I held out watching the first half of Haikyu’s fourth season even though its been a while since its been on Netflix. I knew that it would end in a thrilling way and was I right! Good thing I chose to wait to watch it in one go.

Synopsis: The crows have made it to the nationals after defeating powerhouse school Shiratorizawa. Kageyama gets invited to an all star training camp with Japan’s best talents and Tsuki gets an invite for Miyagi Prefecture’s training camp for budding aces. Wanting to become stronger, Hinata crashes the training but ends up as a ball boy.

I must say the first few episodes were rough on me emotionally. I felt every ounce of Hinata’s desperation and frustration, especially when it seemed that pure grit alone was not going to get him to the level he wanted.

However, I should have believed in him more because by the end of the second episode, he was already beginning to change his mindset and the Hinata we all knew and loved was back in full force, buddying up with Miyagi’s best with his natural earnestness and pure love of the game. Heck, I would bet Tendo had a soft spot for the little squirt and Ushijima was slowly beginning to warm up to his pint-sized rival.

But the training arc was not the only highlight of the first half of the season, Karasuno also had to overcome a lot of their weaknesses in time for the nationals. Adding to the pressure, their old rivals seem to be getting stronger.

It’s a good thing the crows are made tough and they can overcome these setbacks in a rather mature manner nowadays.

Because there were only 13 episodes, I breezed through it quickly. It was consistent with the excitement of seasons past, especially with brewing rivalries afoot. Nothing major happens in this training arc but it teases a lot of action to come.

Nothing is for sure yet about the Miya twins but they look like they’re going to be trouble. I can’t wait.