Manga Review: Haikyu!!, Volume 1, by Haruichi Furudate

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 5, 2016

Volumes: 22+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A chance event triggered Shouyou Hinata's love for volleyball. His club had no members, but somehow persevered and finally made it into its very first and final regular match of middle school, where it was steamrolled by Tobio Kageyama, a superstar player known as "King of the Court."

Vowing revenge, Hinata applied to the Karasuno High School volleyball club... only to come face-to-face with his hated rival, Kageyama!

Review:

I wasn’t too sure what to expect of this, other than that it’s a shonen sports manga, about volleyball.

We meet Hinata, who is short but determined to be an amazing volleyball player. His middle school didn’t even have a team, but he practiced at any and every opportunity that he could find. Then he meets Kageyama, who is controlling and angry, an intimidating presence on the court. They start as rivals, but then they end up on the same high school team and have to learn to work together.

It was interesting to see them trying to find compromise and understanding. I also liked seeing how convicted and determined Hinata was, and I liked how he never gave up no matter how bad he was losing, and how it only makes him work harder to get better.

To be honest, though, more than the first half of the volume was a little boring; it just seemed very long, and I’m not sure why. The artwork is also just okay. Not particularly pretty, though some panels are better than others. There was an interesting cast of teammates we met, though.

It was just an okay volume, though I imagine it will get better.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!