By Dustin Cabeal

Unfortunately, I think this is where I get off the train on Haikyu!! in manga form. Don’t get me wrong, it’s really good, but once you’ve watched as much of the anime as I have, it really lacks in comparison. To the point that even this conclusion to what was the first season of the show, just didn’t have the same power.

This is the conclusion to the match against Aoba Johsai, and it’s okay. There’s not as much personality to the battle, and it’s not as gut wrenching as it was in the anime, but in terms of the manga, it works quite well. There’s nothing left to say about it though other than the ending, and I would hate to spoil that if for some reason, you were reading just the manga and not watching the show. It’s a great ending to the story arc. It’s what needed to happen to progress the characters, and if you’re reading it, you should be very excited about what comes next after reading this.

The art is consistent, it’s dynamic and adds a lot of personality to the story. There’s still some awkward proportions and strange straight/boxy lines for body parts, but overall, it’s intense and different from a lot of other sport themed manga out there. Which is part of the charm. The art shines no matter what.

This is a difficult volume to talk about because it’s all about the ending. It’s about the conclusion, and it gets you there in an exciting manner. Don’t get me wrong, it’s very suspenseful and exciting, just not as much as the anime. The anime is one of the few shows that’s taken the source material and managed to surpass it. Not just surpass it, but consistently surpass it. I respect the source material because, without it, we wouldn’t have the unique art style to accompany the tale or the wonderful story in general, but having consumed so much of the anime; it’s hard for me to get excited or find the desire to keep up with this series in manga form.

Score: 4/5

Haikyu!! Vol. 8
Creators: Haruichi Furudate
Publisher: Viz Media