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Here is my thread on why ‘The Birth of The Serene King’ is my favourite moment in Haikyu!! and how it perfectly sums up the value of relationships in the series.
Note: This is strictly how I viewed these events and is not 100% fact!
Note: This is strictly how I viewed these events and is not 100% fact!
We have seen Kageyama develop his psychological demeanour in several phases, from tyrannical leader all the way up until his acceptance of his ‘King’ persona and who he is as a person/player.
This development was meticulously crafted for the entire series and masterfully done!
This development was meticulously crafted for the entire series and masterfully done!
Then, what is the culmination of all that? Of all that character building, integration into the story and relationships?
It’s Kageyama saying thank you.
It’s Kageyama saying thank you.
It’s him putting his hands together in thanks; thanks to his teammates and coaches for their trust, his enemies for pushing him, to Atsumu Miya for reminding him he isn’t a ‘goody two shoes’, but above all else it’s thanks to one VERY specific person...
Tooru Oikawa.
Tooru Oikawa.
Thank you Tooru Oikawa. Thank you for pushing him to his limits, breaking them and helping create new ones. Thank you for putting your pride aside and helping strengthen the bond with Hinata. Thank you for helping him see what he can be. Thank you for being his true rival.
This moment hits different and it’s ALL because of Furudate. There is no exposition, no needless text, no explanation as to what’s going on. He lets it all play out in front of us and we FEEL the last 285 chapters and the last 82 episodes of Kageyama’s experience pay off.
But the cherry on top of all of this for me isn’t the thanks, it isn’t the ‘show don’t tell’ nature of Furudate’s writing... it’s the fact that Oikawa was watching.
When I read this for the first time, I cried for probably 15 minutes straight. Kageyama thanked Oikawa, KNOWING he’d be watching. The two are so interlinked, their careers, their ambitions, their paths to their dreams, to see it paid off so honestly and subtly broke me.
Furudate did NOT need to include this. It could have easily been that one Kageyama moment and the match continues. But it’s that honest understanding of his/her characters, that continuity in the relationships that puts Haikyu!! leagues above everything else.
So Oikawa watches on, sneering to himself. He understands what’s just happened, and understands his rival has just achieved another level.
We see him sprint off, motivated and hungrier than ever, driven by Kageyama just like he is driven by Oikawa.
We see him sprint off, motivated and hungrier than ever, driven by Kageyama just like he is driven by Oikawa.
And that is a very brief summary of my favourite moment in Haikyu!!. It’s subtle, it’s honest and it encapsulates my favourite dynamic in the series and what it means to me.
My peak fiction, always.
My peak fiction, always.
