HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle Review

HAIKYU!! joins the likes of Slam Dunk, Jujustu Kaisen, and Spy x Family, an anime series getting a cinematic spin-off. The first original film in the HAIKYU!! franchise sees a conclusion to the rivalry between Karasuno and Nekoma high schools.

Karasuno High School (The Crows) and Nekoma High School (The Wildcats) are two of Japan’s best high school volleyball teams. They finally get to play each other in the National High School Championship in the round of 16. During this match at Nekoma’s centre, Kenma Kozume attempts to mastermind a win and reflects on how he got into the sport.

Last year I gave The First Slam Dunk a glowing review. It was a surprisingly emotional experience as it showed the main character’s struggles from childhood to playing in the High School Basketball Championship. HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle felt similar to the basketball anime film since it shared a structure and focused on the personal story of one of the characters.

The bulk of HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle was about the match and showed the battle of wits between the two teams. There was a focus on tactics and philosophies between the two teams. Kenma was a tactician who could prod and probe to find his opponents, while Karasuno’s team was technically good and played with passion. There was a philosophical clash between the two main characters in the film, Kenma, and Shoyo Hinata.

The film opens with Kenma and Shoyo meeting for the first time and striking a friendship, despite their different personalities. Shoyo was small for a volleyball player, which made him more determined to be the best player possible who enjoyed the sport. He was a highly positive person with tons of energy. Kenma was more analytical, but he didn’t care for volleyball and had a melancholy personality. They seemed like unlikely friends and formed a friendly rivalry. Throughout the film, the friends were looking for ways to defeat each other.

HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle was a film that wanted to set out some positive messages. It aimed to celebrate healthy competition since both sides wanted to win and taunt each other during the match, but it was all good-natured. The film showed that sport can and should be fun for the participants. HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle believed in the old cliche that it’s the taking part that counts. It was a film that wanted to be a celebration of sportsmanship.

Being a theatrical anime film, the animation was of a high standard. The volleyball match was an exhilarating affair as the characters performed dives and spikes. Even though HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle was animated, it gave audiences the experience of what it would be like to play on a volleyball court, especially with the moments done from a first-person perspective. HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle was a film filled with visual symbolism and metaphors to help make the film stand out. The opening showed a cat and a crow present at Kenma and Shoyo’s first meeting, symbolising the match to come. One of the most notable moments was when Kenma caged up his friend like a bird.

As someone who went into HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle blind, it ended up being an entertaining sports film. There was an overburden of characters that probably meant more to fans of the anime series, but it managed to have a hook for newcomers due to the main characters’ dynamic.