Haikyu!!: Collection 2 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Haikyu!!: Collection 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown July 16, 2015

The sport of Production I.G.'s addicting sports anime is more front and center in episodes 14-25, with more matches, more courtside drama, more on-court showdowns, and more bumps, sets and spikes per minute than before. And, for the most part, it works, expanding what was already an infectious series into arguably a more thrilling sports anime. The downside is that Collection 2 feels a bit more conventional than Collection 1, following in the footsteps of too many (admittedly successful) genre standouts. The characters are slightly less interesting, having well established who they are by now. The conflicts are less climactic and nail-biting, especially as the team comes together and begins improving and, of course, winning. The animation is somewhat less engaging too, with a few too many scenes looking like every other scene. Is it a deal-breaker? Absolutely not. Episodes 1-14 may have been stronger, but that doesn't mean 14-25 suffer so much that the series ceases to be entertaining or memorable. I still thoroughly enjoyed Haikyu!! and have zero reservations about recommending it a second time.

Collection Two, Episodes 14-25: In the wake of the blistering practice match against the Nekoma High School team, the Karasuno High School volleyball squad digs in and vows to bring their game up another level. Prior to the arrival of the new freshmen, the general belief was that Karasuno's day in the sun was over, but while the ongoing rivalry between Hinata and Kageyama has inspired everyone to push themselves even further, there's still a lot of friction that's ultimately slowing down their game. It's not until the announcement of the brackets for the Inter-School tourney are announced that the reality of what they are attempting to do finally takes hold. As talented as each of the team members may be individually, they have no chance of winning unless they can finally come together as a seamless unit. Can Hinata and Kageyama put their battle for dominance on hold long enough to take on the overwhelming brilliance of the Aoba Johsai squad?

Fortunately, if you're already a massive fan of Haikyu!!, very little in episodes 14-25 will taint your love. Hinata and his ragtag teammates remain a wonderfully likeable, wonderfully eclectic bunch of guys, even when big personalities continue to clash with big hearts. The significant increase in volleyballing makes for a more exciting stretch of episodes too, despite a growing sense of same-iness that risks making every match feel more and more like the last. Director Susumu Mitsunaka and writer Taku Kishimoto keep things clipping along nicely, with visual exclamation points that not only bolster the animation's slick style but sell the intensity and explosiveness of points being scored, volleyballs skimming the net, the defeated hanging their heads in shame, and the victorious erupting when a game is won. I still keep coming back to the wish that Mitsunaka and Kishimoto had found a way to do something different with episodes 14-25 to separate it from other sports anime titles. As is, though, it's a solid near-hit, which isn't exactly something genre fans are likely to complain about.

The Blu-ray release of Haikyu!!: Collection 2 includes twelve episodes:

• Formidable Opponents: Interhigh is coming up next month. The Karasuno volleyball club is pensive, tension rises. They endeavor in training individually and with clearer vision as a team, as they get more inspired. In the meantime, pairings of the preliminaries get announced.
• Revival: The much awaited day of Interhigh preliminaries has come. Karasuno's first match is against Tokonami High School. Sawamura battles against a former teammate in junior high, Ikejiri. The tournament is now official; one loss and you're out of the running. It's time for Karasuno's revival.
• Winners and Losers: Karasuno is winning the first round of Interhigh against Tokonami. But though Tokonami knows they're outclassed, they don't give up, they keep the ball in play. On another court, in spite of Michimiya's encouragement, the Karasuno girls' team is having a rough battle. Everyone is immersed in thought, but there can only be one winner.
• The Iron Wall: The second match of Interhigh preliminaries has begun. Azumane has a history with Date Kogyo, but he is determined to rise to the occasion. Dateko's tactic is to throw their opponent off kilter with their serves - but Karasuno focuses on receives. The wall of Dateko looms high; what will Karasuno do?
• Guarding Your Back: Thanks to Hinata and Kageyama's cornerstone "freak quicks," Karasuno is in the lead against Date Tech. But with Aone blocking, Date Tech starts catching up to Karasuno. This is when the ace Azumane must prove his worth. Will Azumane blast through Date's iron wall?
• Conductors: Karasuno's volleyball team makes it to the third round and they'll be facing off with Aoba Johsai. Seijoh, led by Oikawa, shows even more combination plays than they did in their practice match together. Meanwhile, the coach comes up with a formation to stop Oikawa's powerful serve. And before their match, Kageyama, who is Oikawa's junior from junior high, decides on a crucial move.
• Oikawa Toru is Not a Genius: The 3rd round Inter-High match against Aoba Johsai has begun. Without wasting any time, Kageyama and Oikawa start a setter battle. Well-experienced as a team, Aoba Johsai scores point after point against Karasuno with Oikawa's serves. Kageyama starts to panic. It's then that Karasuno's mood-maker, Tanak gets riled up.
• Senpai's New Abilities: Because Karasuno's plays become messy and the match's rhythm gets thrown off, they change setters. Sugawara goes onto the court in place of Kageyama and because he's always seen things from outside the court, he says he knows what's going on, and Karasuno starts their counterattack. Meanwhile, after seeing the match from the outside, there's a change in Kageyama as well.
• Evolution: In the second set, Kageyama goes back to the court and starts paying more attention to his teammates. He tries to get a bit closer to Tsukishima, who he had been awkward with this whole time. Karasuno finally starts to fight back, using their special quick attack. Meanwhile, Oikawa remembers his junior high days.
• The Point That Changes Momentum: They finally approach the final set of match and Hinata and Karasuno are fired up. However, since Seijoh are so tight as a team, they start to take the lead. At this rate, Seijoh will leave them in the dust. To change the flow of the game, the coach decides to do something drastic.
• Removing the Lonely King: In the final set against Seijoh, with the combo play by Hinata and Kageyama, they somehow are able to somehow tie up the score. Despite the pressure, Oikawa is able to bring out the best in Kageyama's former teammate, Kunimi.
• The Third Day: The Miyagi Prefecture Inter-High is now over. The winners have been decided. Hinata, Kageyama, and the other members of Karasuno have a lot on their minds.

Haikyu!!: Collection 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Blu-ray release of Haikyu!!: Collection 2 features an excellent 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation comparable to its Collection 1 predecessor. Colors are strong but never overpowering. Primaries pop without appearing too vibrant. Black levels are satisfying, contrast is consistent, and detail is first-rate, with crisp line art and no aberrant noise or significant macroblocking. Faint banding creeps in from time to time, but none of it proves distracting. And there aren't any compression concerns of note, leaving little doubt that each episode looks about as good as it could.

Haikyu!!: Collection 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The only audio track included on the Blu-ray release of Haikyu!! Collection 2 is a Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo track. No English dub, lossless or otherwise, is available. Like its Collection 1 counterpart, the Japanese mix is quite good, with crisp, neatly prioritized dialogue, bright sound effects, decent low-end approximation (without any proper LFE support), and a fairly engaging soundscape. A fuller six-channel track would have obviously been more immersive and better suited to a sports anime, but don't let that stop you from sampling the series.

Haikyu!!: Collection 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Other than "Clean Opening & Closing Animations" (HD, 3 minutes) and a small collection of Sentai Filmworks trailers for recent and upcoming titles, Haikyu!!: Collection 2 doesn't include any significant special features.

Haikyu!!: Collection 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Haikyu!! remains a good deal of fun. Episodes 1-13 struck me as more entertaining than episodes 14-25, but the latter half of the series is by no means a failure. Sentai's Blu-ray release is pretty good too, thanks to a striking video presentation and decent Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo track. There still aren't any special features of note, but that seems to be Sentai's approach to most of its releases.