so when i posted the fancy event ushiten last week, there were multiple people immediately trying to get them into the met gala. since it is the season and all, I decided to doodle red carpet looks for a few haikyuu characters!! :3
(feel free to ask about the concepts, request detail shots on any of the looks, or suggest other characters!)
Not my usually post but I wrote a whole essay on haikyu for a class and I’m not about to let it rot in my drive for forever so might as well post it.
BE WARNED ITS LONG AF!! If you choose to read it thank you lol, it’s just me rambling about how haikyu subverts harmonic masculinity! Enjoy!!
Haikyu!! and Subversion of Hegemonic Masculity
Sports anime, a dramatic genre of anime typically dominated by an intense desire to win, a journey to become the best player, with anything less being seen as failure. Sports anime predominantly focuses on men’s sports, Haikyu!! is no expectation, however the way Haikyu!! explores characters' masculinity and their relationship to volleyball is a direct subversion of the hegemonic masculinity and typical attitudes seen in men's sports. This subversion is strongly demonstrated through Tsukishima’s character arc, the idea of “genius” in relation to Hinata versus Kageyama's journey’s, and Kenma’s philosophy surrounding sports.
Tsukishima Kei is a character who has one of the most impactful turn-arounds in the manga. Tsukishima begins as a character who isn’t particularly dedicated to volleyball. He watched his brother lose himself and lie because he gave too much to the club, and as such Tsukishima believes it's better to not become invested in volleyball because "it's just a club”. By the end of the manga, this attitude has shifted, as Tsukishima has a genuine passion for volleyball. The moment when Tsukishima really begins to shift is in chapter 163. Tsukishima manages to block Ushijima’s spike, winning a final point for Karasuno to win the second set. The panel is focused on Tsukishima pumping his fist because he was able to block the spike. The panel has no words on it which emphasizes the internal moment it was for Tsukishima. This moment had been building since the summer camp training arc where Bokuto pointed out that everyone has a moment where they become hooked on volleyball. But for Tsukishima this moment could not have happened without the direct mentorship of Kuroo. Tsukishima was only a good enough middle blocker because of what Kuroo had taught him.
This direct mentorship is emphasized throughout the manga and it's even more directly connected to Tsukishima being able to find his passion for volleyball in chapter 298. Chapter 298, aptly titled “The Guide”, further emphasizes the mentor/“guide” relationship between Kuroo (plus Bokuto) and Tsukishima. This chapter takes place during the “Dumpster Battle”, the game between Karasuno and Nekoma. Kuroo asks Tsukishima how volleyball has been for him lately. This question is followed by several panels that are flashbacks from earlier chapters of the time Tsukishima spent with Kuroo and Bokuto training, they are overlaid with Tsukishima’s speech and inner thoughts. Tsukishima says out loud, “thanks to everyone”, then thinks internally, “I mean that too. Thanks to everyone…”. The last panel focuses on Tsukishima smiling, and finishes his thought, “Once in a while…A very great while…It’s actually kind of fun”. Tsukishima credits his changing attitude towards volleyball to Kuroo and Bokuto, because they forced him to practice with them, and took the time to teach him Tsukishima and because of that he was able to block Ushijima’s spike. Typically in men’s sports there is an intense hypercompetitiveness, which can often lead to the dehumanization of rivals in the effort to “destroy” them (Colleen 2017). This attitude is further enforced by hegemonic masculinity. So naturally helping your rivals improve is not something that is done under this system of sports. Bokuto, and even more so Kuroo, subvert the typical attitudes adopted in men's sports which emphasize a lack of sportsmanship towards other teams and instead chose to assist a rival to help him improve as a player. Tsukishima is only able to have his moment as a character because of the mentors who helped him get to that level, Karasuno would not have made it anywhere had Bokuto and Kuroo refused to teach Tsukishima.
The term “genius” or “gifted” are typically used to describe kids who are extraordinarily good at activities, usually at a young age. This idea of young talent, especially in boys, is strengthened by the hegemonic masculinity which culturally expects men to be good at sports. Haikyu!!’s interpretation of “talent” and “genius” is directly mentioned in chapter 281, during the Inarazaki versus Karasuno match. Inarazaki’s captain Kita, makes a speech spanning several panels saying, “...Now there’s lots of people out there in the world you just can't measure up to, and there always will be. It’s only natural to look at them and think that they’re amazing. Personally I think the ability to press on no matter what is a talent, and I don’t think it matters what folks call people who have it. ‘Gifted’ works fine. It ain’t no insult. [New panel] But to think they’re as good as they are just because, for no reason at all, well… Folks who think that have already lost to those people without even steppin’ in the ring. [New panel] It’s rude, plain and simple”. Haikyu!! flips the typical concept of “genius” by establishing genius, not as innate but instead as a headstart on learning and a persistence to keep on learning.
This idea of headstart is further established by comparing Hinata and Kageyama through the manga. Hinata Shoyou is the main protagonist of Haikyu!!, from the beginning of the manga it is established that Hinata is not a very “gifted” player. Hinata lacked the resources to become a good player at a young age. He was physically short and he came from a public school which didn’t have a boys volleyball team, because of this Hinata did not have the opportunity to become a “genius” player. On the other hand the deuteragonist, Kageyama Tobio, is constantly referred to as a “genius” player. Kageyama grew up playing volleyball since age one, and attended a middle school with a highly respected volleyball team. Anyone who lacks resources in a given area will find it increasingly difficult to learn a skill or sport(Wilson 2002). Which is why Kageyama had such an advantage over Hinata in the beginning of the manga. However Hinata and Kageyama’s rivalry is one of the most important relationships throughout the manga, and one of the main driving forces for Hinata to keep improving. Hinata's drive to improve his own playing is central to Hinata’s character, as he is often only considered useful when paired with Kageyama because only a “genius” can use his skills properly. Hinata’s personal drive to improve, and his persistence despite his shortcomings gets him far; in chapter 400 Hinata and Kageyama face off over the net playing a division 1 volleyball game, with Karasuno's banner flying behind them. Hinata’s drive to improve and even when he loses over and over again to Kageyama is a direct opposition to the typical win-it-all attitude. That’s not to say Hinata doesn’t care if he wins or not, he does, but what Hinata values more is staying on the court the longest. Hinata values playing for the longest time, being the best player on the court or in other words personal improvement and persistence. While athletes do value personal improvement it is only to an extent. Athletes will try to improve in order to win, and not necessarily for betterment of themselves in their given sport(Colleen 2017). Hinata improves not because he wants to win, but because he genuinely loves the sport and wants to reach a level of excellence so that he can compete with the other players that are given this label of “gifted”. That attitude is in direct contradiction to the attitudes surrounding winning typically seen in men's sports.
In contrast to Hinata, and most of the characters in Haikyu!!, Kozume Kenma does not particularly care for volleyball. Kenma hates getting sweaty, and dislikes the effort he needs to put in to play. Kenma is a character whose philosophy around sports is the most directly oppositional to the typical hegemonic philosophy. Kenma does not care whether or not his team wins or loses, he plays merely because his friends play. Throughout the manga Kenma recognizes that he isn't the typical athlete. In chapter 25 when Kenma and Hinata meet for the first time, Hinata asks if he thinks it strange that he's a middle blocker (a position typically reserved for tall players), Kenma responds saying, “ I get that kind of thing [judgment], at tournaments a lot too. People look at me like, ‘Setters are supposed to be the smart guys. What’s he doing there? I mean…I’m not a gifted athlete or anything”. Kenma recognizes that there is a typical mold that male athletes are supposed to fit into, and because Kenma doesn’t he receives a lot of judgment. This idea that an athlete is supposed to be a certain way, stems from hegemonic masculinity and this belief that men should be hyper-masculine, especially men who play sports (Colleen 2017). Volleyball, the sport is often categorized as a “girly sport” because volleyball relies on team work and cooperation. Whereas hegemonic masculinity puts emphasis on individual strength and often ridicules men who have to rely on support. Similarly hegemonic attitudes have caused sport to be depicted as fun only if you can be the best at it. But that isn’t necessarily true. Kenma by the end of the manga despite not being a character who extremely loves volleyball and becomes extremely skilled in it, manages to find the fun in playing. In chapter 323, during the “Dumpster Battle”, Kenma after a long rally collapses to the floor smiling and says, “That was fun”. Kenma, despite not becoming the best player, or putting in the most effort to defeat his team's rivals, still managed to find volleyball fun. This is direct opposition to the idea that you need to win to have fun, for Kenma playing volleyball was never about winning, he played because his friends played. To him the sport was his connection to other people and how he showed his dedication to the sport did not mean he needed to become the best or most dedicated player on the court.
Haikyu!! is an anime that centers around characters and their experiences playing volleyball. Haikyu!! overturns readers expectations by creating characters and character arcs that subvert the hegemonic masculinity that permeates men's sports. Through Tsukishima learning from his rivals, to Hinata overcoming his disadvantages, and Kenma finding his genuine enjoyment of the sport, there are so many ways in which Haikyu!! overturns the stereotypes created by hegemonic masculinity. Haikyu!! is a blueprint for how men’s sports should be, with an emphasis on team and personal improvement, but not at the cost of sportsmanship and compassion.
Characters 4 and 5 for the six fanarts challenge: Kuroo "I wake up at 6am feeling refreshed" Tetsurou and Kenma "Don't talk to me until I had my half a liter of coffee" Kozume
(Character suggestions: Kuroo from @kagehina-enthusiast, Kenma from Instagram)
