school over a mountain — monster stamina, which ultimately helps him in long games. The lesson is, that there would be hidden advantages in your circumstances, that you may not even be aware of. His dream — to always keep playing volleyball by standing on the court. And as time progresses he understands that getting good was the only way he would achieve it. He has great athletic reflexes, with an ability to jump high and fast, which his genius teammate Kageyama Tobio uses to land quick attacks on rival teams. Hinata makes you cheer for him alright. I love how he is always looking to improve himself to become a better player. Not only that he also motivates and inspires players surrounding him to become better. Tall opponents and naturally gifted athletes don’t faze him. Even after Karasuno’s loss against Seijoh in the first season, he continued to evolve his quick attacks by daring to keep his eyes open. When he sees players better than him he freely asks them questions to learn new things. Admirable isn’t it? Knowing you can always learn from others and keep growing. He also tells teammates and players things as they are. Honesty. One of the things I value. He also has an unwavering self-belief that is so strong that it irks other people. I think it is the highest amount of consideration one can give oneself — that level of confidence that you are capable of handling whatever life throws at you to achieve your goals. And from this point onwards you will only get better. Thrilling isn’t it? If it wasn’t obvious, I admire Hinata Shoyo a lot. He had a simple dream. Come to think of it, it made me question when did I stop dreaming? Was it when I grew up? The other whys are in the past, but now, why don’t I start dreaming again?
When Hinata is not selected to either go to the All Japan Youth training camp in Tokyo (Kageyama is) or special training for promising athletes in Miyagi prefecture in Shiratorizawa academy (Tsukishima Kei is), he crashes their practice. I mean who does that? Someone creating opportunities for himself. Coach Washijo did not allow him to practice and told him he could stay back as a ball boy as he didn’t see any value in him without Kageyama as his setter. Hinata could have very well left to resume training at school with others. But no! He had to accept his shortcomings, that he was an ordinary player if Kageyama did not set the ball to him. One thing I remember here was that Coach Takeda told him “He who would climb the ladder must begin at the bottom.” Pretty self-explanatory. He could not set, receive, or read plays on the court of the opposite team. Frustrated, he realized he HAD to do something at the training camp. The information he could get from observing volleyball plays could help him identify sets in actual matches. He even learned how to receive by observing players! (AND failing perfect receives initially in official matches in the Nationals!) Watching him, makes me want to DO SOMETHING in life — this is what Tsukishima felt, and the same goes for me. I often wonder at times what am I even doing in life? Well, I don’t know the answer to this yet. But I do have the freedom to try different things out!
There is some theme of talent vs genius that I found interesting as well. Oikawa vs Kageyama, both setters, Kageyama being Oikawa’s junior. How would you ever compete against a genius? They will always be better than you since they are born with natural talent. Instead of focusing on that, it is better to look at one’s abilities and what can be done to improve them, and maybe that will make talent bloom later, but you can always polish your instinct! (That reminds me of Tendou from Shiratorizawa nicknamed Guess Monster who just relied on his instincts! Read blocking FTW). Playing in the Nationals, you meet formidable opponents. Osamu Miya equated Hinata playing volleyball to eating rice, the hunger he feels for playing volleyball is like the hunger he feels after eating a good bowl of rice — even if you are satisfied it makes you hungrier. There was another memorable player for me, Kita Shinsuke — who did daily routine tasks properly and such was volleyball for him. Practicing every day routinely, left no chance of messing up when subbed in an actual match. Having the discipline to do daily tasks, every day even if they are small but doing them diligently to build good habits such that they come to you instinctively…that influenced me. Going to the gym has become like breathing air or eating food, a necessary habit now. Korai Hoshiumi another short volleyball player who was invited to the All Japan Youth training camp with Kageyama, also provided hope to Hinata, that it is possible, even for him to become a player like that! In real life, I would translate it as finding strong people like that in life means that there is a 100 percent possibility of me transforming into something like that. And as Hinata would say, “Do you need a reason to not want to lose?”
Every rewatch makes me realize new things and I try to apply them in my life in some way. And that is why Haikyuu is so close to my heart and always will be! Who knows what my next rewatch would teach me? 😁
