Film: Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle

This week’s international fix at the little Odeon is a Japanese film about Volleyball. You will probably know I am endlessly fascinated by Japan and I love how the nation picks up something and runs with it; like KFC on Christmas day, the cuteness of Moomins which so easily chimes with their childlike curiosity and sport.

This animation centres on a national tournament match and we meet key player, xxx when his battery is flat and he has no idea how to get to the location. We learn through a conversation with a stranger that he doesn’t like the sport, just happens to be good at it.

The rest of the film is the whole game with all the sounds, tension and humour played out in full. Some of the humour is lost in the subtitled translation as much of the audience was laughing along it.

Still, it was fun to be immersed in the culture for 90 quick minutes.

6½/10