There’s a first time for everything. I’m now entering another sports fan phase, this time featuring volleyball.
The last time this happened, Yuri!!! On Ice pushed me unwittingly into becoming a fan of figure skating. I watched several seasons, followed Evgenia Medvedeva on instagram, and felt the injustice of the sometimes-skewed scoring system. One history-making 2018 Olympic season later, and some change, universal favorite Yuzuru Hanyu has retired to a life of continuing to inspire others. I have also moved on from that particular sport and the anime.
And then Haikyuu!! started dragging me to volleyball. The stars have aligned.
Read here: Movie: Haikyū!! The Dumpster Battle (2024)
The intersection of Haikyuu!! and real life volleyball is well-documented, especially in Japan. Furudate has frequently drawn for collaborations between the sports manga and the Japan men’s national volleyball team (“RYUJIN NIPPON“). Many of the drawings are in line with canon –in the story, protagonists like Shōyō Hinata and Kageyama Tobio make it all the way to the highest professional leagues.
I vaguely recalled Yuji Nishida as an absolute unit from a viral video that circulated a couple of years ago or that my algorithm gave me after binge-watching Haikyuu!! clips. (You know, the one where He Destroys Canada with 6 Aces in a Row?)
I watched a couple more short clips and accessible volleyball fans on Twitter, before I realized that Manila is actually a host for the event. VNL2024 was coming to Manila for its week 3!
I found out only a week before the Canada vs Japan game –which I feel like was the game worth watching, also because I was on an out-of-country trip for the rest of the week– but thankfully I was able to book tickets fast. Serendipity was with me: the VNL actually stopped at Rio de Janeiro, Macau, Ottawa, and other cities, but I was just in time for their Manila tour. Seats for sections 216 to 218 were fully booked, but we were able to get a fairly good view from section 207.
Volleyball is clearly an Event, with so many fans (up to 12,000 attendees for the USA vs Japan game!). It’s so strange to think I wouldn’t even have heard of it if it wasn’t for Haikyuu!! Most people at work, including Kata, the co-resident and friend who came with me, didn’t even know this was being hosted in the Philippines for the 3rd year in a row.
I have no idea who the US players are –I’ve only gotten to familiarize myself with their captain, number 11, Micah Christenson– but I was excited to see these standees of Japan number 12 Ran and number 1 Yuji! But my favorite player/s, apparently, are number 12 Ishikawa and number 8 Sekita.
I can’t explain the excitement of watching a game live. The level is leagues away from what I expected. Coordinated plays, service aces, back row attacks, Ishikawa setting the ball, Nishida always spiking with strength… I was thinking something along the lines of: ‘it’s even better in real life!’
To see actual professionals at the top of their game… it would be kind of interesting to get a glimpse of their inner monologues. How were the players coping with their frustrations, strategies, and physical hurts?
I was live messaging my sister after every few points, and I kept hoping the game would never end. The first set started with Team Japan a little off with their energy, lagging behind Canada. They eventually recovered by the second set, but the gap in the energy was big, and I was honestly afraid it would end in straight sets in favor of Canada. Canada’s spikes just kept coming through. Still, Japan showed some good plays throughout the game.
It’s really different –there’s no rewinds, replays, fast forwards, or spoilers to the outcome. And the crowd was so full of energy!
Even if I’m no longer a Haikyuu!! fan next year (debatable), I will move heaven and hell to catch a live game during the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship 2025. It’s set to run from September 12 to 28, 2025 in the Philippines.
Good luck to all the players for the 2024 Paris Olympics!
Until next time! ❤
jari m 
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