Haikyū!! La Guerre des poubelles

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.

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.

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.

I recently watched this movie in the cinema and found it to be a thrilling experience. I highly recommend catching it on the big screen for that extra level of immersion.

As a competitive volleyball player, I found the choreography and animation incredibly immersive and breathtaking. It felt like watching a real match in real time, keeping me on the edge of my seat. While the movie starts off feeling a bit rushed, it soon settles into a steady rhythm. The fast pace was a refreshing change from the anime's frequent internal monologues and pauses, enhancing the overall immersion.

I watched the dubbed version in the cinema, which was entertaining as I was used to the subbed version. Although some might find the new voice actors jarring, I enjoyed the change.

I haven't read this far in the manga, so I couldn't be disappointed by any omissions. As a standalone movie that picks up where season 4 left off, it was an amazing experience.

I recommend recapping the end of season 4 if it's been a while since you last watched it. I'm really looking forward to seeing how they conclude this series with the next 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.