Haikyu!! the Movie: The End and the Beginning
Synopsis
After watching a volleyball match on TV where the "Little Giant" of Karasuno High School helps his team secure a hard-fought victory, young and impressionable Shouyou Hinata begins to play the sport in hopes that he too can soar high one day. Now enrolled at the same school as his idol, he attempts to join the volleyball team despite his short stature. Unfortunately, upon his arrival, Hinata locks eyes with "King of the Court" Tobio Kageyama—a genius setter whom he had once suffered a bitter defeat to in middle school. Their unfriendly introduction and subsequent rivalry forces the rest of the Karasuno team to bar both of them from joining the club until they can learn to work together as teammates. Though reluctant to cooperate, their desire to play volleyball causes them to return with a proposal that will show the other members that they are capable of teamwork. As the two freshmen form an odd setter-and-ace relationship, an old rival school invites Karasuno for practice matches, reigniting competition between the two schools once more. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Audience Consensus
The movie is a decent recap of the first half of the first season, especially helpful for viewers who need a refresher. However, it's not recommended for those who recently watched the first season due to its lack of new content. The movie successfully captures the original anime's art style and sound, but suffers from a compressed narrative and occasional animation flaws.
Strengths
- Good recap for those who forgot the first season.
- Art and sound are consistent with the anime.
- Refreshes memory of key plot points.
- Music brings hype to the scenes.
Weaknesses
- Recap movies don't offer new content.
- Story feels compressed due to the recap format.
- Unnecessary for those who just finished the first season.
- Animation quality dips when paused.