S1E23: The Point that Changes the Momentum

"You don't know what's going to change the momentum."

This week, rainbow and em cover season 1, episode 23 "The Point that Changes the Momentum" and discuss Yamaguchi's first ever serve in a high school match and Oikawa's brilliance as team captain. For Who in Haikyuu? they talk about characters non-volleyball related hobbies.

40:45 - Spoiler Zone Begins

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rainbow

00:09

hello everyone and welcome to fly a queer Haikyuu podcast I'm rainbow and I'm em. Season one, episode 23. It's good to be back. It's good. Yeah, you know we haven't recorded in a minute because em was out of town and, yeah, I missed it. I missed her she's back. She's back where she belongs, everybody. Yeah, so we're. We're back in the, we're back in the studio again, happy to be here, ready to spit, ready to spit.

00:35

Fire on these mics, , if you will it's episode 23, the point that changes the moment yes, I think in the dub they said the point that changes the flow and I was like, well, that one is not egregious yeah same same yeah, same thing, those are synonyms, , but before we get into talking about haikyuu, we want to talk about a couple of other things, actually.

00:57

A couple other shows. Oh yeah, just a lot of fandomy, nerdy things yeah, so I've been watching hell of a boss.

rainbow

01:04

We had two new episodes that came out. We now have to wait till october, which is a crime. It's fine, but yeah, I love it. , anyone who's watching it? If you've watched the most recent episode, apology tour, the song that stola sings in it all to you motherfucker, I believe, is the name is one of the greatest songs I've ever heard. I love it so much I do constantly listen to an hour loop of it on YouTube. I tweeted about this, but I don't think you meant to hurt me, because I don't think it meant a thing at all is one of the greatest lyrics in history and nobody, nobody, can change my mind.

01:40

I don't really watch this show but I am invested in this relationship. I watched the breakup thing happen and then I watched this whole episode and I'm invested in specifically what happens between this owl and little troll dude.

rainbow

01:52

He's an imp. Thank you very much. Yeah, M does not know the social complexities of this version of hell, but she's still here for Stolitz and you know who isn't. But anyway, that's. I just wanted to get that out of the way. We like to update you on what we're nerding out about this week, because the most important thing we have to talk about cherry magic 30 years of virginity can make you a wizard and you're like, what the fuck did you just say?

02:15

I said an anime title, a bl anime just in such a good one, my.

rainbow

02:21

I found it because my friend sent an instagram reel that was like here are three BLs, and I think the idea was like here are three BLs that don't get into non-con or dubcon.

02:33

Boring. I like fucked up stuff, but also I love a wholesome moment too, and this has been a lot of fun. Rainbow started it and I joined her like halfway through. And then the real kicker I was looking up a voice actor because they sounded familiar and I discovered that there's a live action version, which you know I'm still like not that deep into my journey and I know that there are live actions out there, but now I have to track down every BL live action that there is, because this has been such a treat they have a given live action.

rainbow

03:05

Oh, you didn't know about that. No, it's on. Okay, any of you who don't know, crunchyroll does have like jay dramas on there. We will watch the given live action after we finish watching the beginning of the cherry magic anime.

03:18

M is how have we not watched that?

rainbow

03:20

I don't know, I guess I, I know I watched it before you and I were like living together before I knew you, it was before that's fucking crazy you guys why.

03:31

I just had to find this out. Now you guys are slacking, but yeah, no, I didn't realize that and it's been like it's such a joy because the acting in this one at least and I don't know if this is this is probably a theme throughout most of these like live action, lower budget, I imagine things. The acting is so over the top, like they're acting like they are anime characters, which works fine in an animated sense, but in real life these people look fucking crazy it's.

rainbow

03:56

It is truly hilarious. It's, it's so funny. It does really make me want to go to Japan. Watching this, I'm like god damn it. I want to eat a bento. Yeah, I want to go to Japan. Watching this, I'm like God damn it.

04:05

I want to eat a bento. Yeah, I want to go get an onigiri from a truck. Oh yes, Double mail. Please, Guys, send us money to go to Japan.

rainbow

04:13

Yeah, we're going to get a Patreon and then we're going to go to Japan using that money, so it'll be money well spent. We'll do a Haikyuu tour. We'll record from every location, we'll take pictures, we'll make a whole thing. We'll do a vlog, a travel vlog. Yeah, we don't show our faces. It'll be, yeah, from the neck down. , no, but we're, we're.

04:33

We love cherry magic and I just want to say I think it's such a healthy depiction of romantic love. I think they do a really good job. It's like, you know, like the con, there's conflict there, but you know, the conflict isn't necessarily like it's not. I don good job. It's like, you know, like the con, there's conflict there, but you know, the conflict isn't necessarily like it's not. I don't know, it's not as angsty, yeah, as it could be, and I really appreciate it. And it's like every time, I think, like you know, something's going on like there's some sort of conflict, and I'm like, oh, the character should do this, and then they do that and I'm really satisfied by it. , and it's got, you know, it's got the main ship, and then it's got another little love story going on.

05:09

That's pretty fun and it is fun to see how they translate it to live action, because I just think that's something like you know and the US does it too where we're like oh, this thing is really popular animated, we should turn it into live action. And they don't understand that when you translate something from animated to live action, you have to change certain things, like the way they act, like the way they act Like they don't always act like han beings, and I will say I don't think this is a spoiler, but the anime at least has a Fujoshi character who I'm obsessed with and I like what they did with the live action version as well, who I'm obsessed with and I like what they did with the live action version as well. It feels like I would love to know more about the people who were behind both the anime and the live action, because it seems like they're my kind of people. It seems they're like, they're like let's break down some gender, and sexual stereotypes real quick. So I really, I really like it.

06:02

Yeah, watch cherry magic. It's amazing.

06:04

And that long title. Basically there's like I don't know if this is actually a myth in Japan or something, but when you turn, if you're still a virgin when you turn 30, you can read people's minds when they touch when you touch them. So the main character is like this really awkward guy who is a 30 year old virgin and then gets the power and that's how he discovers a guy he works with, has a huge crush on him, they start to date and yada, yada, yada.

rainbow

06:26

And it's just really adorable and it's fully Kuroken coded. Yeah, very much so. We're actually very much convinced that whoever created Cherry Magic is a Haikyuu fan.

06:38

One of the side characters. His design is very much a mix of like Daichi and Tsukishima.

rainbow

06:43

So yeah.

06:44

But are we just seeing Haikyuu in everything, or is everything Haikyuu?

rainbow

06:47

Haikyuu is everything. Everything is Haikyuu. That is the ultimate question.

06:52

Yes, it is All right. I think that's it for Chitchat. You want to move on to housekeeping? Yeah, clean the house, clean in the house. Okay, first, first and foremost, and the only thing I have to talk about in housekeeping is that you know we're coming up on the end of season one and we've decided between , season one and season two. We're gonna give you another bonus episode. That's right. You get more from us. We're very excited and for this one, instead of doing a q a, we want to talk about ships. We're going to dedicate it to all different kinds of ships. You know, boats, airplanes, airplanes. It's an airship, right?

07:31

I don't know, I'm going to have to reference that one. Anyway, Cars, motorcycles any ship you can think of.

rainbow

07:39

No, obviously we're going to talk about the ships we have encountered in season one. We're going to break them all down. We're going to talk about the ships we have encountered in season one. We're gonna we're gonna break them all down. We're gonna talk about them. , we're very excited about that. I think this episode that you're listening to right now, 23, comes out like the week that we're recording that bonus episode. So I don't want to put out like a huge call, because there's not really a lot of time for people to write in about stuff. , so I think it's probably just gonna be mainly us talking about the ships, but we're very, very excited. We love haikyuu because of the ships, because it's gay, and I'm really excited to just talk about those ships.

08:13

Yeah, it's rainbow's turn to do the recap. Rainbow, are you ready? I sure am all right. Three, two one.

rainbow

08:20

It's the final set and karasuno is struggling to overcome Seijoh's ability to turn every play into an advantage. Oikawa helps his team stop focusing on Karasuno's decoy even as Hinata starts using his bra jump to score points. Ukai subs Yamaguchi in for his first ever high school game and, despite a flubbed jump float serve, he manages to help boost team morale and change the moment in Karasuno's favor. Can our crows keep this going to .25, or will Seijoh be the ones left standing on the court? That's the episode. There we go. Who need? Who even needs to get into the nitty-gritty? Let's break it down.

08:54

Let's break it down so yeah, we start off and we're in our final set, and Hinata is very intense yeah, Hinata is really quite a beast, this episode and I think it's something I don't know if Kageyama has mentioned it yet, , but he has a thought at some point in the show where he's like you know, Hinata gets like this at the end of games. He gets so focused and intense and like you just see it over and over again in this episode like he is not being a silly little guy, he is being a monster. Yeah, it's very cool and he's thinking about. He kind of is reflecting on the games that they've already won in this tournament and thinking about how, if they lose this one, they don't get to stay on the court. It's all over. Which?

09:29

is why I think he gets so intense, because it's like that desperation comes up, because the threat of it all ending is his worst nightmare, really. Yes, absolutely. Oikawa proves why the coaches are on the sidelines in the beginning of this episode, because Aoba Johsai is talking during this time out and they're kind of like going back and forth because they've switched the signals now. So like, okay, should we like keep an eye on him doing this blah, blah. And like the coach is about to say, oh, that number 10, but that that freaking omega coach gets sat down by alpha Oikawa. I hate myself, I love you, but Oikawaawa interrupts and he's like, just remember, he's like a decoy essentially, and you know he just Oikawa is like such a next level player. He is like and we're going to see especially in this episode like the way they play the game is very high level and it's all because of their captain.

rainbow

10:20

Yeah, Oikawa, he is conducting the shit out of this game and it's pretty amazing and we get to see Oikawa spike, which is very rare, because he is the one who he receives the, the first set or the first touch, . So he can't set it, so somebody else sets it for him is that when the libero does the set, am I going to?

10:39

I know I think we're along that line. Yeah, we get to see this the for for the first time, this libero trick of being able to set by, like jumping from the back line and setting in midair, which is a pretty sick trick.

rainbow

10:49

It is pretty sick and it's also like it's an interesting way to get around the rules which we see this a couple times. Because the libero is not allowed to move to the front, the libero is not allowed to do anything like the libero isn't allowed to do, like overhand passes like that, up front the Libros and are allowed to spike or attack, and so he jumps and he gets the ball in mid-air, which I guess doesn't count as him doing anything illegal, and so when then we get to see Oikawa spike, and he looks vicious- which I love

11:21

we get to see Oikawa serve and we get to do it, see him do his little serve routine, and I think I've noticed it before but I've never mentioned it on the podcast. But I feel like Kageyama's serve routine is very much a variation, if not an exact copy, of Oikawa's serve routine, because Kageyama is just always trying to copy like he wants to be like Oikawa, so bad he's a crow, he's just taking from the best.

11:44

Basically, the first five minutes of this episode is just Aoba Johsai pulling off impressive attacks and we get kagehina are kind of like appreciating the last thing that happened. We get another scary face from Hinata, who just has this like hunger and he's just like suge, like he's like that's so cool, I'm gonna fucking kill you.

rainbow

12:02

I have in my notes. He looks like he wants to devour Iwaoi after they do a combo. It's like he is scary. I should have like taken a picture of every single scary face we get. Maybe I'll go back and do that. I'll do screenshots of every time. He looks like he is about to murder somebody with his bare hands. It looks very scary. He's in full monster mode and I'm not mad about it Very much so.

12:23

Ukai observes that Karasuno is operating at its best, which is why Aoba Johsai might be seeming even more impressive, because they're raising to match Karasuno's level and overall they're just kind of a stronger team right now.

rainbow

12:36

Well, you know, they've said it before they're more polished, more refined. They've had more experience playing with each other. You know, I think the fact that Karasuno has so many first years and they're good first years, they're all talented in their own ways it's a lot of raw talent that hasn't been honed yet exactly, and that's kind of what we see.

12:54

I think going into season two of this, season two is very much about honing that raw talent. I can't wait to get there. And Suga has a line where he says about Seijoh that they turn every scenario into an advantage.

13:06

They're very adaptable is the word I was thinking of with Seijoh because and they always comment like how quickly they can kind of turn things around, cross and we'll try something, and then they kind of like figure them out and counter it. And speaking of Hinata being an animal, Oikawa thinks to himself our team has a good, good rhythm, but when that shrimp gets on the court I can't help but feel uneasy. A small beast that's gathered its frustrations while in the warm-up zone oh, I really like that.

rainbow

13:32

Yeah, I like the way that they say that in the sub way better than how they say it in the dub. How do they say in the dub? I can't remember exactly. I think Oikawa kind of says something along the same lines of like, oh, when he, when that shrimp comes on the court, you know I get nervous. Which I said game, recognized game, like what kawan knows. He's like, oh, kid's a fucking monster and it's scary and he, like, is just gonna keep going for it. I think, yeah, as Hinata is coming out on the court, I think maybe it's Takeda who kind of comments that Hinata exact is exactly what karasuno needs to reach their full potential.

14:05

And Suga says if we need like one step ahead of Aoba Johsai and if the only way we're going to get ahead of them is it's up to them, meaning Kagehina. They really are, you know, the cornerstone of their offense, those damn monsters. So Ukai tells Karasuno that Seijoh is getting used to their center attack, so to use the sides more. Hinata, course, listens to this and gets them with a broad cross.

rainbow

14:26

Yeah, I think that what it said in the dub a lot was using the full width of the court, which I appreciated. And I love when Hinata does his broad jump and it goes to the other players who are off the court and Noya's doing like a full handstand on top of yamaguchi's shoulders. I love when he does that. It's like that's, that's not a thing, that happens , yeah, no, noya's crazy Oikawa thinks to himself.

14:52

We can't let these two stay on the court for too long after they've gotten fired up. I love the fear that kagehina inspires in their opponents, yeah Oikawa for like a minute, is just sitting there going.

rainbow

15:04

We need we need to move this rotation. We need Hinata in the back. We need to like get this freak duo out of my face. I can't stand them.

15:11

They're the biggest threat to Seijoh. On the sidelines, our volleyball neighborhood dudes talk about how much jumping is involved in volleyball and how fatigue sets in and you want it to end. And when we cut to Hinata, who thinks how he can't falter for even a moment, he has to keep running, keep jumping. Hinata just has this like natural athleticism that lets him go further than a normal han could. And this has to be like my favorite moment in the episode.

15:38

With Seijoh officially focused on their sides, Kageyama goes for the middle with Asahi with a pipe and he gets it through and it's all well and good. But we have Kageyama catching his breath and thinking to himself. I knew that that was the perfect time for to do that, but I almost tossed to Hinata anyway. He phrases that he the toss was almost taken from me the ultimate decoy and the way that he looks over to Hinata who's being talked to by Asahi, and then like Hinata looks up and looks at him with this like blank, like almost just there's something animal about it, like he, just like there's just this instinctual thing between him and Kageyama that I eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, like it is so electrifying.

rainbow

16:19

Yes, well, it's, and that's the thing is that you know, and I think that's maybe one of the reasons why Kageyama is so shitty to Hinata is because he feels that pull, and that's the thing is that, you know, and I think that's maybe one of the reasons why Kageyama is so shitty to Hinata, is because he feels that pull and he's like I want to toss to him and he like hates that. Well, and I think because Hinata, you know, when he's going to do that spike, that decoy spike, he yells bring it to me. Like he is, like he draws setters to him and he draws other players to him and he's like you want the ball to go to me, like, and everybody expects the ball to go to me and you know, I just love it.

16:52

Like Kageyama, for all of his bluster, he is under Hinata's spell more than anyone else he is the most under it and that's probably where that frustration comes from, because he knows it deep down where he lives and it's like almost out of his control, which he's very used to being in control and to have someone who kind of tests his own monsterness, everybody. I have to go. I have to go to AO3 right now.

rainbow

17:16

Excuse me, I have certain tags I need to look, and then that's the middle of the episode, right?

17:21

Yes, and then we have our little commercial break and then we're back in. Hinata is going to the back row soon and Kageyama knows he's gonna lose him, so he yells at him. He's like genki desu ka. He's like, are you okay? In, like his angry little way. And then he's just like, yeah, I'm good, yeah.

rainbow

17:37

I think, yeah, he kind of says like we need to get as many points as we can before you go to the back, but of course, Seijoh is not to be beat that easily.

17:44

Hinata goes for a broad cross once again, but there's no blocks this time because they're giving the libero all the room to receive it, which he does, followed by a setter dp by Oikawa which is just absolute insanity.

rainbow

17:59

, but I was watching it and, granted, I have watched these episodes many, many times, but it was like fascinating to me the way like Hinata had his eyes open, I think, and like it was just so clear that like it's gonna go right to the libero, you're hitting it, like that's the reason they're not marking you and I think maybe that's just showing that Karasuno is they still have so much to learn and so much strategy to focus on and it's's hard to notice at first, but after watching it so many times, and especially like you said, we really get into the nitty gritty of honing skills in season two, because as much of a threat Hinata is when he is on the front and he's able to attack as soon as he's off, it's like nothing.

18:39

You know, there's so many more tools that he could learn and be a threat all of the time instead of just some of the time. We'll talk more about that soon. Yeah, so karasuno is fighting and Hinata goes for it and he gets blocked again. , and it's really getting critical. Now Seijoh takes this moment they're done for. Hinata goes to serve and what's this? Yamaguchi is getting subbed in and he's so nervous.

rainbow

19:05

I think right before that we have Ukai thinking about, like we have to do something, we have to change this moment, and he looks up at Shimada and Shimada has no idea what's going on. But it's clear that Ukai's thinking like hey, you've been training this kid to do jump float serves. Like kind of like, do you think he's ready? And you know, honestly, yamaguchi is not ready Like it feels almost a little cruel for Ukai to do this to him yes, which is what they all kind of noticed.

19:30

Shimada is like what is he doing? I told him it's still just pure luck at this point. But that is exactly like Ukai is just kind of doing a Hail Mary, Like yeah, it might not work, but we got to do something, kind of thing.

rainbow

19:41

Well, and I will say, this episode is very tense. Like this episode is because it just feels so dire and it feels like Karasuno is like you know, they're not doing badly, but they're not able to catch up, there's that imagery of Seijoh's back and they, every time they get a little bit closer, it's just, it's just out of reach.

20:00

Yes, and I love that imagery. I have a note about that later. Yeah, so they bring yamaguchi and I think also before that there's a part where, , for for once the Seijoh coach has to be a coach because Oikawa doesn't know what to say. There's like a point where they're they're trying to talk because it's before yamaguchi I think they're talking about. I think maybe it's what leads to them not blocking Hinata with the broad jump.

20:25

I think it's the coach who kind of brings that up. Yes, he's like it's clear that Hinata doesn't have a lot of control when he's up there and so like, if you're not blocking him, and like the Libro has a clean, has a clean receive, like you're gonna be good to go, yeah. And so I thought it was interesting that for once, Oikawa was like, and then I think you know, so the coach like says something and Oikawa picks up afterwards. So it's like, oh, look Oikawa. And you know, I think maybe like we're kind of talking a little shit about the Seijoh coaches, I mean like, oh, they're useless. But it's like maybe this is like the product of, you know, Oikawa, like learning from the coaches for the last two years.

20:59

I anything wrong with being hands-off when you know you can be and you're giving your team? I think you should give your kids and your team and your co-highs as much air to breathe as possible, because they do have to apply the concepts on their own and learn on their own. It's just funny how little they have to do because Oikawa is pretty good at what he does as captain well, and that is kind of how you create, that is how you like.

rainbow

21:22

Help form leaders is by showing them how to be a leader and then stepping back and letting them take that lead and you know.

21:31

So I think the Seijoh coaches, I mean, I don't think we talk about them the same way that we talk about the Kitagawa Daichi coaches and how shitty they are.

21:38

Like I don't think that's what's happening. I don't think with the Seijoh coaches it's a matter of them being like, oh, like not caring about the players or like not wanting them to succeed. It's very much about them seeing that Oikawa has this ability and knowing, ultimately, that they are the ones who are on the court together, the coaches are on the sidelines. They can't step in onto that court, and so if they have a player who knows how to strategize and knows how to talk to his team and how to boost them when they need to be boosted and how to you know, knows how to push their buttons to get them to fire up, like I think they just recognize that you know Oikawa's got this and but they're there to step in when they need to. As soon as Oikawa doesn't know what to say or doesn't know where to go, the coach steps in and says this is what we do next and.

22:23

I really like that. And then you know, and that works for a team like Seijoh, and then you have a team like karasuno, where Daichi basically was the coach for a while, yeah, , and now they have a coach in Ukai, who, who can be the leader and and who can talk things through with them. But then I think, even in this episode, we see that Daichi kind of has that same ability that Oikawa has.

22:44

Yes, and we'll talk about that in just a little bit after we get through, , this very cruel moment yeah, so yamaguchi steps onto the court and I love how they illustrate the difference from being on the sidelines to stepping in, like he says. Like the temperature feels different on this side. , the senpais are all sympathizing with the timing of like. This is yamaguchi's first time in a real high school match. It's at this very pivotal moment. Meanwhile, Kageyama is simply thinking to himself how the back of his head is safer this way, now that Hinata is not on the back line.

rainbow

23:13

The way he just thinks about Hinata Yep.

23:16

The way, his ultimate decoy, his ultimate boy.

rainbow

23:20

What do you mean? Also, autism moment where he like does not know, like he's not reading Yamaguchi's feelings at all Because the other senpai are clearly like, they can see, like, or the senpai they can see that Yamaguchi is nervous and they're like, oh man, like they're feeling for him. And then Kageyama's over there, just like, literally like turned, facing the other way, not even facing the same direction. I just love those moments where it's just like, oh, Kageyama like doesn't know what's going on, he's not tuned in, and I, and for Kageyama, I think the idea of going up to serve and being nervous is so foreign. He's like, exactly, you're gonna be fine. Yeah, I, yeah, I like that too. I have it in my notes that yamaguchi, he can feel the aura of the court because he looks at like karasuno and everyone's intense, and then he looks over at Seijoh and they're just as intense and it must be so scary.

24:07

Yeah well, anoshina points out the pressure of this moment to Suga, who then gets the team to do a goofy pose and encourage yamaguchi. They do this like they go on one leg. I don't know if it's in reference to something specific I think that's.

rainbow

24:19

I think maybe that's like a thing in Japan. I think it's usually girls who do that. Maybe that's like a cheerleader move. Okay, kind of thing. That's my understanding.

24:28

It's a very sweet attempt to try and like break Yamaguchi out of the nervousness, yeah, but it doesn't quite do enough, because Yamaguchi, unfortunately and it's fun because when he first goes for it, you know, you can see Oikawa and Waizi are like, oh, a jump float serve, like it is a scary concept to them, but he doesn't make it over the net.

rainbow

24:47

Yeah, it just it touches the top of the tape and then it falls on Karasuno's side and poor Yama Guchi, he feels so bad about it.

24:53

He feels like he's let his team down, but Karasuno's amazing they all tell him, don't mind, including Kageyama, who I just need to point out that if that was Hinata he would have been reaming him to shreds, but he only talks to Hinata that way.

rainbow

25:06

We'll touch on that a tiny bit in the spoiler zone. But, yeah, so everybody which I appreciate that for Kageyama and I think Kageyama probably recognizes that that's a really tough serve to do.

25:25

That's Yamaguchi's first time doing it in a game and you know Kageyama is just like a little bit nicer to yamaguchi than he is to the other first years. Daichi tells yamaguchi to get it next time. Yes, which they?

rainbow

25:31

love to hear next time. Yes, so it seems like, from what Ukai says, like he's saying like oh, leave it to Daichi to like turn things around, and I feel like it's Daichi's response to yamaguchi that kind of brings the rest of the team up. That's kind of what I was saying about his similarities to Oikawa. And you see Takeda's face and Takeda looks really proud. I think Takeda is so proud of Daichi, for like yeah, that's our captain, like he can bring everybody up, and then everybody is fired up and ready to go yeah, I think partially, seeing yamaguchi fuck up, has kind of almost, because I think Tanaka says like oh, the pressure feels a little bit off now.

26:06

Yes, so, even though it wasn't exactly what we wanted, it did kind of help to at least change their mood a little bit and I think is this where Daichi says the prize for winning this game is the chance to play again.

rainbow

26:18

I don't remember. I don't know, maybe they didn't say that in the sub, but he says that in the dub at one point and I really liked that line and I feel like that's just. That is haikyuu in a nutshell. That's why they want to win so bad, like the true monsters. They want to win not necessarily for their own personal glory, but so that they can keep playing more volleyball.

26:35

That's like kagahina's whole fucking thing. So karasuno is desperately hanging on. They're getting points in, but Seijoh is now at match point. We have Nishinoya pepping them up again. They're like come on, guys, if you're going to fall, fall forward. And they all are like he's so cool, everyone has a crush on Noya and you can't tell me otherwise. Tanaka serves and he knows if he misses it it's over, but he manages to get it over. Oikawa is going to slam it back through, but here comes Kageyama with a one-handed toss to none other than Hinata who gets it in.

rainbow

27:10

And now we are officially in a deuce. Yes, and now, and we see, because you know, we've seen the visual of they're reaching for, you know, Seijoh's back and they can't quite reach it and they get really close and then and then they pull ahead, but then, as soon as they get that spike and they, they're able to grab their back and they're like no, not so fast, not so fast, bitch.

27:28

And now they're in a deuce and that's the end of the episode, which means that the whole next episode is them in this deuce, which just goes to show how intensive of a deuce it truly is.

rainbow

27:38

It really is. I'm very excited. , I always forget that it's they really like draw this last part of the game out, which you know I'm not mad about who?

27:46

else is gonna be in our character spotlight, but the Scorpio himself. Yamaguchi Tadashi.

rainbow

27:53

Obviously, who else would we be talking about? This is the perfect episode for him. Sorry to all the you Yamaguchi fans out there who have been waiting for this character spotlight, but unfortunately our boy does not really get a moment to shine until this episode. So, as usual, I have a quote from the wiki about his personality so we can read it and then we can discuss it a little bit. This is another one where I'm like maybe, maybe they don't quite have Yamaguchi's number the way I think they should. So quote Yamaguchi is a pretty shy person who relies on others early on, most likely stemmed from being bullied because of his appearance. Despite this, yamaguchi is generally a nice person but does tend to join Tsukishima and on teasing others, mainly Kageyama and Hinata. He does show that he is a loyal friend and a supportive teammate. Yamaguchi can at times be seen defending Tsukishima from things he believes were insults towards his friend I mean, I think that's pretty spot on.

28:44

What do you have issue with I?

rainbow

28:45

think so too. I guess I don't know. I guess yamaguchi I get. I think it's just that he's a generally nice person, but I guess that's true.

28:51

He just has like a bitchy side that I don't think we talk about enough yeah, I don't know how much of it is just like Tsukishima influencing him or bringing it out of him, like I don't know for sure.

rainbow

29:01

Yeah yeah, no, but you know, I think you're right and he definitely. Yeah, I mean, that's a really nice way of saying that he constantly rides Tsukishima's dick, but yeah, fucking, literally. Yeah, well, we're getting into his name meaning now, so we'll talk about that. , his family name, yamaguchi, means mountain entrance, which I think is it's a little interesting. I'm not really sure and I think yamaguchi is the name of like a city or a village in Japan, or something as well. All I know is this name is very common. Yes, yeah, it is. It's very common on my duo lingo, just like tanaka. It's one of the ones that we, we talk about.

29:36

I recognize those kanji so mountain entrance which I kind of was thinking of, like Tsukishima as a mountain and Yamaguchi being like no, sorry, you can't talk to him. No, I'm sorry, he's like the gatekeeper for Tsukishima. Oh my God, yeah. And then his given name Tadashi, is loyalty and devotion To one man, to one man, and one man only. Yeah, so that's Yamaguchi Tadashi. And then we have his character sheet. He is in class 1-4, which means he's pretty smart. I never think about this, but his position is middle blocker, like oh my god.

30:14

Yeah, me either, because he really only comes in games as a pinch server, at least in his first year.

rainbow

30:19

Well, and that's just. I think that's just kind of how it works with Karasuno, because, you know, Hinata is a middle blocker because of the freak quick and I think if Hinata wasn't there, I think Ennoshita or Narita would be Narita, because Ennoshita is a wing spiker, I think Narita would be there in there as the middle blocker because he's the senpai. But I think it makes sense because Tsukishima and Yamaguchi are like BFFs. So it probably like maybe Yamaguchi isn't even like, he probably doesn't care that much about being a middle blocker, but he's like well, I want to be with my, my buddy, here. So his height is 5'11", so not bad, he's a first year. His birthday is November 10th, which, as I mentioned, means he's a Scorpio.

30:57

Yes, and this one I can really, I think, attest to also because I have a very similar birthday to him and I feel like Yamaguchi is akin of mine, if I had to pick one, but the loyalty is very Scorpio, the hidden stinger when he's a little bitchy, but you don't see it coming. , yeah, I absolutely agree.

rainbow

31:15

Yeah, I think that makes a lot of sense. Yeah, I love. I love when we agree with their birthdays. We're like, yeah, that makes sense. And then someone's like Furudate, i't know, maybe you could have picked another date. I wonder, like how Furudate picked birthdays for them, like for Kagehina, it makes sense. You know summer and winter, solstice, things, like I get that. But then with the other ones, like I wonder if Were they random?

31:37

Was there reasoning?

rainbow

31:38

Was there some sort of astrology that was part of it? Or is there, like in Japan, culturally, are there certain like months or certain dates that go with certain like personality traits, or something I'd be very curious his other thing that I really can is his favorite food, which is soggy french fries yes and everyone judges me.

31:55

But I love, I love when you get it delivered and like it's been steaming in that fucking thing, and then they're all soggy, they're all nice and soft. I don't know, I just I don't really like a crunchy fry. I like a soft little fry I can mash in my mouth you know what em and I are the same on that.

rainbow

32:11

We're not fans of the like the hard crunchy ones. It's like no, get that out. I hate when a french fry is like you know, when the ends are all pointed, because it's clearly from like the end of the potato.

32:21

I was so devastated when I think wendy's like changed their recipe with their fries because I loved wendy's fries and then they made them harder and I don't know what to call home anymore. Anyway, moving on, anyway, yeah, so soggy french fries can relate.

rainbow

32:37

, his current worry is a pretty girl started started talking to him, but all she wanted to talk about was suki. This is so interesting to me because a lot of these can't, a lot of these characters are canonically good.

32:43

Girl started started talking to him, but all she wanted to talk about was suki. This is so interesting to me because a lot of these can't a lot of these characters are canonically good looking, but like so is suki, I guess, but like we don't really get a lot of emphasis on that except for these little like background moments, like girls like suki, and it's probably mostly because of his height he's very tall, yes, they're like they can't even really tell what his face looks like because it's so high up there, so they just asse it's hot.

33:06

Yeah, and maybe because he kind of has this very like cool nature to him, I'm sure that he's got the glasses. So yeah, like we don't really talk about, but like girls are thirsting for Tsuki, the gayest man known to live.

rainbow

33:20

Yeah, that's the thing is. I feel like in the haikyuu universe the girls are thirsting after the absolute gayest characters like yeah, yeah, without Oikawa Tsukishima Kageyama, yeah, come on these are gay boys all right, moving on to his five point ability parameters not impressive well, and you know what I think that makes sense for Yamaguichi.

33:43

As the one one year who is not on the starting team.

rainbow

33:46

Yeah, so his power, his technique and his stamina are all twos and then his speed, his jumping and his intelligence are all threes. Oh, and I just realized his little ability parameters, because it's like visualized on the character sheet and it kind of looks like a little shield. Oh, that's interesting. Hmm, yeah, I don't. I don't know how purposeful that is, but I wouldn't put it past Furudate. Yeah, , anything else you want to say about yamaguchi, our sweet little boy. You know, that's my son. I want to talk about his face. I love his face. He's really cute and his freckles. I don't know if those are freckles, those that might be acne no, he.

34:28

I think he references that they make fun of his freckles in middle school I thought they were making fun of his acne in middle school chat. , write in and confirm this. I think it's freckles I think it's acne.

rainbow

34:40

Are you team acne or team freckles? We'll put a poll out when this episode comes out yeah, there we go because I feel like when I we'll talk about it in the spoilers on a little bit, , yeah, I'll put a poll out team freckles or team acne and not and I'm not saying what you want it to be what, what do like? Do you have canon evidence? I have canon evidence. That's right. I don't know, I think you're wrong.

35:01

We'll find out. All right, are we ready for the world's favorite game? Yes, it's who in Haikyuu? This week's scenario was brought to us by Taylor. What are their other potentially embarrassing hobbies? So what are the characters' other hobbies? Today we were talking about Hinata Kageyama Yamaguchi Tsukishima Daichi Suga Oikawa. Iwaizumi Yuk Daichi Suga Oikawa Iwaizumi, Ukai, Takeda, shimada and Takinoe.

rainbow

35:29

I love to bring in the neighborhood guys you love to bring in the people who have, like just shimada and Takinoe, have a little bit more in this episode than in some of them and I think for it's fun to think about potentially embarrassing hobbies, for their potentially embarrassing hobbies is that they like to watch high school volleyball.

35:44

Yeah, yeah, really, I mean yeah for them, absolutely yeah.

rainbow

35:48

Okay, so Hinata, what other hobbies? And they don't have to be embarrassing, it can just be other hobbies they might have For Hinata and Kageyama. I mean Kageyama, we know he likes to run, which I feel like is just kind of part of volleyball. It's part of training.

36:02

Part of training, yeah, I know I keep thinking of like athletic type things, but I'm trying to think like, outside of that, Hinata's a b-boy, Hinata's break dancing, for sure. That's another thing. In that cherry magic show we mentioned, one of the side characters is a dancer and in the live action when he's just like practicing by himself, it's so funny. Not on, not on purpose, because he's just doing. It's not great dancing.

rainbow

36:27

They did not. I don't think they got real dancers, he's just moving his arms around.

36:31

So okay, Well, Hinata's a b-boy. Okay, I love that for him, Kageyama , I feel like it's something that like he can really zone out and do, maybe sewing I would.

rainbow

36:43

I'm gonna say I would love if he was into like knitting or something yeah I love that. Oh my god, I now want to do. I want a little do a little drabble where he, where Kageyama, likes to knit and he knits, he knits a scarf. Is that a fic? Is that already out there?

36:56

it could be, but you could also put it out there.

rainbow

36:59

Absolutely all right, yamaguchi. What is yamaguchi into?

37:01

I want to say he like I don't know maybe he likes to build with legos.

rainbow

37:05

I mean, yamaguchi is definitely giving lego. Yeah, he's giving like.

37:08

I spent six hundred dollars on this this lego set he bought like a jurassic park lego set for him and tsukkiyama to do yeah I could also see yamaguchi having like a weird like collection, like maybe he collects stamps or coins or something.

rainbow

37:21

Yeah, I'd buy that.

37:22

Yeah, Tsukishima, I do want to think of an embarrassing hobby for him because he seems, I think he likes to play with his little dinosaur figurines that are in his room. Yeah, or like, , he like I don't know something with dinosaurs, though maybe he has a dinosaur blog maybe.

rainbow

37:36

Oh, I'd love that. Maybe he's really into like miniatures and he does like little miniature dinosaur, yeah things Daichi what does Daichi like to do? I'm like trying to think what are hobbies? Things that you don't do for work, yeah, and that aren't watching tv.

37:52

I don't know I feel like I want to make Daichi like a cook.

rainbow

37:57

I like that. He likes to cook. I could see that he's making fettuccine?

38:02

I don't know he's definitely.

rainbow

38:05

Yeah, he specifically likes to cook italian food no okay, and then Suga Suga has a weird hobby. Suga collects like bugs or something Suga makes slime. He makes slime videos Suga's absolutely making slime Oikawa I. I do want to think of something really embarrassing for him I feel like he likes singing okay, I don't know. This popped in my head randomly. He like collects teacups or something. I don't know where that came from.

38:36

Something soft and feminine though, I want for him yeah, yeah, something and not like because, not because being feminine is embarrassing in and of itself but, I feel like for a boy in 2012 who plays a sports boy who plays volleyball and I just think Oikawa does have like a feminine side to him that he probably keeps under wraps yeah, absolutely yeah, maybe he sews yeah, yeah, maybe I don't know. Maybe he sews. Yeah, yeah, maybe I don't know.

rainbow

39:04

Maybe he does drag. Yeah, he does drag Oikawa. Does drag Oikawa canon? Yeah, Awaisami, what are his other hobbies?

39:10

He's like the fucking athlete from High School Musical that likes to bake and is ashamed of it.

rainbow

39:16

Gotta stick to the status quo.

39:20

Yes.

rainbow

39:21

Yeah, definitely, I also see him. I see a wise me as a cat dad. Yeah, I don't. That's not really a hobbyness per se. It can be a hobby, depending it turns into one very much.

39:33

Yeah, so I see a wise me as a cat dad, for sure , you kai rolling cigarettes no no, I don't know disc golf yeah, like I feel like he likes to play a stupid ass sport to unwind. Yeah, he does pickleball. No, Takeda does pickleball. Takeda is writing poetry as his hobby yes, yeah, Takeda is definitely right.

rainbow

39:56

Yeah, how many poems has he written about Ukai? Several, so many of them.

40:00

The golden haired, angry man, cigarette smoke falling like a waterfall in his mouth I don't know.

rainbow

40:08

Can you tell we're poets? Shimada builds toy airplanes, model airplanes, that's fair we're trains or something , yeah, and Takinoe does paper airplanes and they watch high school volleyball.

40:27

Yeah, they watch high school they get really invested in high school volleyball all right.

rainbow

40:30

Well, we hope you all enjoyed that. write in, let us know what you think yeah, this is a good.

40:34

There are so many hobbies that I didn't think of so many, so please go ahead and write in yeah, and project all over the characters if you want.

rainbow

40:42

Yeah. What hobby do you do that you think the characters in Haikyuu would do?

40:45

All right. So before we dip into the spoiler zone and maybe lose a few of you, don't forget to hit us up on Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and or Blue Sky at FlyHaikyuuPod. That's F-L-Y-H-Q-P-O-D. You can also send us an email at fly hq pod at gmailcom. That's F-L-Y-H-Q-P-O-D. At gmailcom, Spoiler zone. It's in the zone, the spoiler zone. We're going to make a fucking thing one of these days.

rainbow

41:14

One day, yeah, by season three. By the time season three rolls around, we'll have a little sound and everything. You have something.

41:22

So you have a few things written down. I didn't write anything down, but I do just want to say really quickly like it's so it's sad to watch yamaguchi fble this one, but we know, next season, next siege of game, he's going to fucking blow them out of the water and I'm really excited for that I and it.

rainbow

41:36

Yeah, he just keeps getting better and better. He gets more confident, he gets more skilled. So in the beginning of the episode, they talk about how, now that Kageyama is back in the game, he and Hinata aren't doing their out loud signals, but they talk about the fact that when and they don't necessarily talk about him closing his eyes, but they say they can tell when he's going to do a freak quick versus when he's doing a regular quick , because, like they can, they can just tell. And this is part of the thing. Like we talk about this next season, where Kageyama is like, no, we shouldn't change anything about the freak quick. But even even without Hinata wanting and needing to grow and to be able to fight on his own in the air, like the fact that you have such an obvious difference between when he's doing a regular quick and a free quick is not good and he needs to be able. It needs to look like he's doing, it needs to look like he's going for the same kind of spike over and over again if he's going to be in an effective decoy.

42:31

And I think it's interesting that that doesn't occur to Kageyama and it'll be exciting, exciting to talk about that and get into that and really like break that down, because for Kageyama it should be whatever is going to give you the best results, and I'll be interested to to kind of figure out what's holding him back there. And then I also wanted to talk about when Oikawa gets that set. That's right at the edge of the net, like it looks like it's going over and Hinata like looks like he's ready for it, and then he's kind of amazed because Oikawa, without touching the net because that would be a foul, gets it and sets it to a wise me and we. And Kageyama does a little bit something like that in this game, but we also see that again in the Inarizaki game yeah, which, like Kageyama, like is frustrated because he just kind of forced him into that in a way yes, yeah, and I that's.

43:17

I wrote down the. Give me the next one too kind of thing because, like I think Kageyama almost goes to apologize to Hinata for being like you know, sorry, I didn't like sorry, it wasn't like my best set, or anything. And Hinata's like what are you kidding me? Like let's keep going Like more, sets, more. And then Atsu's all like oh, like my heart skipped a beat, or some gay shit like that.

43:47

I'm doki doki-ing for this feral ginger. Oh my god. Yeah, the fact that they don't even say doki doki in that game is ridiculous, because that's obviously what's happening. There is a, since we're the spoiler zone, there is a comic that Furudate came out with when they're playing against, when they're playing beach volleyball against Kunimi and Kindaichi, and like Kageyama does a pretty good move, but like the wind gets it or whatever, and Hinata's looking at him and there are literal the doki doki signs are there and he's like, wow, he got that even with the wind. So the doki doki is there. They just don't spell it out for us, cause that would be too BL, I'm gonna.

rainbow

44:11

Rainbow's falling off the couch. I can't, I can't even hold myself upright anymore. It's so gay, yeah. Anyway, going back to the freckles versus acne debate, oh yeah, that's what it is. I'm pretty sure in the time skip he doesn't have his freckles anymore because he's an adult and he grew out of them?

44:31

Maybe he stopped going in the sun? I don't think that's how that works. It's freckles, you ho? What's your source? Google Haikyuu Fandom dot Com. The results are nine valid votes for freckles and five valid votes for acne. Freckles is the winner and freckles will be the unofficial description for yamaguchi until confirmed with solid proof in the haikyuu manga series. So I guess it's a debate.

rainbow

44:55

Yeah, so I think people don't know. Well then, I guess this poll will be interesting. We're still putting the poll out. I want to know what everyone wants to know. Yeah, for sure, or what everyone else thinks alright, everyone.

45:06

Thank you for joining us for episode 23. We have one more episode of this game and then who knows what the results will be. We'll figure that out, we'll find out soon, but thank you for joining us and until next time, fly high woo.

Fly: A Queer Haikyuu Podcast

S1E23: The Point that Changes the Momentum

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