Manga Review: Haikyu!!, Volume 29, by Haruichi Furudate

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: November 2018

Volumes: 37+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 28. 30.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Shoyo Hinata is out to prove that in volleyball you don't need to be tall to fly!

Ever since he saw the legendary player known as “the Little Giant” compete at the national volleyball finals, Shoyo Hinata has been aiming to be the best volleyball player ever! Who says you need to be tall to play volleyball when you can jump higher than anyone else?

Review:

They're still in the first set of their game with Inarizaki. The twins are a new kind of opponent for Karasuno, and despite it feeling like they're up against a whole other level of teams, they're really quite evenly matched.

First of all, Karasuno's cheer squad shows up. They're there to show those other teams up, to prove that Karasuno also has some loud and active fans, some real support. It's super sweet to see them all show up (though too bad for Tsukki's brother), it makes me happy to see them being cheered on (and I loved seeing Shoyo's reaction to being cheered for directly—so adorable!), but it's also good for this particular game. Inarizaki's cheer section needed to be quieted, to be countered so they were less distracting.

Inarizaki takes a lead, but it doesn't take long for Karasuno to catch up, and even try to surpass them. It's an intense start to the game. There are some mess-ups (Hinata gets stuck in his head and focused on trying a new technique a few times), but there are also some really good plays by their members. Inarizaki proves to be a tough competitor, as they show Karasuno that they're also quick learners and willing to try a new technique mid-game. Hinata and Tsukishima both play a particularly good move in this volume.

There's a lot of emphasis in this volume that Karasuno doesn't have the luxury of giving up, and it's a nice sentiment, and also true for them. Karasuno has worked very hard to get where they are, and they don't have the time to worry about what's happening, to waste feeling depressed or upset or disheartened. They have to take what's happening and continue trying hard, continue trying to win over the other teams.

I think this is going to be a long game, and I'm curious to see what happens next.

It's kind of crazy how in-depth and utterly captivating just one game of volleyball can be in this series, especially to a non-sports fan.