“Cats vs. Monkeys”
What They Say:
The Karasuno High School Volleyball Club finally won their way into the nationals after an intense battle for the Miyagi Prefecture Spring Tournament qualifiers. As they were preparing for the nationals, Kageyama is invited to go to All-Japan Youth Training Camp. At the same time, Tsukishima is invited to go to a special rookie select training camp for first-years in Miyagi Prefecture. Hinata feels panic that he’s being left behind as one of the first-years and then decides to show up at the Miyagi Prefecture rookie select training camp anyway… As they prepare for the nationals, Hinata, Kageyama, and the rest of the Karasuno High School Volleyball team get ready to face some new challenges!!
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
The Karasuno and Inarizaki match is really heating up! I’m excited to see how things play out in the second set. Wait a second, this episode doesn’t even focus on that game? Well, I can’t say I’m not a little disappointed about that. There goes my hype though. Anyway, who is this episode about? The episode focuses on the game between Nekoma and Sarukawa Tech. Specifically, it’s an episode about Kenma. Oh, and Taketora I guess. Get ready for lots and lots of flashbacks! Some of the Nekoma players remark that it’s amazing they managed to drag Kenma with them to the Nationals. They know how much he hates being the center of attention. Kuro recalls how Kenma used to get sick on days with hard practice or right after matches. He always felt bad about that because he dragged him into volleyball. If he really hated it though, he would have quit by now. Kenma confirms to the group that he definitely would have quit already if he didn’t like it. He doesn’t love it, but he also has no reason to quit. Leveling up every now and then isn’t so bad.
Back to the game! Nekoma and Sarukawa Tech are both good at defense. It’s been a pretty close game so far. Neither team has managed to pull ahead in points by a significant margin. Something seems odd though. It appears that Sarukawa Tech is avoiding scoring points quickly. Why would they do that? It’s because they want Kenma to get tired. Sarukawa Tech’s coach is willing to sacrifice the first set as long as his team continues to make Kenma run around the court. It’s all part of his plan to take away Nekoma’s brain. I’m not going to lie, that’s pretty dang smart. This coach knows what he’s doing. And you know what? His plan seems to be working. Kenma seems to be gassed. We all know Kenma can’t handle too much moving around.
Flashback time again! As you already know, Kenma was and still is the least energetic person on the team. Do you know who’s full of energy? Taketora. Maybe a little bit too energetic. He’s definitely the polar opposite of Kenma. That’s why he’s annoyed with him. He works hard while Kenma lazes around. He won’t be shown up by this lazy bum! Things never go as planned though. During their debut practice match, Kenma does a great job. Taketora, on the other hand, has a terrible game. How could this be!? Kenma recalls Kuro telling him to try and get along with his teammates. He offers Taketora some words of advice but this only angers him. Relax! Taketora will not be told to relax by a gutless chump! This leads to an argument between the two with some shoving and pushing involved. Honestly, they both know that the other is making good points but neither is willing to admit just yet. The argument is eventually broken up by Fukunaga who busts out the best line of the episode, “Mr. Freeze…says to chill out.” Fantastic.
Afterward, a rivalry between the two is formed. They’ll probably never be each other’s biggest fans. But you know what? Over time, they both learn to appreciate each other. Volleyball is a team sport and you have to rely on your teammates. They eventually got to that point. They’re both glad that the other isn’t on another team. As for the current game against Sarukawa Tech, Kenma will definitely need the help of his teammates. He’s being targeted. Will Sarukawa Tech’s plan work or will Kenma become mush?
In Summary:
As I said at the beginning, I was a bit disappointed that this episode wasn’t a continuation of Karasuno’s match. Believe me, I love seeing Nekoma play. And sure, an episode about Kenma is cool and all but I was invested in the Karasuno versus Inarizaki game. I think they should have kept that momentum going. As it stands, it feels like the flow is off now. On the bright side, we did get a lot of great Kenma faces and that one hilarious Fukunaga line. As for Taketora’s backstory, I think it fell a bit flat for me. It’s basically a copy of Tanaka’s which we literally got in the previous episode. One of my friends referred to Taketora as a poor man’s Tanaka and you know what? I’m inclined to agree.
Grade: B-
Streamed By: Crunchyroll, VRV
