While I initially viewed Haikyu!! as just another sports series, it actually taught me a very important lesson about the true value of anime. It is no secret that a lot of people were bored during the pandemic. Stuck indoors due to city regulations, many pop culture fans turned to anime to cure their stir-crazy. While I watched anime before the pandemic, I, too, found solace in its entertainment value during that unprecedented time. However, I soon realized that what anime provided was so much more than a distraction.

There’s something special about anime, but this isn’t new information. Anime is vibrant and wide-ranging in genres, has captivating voice-acting performances, and has completely redefined the entertainment industry. However, while I (and countless other anime fans) love Japanese media for these reasons, another, more philosophical quality is hidden behind these flashy exteriors.

Anime promotes life enrichment. While Western media should not be generalized, I have scarcely encountered a TV show or movie that has depicted the human condition quite like anime. The details, sound design, plot points, and pacing are distinct from other media types for one main reason: anime depicts the mundane in a way that reignites the viewer’s love for life. It is for this reason that Haikyu!! stood out to me, because it showed me the true value of anime.

How Haikyu!! Inspired a Generation During the Pandemic

Haikyu!! is So Much More Than Just Another Sports Anime

The Haikyu!! manga series was written and illustrated by Haruichi Furudate and was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from February 2012 to July 2020. The manga’s 402 chapters were collected into 45 tankbōn volumes and then adapted into 89 episodes and 4 anime seasons. While Haikyu!! has maintained its popularity, thanks to its recent film, Haikyu!!: The Dumpster Battle, I noticed that the fandom really flourished in 2020 during the pandemic.

During COVID-19, when I started reading Haikyu!! and watching the anime along with it, I admittedly found myself wanting to join a volleyball team, which was pretty humorous at the time, considering I hadn’t played a sport since middle school. Besides running long distances or hiking, I don’t have an athletic bone in my body. I’m an artist. I have no desire to be on a court, chasing a continuously moving ball amongst a sea of aggressive players. Still, there is something about watching Haikyu!! and reading about Shoyo Hinata’s dreams made me want to join the Karasuno Crows’ matches on the court.

I soon dove into the anime side of TikTok and, much to my surprise, discovered that I wasn’t alone. Dozens of fellow Haikyu!! fans were having the same feelings I had about volleyball. Never before did we desire to join a sports team, but after watching Hinata and Kageyama on their journey to the top, we were soon typing “volleyball try-outs for beginners in my area” into our search bar.

I never ended up joining a volleyball team, mostly because the pandemic made it understandably hard, but also because I realized I didn’t want to give up time for my other passions for the sport. However, even though I never played volleyball, the whole experience and sudden urge to join a team opened my eyes to the true value of anime: the inspiration it ignites.

The Deeper Meaning Behind Everyone’s Favorite ASMR: Anime Cooking

One Key Trope is the Backbone Behind Anime’s Romanticization of the Human Condition

Many people found themselves wanting to start playing volleyball, including me, because of how fun the anime made it seem. I didn’t really have the resources or time to actually join a team. Still, the process made me realize how anime, in general, tends to emphasize the small beauties and aesthetics within different occupations, which inspires people to try new things.

This is an important aspect of Japanese culture, which encourages people to stop the buzz of everyday life and take a break by contemplating the beauty in the simple things around us. However, Haikyu!! isn’t the only anime that shows the heart and detail behind passions, hobbies, and careers. In fact, one of the most famous examples of the romanticization of the mundane in anime is cooking.

Anime is famous for its intricate cooking scenes where each flavor, texture, and sound are depicted. The snap, crackle, and pop of stir-fry on a pan and the slurping of ramen immerses audiences into what should be one of the most uninteresting scenes of a show: food preparation. However, satisfying cooking scenes like those in Studio Ghibli have become a prominent trope and were recently spoofed by Disney’s Turning Red. Anime cooking ASMR is the perfect example of how anime manages to make the mundane beautiful.

The True Value of Anime Can Be Accredited to Japanese Life Enrichment Philosophies

Japanese Culture Plays Heavily into This Aspect of Anime

One thing that I really appreciate about Haikyu!! and other activity-based anime, such as Blue Lock or Blue Period, is the focus on minor details and more subtle aesthetics within a craft, which allows viewers to cultivate an appreciation for hobbies or career paths that they once knew nothing about.

This philosophy stems from the underlying philosophies of Japanese culture. For example, in the Japanese education system, music is a part of the standardized curriculum in order to provide students with an appreciation for the arts. Research indicates that the early inclusion of music in a student’s education enhances the personal and professional lives of individuals. However, music is not the only artistic class offered for this reason. In addition to music, shodo 書道, Japanese calligraphy, is offered in high school.

Finally, life enrichment philosophies (appreciating the beauty of life through a well-rounded assortment of hobbies and passions) are discussed in the Japanese COS (Course of Study) curriculum, which is used to structure every single course in Japan. It states that the main objective of incorporating music into students’ lessons is to:

“Cultivate aesthetic sentiments and fertile human minds by appreciating the beauty of music.” – Course of Study

While this excerpt refers primarily to music, it provides a perfect view into Japanese culture’s underlying life enrichment philosophies, and thus, anime.

Anime such as Haikyu! inspire their fan bases to take a closer look at hobbies, passions, or even careers that they would not have considered before. I distinctly remember watching a TikTok video of a girl talking about how she actually did end up joining a volleyball team after watching Haikyu!! but was a bit disappointed after trying out a difficult move on the first practice, to which the coach responded, “This isn’t Haikyu.” While the sport ended up being different than she anticipated, the anime gave her the bravery she needed to try something new.

However, anime doesn’t only inspire audiences to try something new. It has also encouraged me to take a closer look at my everyday life and see the beauty in it. In the same way anime cooking scenes can make us crave a certain food, series like Haikyu!! inspire us to join the characters in their pursuit of a particular skill or dream, which is the true value of anime.

Sources: Atsuyasu Kitayama, “Historical Changes in the Objectives of Japanese Music Education.”