Review of Haikyu!! To the Top

The 10 episodes from season three that focus on one game are now followed by a 13 episode season that gives much more time to breath and refocus before really getting into the national tournament. And Haikyuu!!: To the Top does a good job at getting more into the cast. Kageyama and Hinata both have moments of learning to overcome weaknesses they've had, being communication about tosses and receiving respectively. Hinata finally getting a handle on receiving, which is something much more suited for him on defense than really trying to make an impact on blocking is good to see. Something rubbed me the wrongway about Kageyama's few episodes in practice and facing Date Tech. I'm not sure what exactly but the kind of energy that Haikyuu always brings to its volleyball and non-volleyball related moments was just sucked out and I was not into it.

So the first half of the season had some ups and downs, especially with how uncomfortable it was for Hinata to really deal with the consequences of just showing up to a practice camp he wasn't invited to and sheepishly having to be a ball boy for it. That could be comedic in another anime but this plays it realistically. But things improve a lot when the tournament gets going. I loved the New Years episode where everyone is kind of struggling with what to do with themselves when they need to rest and the biggest games of their career are about the start. The episode that finally fleshed out Kiyoko more was great with her kind of playing the opposite of Yachi and her relationship to help running the club. Tanaka is as inspired as ever, and the third years all had nice moments and really came together for a hell of an ending when they played Tsubakihara, Go Sugawara.

The animation was clearly different and took some getting used to during the first episode but it seemed to look better during all the motion shots than before, but there was something a bit off about the more still, talking sections. It's noticeable in some instances but not a deal breaker.

All I need now is a published list of all of Bokuto's weaknesses and I'll feel like I've really completed this series.