Haikyū!! Karasuno High School vs Shiratorizawa Academy Season 3 Anime Review
Major Spoilers are included in this season review. Please read with caution.
On September 29, 2020, I binge-watched all ten episodes of Haikyū!!’s third season—mostly to drown out the 2020 presidential debate. My mental health—alongside everyone else’s—was being attacked, so I needed to dive into something hopeful and entertaining to wash out the dumpster fire from my ears. Now that I said my two cents about why I binge-watched season 3, let’s dive into the season review.
Unlike the first two seasons, this season had a shorter episode count to cover the final match between Karasuno High School and Shiratorizawa Academy to see who will go to the Nationals. For those interested in my other Haikyuu!! anime and manga reviews, the link is here.
The exposition regarding the volleyball was heavier in this season compared to the previous two seasons, showing that this anime is trying to cater to an audience that doesn’t know anything about sports or sports anime. The characters are constantly explaining everything from terminology to strategies so the most clueless viewer can follow along.
The first two seasons did a wonderful job on character development for the entire Karasuno team, but the condensed season chose to focus on one character—the MVP of the Karasuno versus Shiratorizawa—rather than everyone throughout the match.
Unlike the manga version of this volleyball match, Shiratorizawa was portrayed a lot less sympathetic and relatable. They seemed more villainous than usual, but it was because the anime cut out a couple scenes that shined Shiratorizawa in a better light. The lack of Hinata and Kageyama character development was sadly manga-accurate.
I did appreciate the background sequences we did get though, but the match clearly defined Karasuno as the heroes and Shiratorizawa as villains. The horror aspect of the series seemed overdone for the Shiratorizawa players, with their expressions coming off too weird and exaggerated at various times.
The season two finale—Karasuno versus Aoba Johsai—had a lot more heart and emotional turmoil compared to this season-long match. Shiratorizawa Academy didn’t garner as much sympathy for me compared to my manga experience. Ushiwaka being a left-handed player was explored more in the manga—based on my memory—and how that affected his life and playing style.
Since this season came out in 2016, the reason for the shorter episode count wasn’t coronavirus-related. Season 4 being split in two parts is coronavirus-related, but not season 3. I assumed they dedicated a season to this single match because the anime was getting close to the manga, so there wasn’t enough source material at the time to flesh out a whole 25-episode season.
The flashbacks were used effectively in this short season to give context on why the players were playing the way they were, and to raise the stakes higher for everyone wanting to go to Nationals. The most effective flashback was Karasuno’s third-years’ time as first-years, and how devastated they were to be a part of a “fallen team” unable to go to Nationals—which contrasted well with them achieving victory and securing a place at Nationals.
I personally enjoyed watching the short season 3 all at once—treating the binge like a real-life watching sports experience—but I know others would be annoyed due to being used to a 25-episode season. The volleyball action sequences made my heart pound the entire time—to drown out the numbness I was feeling from the 2020 presidential debate.
Overall, the series has the power to heal your soul. I would highly recommend watching the anime. The first two seasons are on Netflix and Crunchyroll—with the third and fourth seasons being exclusively on Crunchyroll. I’m excited to dive into Season 4 Part 1 and the OVAs soon! Thanks for reading this season 3 review, everyone! Let’s keep it going for Nationals!
BRING IT ON!