Mangas, like all other kinds of storytelling, come in a variety of types. Americans are familiar with the isekai (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime), shonen (Jujutsu Kaisen), and parody (One-Punch Man), with several breaking through into mainstream popularity, but music and sports are a little less common. One such sports series, Haikyu!! created by Haruichi Furudate, began in February 2012 and was eventually adapted into a television series that’s currently four seasons deep. Now, after a February 2024 release in Japan, the first cinematic release for Haikyu!! comes to U.S. theaters with the pivotal Dumpster Battle (a.k.a Haikyuu!! The Movie — Decisive Battle at the Garbage Dump). This is undoubtedly a thrilling moment for longtime fans of the series as the “cat” and the “crow” finally battle head-to-head in a volleyball match that matters whereas audiences less familiar with the characters and stakes are unlikely to feel the electricity of the confrontation.
L-R: Kozume Kenma (voiced by Yuki Kaji), Yamamoto Taketora (voiced by Seigo Yokota), and Hinata Shoyo (voiced by Ayumu Murase) in HAIKYU!! THE DUMPSTER BATTLE. Photo Credit: ©2024”HAIKYU!!”Project ©H.Furudate / Shueisha. Photo courtesy of Crunchyroll.
It’s time for the All Japan High School Championship, and that means that Karasuno High School and Nekoma High School will face-off in a match with no do-overs, no rematches, and no chance to reclaim victory. These two teams are used to practicing against one another, their players coming up with each other in some way, making the competition now as emotional and cerebral as it is physical. Can either team put aside their connections long enough to defeat the other? Or will their continued sportsmanship get in the way?
Unlike other reviews of anime adaptations, no pre-work was done to prepare as the presumption is that Dumpster Battle is a stand-alone experience. To a degree, it is, in the same way that My Hero Academia: Two Heroes (2018), Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train (2020), and Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (2021) can be viewed separate from their respective series (though Mugen Train is a direct adaptation of the manga whereas Two Heroes is an original story), but all three of the aforementioned films are far easier to understand and engage with if one has completed the prerequisites. The same seems to be the case with Dumpster Battle as the 85-minute sports dramedy does very little to make it easy for casuals to immersive themselves in this particular world.
Director and screenwriter Susumu Mitsunaka (Detective Conan: The Bride of Halloween) is responsible for the adaptation of Furudate’s original series arc and does utilize separate moments outside of the match (typically flashbacks, but also the occasional conversation between audience members or non-players) to help fill in gaps that unaware audiences might need to know. This is one of several smart approaches by Mitsunaka in order to keep the focus on the match/players in the present timeline and only employ flashbacks sparingly in moments where they make the most sense. Despite the film having a large cast of characters, Mitsunaka narrows the focus down to two initially — Kozume Kenma (voiced by Yuki Kaji) first and then Hinata Shoyo (voiced by Ayumu Murase) — using their backstory as the way into the championship game, which, once underway, is then expanded to include several of the other players. This makes the large cast easier to process for newer audiences, as well as helps point out that despite this being a competition with serious stakes for both schools, this isn’t your typical head-to-head match of rivals. Instead, and this is where most of the charm comes from, these players know each other so well and play together so frequently that trash talk is more often replaced by ribbing, encouraging words, and in-jokes. So, if you’re expecting the competitive intensity of basketball manga adaptation The First Slam Dunk (2023), you may find yourself sorely disappointed.
Being that this is an animated production, it’s important to note some of the choices made within the film. The most notable, and one which helps convey the sense that these players are closer than they appear no matter which side of the net they’re on, is that the net itself disappears when a face is close to it. It’s not that the entire net is removed, but that the solid black lines of the net fabric fade into nothing around a character’s face, making it easier to read their expression. The current four seasons of the show are available in the U.S. to stream via Crunchyroll and Season One Episode 17 “The Iron Wall” finds Karasuno facing off against a different school — the same technique is used here, implying that Production I.G., who produced the animation under the supervision of Chief Animation Director Takahiro Chiba (Your Name.) is carrying forward the style of the show. Even without this knowledge, the reduction of distraction off the face enables the audience to put their attention where it’s supposed to be: on the player in the moment. Similarly, the animation smoothly shifts from standard 2D hand-drawn style art into more dynamic 3D action-oriented designs, making the action more compelling to observe. This could be a still player having their whole body curve as the energy of their sudden movement thrusts them forward or shifting a close-up on a face so that it’s distorted beyond physical possibilities as they express shock, disappointment, or any other intense emotion. The animation really gets exciting when there’s a shift in perspective so that the act of guards leaping into the air switches from behind them to in-front with a tight shot on their wrists and hands, almost making them appear elongated as they stretch to block a maneuver from the opposing team. These techniques, which, again, appear to carryover from the series, help to convey the athletic capabilities of the players, as well as amplify the competitive elements of the volleyball game into something nearly supernatural. You know, like an anime.
The odd thing about Dumpster Battle is that while the animation makes one feel the intensity of the game, the way that the game is presented and the scoring from Yûki Hayashi (Haikyu!!; My Hero Academia) and Asami Tachibana (Haikyu!!; Moriarty the Patriot) do not. There’s often an element of anime storytelling in which two characters are pitted as rivals and their competition makes the other stronger in some way shape or form. Sometimes these rivals are friends, sometimes they are enemies, and sometimes they are one and then the other. Here, Mitsunaka makes it clear that this game is between friends/rivals Kenma and Shoyo with Kenma developing plans throughout the match to minimize Shoyo’s on-the-court talents. This leads to moments in which the volleyball game essentially turns into a chess match, which adds an element of intellectual intensity, but the way the action often plays on-screen, we the audience don’t feel as the characters do. So rarely does the action pull back enough for us to track the movement and, strangely, when it does go inward to put us in the match, there remains a strange separation that prevents us from feeling like we’re in the middle of the action. Adding to this a score that’s understated at best; it’s easy to hear and be aware of, but never quite leads the audience to energy or excitement. Then, add into this the fact that so much of the time spent on the court is explaining the connections between players, there’s a lack of momentum that even the most thrilling volley doesn’t inspire the audience to jump out of or crumple into their seats when it ends upon a point landed. It certainly doesn’t help that while the aforementioned in-film audience fills in the exposition gaps, the players themselves cannot naturally convey, one who has not watched the prior seasons cannot truly appreciate or understand what’s happening. For instance, a recent revisit to Jujutsu Kaisen 0 after rewatching the first season and the first arc of season 2 (it is my special) helped to magnify the side characters the film introduces without any fanfare and bring the film as a whole up more thanks to the additional context of the rewatch. In that vein, while entertaining on its own, one suspects that Dumpster Battle — a title one really only understands if you put together that the two teams are mascoted by a cat and crow — will improve with greater knowledge of the series as a whole.
L-R: Kozume Kenma (voiced by Yuki Kaji) and Hinata Shoyo (voiced by Ayumu Murase) in HAIKYU!! THE DUMPSTER BATTLE. Photo Credit: ©2024”HAIKYU!!”Project ©H.Furudate / Shueisha. Photo courtesy of Crunchyroll.
Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle is reportedly a destined battle between friends and foes, set to compete in a tournament wherein there are no chances for redemption. This is it for Karasuno High School and Nekoma High School with all of their practice matches leading up to this face-off. In-world, the tension is high, and it’ll likely be the same for those who come to this four-seasons deep. Using the characters of another series, this match may be like watching Deku and Bakugo throw down against Nine with Bakugo powered by One for All. But just like that statement may not mean much to those who don’t follow the series and understand the complicated nature of their relationship or what One for All is, so may those less familiar with Haikyu!! react to the destined game of cats vs. crows. Dumpster Battle is a good time for newbies, not a great time, but that may be enough to garner interest and explore the road to this moment. For fans, this appears to have been a longtime coming and will hopefully put old questions to rest for good.
In select U.S. theaters May 31st, 2024.
For more information, head to either the official HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle U.S. or Japan website.
Final Score: 3.5 out of 5.
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Categories: In Theaters, Reviews
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