Let's start this review on an objective fact: Haikyuu fucking rules. It's unquestionably the best sports anime I've ever watched, a thrilling, fist-pumping ride with one of anime's greatest ensemble casts, spectacular animation and directing that makes every volleyball match spring to life, and a real human touch that can make even a non-athletic slug like me care about sports as much as any tailgater. And this movie, in particular, has been a long time coming. Karasuno vs Nekomata. Crows vs Cats. The beasts of the garbage dump, friends and rival and training partners from the earliest days of the show, finally facing off on the stage of nationals. And this showdown takes up the entirety of The Dumpster Battle, a movie-length volleyball match that sends Haikyuu to the big screen for the first time (not counting the compilation movies, but who does?) At long last, Haikyuu IS cinema... though this approach isn't without its drawbacks.

See, while I haven't read the manga, I know that the Nekomata vs Karasuno match is much longer than a single movie could realistically cover. And I know fans have been nervous about how much would need to be cut to fit the match into this runtime. As I am anime only, I don't know what exactly was left out, nor am I interested in criticizing The Dumpster Battle from that angle. An adaptation should stand on its own regardless of its source material's context, and this movie should rise or fall on its own merits. That said, you can definitely feel the time constraints affecting how Nekomata vs Karasuno plays out. But it's not that the pacing is rushed or you feel like you're skipping important scenes. Quite the opposite, in fact; whatever edits the scriptwriters made were remarkably seamless and keep the story flowing smoothly without any obvious "Oh yeah, this should've been longer" moments (save for maybe a messy start to the final set). If I hadn't known beforehand this match was much longer in the manga (Side note, how many chapters was this, exactly?), I doubt I would've been able to tell.

No, the way the shortened runtime manifests in The Dumpster Battle in its narrowing of focus.

See, most Haikyuu matches are, by nature, ensemble pieces. There's never just one or two players robbing all the attention; almost everyone on both sides of the net gets important character moments, with Karasuno especially rotating often between who gets to take the spotlight at any given moment and between matches. The reason all the matches are so long, with almost every point given attention by the narrative, is because all that time is necessary to weave so many different characters' stories together and find so many different moments to afford everyone. Which works to emphasize the show's themes of teamwork and mutual growth by showing how everyone on the court- even a bit player like Enoshita- matters.

But of course, while a TV show can afford to spend multiple episodes watching such lengthy and interconnected character work play out, a movie doesn't have that luxury. And to account for that, the scriptwriters made a decision: focus all the character work down to just the most important players. In this match, Hinata, Kenma, and Kuroo are the only players that get Haikyuu's usual intricate character treatment, with Kageyama and Tsukishima picking up some minor support as well. Everyone else is just there to smack some balls around and offer up big personalities to keep the action exciting and fresh. Honestly, you could argue that the movie's structured to make Kenma the protagonist; it's his point of view we're first shown, its his character arc that forms the backbone of the match, and it's his inner monologue we spend the most time with. Moreso than any other Haikyuu match, this movie feels like the story of one kid's journey, every serve and spike and strategy centered around this easily exhausted introvert's full acceptance of volleyball as something he genuinely loves participating in, warts and all.

And honestly? I think this was the best approach. If the screenwriters tried to squish every last moment and character detail into this shortened timeframe, The Dumpster Battle would become an incomprehensible mess. Tightening the focus so much lets this movie stand on its own as, well, a movie instead of a rushed highlight reel. The story remains focused, the pacing stays tight and tense without spiraling out of control, and the emotional throughline of Kenma's growth gets all the time it needs for the climax to soar as high as it does. On its own terms, it's as successful as it could possibly be. But of course, this movie doesn't really exist on its own terms. It's part of a series we've been following for close to a decade, and it's a series that's built up expectations of what its storytelling is able to accomplish. The Dumpster Battle itself has basically no issues; the only issue is the question of whether it was a good idea to turn Haikyuu into a movie at all. And unfortunately, it's that issue that hangs heaviest over this movie.

Because those intricate ensemble-piece showdowns I talked about earlier? Those nail-biting point-by-point slugfests where every character is a critical cog in the narrative machinery? Those can only exist in the space allowed by the TV format. It's only over the course of so many episodes, week after week, that Haikyuu can weave such spectacular webs of character growth, camaraderie, tension and release. This kind of lengthy, multilayered storytelling needs the runtime of a TV show to play out in a satisfying way. And as good as this movie is, it just doesn't capture that. It can't capture that, with so little time to focus on anything except the main characters. The Dumpster Battle is probably the best possible result of turning Haikyuu into movie format, but that also makes it undeniable proof that Haikyuu itself cannot be at its best in movie format. I want to see all the other characters' thoughts and struggles over the course of this match. I want to feel that sense of interlocking parts as everyone's emotional threads come crashing together. I want to see Nekomata and Karasuno's ensemble story, as richly detailed and fully realized as any of the matches that's come before. And while not having such a broad focus isn't necessarily a "flaw," it's a step back from what this show is capable of at full power.

Thankfully, the switch to movie format isn't a one-sided loss. Because while we may lose in the breadth of its storytelling, the trade-off is getting to see Haikyuu's spectacular volleyball action on a movie budget. And sweet buttery Christmas, it is a sight to behold. From start to finish, this movie is nothing but the most explosive, dynamic, pulse-pounding sports animation ever put to screen. Every single play, from quick smashes to the lengthiest of volleys, erupts with kinetic motion and stunningly detailed artwork that twists and bends with the speed of each movement. Every impact hits like a wrecking ball. Every mad scramble for a dropped ball feels like a gale-force hurricane blowing by. Every wide shot showcasing both entire teams in motion feels like a minor miracle of staging and blocking. It also helps that after season 4's weird stylistic diversion, the character designs and art direction of the first three seasons have returned and god I fucking missed when Haikyuu looked like this. And seeing those richly textured designs blown up with such spectacle, captured with such confident and free direction, is nothing short of a visual marvel. The final POV tracking shot that brings the match to a close had my jaw on the floor minutes after it was over. That was fucking insane.

So make no mistake: The Dumpster Battle is a good movie. It's a great movie, even. All that lets it down is the fact that this format doesn't allow it to fly as high as we know this show is capable of. Its resounding success on its own terms is, at the same time, a conceptual failure in context of the show as a whole. But it's hard to complain about an experience this exhilarating when its only real problem is just not being able to do as much as it could be. Maybe I'd feel different if I'd read the manga and knew what parts had to be shaved down, but if I ever become the kind of person who cares more about an anime's source material than the anime itself, do me a favor and ship me off to a glue factory or something. Anime deserves to stand on its own, and that's exactly what The Dumpster Battle does, narrowed focus and all.