REVIEW: Gekijôban Haikyû!! Gomi Suteba no Kessen [HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle] [2024]

Rating: PG-13 | Runtime: 85 minutes
Release Date: February 16th, 2024 (Japan) / May 31st, 2024 (USA)
Studio: Toho / Crunchyroll
Director(s): Susumu Mitsunaka
Writer(s): Susumu Mitsunaka / Haruichi Furudate (manga)

A match where there is no rematch.

Unlike some films based on existing manga/anime properties that set themselves up to be standalone in the sense that you don’t need to know anything about what happened previously, Susumu Mitsunaka’s HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle is billed as a “direct sequel” to the television series. Thankfully, that doesn’t mean the story itself isn’t still standalone in the sense that it has a distinct beginning, middle, and end. Yes, you will have no clue what’s going on with some peripheral details, but the main plot never confuses. Why? Because the lead character is Kenma Kozume (Yûki Kaji).

I am completely unfamiliar with this IP, so I cannot tell you anything about the apparent coach rivalry (one is at the match, one is in the hospital watching his grandson call plays) or the die-hard fans (a pair of girls for the Wildcats and a couple for the Crows). I can’t tell you much about Shôyô Hinata (Ayumu Murase) either despite reading that he is the central focus of HAIKYU in all its many iterations since he’s a secondary concern here. So, while having a grasp on the history of the Karasuno High volleyball team is obviously a plus, know that Mitsunaka does a nice job pivoting to follow someone else instead.

Kenma plays for Nekoma High. We meet him as he realizes his phone has died, leaving him with no clue about where to go for the practice match he’s meant to play. It’s here that Shôyô walks by, introducing himself and trying to get this stranger to be as excited about his favorite sport as he is. Unfortunately, Kenma doesn’t really care about volleyball. Or anything for that matter. He plays because his best friend (Yûichi Nakamura’s Tetsurô Kuroo) loves it and got him to tag along and become the team’s setter. Kenma would rather not sweat or get tired, but he trudges along, captivated by the nuances and strategies of the game.

The film’s goals are thus two-fold. To see who is going to get out of the preliminary round of the Harutaka tournament (Kenma’s Nekoma or Shôyô’s Karasuno) and to see if the latter’s tenacity and drive to win can force his new friend into getting so caught up in the action that he can’t help but admit he’s having fun too. You have crazed passion on one end and indifferent malaise on the other. So, it’s fun for us when the first set is mostly Kenma finding the tactics necessary to render Shôyô a non-factor and, subsequently, sap that love for the game away. Once Shôyô rekindles that fire, though, all bets are off on whether Kenma matches his energy.

And that’s about it. The Dumpster Battle is literally just a volleyball match. It’s not as visually inventive as The First Slam Dunk (a film I liked a lot and made me want to see if “sports anime” was a thing to get into with this one), but it’s entertaining in its “volleyball as fighter” aesthetic. I liked the numerous flashbacks triggered by on-court events (giving us a bit more insight into Kenma’s motivations) and thought the overzealous positivity via end-to-end compliments (messaging about mutual respect being a stronger motivator for victory that hatred) was cute. Would I have liked it more knowing the show? Probably. But it was worth the look and definitely has me thinking I’ll seek out the next chapter of this two-part finale to see how things officially end.

PS: Stick around after the credits for a scene that sets the stage for Part 2.