Haikyu!! 1x20 "Oikawa Toru Is Not a Genius" - reaction & review
Added 2024-12-03 12:05:00 +0000 UTCHey everyone! Here it is - my reaction to season 1 episode 20 of Haikyu!! WOW guys, the spotlight is really on Kageyama here, but can he handle the pressure? Seems like Oikawa knows just how to psych people out and exploit their weaknesses. Karasuno is in bad shape numbers-wise here, and the tension between Kageyama and Oikawa is getting thicker by the second!! Can't wait to see what happens next! Great stuff! Enjoy! ~ MH
Comments
Ohhh ok, nice! That's the thing, the title is such a fakeout! Yeah Kageyama is like a prodigy! It's interesting though, if one wasn't a "genius" they'd have to work that much harder, wouldn't they? Yeah Kageyama doesn't have the leadership/tactical abilities of Oikawa yet, makes sense. Tanaka!!! He's such a beast haha! Oh cool, thanks about the double subs!!!
Melissa Moore
2024-12-10 15:28:04 +0000 UTCInteresting about the film study!!! Hahahaha Tanaka def would've paid attention if it had been Kiyoko slapping him! XD Oikawa was trying to do just that - get in Kageyama's head. There's a difference between raw talent and knowing how to maneuver a situation for sure. Thanks for explaining about the subbing. And about the three sets; for some reason I thought they'd played a few already!
Melissa Moore
2024-12-10 15:25:48 +0000 UTC6:20-6:35 basically what Kageyama did with his eyes, he took from Kenma. Duping the opponent into thinking he’s going to throw the ball one way and actually throwing it the other way. Now the title of this episode is interesting. “Oikawa is not a genuine” makes you think “oh he’s not all that. He’s got a weakness we can exploit blah blah blah” but they’re trying to differentiate him and Kageyama. Remember Kageyama is what many consider a genius. Like there’s a genius in math, science, philosophy whatever— he’s a genius when it comes to volleyball. You could say a lot of things that would take an expert volleyball player years to master or maintain, he’s able to accomplish in a short amount of time, or immediately. Example when we see that visual of those crosshairs on screen when he’s able to make the ball go exactly where he needs it to be for Hinata. We see in banter how Suga and Tanaka get playfully mad at how good he is. Sometimes it can get irksome for experience to witness natural talent at a super high level. It’s not to say others aren’t bad but seeing how good he is would have that effect. As good as that is for our team, this episode tries to explain how he still has his habits. Looking at the title, you’d think we’d have the upper hand. It’s hard not looking at Oikawa as a genius because he’s able to control the game well. But what they’re trying to get a cross is he didn’t manage to get to this level by having that natural super ability that Kageyama has. It’s weird cuz how can the more gifted dude who lives and breathes volleyball be lesser than someone who doesn’t have his top tier abilities? That’ll be explored more later. But yes Oikawa got the gist down. It’s not that Kageyama isn’t able to set for others. We see him trying to give Asahi the best possible chance when tossing for him. But is he doing everything he can to get the best results? He’s good, he knows set for people, he’ll listen to there demands because he also wants the best outcome, but he’s lacking something that Oikawa has. The ability to draw out the best. I’ll leave it at that. Don’t overthink it. See to Kageyama, Oikawa is the standard of a great setter. If he can surpass him, he’d be the best. So he took this challenge to heart. And we see that because by the end of this ep the coach says he’s panicking and substituting rationality for speed to close the gap but that just keeps adding more pressure. Also Tanaka! The absolute beast. His mental fortitude is unmatched. That’s a hard thing to do when being targeted by the other team but he took it like a champ and got out of the little funk. He was not going to let them bring him down! 👊 *also don’t worry about the double subtitles. They can be a pain. You can’t catch ‘em all. Maybe just focus on the main if you can. 😅
Manny
2024-12-05 13:30:38 +0000 UTCTold you I’d be back. 😉 I neglected to cover what Ukai and Oikawa were up to during the last episode. It’s known as “film study.” You saw Seijoh providing commentary while Karasuno was playing but there are nuances and tips you can pick up by watching them play. This is a common practice in all team sports. Although the fact that Oikawa was doing it himself, and not the coach, speaks to his dedication level. As a real world example, you mentioned earlier your family sort of makes you root for the Bills in the NFL. The game is on Sunday usually. Think about what’s going on there Monday-Saturday. One of the things they’re doing is looking at the most recent game of whoever they’ll play next. This is one of the reasons Oikawa’s serves are so effective - he knows exactly where to target. Identify the weakest point in your opponent, and attack it properly - always a good strategy. By the way, the T signal is an indicator that you want to call timeout and talk things over. This study method is also what seems to have clued Oikawa in on Hinata’s signals, but it does sound like Suga has a backup plan. As for Tanaka, he didn’t need a pep talk, he just needed to vent a little. Although when I saw the handprint on his face after he slapped himself, I immediately thought, I wonder how much more effective it would’ve been if Kiyoko had slapped him. 😂 Unfortunately, Kageyama is reverting to old habits - just because you know what something is, you can’t automatically stop thinking and doing things that way - it’s like changing your method of getting up in the morning. And right now things are not going his way, and he’s starting to lose focus and panic. Oikawa has gotten in his head. As their coach said, while Kageyama is clearly more talented, Oikawa even admitting that, Oikawa knows exactly how to utilize every one of his teammates and Kageyama is reverting to trying to do everything. I also want to point out Kageyama’s serves - the first one he hit way too far, the same thing Hinata did and then Kageyama yelled at him - but the second serve he neatly had a. Footfall. If you look where his shoe is it’s almost at the back line. You must serve the ball before your foot crosses/lands on that line or it’s a point for the other team. Which is why Suga is subbing in for him. He’s holding up #9, which is Kageyama’s number saying, you’re going out, I’ve been asked to step on. Also I would note that he probably didn’t choose this, subs are usually a coaching decision. But we all knew the story was going to come back to this dynamic eventually, right? They’ve been building on it too much not to. Last thing: it’s the first set. Remember, it’s best of three sets. Things don’t look good for Karasuno here but even if they lose, it doesn’t mean they’re done. They’ve just used up their one free life. Not that you’d want to do it if you could help it though.
Tyler Stobbe
2024-12-04 05:38:39 +0000 UTC
