Summary
- A new trailer dropped for Haikyu!! the Movie: Decisive Battle at the Garbage Dump, promising intense sports action.
- The film serves as a conclusion to the popular anime adaptation, with clean animation and attention to detail.
- Band SPYAIR returns to provide the theme song, and director Susumu Mitsunaka is a veteran staff member, ensuring a fitting conclusion to the sports saga.
A new trailer dropped for the Haikyu!! the Movie: Decisive Battle at the Garbage Dump. It is the first of a duology that promises to tie up the storyline that Production I.G. has adapted across four seasons of anime. The movie is slated to premiere in Japan on February 16, 2024, though there has been no announcement of an international release yet.
The trailer can be viewed online on Toho Animation's YouTube channel. The footage seen so far promises plenty of intense sports action, with this first movie promising to capture the climatic showdown between the Karusuno High and Nekoma High volleyball teams.
With clean, smooth animation, the film looks to be the perfect send-off to the popular anime fans have been waiting for.
10 Reasons Why Haikyu!! is the Biggest Sports Anime
For many reasons, Haikyu!! has seen phenomenal success as one of the most memorable sports anime. Audiences are sure to be drawn by what it offers.
Haikyu!! the Movie Finally Has Longtime Rival Teams Square Off
Original manga written by Haruichi Furudate, anime produced by Production I. G.
Throughout Haiyku!!, Nekoma High has served as alternating protagonists that help provide breaks from Karasuno's matches. While they shared a friendly rivalry, it is only now that the story allows these teams to officially square off, hence the movie's subtitle referencing the metaphorical "crows versus cats" imagery. The trailer focuses on Hinata from Karasuno and Kenma from Nekoma, making them the figureheads of this duel. I.G.'s efforts here are also clearly shown, with every move and technique shown in the trailer having much more detail, weight, and smoother animation to emphasize the power coursing behind the players' moves.
The trailer also revealed that the band SPYAIR will be returning once more to provide the movie's theme song, "Orange". Director Susumu Mitsunaka is also a veteran Haikyu!! staff member who worked on the first three seasons of the anime, making him a natural fit for directing the conclusion of the sports saga. The volleyball anime is one of I.G.'s more recent successes since they first began adapting it in 2014, leading to four seasons and several OVAs. As the story has been left hanging since Season 4's conclusion back in 2020, these movies are a sorely needed continuation.
Two million theatergoers will also be granted freebies in the form of a "Volume 33.5" book that includes a short story, notes, and a sample storyboard written by Furudate. Haikyu!!'s movies come amid the growing popularity of films that are part of an adaptation's canon, kick-started by the enormous success of Demon Slayer: Mugen Train. At the moment there is no additional information regarding whether the Haikyu!! movies will be licensed for release in the West. However, given that Crunchyroll currently streams all four seasons, it seems very likely that the streaming service will try to acquire the remaining films.
Source: Toho Animation (YouTube), Anime News Network
Haikyu!! is available on Crunchyroll.
