Despite being an anime fan, you could write what I knew about this franchise on the back of a postage stamp. For whatever reason, I had never bothered to read the manga or even check out the anime series Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle is based on. I can tell you right off the bat, that you do not need to be familiar with this franchise at all to have a good time with this movie. By the end of it, they had won a new fan and I am going to check out the anime.
How to Download Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle
Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle was released on February 16, 2024. It is possible that after some time you will be able to download or stream it from Crunchyroll. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and check the availability.
The Movie Review
Is Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle Really An Anime About Volleyball?
Is Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle really an anime about volleyball? That is the question my son asked me before we watched this. I told him it was, but I had heard it was really good so we might like it. Honestly, it was the whole volleyball thing that made me not really take an interest in the anime show, I am not a fan of the sport so I just ignored it, we only watched this as it was an anime movie that was being shown in our local theatre.
The Basics
The basics are that we have two teams that have a rivalry, but the rivalry is not what you would expect. The Crows and Wildcats are not exactly what you would call two of the best teams, but they find themselves going through this volleyball competition and they are going to play against each other.
Character Development
There are a lot of characters in this movie and one thing I found interesting was the way it would do these kind of like flashback type deals where we get to know a little more about certain characters. I would not say that there is a “bad” team here like you would expect and I liked characters on both sides, meaning that during the big game, I was not sure who to root for as I did not want to see characters on both sides disappointed.
Drama and Comedy
The drama and comedy around these volleyball teams are done so well, you truly do connect with the characters and the high school drama of it all is very well done and was something I got a huge kick out of. The movie moves at a very quick pace, it lasts under 90 minutes and when that teaser for what comes next ended, I was kind of shocked that it was already over.
Visual Appeal
Not because I felt like there was stuff missing, the movie was so entertaining, the time just zoomed by. A huge part of the appeal here has to be the way that the movie looks, this is animated so well, it has a lot of flash to it and even if you are not a fan of sports movies, it is impossible not to get caught up in the exciting volleyball action that we see.
Final Thoughts
I am so glad that my theatre showed this, if they did not, I would probably be ignorant of this franchise forever! Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle was a ton of fun and one of the most entertaining anime movies I have seen this year. Forget the volleyball thing (unless you are a fan of the sport of course) this is just a great “sports movie” with characters you will grow to care about.
