I’m not a sports person myself but once in a while, I do enjoy watching sports tournaments or shows during my free time. And lately, I’ve been watching quite a lot of sports anime but not one of them came close to Slam Dunk (don’t get me wrong, Yuri on Ice is amazing but in a different kind of way for me, *wink) until I came across Haikyuu. Haikyuu is a Japanese term for volleyball. And yes, this anime series is about a group of talented high schoolers in a volleyball club.
Slam Dunk is about basketball and Haikyuu is about volleyball, so why the heck would it remind me of Slam Dunk? Well, let me explain them below:
- Both series have red-headed protagonists with amazing raw talents whose ability is jumping high and with almost infinite stamina.
2. Both protagonists have to work with another first-year who they don’t get along with very well (and are considered as rivals) but in the end they manage to click and work together efficiently.
3. Both series hold similar team dynamics: a weakened team that becomes unstoppable thanks to its first-year new recruits (Karasuno – Shohoku), same region rival team with a prodigy player (Aoba Jousai with Oikawa – Ryonan with Sendoh), and so on.
4. Both series caters great lessons about working on a team and how each member grows into a better sportsman.
5. Both series stayed true to its sports. No miracle wins or insane physics defying moves.
6. Both protagonists share the same jersey number which is #10.
7. Both series have very reliable captains that hold the team together.
8. Both series got me hooked as early as its first episode.
9. Both series contain abundant funny scenes.
10. Both series got me teary-eyed after watching the last episode. (although I’m patiently waiting for Haikyuu’s season 4 release date to be confirmed)
That’s it folks, but I’m sure there’s still a lot of other resemblance both Haikyuu and Slam Dunk shares which I failed to mention here, but I’ll leave that for you to to find out, *wink.
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Considering of its flaws and clichés, Slam Dunk is still considered as the best sports series from the 90’s. And even though a lot of sports series have tried to capture its glory, I think the only one that really did it was Haikyuu. That said, I think Haikyuu is this generation’s Slam Dunk, though Haikyuu is still unique on its own. Which explains why these two are very popular not just in Japan but in other countries as well.
So, are you planning to watch sports anime now? Slam Dunk and Haikyuu should be the top two of your list, *wink.
