Haikyuu!! Episode 25

The quietness from the ending of Episode 24 continues with the intro to this season finale. Although not completely silent since there’s a really soft music that aids the scene, there’s calmness to it that resonate strongly. The show makes exceptional use of silence to contrast the characters’ thoughts with the normalcy of school life.

The intro starts with a brief flashback to show the intensity and excitement of competition. This is to establish where the characters’ minds are at, which is volleyball. The scene conveys the difficulty of letting go of that strong experience (especially after a painful loss) and settling back to the routine of school life. This feeling is further reinforced with the good usage of panning shots. The camera slowly pans not just for dramatic effect but to show a full view of the characters in their classroom and how their class is the farthest thing from their minds. I also liked that in a couple of shots panning was used to create a sense of connection by moving the camera from one team member to another.

The impressive thing about this little sequence is the fluidity and cohesiveness of the combination of imagery, camera movement and editing. The overlaying of the flying crow is analogous to Hinata’s jumping ability. As we watch Hinata get ready to jump/fly the scene dissolves to him sitting in the classroom, conveying the stark reality of the loss. The camera movement and editing is molded into one. The sequence starts with the camera tracking Hinata from behind then dissolves to a graphic match but what makes this so seamless is the push/pull effect that blends really well with the tracking movement. The combination of tracking shot and push/pull also creates a visual of Hinata being transported from flashback to reality.