It has been a long four years of waiting for one of the best sports anime series of all time to return, and now on the big screen! Susumu Mitsunaka returns to direct Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle, the first film continuing the story of the Haikyu!! anime series adapted from the manga of the same name (written by Haruichi Furudate). This film covered chapters 294 to 324 from the manga (in case you want to read it before heading to the theatre or after).
Despite a four-year hiatus of content for the series, Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle brings back the high school volleyball spirit to a strong form filled with intense rallies and strategic cinematic shots. While I did not know whether the series would continue, I finished reading the manga completely. And, oh man, there are still some juicy matches and stories to tell. Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle covered the most anticipated matchups in all of the series and was on the biggest stage for them.
Here is a quick little recap about the series and where they left off: Shoyo Hinata joined Karasuno High’s volleyball club to be like his idol, a former Karasuno player known as the “Little Giant.” But Hinata soon found out that he must team up with his middle school nemesis, Tobio Kageyama. Their clashing styles turn into a surprising weapon, but can they beat their rival Nekoma High in the highly anticipated “Dumpster Battle,” the long-awaited ultimate showdown between two opposing underdog teams?
“Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle covered the most anticipated matchups in all of the series and was on the biggest stage for them.”
To put this match in a real life perspective, this is like the rivalry between the Toronto Maple Leafs/Montreal Canadiens/Boston Bruins, the LA Lakers and the Boston Celtics, or the LA Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants. These are teams that are always hoping to beat each other because they have faced each other a lot and sometimes fight to be the best in their similar regions. Karasuno and Nekoma are the same, and what better way to determine who is the best than on national TV?
Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle seamlessly picked up where it left off in season four, so if you have not seen that season yet, definitely do that. But I would also argue they made this film with enough substance to watch this movie with a friend, and they would relatively still be hyped about this match. Although, you would not get the full backstory aside from what was weaved into the narrative here. I liked that the film focused a lot on Kenma Kozume’s character, who is the setter for Nekoma High.
I would argue the whole movie appeared to be told from Kenma’s perspective, for the most part. It was a smart decision because this match was a lot more leaning towards Karasuno’s tale in the manga. By making Kenma and his relationship with his best friend and fellow teammate Tetsurō Kuroo the focus, it built a significantly more emotional storyline. This particularly helped tell the story as a standalone story, but additive to the series as well because we get more backstory of their childhood friendship.
Personally, I was enthralled going into this film for this long-awaited match. It was a good representation of the growth of both teams. One thing Haikyu!! has always excelled at showing the struggles of almost every character from a major team—regardless if they are the protagonists’ team. This is the core of the series, and this film delivered.
“Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle seamlessly picked up where it left off in season four, so if you have not seen that season yet, definitely do that.”
I was teary-eyed that Kenma and Hinata could happily face each other at Nationals, going all out with every single weapon they have built to battle one another. By the end, I was not sure whether to root for Karasuno or Nekoma because I saw how much each team persevered to get where they were in this movie.
The animation style was just as I remember it from last seeing it back in 2020 when the series ended in its fourth season. The shot that made this amazingly cinematic was a POV shot of one of the most intense moments of the match, where both teams were running on empty. The show never tracked a POV view like this. It really reminded me of when I played volleyball, and I tried to track everything happening around the court. This shot was perfectly executed to show us this character’s view of the court so that we can understand his desperation and drive to win it all.
Production I.G (Kaiju No. 8, Heavenly Delusion) has not lost their touch on the wonderful animation, adapting from the panels and pages to screen. There is an iconic shot in this match where Hinata struggled to find footing in the game, and the symbolism was seared in my mind when I was reading this moment. They nailed it.
This scene was also backed by great sound design as well! The isolation of shoes squeaking with high school angst, the spikes and short touches on the ball, and boys’ sweat anxiously fighting to get that next point. It was interesting to hear the voice actor really sound like they were actually exhausted when the scene mostly consisted of his unsteady breathing. I had not heard so much intense breathing since the last fight Tanjiro had on Demon Slayer with his water-breathing techniques.
As for the soundtrack and score, I felt like it could have gone bigger. It played the classic Haikyu!! theme during hype moments, but I would have been more impressed if it was a different variation than the show—potentially more orchestral. By the end of the movie, I felt like it still accomplished maintaining the heart and essence of the anime series. Haikyu!! is more than just volleyball; it is all about the bonds forged from playing the game that matter the most. I walked away with anguish at the tense moments and then amazed at how the match finished.
While this was one of two of the final films to close out the series, Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle did not disappoint in its hype factor. I am very curious how much the next film will adapt from the manga, given that there is still a decent chunk of story to tell. It is slated for one more film to finish the series, so I cannot wait for that. Also, I hope they will go all out with that one. Do not forget to stay until the end for a special post-credit scene, which will give a sneak peek of what lies ahead for Hinata and his journey!
