愛: miya atsumu and “love”
i do Not think i will ever be over love being used to describe atsumu.
even the twins’ backstory chapter itself is titled “love.” atsumu’s origin story begins with love. he discovers volleyball and falls in love with it, and osamu is there with him every step of the way on the same journey. throughout the series, it’s clear the two things atsumu loves and cherishes the most in the world are volleyball and his brother.
asshole supreme, but his name, 侑, is often used in the phrase 侑食 which means “to offer food or to urge people to eat more.” think like, aggressive asian aunties at family dinners.
here’s an interesting breakdown of the kanji:
furudate said they named him in the hopes he will take care of and help others. he decides at a young age he wants to play setter because “only the best players get to play the coolest position.” he considers it cool that the best players are the ones who let their teammates play with ease because of them. he wants to score by offering what he has, that is, the “best” of what he can give.
but atsumu is generally disliked by his peers because he has no tact in his interactions, running purely on his drive & hunger for volleyball. also let’s be real, because of his personality in general. he expresses his love for volleyball by being rude and demanding, aggressive and competitive.
he gets into one of his worst fights with osamu over the latter’s decision to not continue playing volleyball after high school. he’s furious because his brother’s his partner, his other half; inextricably intertwined with the sport he loves to the core. they spent their whole lives playing together and winning together. there’s nothing in the world he cherishes more in the world than volleyball and his brother and it’s been this way since he was a child; in atsumu’s mind, it’s inconceivable to have one without the other.
his relentless love for volleyball means he never backs down from a challenge, no matter how reckless or impossible it may seem. during their first game at nationals against karasuno, he sees hinata and kageyama’s freak quick and immediately wants to try it out simply because it looks cool; he even successfully pulls it off several times throughout the match. his love for volleyball that enables him to fearlessly move forward into the unknown with no hesitation. his love for volleyball and pride in his skills that allows him to see endless possibilities for himself with virtually no limits.
the way he puts so much care into his tosses to the point he finds it insulting if his hitters don’t score with them. the way he is fiercely confident in his values and play style because he absolutely knows he’s giving his players the best and easiest to hit tosses. he practices for years and years to be able to set “easy to hit” tosses, anywhere and anytime.
he perfects two deadly serves by the time he’s a 2nd year in high school because (besides the fact he just wants to be badass and intimidating) he wants to ensure as many points for his team as possible, in as many ways he can.
these are some of his most memorable lines to me because they encapsulate so much of his character. with his extremely deft skills and reflexes, he made the unusual but deliberate decision in that situation to set the ball overhand (with ten fingers) despite the awkward position when most setters would dig it (two arms). when suna asks him why he did it, he responds cheerfully that that’s what a setter does: support. ten fingers give him more control than two arms, ten fingers means he can support the team better. a better set means his hitters can spike with more ease to the best of their abilities. the lengths atsumu goes to set the ball every single time with as much care as he can impart says so much about his love and dedication to volleyball.
HE IS FILLED TO THE BRIM WITH LOVE FOR HIMSELF, VOLLEYBALL, HIS TEAMMATES, HIS BROTHER. THE IRONY IN THE FACT OTHERS AROUND HIM MISUNDERSTAND THIS LOVE BECAUSE IT COMES OUT IN ALL THE WRONG WAYS WHEN HE EXPRESSES IT LITERALLY BRINGS ME TO MY KNEES.
it’s in the way he gives as much as it’s in his expectations from others.
atsumu is literally the human embodiment of love, in all of its raw and imperfect forms.
