S2E4: Center Ace

"The ace is the player who scores the most points."

This week, em and rainbow talk about season 2, episode 4 "Center Ace" and discuss rainbow's feelings about Nekoma's newest player, Hinata's struggle to improve, and why each character would go to jail. 

43: 02- Spoiler Zone Begins

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If you are interested in unionizing your workplace, or just want to learn more about unions, check out the Industrial Workers of the World

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Thanks for listening!!

Chapters

• 0:07 Discussing Unions, Labor, and Haikyuu Episode
• 7:17 Road Trip With Saeko Naisan
• 14:39 Analyzing Kageyama and Hinata's Growth
• 24:25 Discussing Lev's Impact on Karasuno
• 35:09 Character Analysis and Crime Scenarios

Transcript

rainbow


00:07
hello everyone and welcome to fly a queer Haikyuu podcast. I'm rainbow they she and I'm m she her. And today we are very excited to talk to you about season two, episode four, center ace. But before we do that, we have a few things we want to talk about. First and foremost, this episode is coming out on labor day in the united states. If you don't know what that is, look it up. But happy Labor Day to everyone. Unions are amazing. Em and I are both in a union. We love it. They give us great benefits.
em


00:37
It's the reason we have an eight-hour workday and maybe one day we can have a four-hour workday and, hey, maybe, maybe a four day week. But I'm just going crazy.
rainbow


00:45
Yes, unions are the reason. Our capitalist overlords can't work us to death anymore.
em


00:51
They can't put little Timmy in the big machine to take out the debris anymore.
rainbow


00:56
Yes, the United States and, honestly, countries across the world, have very interesting union and labor histories. There's lots of podcasts you can find if you want to listen to any stuff about that YouTube, books, whatever you want. Go out and learn about labor and unions because it's really important and if you have the ability to join a union, highly recommend it. Collective bargaining is really great and if you don't currently have a union in your industry or in your place of work and you're interested in unionizing, you should check out the Industrial Workers of the World. It is a horizontally structured massive union. It's worldwide and they really give workers a chance to band together and use their collective voice to fight for their rights in the workplace. So we will link to them in our show notes today if you'd like to check them out Again. It's the industrial workers of the world. Super cool. Labors are awesome. Our unions are awesome. Happy Labor Day to everyone. Now moving on Moving on to some housekeeping.
em


01:56
We just have one little thing.
rainbow


01:59
A shout out to the wonderful, amazing gemerald. He loves Nekoma and he loves Kenma and we love him. Today, as we know, we are going to get into some fun Nekoma Kenma stuff, so gemerald wanted a shout out on this episode. Thank you, of course, gemerald, for listening. We love having you here and, as always, if anyone wants a shout out on a particular episode, just let us know. Send us an email, dm us reply on one of our social media posts and we will figure that out.
em


02:27
All right, now let's get into this. I mean, I could write a college essay about this episode, so I'm ready to dive in. But we have a little recap from our very own Rainbow first, I think you did write a college essay.
rainbow


02:39
In your notes I would say yeah, pretty close.
em


02:42
Yeah, Someone just organized it for me and we're good to go yeah you've got a dissertation.
rainbow


02:46
You'll get your PhD in Haikyuu.
em


02:50
I got my bachelor's in Yaoi. Okay, ready for the recap. I'll count you down yes, three, two, one Go.
rainbow


03:01
It's time to go to Tokyo, but not for Kage, kage hina, who didn't score high enough on their exams to pass. But not to worry, big sis Saeko is here to save the day. After heart pounding car ride, our main characters arrive to the training camp and meet some new rivals. A thoughtful Hinata ruminates on the viability of their current freak quick and Nekomata predicts that, in order to grow stronger, karasuno needs to evolve Nekomata is also writing a dissertation about Hinata and Karasuno's growth right now.


03:27
Oh, that's what Nakamata is doing throughout this series. That's his job, yeah. And also to challenge TakaUkai.
em


03:34
Yes, he's like. I want to make all of these helpful observations and not tell you about any of them, because you have to figure it out yourself. Oh, you know he's a good coach, let's just get right into it. This episode opens with our. Our crows are at tokyo and tanaNoya are very impressed by the sky tree. Oh wait, it's just a verizon wireless tower, and Kuroo's laugh is so over the top his big dumb laugh. Everyone knows it I have to listen to it in the dub you know it's okay.
rainbow


04:02
I think they don't quite, they don't get it quite as ridiculous, but it's still pretty good. And for me, part of the laugh it's not just the sound, it's also the face that he makes, because he has that like he just cannot control himself. He thinks they're so dumb.
em


04:20
He's like these simple country bumpkins. And then we have in the background and we have a lot of Kuroo dai this episode too, which I really enjoy, and in the background, while they're talking, we have Noya pushing suki along. We're gonna see a lot of Noya senpai background moments in these next few episodes I love it.
rainbow


04:36
This is why I say he's the greatest senpai, because, like, don't get me wrong, Tanaka does a really good job, but I feel like Tanaka is very much focused on like Kagehina, whereas Noya really like he is a good senpai to every single one of the first years, and especially Tsukishima needs that, and I think Noya recognizes it and he's like I'm gonna be your annoying uncle.
em


04:56
They're both defense boys, and so I just I like that Noya kind of takes Tsuki unwillingly under his tiny little wing yes it, it's so cute.
rainbow


05:03
I want like a tiny little like drabble. That's about the two of them.
em


05:08
So unfortunately, it is confirmed by Daichi that Kagehina have failed, while TaneNoya just barely passed. Yeah, they got like a 42 and a 46 or something, which is insane. I think Hina took out like a 21 and Kageyama got like a 38 think Hinata got like a 21 and Kageyama got like a 38.
rainbow


05:28
Yes, and I have to know. Okay, here's the thing Kageyama earned that score because he didn't think there was going to be that much reading comprehension. And he can memorize his kanji all he wants, but he is never learning reading comprehension.
em


05:38
Kageyama has no media literacy.
rainbow


05:41
What so fucking ever? Yeah, no, absolutely. I do love when Asahi's like, wow, his kanji are amazing, but I want to talk about Hinata, because this is absolute bullshit that Hinata got a 21. It shows Yachi saying like every single one of his answers was correct. He just filled in the scantron wrong. Anyway. Do you want to hear my college dissertation about  exams and test taking and how it's all bullshit and how the point of a test is to make sure that the students understand the material? And Hinata demonstrated that he understood the material. He just has ADHD and marked something wrong. I have to go slap somebody in the face right now.
em


06:14
I like how they're like no, he's still stupid, but just in this way, instead of like just not knowing the information, he just really like made that little mistake and their teacher is the type of hard ass that won't like.
rainbow


06:25
let that slide and it's so easy to. It's so easy to make those mistakes like. I don't know if it was like the exact scantrons that we use here in the us, but it is easy to just like and like, to accidentally miss one and he goes too quickly and it's like. I'm sure you know there's some sort of like well, you know he should pay attention, and like blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Fuck you. He knew what to do, he should have passed, but at the end of the day, You're Hinata's mother calling the school Honestly yes, this is absolute bullshit.


06:52
I do not agree with this choice whatsoever, but narratively it works, because then Kagehina gets stuck together because they're soulmates, and then they're stuck doing makeup work and I love when, like Suga's, like oh man, poor kagehina, they must be so upset. And then they're just like how do we get to tokyo now? Do we run? No, we should bike, yes, yes.
em


07:12
But then Tanaka senpai is here to save the day yes, no, Tanaka senpai has a plan, yes, which we will get into. They cut back to karasuno being in tokyo in the morning and Yamamoto is hello hi, cute baby, baby. Yamamoto is doing way too much. He's falling to his knees in front of the girls and he's like they have a pretty one and a cute one. And, first of all, if you called me just the cute one, I would beat you up yeah, and then Kyoko is like protecting Yachi, which I love she shouldn't have to though she shouldn't have to protect Yachi.
rainbow


07:42
No, no, that also makes me roll my eyes. And then Tanaka is like yes, witness the power. And it's like I need you to go fuck yourself. Actually, girls do not exist to make boys look cool. Yep, and I hate you for that. Anyway, we do get. Then we move into a tiny Kuroo dai moment. Kuro's like kind of explaining to Daichi like okay, we're all in the gym after you know, like you guys come and meet us there and I don't know. There's just I feel like in every interaction they have, there's like a little bit of a challenge.
em


08:05
It feels like a challenge and I really enjoy that well, they're the dads of the team and they're like all right, so this is where we're gonna kick your ass cheaper by the dozen to au, where Kuroo and Daichi are the dads who are fighting.
rainbow


08:21
Yeah, there's steve martin and the Levy.
em


08:24
And I will. I just want to say, because I was just like, oh my god, curl looks so good, they all look so good. I feel like this is like peak Haikyuu. These like episodes are like everyone just looks really good. The art is just like really on point, definitely, so, yeah. So Tanaka Senpai has a plan and it is basically well, you only have one exam, basically well, you only have one exam, so you finish up, and then I will call your savior Saeko to the rescue, Saeko nason, so yeah, so they finish up their scores and they run out of the school and she's out there waiting, she's got her little truck and she's like come on, guys, we're gonna go and she does a little wink.


08:58
She's like call me Saeko nason. And so she's like come in the car with me. And they're like Saeko nason. And it is the only time you see Kageyama blushing over a girl. And I wrote that this is not so much evidence that Kageyama isn't gay, but more just the power of Saeko. Is that strong? I would, yeah, I would say so, and I.
rainbow


09:16
It could even be like it might not be like a blush, like oh, wow, she's like so hot. It could be like, wow, she's so cool, right, that's kind of what I take that as also. I looked it up because I was like, wow, they are driving to to tokyo and they're driving to the suburbs. So, like I looked up how long it takes to drive from sendai to tokyo, which isn't going to be quite exact because they're a little bit higher in the mountains, they're more in the country and then they're going to the suburbs, but it is about a four and a half hour drive, yeah, and so it's no wonder a Saeko is putting the pedal to the metal here and risking their lives.
em


09:46
Yes, she's whipping through these streets, and then we cut back to karasuno in tokyo. Our two coaches meet with Nekomata, and Nekomata is the cat who cannot wait to eat the canary god, I love him, he's. He's a little bitch and I am here for it and what's really cute is they walk into the gym and Kenma immediately is like where's Shouyou?
rainbow


10:07
yeah, I, yeah, I got that too, although I did wonder like why didn't Hinata text Kenma and be like, hey, I, you know I have to do like makeup work and so like I'm not gonna be there in the morning or something. Do you think he was ashamed?
em


10:19
yeah, I think that's a really good point and I think that's more. I feel like Hinata kind of is dramatic and was all upset and just wanted to get there, get done with it and get there and just have a dramatic entrance instead of explaining to Kenma. Hey, I'm going to be a little late tomorrow.
rainbow


10:34
Yeah, yeah, he's not thinking about the logistics.
em


10:36
Yes, I just wish more people called Hinata Shouyou. Like why don't any of the Karasuno senpais call him shouyou? I think I don't really know what the all the norms are.
rainbow


10:45
I think it's, I think it's a familiarity thing. I think, being on a sports team together, I think it's like there is a hierarchy thing, it's a hierarchy thing.


10:54
I think it's like a closeness thing and I think, honestly, it's probably just a little bit easier, for, like, I think it I don't know maybe there's something about like all the people that you are constantly seeing him with, all calling him by the same name, like is a little bit easier, and maybe it's easier to keep track of people. And then if you have the one person and I think that also kind of makes Kenma special in that way yeah, and that's a very Kenma thing like Kenma doesn't care as much about the hierarchy and the formality stuff.


11:21
And so I think it is just like that's just like culture, where, like you are, you really only call people by your first name when you're like very close to them, or if you're like Kenma and you just don't really care. And I do love that Kenma calls everyone else by their first name but calls Kuroo by his last name and give, and it's a little nickname too he called he takes off the o.
em


11:39
Anyway, I have to go to ao3 right now so we see some tough guys in these teams, including Bokuto. This is our first intro to Bokuto, yes, and I know many of you already know who this guy is, but for those of us who are watching along with us for the first time, he's fun. He's going to be around. Just you wait. We're excited. The soundtrack is hitting this episode. That violin is going crazy in the moment, right before they see Liev. I call him Lev. I don't think that's really the right pronunciation, but we see Lev for the first time and that violin's going crazy. And then we go to, I think, my favorite scene in this episode, which is the car ride with Saeko Naisan.
rainbow


12:16
Yes, with a cute little Kageyama napping in the back.
em


12:19
Yes, he's passed out in the back seat, Hinata's sitting up front. Saeko is such an older sister and she has a moment both with Hinata and with Kageyama, and with Hinata she can tell that he you know he's impatient and she says what is going to be the haikyuu lesson of the day. There are some flowers you only see when you take detours, and it must be some sort of like flowery proverb that she's saying, because Hinata's like I don't really get what you're saying, but that sounds cool, yeah absolutely yeah, I love that and I love that we get to see, because you know, Saeko asks Hinata like why he got into volleyball and can.


12:55
I just say Hinata is so excited to talk about why he loves volleyball. When you watch that and she's like so why did you start playing? He like gasped, he's like, and then he gets into his whole story Like he's so excited to talk, like. I think anyone would want to be loved the way that Hinata loves volleyball.
rainbow


13:08
Yeah, I totally agree. I do want to say I don't remember exactly when it happens, but at some point, like Saeko is talking to Hinata and she's not necessarily paying attention to the road and she has to like swerve for a second and you hear Kageyama's head hit the car door, but he's still asleep and it's so funny like you see his body shift. I just thought that was hilarious. Oh, also, he did not take Tanaka's advice, because I think if he really understood how bad of a driver Saeko was or how crazy of a driver she was, I don't think he would be like sleeping in the back seat. Well, I think he's wearing his seat belt, but I don't remember quite for sure. So then Saeko asks Hinata how he got into volleyball and he starts talking.
em


13:45
They learn that they both kind of know who the tiny giant is, the fact that Saeko guesses, because he starts to tell the story and then she's like, oh, and you saw the little giant, right. And then she's like, oh, I was right. And I think that's a testament to just the aura of the little giant, because she kind of goes on like he's not someone that she would have typically hung out with. Because she kind of goes on like he's not someone that she would have typically hung out with. She hung out with the bad boys, but the little giant was kind of scary in his own way, but not so much scary, but just his intensity.
rainbow


14:11
Intimidating is the word they use in the dub.
em


14:12
She's remembering a moment where she's getting like something from the vending machine and she catches a moment of their practice matches and our little giant is he's like, kneeling in front of Grandpa Ukai, which is very warrior of him. I don't know, I love that little detail he's being subbed out.


14:25
We don't know, maybe he wasn't feeling well that day or whatever it was just an off day and he stalks off to where she's at and like bangs his head against the locker and then he kind of like turns and looks at her. I had a new thought during this. You'll notice like the little of him. We never see him straight on, but he looks exactly like. He has Hinata's exact stature and like the shape of his hair, but he has black hair and his eyes are gray. We're always like, oh, it's Kagehina's love child, which I love that theory. But then I also was like I wonder if that's like we're seeing this through Hinata's mind's eye and he's just kind of like maybe self inserting in a way.
rainbow


15:01
Oh mean that could be. I never really thought of that because it really feels like we're seeing Saeko's memory right maybe we're seeing like the description, maybe like it's filtered through Hinata's mind, like we're like Hinata's hearing the description and then what we're seeing, because he is like the main character and kind of the pov character yeah so I really like that theory.


15:21
I like that idea. So he's kind of like the black hair and the gray eyes, like that does kind of make sense, like just gray is like nothingness, and so like he, because he he's not thinking about what his actual eye color would be, and then the black hair, and yeah, he is really kind of projecting himself into that mode. And then he does, because the little giant gives Saeko a very like Hinata predator look which is scary and cool.


15:42
And like Hinata predator, look which is scary and cool, and then I love how she's like you know.
em


15:50
I almost fell in love with him and I'm like I get it. Yeah, no, there's an attraction to that kind of intensity which I think just proves that Hinata does well in the romantic life after high school he's got wrists.
rainbow


15:57
We all know it, yeah, okay. And then is this where Kageyama wakes up and starts eating meat buns.
em


16:02
Oh my god. So I and I'll have something to say in the spoiler zone about this, because, yeah, suddenly Kageyama is awake and he's like hey, you sure know a lot about the little giant and actually kind of embarrasses Saeko, you can see. She's like when did you wake up? And he was just like I was hungry. And she was like oh, you follow your instincts, hand he was like yep, giant. Yes, in the dub she says you're a simple creature, aren't you? And he goes yep and I love it.
rainbow


16:27
Yeah, I want to talk a little bit about that moment in the spoiler zone as well. Cool, cool. We go back to the training camp and we kind of see Kiyoko explaining things to Yachi, which this is another character, kind of like Takdea, where we have somebody who doesn't really know anything about volleyball, who can be an audience insert and can be a vehicle for exposition, because we see Kiyoko, who is such a good manager and has done her research and talked to the other managers and knows about the other teams that they're playing, and we kind of get a breakdown of, like, each of the teams that are in this fuKuroo donnie group, what their, their specialty is, what their, like, special skills are, and I kind of wrote it down, if I can go through quickly so ubugawa specializes in serves.


17:06
They mentioned that they end every practice with a hundred serves and every person on the team has like a really amazing serve that's unique to them and is really hard to receive. And then shinzen are the masters of combo moves and we see them doing the combo, where a bunch of them are going up at once to spike. And then, of course, we know Nekoma is all about defense. They're good at connecting.
em


17:28
They always get the ball off the floor in the sub Takdea calls them their destined rival oh, I love that.
rainbow


17:34
I don't think I I don't think that's in the dub, but I do love that. And then we get to Fukurodani, and they're a powerhouse and, just like Shiratorizawa, they have one of the top five aces in the nation and we see Bokuto calling for Akaashi to to give the ball to him and we see him do a spike and he's just so great and I love him.
em


17:52
I love this moment with the spike, because they're playing against Nekoma and Kenma is up to block and Kenma kind of moves out of the way because his spike is so powerful and it's kind of scary and we see for I think the first, maybe only time Nekomata yelling at Kenma don't run away. And he's like well, my arm will get ripped off.
rainbow


18:08
He's like no, it won't. I know, and I really need like a scene of Yachi and Kenma, like during a break, talking about like yeah, Yachi, being like aren't you afraid your arms are gonna fall off, and Kenma's like yeah, honestly, I am I, yeah, I love that .
em


18:22
And then we have Our badass Kagehina entrance. Oh, it's very cool.
rainbow


18:28
Everyone looks Saeko gets there first. I love her like opening the door, like oh, they're still at it.
em


18:33
Yeah, because Karasuno is struggling against these teams. And it's not that Karasuno is doing badly, they just aren't like.
rainbow


18:41
These teams are just on another level yeah, like one of the like the other players are talking about them and they're like it's not that they're bad, they're just kind of normal because they keep losing, they have to do their, their, their, flying drills yeah, they're flying, dig drill, whatever . And then we see Saeko open the door and I love that. Noya is like Saeko nee-san. And then like somebody's like I didn't know, you had a sister. He's like no, that's Tanaka's sister. And then somebody's like oh yeah, I see it. And I just love that Tanaka and Noya are such BFFs that Noya calls Saeko big sis, like I think that's so sweet. And then we have a meta moment where, like Hinata and Kagama arrive, oh my God, and they're standing in the doorway and they look all intense and Kuro says, oh, the main characters have shown up, have shown up fashionably late. How tacky.
em


19:31
I love that. What does he say in the sub? He says  something about being fashionably late. How annoying.
rainbow


19:37
Oh, okay, yeah, so they just subbed annoying for or tacky for annoying. Yeah, I like tacky though.
em


19:42
Yeah, I agree, but they do make a substantial difference on the court and they're just so cool. They're playing and they're giving one of the teams a hard time, and then they're all, like you know, catching their breath and looking cool, and Tanaka comes in the background and is like don't act so cool, you test flunking late losers.
rainbow


19:59
Yeah, he says something he was like. He was like losers who show up late don't get to show off, and I do. He's like losers who show up late don't get to show off. And I do want to say we do get to see, because we don't get a ton of Bokuto and Akaashi in this episode. But in the little commercial break moment we do see Bokuto doing the serve and then looking to Akaashi to like give him praise, and then Akaashi doesn't, Bokuto gets mad. I just think they're so cute I love them.
em


20:19
Yeah, no, I'll get. I'm excited to get more of Akaashi later. Yes, absolutely, absolutely.
rainbow


20:24
And so we see like Kakehina are winning. But Hinata, instead of being like super thrilled that like they showed up and they're like getting points for them and everything, he's very much lost in thought and he keeps thinking about how the quick, their quick attack isn't enough as it is right now, like the guy from Shinzen is able to get a hand on it, and he thinks back to all of the people who were able to get a hand on their freak quick and he's just so like lost in thought.
em


20:49
Well, and I feel like the car ride with nason was a really like talking about the little giant and thinking about how, how he was the ace and how people really relied on him. Like that's what's in his mind and he just wants to get stronger and he wants to be that and he just knows that they haven't really evolved since losing to seijo and he's getting frustrated yeah, well, because that's something they talk about in the car ride is like Saeko talks about how, like you know, being the ace, there must be a lot of pressure there.
rainbow


21:16
and I think Hinata, even though he's not the ace of karasuno, he, I think he still feels that pressure and he has convinced himself that he has to be what the tiny giant was and where he is now. That's just not really happening and you can see that he's frustrated by it. And I think this is when we look over to where Nekoma is playing.
em


21:37
Yes, because Hinata notices that Inayoka is not in the starting lineup anymore. Sadly, because we loved seeing him in first season in the starting lineup anymore. Sadly because we loved seeing him in first season, but someone else has come along, and it is liev, our half russian, half japanese, middle blocker yes, and he is very.
rainbow


21:53
He's stupid tall and his limbs are super long. I do like the way he's drawn and like the way he's animated, like you really do see like he's a big, lanky fucking dude.
em


22:03
He's a little scary he's got the cat face for sure. He's meant to be on Nekoma. And yeah he, he's a big, lanky fucking dude. He's a little scaly. He's got the cat face for sure. He's meant to be on Nekoma. And yeah he, he's very big and tall and he swings his arm like a whip.
rainbow


22:11
Those are his powers yes, and it does look cool when he, when he spikes and then I think this is where we go. Then we cut to afterwards. We have our little, our little trio. We have inayoka, Hinata and Kenma all hanging out. I love them. They're adorable, they're best friends. I want a little trio. We have inayoka, Hinata and Kenma all hanging out. I love them, they're adorable, they're best friends.
em


22:27
I want a little fic about them being best friends and Hinata is still thinking about how he needs to get stronger and how he hasn't changed since the seijo match, . And then he thinks to ask about like oh, who is that guy? And I just I love the way that Kenma says like I don't know. I love how he says that and he's giving a little bit of background about how it took them a while to sync up which there's a whole ova about which we'll probably watch one day, yes, or maybe not, who knows? But and then he's also saying like, but his basics suck. He's basically even worse than you, shouyo. And shouyo is like am I the? Am I the meter of how bad someone is? And then we have the senpais of Nekoma coming in and yaku is crying because Kenma is talking without being shy I know it's very cute, I do.
rainbow


23:09
Yeah, I love that. And then I do I feel like Kenma like really doesn't like lev very much. No, and I love that and I love. I said poor Kenma because of lev. He had to work harder because it shows like he has to keep setting to him over and over again and he's clearly so tired he's like I do not want to have to work this hard he also makes a comment about how love is too honest sometimes.
em


23:32
Yes, which we will, I think. I think we'll have a follow-up soon, yeah, very soon. So because Hinata is now walking, I guess, back to karasuno's neck of the woods and he's thinking about, he's thinking about how western names are so cool, and he goes into the bathroom, which was his big mistake, because then, of course, there is Liev.
rainbow


23:48
Yeah, lev is standing there like filling up the doorway, lev goes.
em


23:53
You're even smaller up close to Hinata, which is a crazy thing to say to someone that you've just met, and I can see why Kenma now said that he is too honest. The way Hinata reacts to this is so gremlin-like.
rainbow


24:04
I watched the animation of it like three times because he like gets really low and he's like he's so ridiculous and I don't know if this happens in the sub, but in the dub Hinata's like oh, you speak Japanese, like he was expecting him to speak Russian because he's half Russian, and I kind of wonder like is that? I don't think that's like xenophobia.
em


24:26
Well, I think it's just that these boys are very sheltered. I mean, you see the way that Tanaka is like these city boys and they think the Tokyo Tower is a phone tower. I think they're just very sheltered. And also, I think Japan in general, like if you're not in a metropolitan area, you're only seeing other Japanese people. So I think it's just something that's even though it's really not that crazy, it's just something different, so it's exciting.
rainbow


24:45
Yeah, I think for us coming from especially the United States, where we have so many cultures mixing together, so it's not weird for us to know somebody who is like half whatever.
em


24:56
And not to say that America can't be like that too, Like, especially like again, when you're in more metropolitan areas you have more of a melting pot, and then when you're in other areas, it's all like white. But yeah, no, it's definitely more the norm for there to be all sorts of different people. So, yeah, no, I think it's just like, oh, and yeah, he's like, what's a Russian greeting I can give him? It's like he's half Japanese.
rainbow


25:16
Yeah, it's like when he even says he's like actually I don't speak Russian at all, like I'm like of his parents is Russian, but he grew up in Japan. Like he is Japanese. I just thought that was like a very interesting moment. But I think, you know, that is something I want to touch on just a tiny bit in the spoiler zone of, like you know, international people in the IQ world.
em


25:38
Nice. So Lev is already calling himself the ace. Doesn't matter that he's a middle blocker, which Hinataata points out, because usually the aces are wing spikers, but love is like does the position matter? The ace is the one who scores the most points. And I think that this is just like this conversation and then the conversation with Saiko Nason, I think, are what's really whirling in Hinata after this, because, like, love is too bold and he says, like Yamamoto, if he heard him calling himself the ace, he would rip him a new one, because he is, like Hinata, just starting out in high school and he has some natural gifts and he can score points, but he doesn't have a lot of experience, but he has this boldness to him to call himself the ace already and I think that resonates with Hinata a little bit because, Lev leaves him with a promise to be the first one to stop his quick, and then he walks off and he kind of repeats to himself the one who scores the most points is the ace.
rainbow


26:27
A monster is being born, ladies and gentlemen yeah, well, and he said, like he in the dub, he's like the guy who scores the most points is the ace. Is that really true? And I don't think it is. I think an ace is a lot more than that and I think that's why it's so important that we have Bokuto here, who is like that is like his whole personality, as being the ace of his team, and I think we kind of see that like that's not always what an ace is like. An ace isn't just the guy who scores the most points. He's not scoring the most points because, like, he's like the tallest and has the longest arms and has some natural ability. He does it because he's the most reliable, he's the one you can go to when you can't go to anybody else, and I don't think that's what lev is. We'll talk a little bit more in the character spotlight about my feelings about that whole situation.
em


27:12
We have Hinata, like very much thinking, and then we go to the next day, right it's the next morning and Nekomata and his assistant are observing karasuno and noting that they're a lot more stable this time. But then Nekomata thinks to himself but are you content with that, karasuno? Because wise old nakamata knows that they have some growing pains to get through if they want to level up. You lost. That's why you came here to get stronger. Nakama is playing and lev calls for like a slide hit out of nowhere. And he does make it in and kagehina are watching this all go down. Lev kind of apologizes after the fact because I think I don't know if he called for it rudely that's a nuance that might be lost on me with the Japanese but he did like call for it out of the blue and Ken was like I just might not be able to get it. Get that to you every time. And that's when Kagehi and I are like oh, offended on Kenma's behalf, because Lev was like Kenma, send it over here.
rainbow


27:57
And like Kenma even like gives kind of a look. That's just like dude, what the fuck? So I don't think it was so much, just like that was a rude way to talk to me. He's just like I don't know if I'm gonna be able to do that. Like don't make me work like this.
em


28:17
Yes, kind of thinking again like center ace with Lev and Nakamata reveals a bit more about why Lev is here. Nakama lost in the inner high and they need to forge a new path forward. So Nakamata, he's not sure if this is the right path, but they have new blood now, with Lev demonstrating that, like if you want to grow, you have to make changes and you have to try new things even if you're uncomfortable with them.
rainbow


28:41
Yes, oh interesting. I wonder who needs to learn that lesson.
em


28:52
Does Karasuno want stability in order to achieve more power, or is it evolution? Yes, and, as Nakamata is saying this, we're seeing like face cards of the team, but then Hinata comes in with the biggest one, talking about evolution, and that's that.
rainbow


29:01
I'll see you in the spoiler zone. That was yeah, it's kind of like a. It was a little jarring for me. I was like, oh wait, the episode is over now.
em


29:08
Yes, Because this episode is just what it is, is just a brilliant setup for the conflict that's about to hit.
rainbow


29:15
Yeah, this training camp is very interesting. There's a lot that is going on here with everybody, but mainly with Hinata specifically, and you, you know this very much is, I think, this very much sets up his mindset for what comes next and I think it's very interesting and there's I just feel like there's a lot of foreshadowing in this episode, including some foreshadowing.


29:34
I'm going to touch on a little bit in the spoilers and that doesn't have anything to do with Hinata. But you know, I'm very excited. I can't wait to get through these next couple episodes. The next episode I did kind of like a preview of it for myself and yeah, this next episode, yeah, everybody's strapping.


29:53
We're gonna have a lot to say about that yeah, okay, so for today's character spotlight to be honest, we were going back and forth because this would be a really good episode to do Saeko as well, and I was like all prepared to do that. But I think, at the end of the day, this really good episode to do Saeko as well, and I was like all prepared to do that. But I think, at the end of the day, this episode we have to do Lev. Yes, haiba Liev, yeah, haiba Liev, and I think that does sound like how they would pronounce it in Japanese, but it's spelled L-E-V, so for English speakers it's Lev. I have no idea what it would be in Russian.


30:24
I do not speak Russian and we'll talk a little bit about his name meaning, because it is a little bit interesting, all right, but to talk about his personality, I have a quote from the wiki. So quote he is shown to be quite childish and cheerful, as displayed by unintentionally making fun of and pointing out Hinata and Yaku's height. His appearance, as well as his piercing eyes, cause people to believe he is more intimidating and serious than he actually is. Though he can be extremely blunt, often offending others without realizing, he never seems to mean any real harm and adopts a playful attitude towards most things. Is this where I get to talk about my feelings about love?
em


30:59
You guys get ready, because Rainbow's a pretty positive, nice person, but sometimes they don't like things and well, I don't like love, I do not like him.
rainbow


31:11
I I have never liked him. I'll never like you and I never have, I never have and I never will. I don't even like that. We will one day watch that ova, because I do think it's important for us to consume every piece of Haikyuu media, I don't think you want to.


31:24
I don't really want to, but we will because I think it's important for us to consume every piece of Haikyuu media. But I don't think you want to, I don't really want to, but we will because I think it's important and I love Kenman, I love the rest of Nekoma, and I'm going to try to not and listen. I am not saying that he is a bad character. I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with liking him. This is a very personal, subjective opinion of mine. Yes, nothing against you. If you like him, like, honestly, if you do love, love and you want to, like, send an email or a message that, like, explains your view of him. Like, I would love to read that. I'm open to hearing, like, what people like about him, because I don't like it.


31:57
Like that whole thing with him and Hinata, where he's like I'm the ace of Nekoma. It's arrogant in a way that makes me so angry. Like it, I just think. Like it. I, oh my gosh, I just realized I kind of understand why Ushijima feels the way he does about Hinata. It's the way I feel about lev, because I'm like you do not. You have not earned the right to call yourself that you have even, I would say, less skill than Hinata, as Kenmada did. All you have for you is height and strong limbs. Like you just have the coordination to hit the ball. But like you're not. And we see it later where, like he doesn't really think that he needs to focus on the other stuff, he thinks all he needs to do is go out there and, like hit the ball. He's very much like Hinata in the first episode and he doesn't. He hasn't learned that lesson and it just like makes me very angry well, the thing, the thing with Lev too, I think.
em


32:45
and you have another reason we talked about why you might not like him. I personally am kind of neutral, I'm like whatever. But I think another thing about why maybe Lev would great gears because I didn't love him either is because we have cocky, arrogant, overconfident characters. But they hit a little different and a little bit better than Lev. And I think just because we don't really get to know love too much and because he hasn't earned all this sass.
rainbow


33:12
I can see why it's a little like I know your place. And also he replaces inuyoka, who is a character I love. I love inuyoka and I like his relationship with Hinata better than I like love and Hinata's relationship like this, is one Hinata rival where I'm like get out of here, I don't care, I just. I just honestly, I get so excited for Tokyo training camp arc and I always forget that that means Lev. And then Lev shows up. I think the last time we did a watch through, like before we started the podcast, it got him and I was like, oh man, lev is here it's just so fun to watch you dislike something and it's just and again, it's like you know, and I understand his purpose and I understand that, like he, you know he does affect Hinata and he is like helping build towards this thing.


33:51
Okay, I'm not gonna get too much deeper into this and I also feel like Kenma doesn't like him and I'm on Kenma's side yeah, no, I mean, I definitely don't disagree with all of your points yeah, and you know we'll talk about Lev more because you know he's gonna show up, unfortunately, in the episode.


34:09
Sorry, I won't be that mean, no, but like he does show up and we'll talk about him more and I, you know, I will say, you know, in the battle of the garbage dp movie. No, you know, no spoilers here, but like I didn't hate him as much in that as I hate him in this beginning part, all right, anyway. Okay, moving on, I want to move on to his name meaning, because it is cool. his family name is Japanese, it's Haiba, and that means ash and feathers, which I think makes sense with his hair and I think it's interesting that it's feathers, but he's on the cat team. and then his name, lev. So for the name meanings, I always get like the romanticized version, like how you would read it in English, but then I also get the kanji.


34:47
But for Lev, we see it written in Cyrillic and the Cyrillic alphabet because it's Russian and, as it's discussed in the episode, his name means lion, that's right, they do talk about that, which makes sense. So he's a cat and you know, maybe there is something, because his eyes are like very cat-like and maybe they're meant to be like a lion's eyes. His name is basically gray lion. Yeah, yeah, his name is gray lion. That's cool. I also have his character sheet. He is so tall, his limbs really are very long. So, Haiba lev Nekoma high school. He is in class one three. His position is middle blocker. His height, which is mentioned in the episode as well, is six four. This episode is like a full character sheet for Lev anyway.
em


35:26
Yeah, and I just want to say, with his height too, and just going really quick back to that moment where him and Hinata are talking at the bathroom and he's commenting on how short he is, I do want to say some of the like farther away shots of them. Hinata looks like his head is coming up to about his crotch and it's like, okay, the height difference is not that big.
rainbow


35:42
And that could be like, because Hinata is crouching like a gremlin. Oh and we forgot to mention that Hinata is trying to show off how far he can, how high he can jump.
em


35:49
Oh yeah, he jumps so high he hits his head against the door. He does get above Lev.
rainbow


35:54
And Lev is like whoa, like you can jump really high and I think that does kind of like present a challenge for Lev. That's exciting. But yeah, anyway, moving on. All right, I accept that. Listen, I love Halloween and there is something about characters that I don't like having birthdays near Halloween. That makes me angry and that's irrational and that's okay. Again, I'm really sorry to all the love lovers out there. I love you. I just don't love this character. His favorite food is Inari sushi. His current worry is that his upperclassmen keep trying to give him funny nicknames imagine Kuroo is your son five, no.


36:41
No, that's a bad time that, unless you're Kenma, not great. I looked up inari. It is a japanese dish of sushi rice and seasoned fried tofu pouches that actually sounds really fucking good. That does sound good all right I'm gonna have to try that sometime. You know what love is your taste in food gonna make me like you more?
em


37:00
maybe, probably not his ability parameters really show his newness yeah, absolutely.
rainbow


37:05
His technique is a one, yeah, which makes sense. His intelligence is a two, which is honestly a little surprising. he shows in this episode that he doesn't really know what's going on. his power and his jumping are a three, which I think it's interesting. That his power is a three. I was kind of expecting it to be a little bit more than that, but then his speed and his stamina are both fours. And then there's a little note at the bottom. Can you read what that says?
em


37:32
sure his shirt and it says giant soldier.
rainbow


37:34
Oh, yeah, that's right. So he's. Yeah, he's wearing a shirt with like a quote on it written in kanji, and it means giant soldier, which, yeah, that's what he is he's a giant. I think we should probably stop talking about love now, before I make enemies.
em


37:46
You know what? You can stay at my house if rainbow kicks you out. It's okay, I'll let you sleep on the couch listen.
rainbow


37:52
I wouldn't listen. If lev showed up on my doorstep and needed a place to stay, I'd help him find a hotel okay, all right.
em


38:01
So moving on to the world's favorite game, it's who? In haikyuu? This week's scenario is brought to us by listener m, not me. Why would each character go to jail? This is a fun one. we're gonna talk about Hinata Kageyama, Kenma inayoka, Kuroo, lev Saeko Tanaka bokudo, Akaashi Yachi and Kiyoko. So Hinata has killed a man, okay on purpose or accidentally.


38:24
On purpose, they tried to stop him from playing volleyball and he killed a man with his bare hands. It was a crime of passion. He he ripped somebody's throat out with his teeth and the courtroom talks about how chilling his eyes are.
rainbow


38:36
Listen, we've already talked about our serial killer Hinata au ideas.
em


38:40
So yeah,  Kageyama whatever Kageyama did, it was an accident yeah, yeah, I totally agree, he didn't do he.
rainbow


38:49
He killed someone accidentally.
em


38:50
He's in for manslaughter? Yeah, I think no.
rainbow


38:53
I think he got lost and wandered into some place he shouldn't be and got arrested for like trespassing or something yeah, like something stupid yeah, he. Yeah, he got arrested because he did something done. Kenma got arrested for hacking into like government docents.
em


39:08
Yes, yeah, that was my first thought was hacking, but also I want him to kill people too. Yeah, let's just make them all serial they're all murderers. They're all serial killers, but Kenma absolutely hacked into, like the national bank ken hina serial killer. Au where they're a pair I have to go to ao3 right now. Heist au, where Kenma is like the brains and he went to, you know I already have a heist au idea planned oh yeah you know I do Kenma hacking or killing somebody.
rainbow


39:35
Yeah, Kenma killed lev because lev was annoying.
em


39:38
Yeah, literally  inuyoka drunken public, like drunken in public or something okay, we were kind of in the same mindset because, like for no particular reason, I was like I just want to give him like a normal kind of sad one of like a tui or something yeah, like he just you know it was he made a mistake is something hat.
rainbow


39:57
Like you know, he made a fool of himself, but it's gonna be okay Kuroo. I feel like Kuroo fought somebody for looking at Kenma sideways oh yeah, totally yeah, no, Kuroo beat the shit out of somebody because, they gave Kenma a dirty look or fraud. Yeah, yeah, absolutely fraud. He, yeah, he helped Kenma hack into the national. Kuro is like the grifter to Kenma's hacker. Yeah, for sure,  lev. Love is like an overconfident burglar yeah, lev thought that he could get away with stealing something, and he didn't.


40:32
Yeah, Saeko  is leading a drug ring yeah, Saeko, yeah, or like she like was driving so fast and so recklessly that it wasn't even enough to give her a ticket.
em


40:44
They had to arrest her on the spot yeah, yeah, like street racing, yeah, oh yeah, street racing au whoa those exist  Tanaka Tanaka gives me, like my cousin, going to jail for graffiti.
rainbow


40:58
Yeah, Tanaka like goes in and everyone asks what he's in for and he's like I killed a man and really he like tore like the tag off a mattress or something.
em


41:07
Oh my God, my biggest fear as a child.
rainbow


41:10
Yeah, for sure I was going to jail for that Bokuto tax fraud.
em


41:15
I was going to make him a murderer too.
rainbow


41:19
Not everyone can be. You know there are other crimes than murder, right, I can't think of them. I got murder on my mind. Oh yeah, Kuroo's also going to jail for a white collar crime.
em


41:28
Bokuto's definitely accidental tax evasion.
rainbow


41:30
I could see him like, yeah, accidentally committing a crime. For sure he doesn't do it on purpose. Akaashi gives me like stalker vibe. Oh my god, I have to go to am3 right now. Yeah, no, Akaashi, definitely which we? You know, in this episode we don't really get to see much of Akaashi, but I wanted to throw him in here because I love him  yeah, I could see like a stalker vibe. I could see like a very like personal crime. Yeah, yeah absolutely Yachi.
em


42:01
I could see like in another life, being a klepto I love that for Yachi.
rainbow


42:06
Yeah, like a kleptomaniac, oh my god. And she's like constantly stealing little things from Kiyoko, oh, my god and holding on to them. Oh my god, she's just like helga Pataki.  yeah, and then Kiyoko, let's give her murder too yeah yeah, she strangles Tanaka and Noya yeah, she finally breaks yeah, yeah, I want to make her like a hired assassin who gets caught. Oh yeah, I love that. Yeah, like  lucy lu's character in kill bill. Oh yeah, okay, anything else?
em


42:36
for who? And haikyuu, no, but nice scenario. Thank you em. So before we get into the spoiler zone, just gonna give you our socials real quick. Take my card. You can find me at fly haikyuu pod on twitter, instagram, tblr and blue sky. That's fly haikyuu pod f-l-y-h-q-p-o-d. You can also send us an email. Now you open a door and you find yourself in the spoiler zone.
rainbow


43:09
Here we go, all right, and everybody give em a big round of applause.
em


43:16
She actually wrote her spoiler zone stuff in the spoiler zone. I was so like deal. I was so organized in my notes.
rainbow


43:20
I have just like really one thing that I want to talk about, which is that when we see when that interaction happens with Bokuto and Kenma, where Bokuto spikes the ball and Kenma kind of shies away from it, the ball almost hits Tsukishima in the face and I thought I was like that was purposeful. That was like a little bit of like hey guess which two characters are going to be interacting, because we know later on Bokuto is part of the squad that helps Tsukishima learn. Like Bokuto, I would say more than Kuro, is the one who really like points out to Tsukishima that like it is just a club to you right now, but one of the. You know you could have a moment that will change your mind. So I thought that was interesting.
em


43:59
But you have a couple of other things no, I caught that too and I'm very excited for that to come up and just to get more Bokuto in general and BokuKuro in general. This episode is a brilliant setup for this arc. Between the conversation that Hinata has with Naisisan and especially what she says in particular about there are some flowers you only see when you take detours and I feel like that's a foreshadow of you know, there's this struggle between Hinata and Kageyama because Hinata kind of wants to take a detour in a way. You know they have this great quick shore and Hinata almost wants to bring them back a few steps to then learn an even harder way of doing it. And you you know everyone else is resisting to this detour, but like, I have something else to add for that.
rainbow


44:37
I think you could also say that, Hinata, you know, fast forwarding even further, going to brazil and learning beach, in a way, is a detour that he has to take in order to reach his goal. And wow, I'm mind blown.
em


44:50
That's so true too yeah, like that's.
rainbow


44:53
Yeah, I fucking what a rich text yeah, for real and just yeah.
em


44:59
So that, plus meeting lev love was totally a setup for that as well. To kind of like put that fire under Hinata's ass, because, especially I think in the next episode we're gonna get a lot of like Hinata, kind of like I think this is when he bps into Asahi because he's trying to kind of be the ace.
rainbow


45:12
I think the next episode is called greed because it's about him like he's trying to kind of be the ace. I think the next episode is called Greed because it's about him like he is trying to he's trying to be the ace in a way that he can't Back in the car with Kageyama and Nason.
em


45:26
I just feel like this is such a little peek into Kageyama. As we know, after the time skip is a younger brother to Miwa Kageyama and he is so little brother coded and the way that he very easily, and not even meaning to, kind of embarrasses Saeko by clocking like, oh, you know a lot about the little giant. I could see him and Miwa having interactions like this growing up. We know that Miwa dates and everything, and I could just see her not wanting to bring boys around Kageyama because he would so be that brother to be like, oh yeah, are you the weird one that she talks about? Or like, just like embarrassing her without even trying.
rainbow


45:56
Yeah, it's just very like endearing well, even in like his response to when she's like you're a simple creature, aren't you?


46:01
and he's like yep, it's like that felt so little brother coded it's like you're so right, he has practiced in it, he knows it, and I feel like you can tell that like it's one of those things where you can tell that, like oh, Kageyama is a younger brother but Hinata is an older brother, where, like, he's used to being the older brother and he's not used to having like a big sister type figure around yeah, yeah, because like, I just feel like Kageyama and again, Kageyama doesn't care about women, so it's fine, but yeah, he's just very like between passing out and then having his little cow lick up while he eats.
em


46:29
He just is very comfortable with nason when a lot of the other boys are just like she's so hot, like it's just very cute. Yeah, I really love them, but yeah, no, we this. This was a really good. This is. This is just peak haikyuu man. This episode and the ones to follow it.
rainbow


46:43
It's so good and it's so interesting to me that some of like the best haikyuu episodes are when KageHina are fighting and like they're not even interacting with each other, but it's still so good and there's so much going on and so many interesting things, and I think it helps that there are so many amazing characters around. Yes, do help with that.
em


47:00
They have to go through some growing pains, some evolution. Yes, all right, all right. Well, we will get into some devastating shit next week, but until then, everyone fly high Woo.