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🕑 Added 2018-11-25 19:41:54 +0000 UTCSCRIPT 1:
Shiratorizawa - A Study in Crafting a Great Antagonist Team (Haikyuu!!) **Working Title
Haikyuu’s Karasuno vs Shiratorizawa is a great season of sports anime. Its 10 episodes of brilliantly boiled tension, amazing music, stunning animation, quite terrific direction and consistently enthralling moments that encapsulate what this match means for all involved. But aside from that, what is arguably most impressive is how this match serves as a mid-series culmination of multiple protagonistic character arcs that had been steadily developing until this point. And the reason for that is quite ingeniously integrated in Karasuno’s opponent - the seemingly indomitable, cohesively written Shiratorizawa team.
This is a fearsome team built around a very distinct philosophy, but where lesser stories would have simply presented this philosophy and left it at that, Haikyuu ingrains its conception with the context and characterization of its coach. Tanji Washijo, shunned by coaches as a child due to his short stature, grew to simultaneously hate and admire the strength of gifted height and power in volleyball. So while he could never fulfill his dreams as a player for reasons he sees as beyond his control, he vicariously plays out these dreams as a coach through his players, using the type of weapons that rendered him helpless. This lead to a team philosophy built on pure power and height. and through finding a diamond that ticked all the boxes in Ushijima, he dedicated himself to optimizing these gifts with the structure of the team. The name of the game here was efficiency - not only selecting the best physical specimens, but the types of players that would get the most out of Ushijima. For instance, the setter, Shirabu, is explicitly stated to be less talented than the backup setter, Eita, but he is also less individualistic. He feels no need to prove himself or shine, and he is happy in the ace’s shadow, so naturally he gets the nod ahead of the more skilled but more ego-driven Eita, who can’t be trusted to give himself fully to the style of the team. In addition to this, Ushijima has tall and strong defensive teammates to cover for him and a young, powerful tool to look up to and challenge his senpai. In short, Washijo resorted to building the team around the types of players that signaled his defeat as a young boy. And he narrow-minded pursues this ideal, because if this concept is ever defeated by an entirely contrasting one, it would mean that maybe he could have achieved his dream. And that’s something that he cannot bring himself to accept due to how hard the regret would hit. Functionally and tactically, Shiratorizawa is a well-oiled machine due to this - spurred on by their coach’s conviction, drilled to follow a monolithic, unbending philosophy that took root in the heart of it’s leader - efficiency, discipline, and strength.
And this team intention is not only mechanically sound, but emotionally ingrained in the character journeys of the players. For instance, Tendou is the high-risk, high reward blocker whose guess blocking instincts are just so good that he fits into the powerful unit seamlessly. He was always avoided and made fun of as a kid, and so he developed some small scale psychopathic tendencies that are gratified when he gets a good block in. He just wants a place to feel good, and the volleyball court is where he can do that - complimented by a team that knows his game inside out and a coach that can support his erratic style. He’s a wildcard, but he fits the philosophy like a glove. Goshiki is an aspiring first year desperate to prove himself and train his fundamentals to become the ace - he is Ushijima’s heir, with one eye on his future aspirations and one on the present, doing his best to keep up with Ushijima and make his team proud. Shirabu doesn’t need the limelight but is all too happy to supply huge weapons that can tear through anything, considering it his singular motivation as a player - it is his goal as a setter to not be seen.
(Episode 5 - “”)
And of course, Washijo develops convictions of his own in parallel to his broader vision as he comes to understand Hinata. Here he sees someone who has not been blessed with natural gifts that are sometimes required for volleyball - someone like him. But he also sees someone who is getting agonizingly close, who is INCHING his way towards defying this fate. He cannot allow himself and his team to let Hinata reach the summit because of his petty pride, so he reinforces this philosophy - again and again throughout the match, to deny Hinata the glory that he himself was never able to attain. Whether they’re winning or losing, Washijo drills this style into his players and carries it out throughout the game in full force in a desperate attempt to preserve his ego.
This all feeds in together to make Shiratorizawa a force of nature of a team in a way that satisfies them all. They have plenty of personality, but the impression they leave is one of machine-like optimization, nearly inhuman in a way. This is exemplified pretty clearly through the OP’s reference to them as a mountain for Karasuno to climb and some faceless opponents skulking in the shadows. But it is best personified through the character of Ushijima himself.
“MR PERFECT” Ep 5 near end
He isn’t very expressive, he has very few flaws and he is rather stoic, and this is exactly what he needed to be. In total contrast to the expressive, flamboyant, and deceptively emotional Oikawa, Ushijima is rather simple - just like his team, and just like the obstacle Karasuno need to scale. Simple does not mean easy of course, but it characterizes this season well: counter their philosophy and stop Ushijima, and you win. The match vs Seijoh was about revenge for Karasuno and a passing of the torch of sorts from Oikawa to Kageyama, so the style and structure reflected that through placing a sharp focus on the conclusion of this part of Oikawa’s journey. It was much more variable in energy, a pretty personal battle between two teams who knew each other well. It served as a great match of growth for Yamaguchi and Kageyama, but overall it had the inflection of maintaining or carrying over most of the character arcs rather than reaching many apexes, and it was a match whose mechanics and symbolism were secondary.
The match with Shiratorizawa is a different story.
For Karasuno, the loss to Seijoh and the summer camp failures were catalysts for development, and the team grew by leaps and bounds. But the chance at nationals represented the chance for these characters to touch the heavens and clear hurdles they never thought were possible. And what better way to stimulate this growth narratively than through a force of nature of a team, and a seemingly unscalable mountain of a man?
There is of course the proclamation that Hinata made to Ushijima at the beginning of season 2 that serves as a platform for his development, along with both his unintentional defiance of Washijo’s petty will and his growing game sense and maturity, exemplified beautifully by his delayed run for the final point. Kageyama has a bit of a baby point to prove through his words to Ushijima as well, though this match didn’t have too much for him. Yamaguchi proved himself here by carrying his good form into a match against such strong opposition, proving that his work against Seijoh wasn’t a fluke. Nishinoya viewed Ushijima as his mountain to climb, probably the most difficult opponent he had ever faced, and adapting and learning to deal with him was a great personal triumph for him, as well as being pivotal for the success of the team. At the same time, for the third years, succeeding at Nationals represented something untouchable, unreachable given where the team started with them as freshman - they’re in a place that they dreamed of, so close to their big goal that they can taste it - but there is, of course, this ever present, faceless obstacle looming in their way. One that they always knew was there, but never conceptualized until now. And when they clear the hurdle, it’s ecstasy. And lastly, of course, there’s Tsukishima, who finds his moment as he faces and embraces his biggest challenge ever head on to accept that he loves this damn sport.
These character journeys all vary, but the common thread between them is that they are defined by this wall to climb. Hinata’s proclamation, Nishinoya’s excellence, the third years’ final chance, Tsukishima’s passion - it was all stimulated in response to unyielding, awesome strength. There is no better team for them to have played for this all to have been carried out. It is an integration of sublime story structure and opposition team design, substantiated by logically and emotionally consistent reasons for the team to behave that way in the first place. And this effectiveness is seen clearer than ever through the faces of the Karasuno players as they charge for the final all-in synchronized attack. It’s slowly dawning on them that they’ve done it. They’ve scaled the mountain. It means something different for each of them personally, but the same thing for them as a team - being able to prove that Karasuno can overcome the improbable and stand on the grand stage - an evolution from fallen crows to carnivorous, adaptable beasts - a powerhouse school once again. And this impact would just not have been the same without such a pristinely characterized and designed opposition. Quirky and not lacking in personality, but unyielding and cold in impact, built on a philosophical foundation to conceptually oppose Karasuno’s unrestricted flexibility - Shiratorizawa is exactly what this narrative needed them to be and more. Many thanks for watching.
SCRIPT 2:
Hunter x Hunter 2011 Succeeds Where 1999 Misses The Point
Hunter x Hunter’s 1999 anime from Nippon Animation is a resounding success as an adaptation. It captures the characters very well, it has a distinct aesthetic, it hits all the big story beats nicely and it exhibits directing that rivals, and some would argue surpasses its successor at times. Many people prefer this version of the story, and I can completely understand why. But where I believe it stumbles is at a point so deeply ingrained with the philosophy of Hunter x Hunter that I can’t quite hold it up to the standard of Madhouse’s 2011 version, which fully captures this point. Yet at the same time, this isn’t so much a negative for the adaptation as much as it is a lack of a terrific positive. Simply put, it all comes down to tone and style, and how that applies to the philosophical intent of the story. 99 does everything right in a traditional sense when it comes this, but the problem here is that Hunter x Hunter is not a strictly traditional story with a strictly traditional aim. Allow me to explain.
Many have voiced the opinion in recent times that Hunter x Hunter is a deconstruction of shounen, and, I won’t dive too deeply into this rabbit hole because it is not the main point of this discussion, but on screen and in the description are a number of sources that elaborate on a lot of the reasons that I believe prove this notion to be false. Simply put, I do NOT think that Hunter x Hunter is a deconstruction. It contains subversive elements reminiscent of deconstruction for the sake of thematic integrity, internal consistency and something else I’ll explain in a bit, but that is not enough for it to be considered a deconstruction.
Now, without a doubt, Hunter x Hunter examines and comments on shonen tendencies and tropes in ways characteristic of deconstruction. We need look no further than Gon’s breakdown in the Chimera Ant arc for an example of a deconstructionist take on the shonen hero’s final powerup, or in somewhat smaller moments such as the non-climax at the end of Yorknew or the unpredictability of the tournament at the end of the Hunter exam. However, despite these subversions, the story always centers itself and returns to its ideological basis. And that basis is a celebration of shounen in broad terms, not a deconstruction of it. And when the final impact of a story is something intending to celebrate traditional tropes of battle shounen, it
No matter how deep into the trenches of darkness the story goes or how subversive and unpredictable it becomes, it always eventually lands on a point of tonal optimism that is characteristic of shounen. It always emphasizes loyalty, friendship, connection, empathy and idealism - classically shounen stuff. What happens after Gon blows himself up? Killua’s friendship and connection to him proves to be his saving grace, and Gon returns, instantly bright eyed and bushy tailed once again. The epitome of the classic shonen protagonist, changed but yet somehow the same. What happens after the Hunter exam was interrupted by a murder and the tragic estrangement of Killua? His friends resolve to save him and their bonds are shown to be stronger than ever after what they’ve gone through. And a big showdown between Chrollo and Hisoka would have been narratively out of place in Yorknew given the context of characters like Kurapika, so it is postponed. But what happens after Chrollo regains his Nen? The battle finally occurs, one as grand and intricate as ever at a point in the story much better suited for a genuine conflict between the two. Even at the end of the Chimera Ant arc, which is essentially a huge middle finger to the darkness of human nature in narrative form, the story concludes as a celebration of human connection and love despite the tragedy. And there are more examples than just these. Togashi constantly examines tropes and tendencies, muses upon them, and then adds his own unique twists to return them to something undeniably celebratory of shonen and how effective it can be. As a side note, it’s partly why I don’t believe that Kurapika’s story will end as tragically as some believe it will. Here Togashi is pushing the shonen structure and ideals as far as they can be pushed in order to optimize them and prove how powerful they can be. And through this, he empowers shounen storytelling. Togashi loves what shounen is able to do, and he communicates this love by putting together these classic elements after taking a closer look at them for contrast and emphasis within the story.
That’s why the 2011 adaptation is so brilliant. It understands this thematic intent, and incorporates it into its presentation and aesthetics. People often complain that the beginning of the story is generically shonen and too lighthearted, but that is the point and the evidence that Madhouse understood Togashi was clear from the beginning partly due to this. While this is obviously not the ONLY reason for this, 2011 goes all in with the optimistic shonen tone early on to lay the foundation, to establish this philosophy and emphasize it through the extremely optimistic focus. In conjunction with this, the more drastic and extreme tonal shifts within and across arcs of 2011 that I’ve described in previous videos show further fundamental understanding of Togashi’s vision of delving into so many different ideas and styles with reckless abandon before returning to his centre, along with his obvious trademark style of keeping the story fresh and variable.
It’s an integration of elements, and it’s why the show has such a strange and unique tone. Something darkly mischievous, akin to something like Chrono Trigger, switching from optimistic and lighthearted to twisted and back again so seamlessly and radically. Along with how the story so beautifully achieves arc transitions, it does these things so well in 2011 specifically because these elements are ingrained with its style, structure and overall thematic philosophy. This bright, charming shonen spirit that is a big part of the show structurally and thematically is always returned to aesthetically, and this provides it with such a distinct feel. It allows it to pull things off and have narrative tools function where other shows would stumble, working on a subconscious level even if the audience doesn’t understand why it all seems to just work so well.
On the other hand, 1999 follows a much more traditional and consistent tonal structure. It’s approach is to establish this world as pretty damn ominous and dark from the beginning through its darker colour palette, more deliberate and predatory tone and the more understated music. The director for 1999 is Kazuhiro Furuhashi, and his approach here is very similar to the one he takes for his work in Rurouni Kenshin, especially the Trust and Betrayal OVA. His style tends to be visceral and very creative, using abstract imagery, oppressive lighting and unorthodox high focus to drive home the mood of certain scenes in quite phenomenal fashion. This is all great - however, his work here is fixated on being very consistent tonally. Normally I love this sort of approach for shows like Monster and Fate/Zero, but I don’t believe it to be the most effective thing for Hunter x Hunter due to the intent of the work. It never establishes the classically shonen tone and optimism to the extent that I believe it should, and it’s consistency works in classically narrative contexts but it misses the point a bit when it comes to this.
This tone in 99 is definitely extremely faithful to the dark and sometimes gothic visual approach of the manga, but I would argue that from my admittedly limited point of view, this sort of stylistic audiovisual and tonal integration is nigh impossible to communicate in manga which is why this approach doesn’t feel as palpable in the source material. One can joke all they want about the questionable art throughout certain parts of the manga, but in the end it’s very difficult to portray all that I talk about here in a medium that cannot integrate music and visuals to not only portray a substantial mood, but to transition and shift this mood when the story calls for it, before returning to its ideological centre again and again. Emphasis through repetition. It’s an abstract feeling of identity that this series has and it’s difficult to describe in words, but I’m willing to bet that a lot of you have felt this as well. This integrative tonal and thematic merger is something that is simply best taken advantage of in anime. And that’s why I really appreciate how 2011 presents its arcs and tone, especially early on.
1999 phenomenally captures a lot of things - it has a sublime take on the Yorknew arc, it delves into the backstory between Gon and Kite, it has some non-canon stuff that is genuinely great and some of the directing throughout, particularly through the portrayal of Kurapika, is terrific. But while it may have a more consistent sense of tone and atmosphere and while it carries it out extremely well, that tone is one that fundamentally and philosophically misunderstands a big part of what Togashi intended to do with Hunter x Hunter. 99 failed to pick up on one of Togashi’s primary objectives with this story, a reinforcement and empowerment of the shonen ideology, whereas I believe 2011 saw it from the beginning and never lost sight of it.
Of course, Both interpretations of the story are extremely viable and relevant, showing a different inflection that can be enjoyed by different people with different tastes. I actually think that both are essential viewing for fans of the series. But this is just personally my take on why I’ll always prefer Madhouse’s 2011 anime. That, and the fact that it has two more arcs adapted. But that’s just my take on it, and I’d love to hear what some of you think. Many thanks for watching.
