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sometimes i just need to stop functioning and dedicate my only braincell solely to admiring the beauty that is the karasuno/nekoma match ending, so here's a short thread because i quite literally can't cope with how amazing it is
first of all, so many small arcs concluded, loose ends tied, worries resolved. starting with kenma genuinely having fun while playing, much like hinata promised him (#34), which is a huge part of what the story has been riding on until now, and it is simply so satisfying to see
then we also have kuroo, who for years has been low-key feeling bad about dragging kenma into volleyball, getting thanked by kenma directly for doing that and teaching him to play, clearly satisfied and happy with the outcome
another very important thing that’s sometimes overlooked is kuroo’s gratitude to nekomata for lowering the net and his desire to thank him for that by making this game a reality, shown back in chapter 91. and nekomata clearly saw that too, thanking kuroo almost directly ;-;
then of course there’s the older generation, and like, do i even need to say anything here? i think being able to share such a passion with the younger generation is something very precious as is, and there’s also ukai junior, who didn’t even WANT to coach initially ;A;
this. i just *raises fist in the air and lowers it back* furudate’s use of parallels and callbacks and masterful, this one does not only give us Feels but also reminds of the priorities (which was making this game happen), as if somewhat preparing us for the unexpected final play
we can later see the reflection of those priorities in the players’ reactions — both hinata’s almost ~disappointment~ with the win, which I can barely recall in any other game, and everyone looking if only somewhat frustrated (nekoma) but still satisfied afterwards
the final play itself is just. i have no words. the complete rebuttal of the “power move for the last score” trope, making it seemingly lame and frustrating and yet SO satisfying at the same time, as well as turning nekoma’s motto, “connect”, against them. <cont.>
it's also actually softer in japanese rather than in english, with kenma literally just going あっ 汗か (ah, the sweat...) and while the english translation conveys the meaning, no complaints there, i just love the flow of the original phrasing more <end>
just a separate note to hinata’s reaction because it’s so raw in its simple and realistic sense, and also stupidly relatable, especially now that we all experience phantom pains every sunday, right haikyuu nation
the parallels with fiction do not only suit kenma and seem amusing within fiction, they help us see the magnificence and importance of smth seemingly as mundane on a grand scale as a high school volleyball tournament and highlight haikyuu's brilliance for making us care about it
and with all that furudate somehow manages to make literally the strongest in-between-teams bonds in haikyuu even /stronger/, because with the game ending like this, the “let’s do it again” carries so much more power and meaning that even kageyama speaks out before hinata
