At first glance, Haikyuu!! It doesn’t seem like anything special, as it’s like many sports shounen manga, about a group of teenagers pursuing their dreams and passions, and with the main character overcoming the impossible through hard work. team spirit and strength. Although Haikyuu!! there are things, but it’s not just about the sport of volleyball. The story also highlights teamwork, friendship and what results will be overcome – things that are also very practical in our daily lives.
Although the manga ended not long ago, viewers who have watched the anime or have finished reading the manga still vividly remember the lessons the teams, coaches and athletes taught them. . Without further ado, here’s what Haikyuu!! taught us.
“CONNECT”
Volleyball is a sport where players only have a few seconds to be able to touch the ball. As soon as the ball hits the ground, the game is over. That’s why, from the first moment, the series emphasizes the importance of being able to touch the ball – to connect even when the receiver or you yourself are not the one scoring the goal. As long as the ball has not touched the ground, players can still hope and keep their spirits up, and that is a very important thing in a game.
The connection here lies in the mutual trust between teammates, such as the libero playing in the defensive position “dead and alive” who are determined not to let the opponent score, or the way Hinata closes her eyes and closes her eyes. jumping high, knowing for sure that he would get the ball from Kageyama. Throughout a player’s life, they have also forged many other relationships with coaches, with teachers, with new friends or even with opponents. Even when the team splits up, their bond is still very strong, because it is their passion for volleyball and a common goal that brings them together. There are moments, their love for each other extends beyond the volleyball court.
VIEW FAILURE AS LESSONS
In the third season of the anime, at the moment of the decisive goal in the match between Team Karasuno and Team Shiratoriwaza, Coach Ukai, voiced by the late actor Tanaka Kazunari, had a beautiful line: “ Ball Volleyball is a sport where you always have to hold your head high!” Literally, the players always have to keep their heads high, keep an eye on the ball to be able to handle the situation quickly, but figuratively, Mr. Ukai is telling his team not to leave a goal. Losing disrupts the team spirit. When things look so bleak, the most important thing is to look ahead and into the future.
Although he had never played a volleyball match, Mr. Takeda saw and sympathized with the disappointment in the eyes of the players when they lost that match. He knew that the players had worked hard in practice and that winning that match meant a lot to them. He also told them that failure is not a weakness, but an opportunity for the whole team to see their strengths. What will they learn from that loss and how will they become stronger from it.
There is no guarantee that you will win. Aoba Johsai and Shiratorizawa seemed to be the two teams of the two strongest schools, but in the end they still lost to Karasuno High. There will always be someone stronger than you. No team is undefeated, there are only teams that learn from their defeats, like how Karasuno’s team created a new attacking strategy, how Tsukishima improved his blocking ability or how Hinata and Kageyama improved. improved rapidly in season 2. Although team Karasuno lost at the national soccer tournament, their road did not end there, it ended with a question: “ Today you guys lost the battle, so Who will you be tomorrow?”
LIMITS DOESN’T EXIST
Team Karasuno was once likened to an unknown team before entering the High School and National Championships, no one believed that they could beat the reigning giants, yet they still won. glorious. Everyone thought with Hinata’s limited height that he wouldn’t be able to score a goal, but then he showed them they were wrong. This is further demonstrated when Coach Ukai told Hinata when he was bedridden due to illness: “It does n’t matter if you overcome your limits, what matters is how you raise them” . to remind him that he wants Hinata to aim higher, go further and become stronger.
Oikawa and Hinata are two characters who often face the challenge of overcoming their limits: for Hinata it is his physicality, and for Oikawa is the fear of Kageyama’s transcendent creation ability. However, both boys did not falter in the face of those obstacles – They overcame them, reaching for their dreams and goals despite what stood in their way. Only the strong can survive on the football field and only those who regularly set higher limits can become stronger.
“FLY HIGH”
Coach Ukai emphasized that humans are born without wings like birds, so we are always looking for other ways to fly high. Team Karasuno has always been seen as flying crows, nicknamed the “falling champion”, and surprisingly a compliment. The slogan “fly high” means that the Karasuno team has the freedom to find thousands of ways to compete and crush the impossible. At summer training camp, they watched their opponents, learned their skills and adapted their playing style. Like crows, they are like omnivores, absorbing and developing everything that can make them stronger. This is also emphasized by Hinata with his quote at the national tournament: ” Playing well means being free.”
Volleyball is a sport with great emphasis on physical height. However, after watching the Little Giants team play football, you will realize that height has never really been a factor in preventing you from playing football. It just means that you can always find other ways to keep playing, like using your strength and agility to run faster, jump higher, see what’s behind those high walls. that. “Flying high” means reaching for the impossible.
PLAY volley ball is FUN
Even though the majority of Haikyuu!! Talking about football matches in tournaments, or the training process, winning and losing of team Karasuno, these things have never been the core themes of this manga and anime. In the final chapter of the manga, the author deliberately did not reveal who won the Olympics match or the outcome of the battle between Hinata and Kageyama. Never Haikyuu!! It’s about winning and losing – it’s about volleyball. For Hinata and Kageyama, being able to continue playing was too much of a joy for them.
Even in the most difficult moments, players like Hinata and Oikawa often think back to the past, what made them start playing volleyball. They haven’t forgotten the root of their passion: that it’s a sport they love and it’s fun.
* Source: CBR.com
* Translator: Khoi Nguyen
