Haikyu!! Second Season

Episode 13

The problem with stories that teach a lesson or have a moral is that sometimes they lay it on a bit thick. Fortunately Haikyu!! doesn't go in for the 19th century children's literature style of preachiness, but this episode isn't shy about touting the lessons Karasuno has learned over the last season and a half. This week, having defeated their first opponents, the boys are up against a school that may not have much name recognition but does have something nearly as intimidating: a player who stands at 201 cm, or 6 ½ feet. Given that Hinata is roughly 5 foot 3 (162 cm), that's a pretty big hurdle to overcome.

But here's where the lesson comes in: this other team relies almost solely on the tall guy, to the point where most of their strategy revolves around making sure he can block. It sounds solid on the surface, but we the viewers (and Karasuno) have just spent the past twelve or so episodes learning that a team cannot pin all of its hopes on one or two players; they have to work together with all of their teammates. Therefore, even as the show tries to make the matchup tense, we know that Karasuno's opponents are doomed to fail.

It's actually not nearly as bad as it could have been. There's still more subtlety in the storytelling than that whole thing with the meanings of everyone's names a few weeks back, and we do get to see how the members of Karasuno figure out how to combat their giant foe's height. Mostly that means that they have to listen to each others' observations and work together to get around his single best play, and they do have a major advantage not just in their reliance on all team members rather than just one or two, but also in that this guy's only been playing volleyball for about six months. No matter what your physical prowess, that's a big handicap to overcome in a major competition, and his lack of experience is no match for the kind of training Karasuno's just been through, specifically Hinata and Kageyama, although Asahi and Tsukishima get some nice shots in as well. (Though neither of them have any spoken lines this week, or at least nothing beyond a snide chuckle or so.)

Sadly there really isn't much tension to this match, regardless of how teeny Hinata looks compared to the behemoth. The lesson is obvious if you've been paying attention to the show, but there's also Grandpa Ukai in the stands, happily narrating away to the kids who came to watch Hinata play, and since the legendary coach is totally chill about the game, we can guess that there aren't going to be any major upsets. The tensest moment really comes at the end of the episode, when Hinata, returning to the gym to find his missing lunch box, comes across three guys trying to hit on Kiyoko. When he nervously stands up for her (and I have to say that I'd be very cowed in her position, backed against a wall by three big guys leaning in), we learn that these aren't just random observers – they're major contenders who weren't even seeded into the preliminary matches because they're just that good. They've clearly been checking out the competition (and the managers), and they know that they need to pay attention to Hinata. Whether he realizes how big a deal they are (or at least think they are) is lost in his total embarrassment over the fact that his lunch box is wrapped in a cute kitty cloth, but I'm pretty sure we haven't seen the last of those guys.

Something about the preview for next week's episode makes me a bit nervous that we might be in for some kind of recap situation, but hopefully I'm just misreading it. Haikyu!! Second Season has been pretty regular in terms of mixing exciting episodes with these slower “lesson” or “getting there” ones, so here's hoping for something bigger next week.

Rating: B

Haikyu!! Second Season is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.