S4E10: Battle Lines

"I know you’ll feel a little lost without me, but you’ll just have to get used to that."

This week, rainbow and em discuss Season 4, Episode 9 "Battle Lines",  delighting in the amount of Kiyoko we get in the first half of the episode before digging into the start of Karasuno's first round game against Tsubakihara Academy. 

Episode Discussion Begins at 09:46

No Spoiler Zone

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Transcript

rainbow

00:11

hello everyone and welcome to fly a queer Haikyuu podcast. I'm rainbow they, she 

em

00:15

and I'm em, and today we are talking about season 4, episode 10, battle lines battle lines, battle Lines.

rainbow

00:24

I love this episode. I love it so much.

em

00:27

I'm so excited to talk about it this is one of those episodes that I really like taking a closer look at, because I feel like I've thought about it more in depth and I appreciate it more now than I ever have before. Yes, also worth mentioning, this is the last episode we will record in our current place.

rainbow

00:46

Yes, we are. I guess I'll jump into housekeeping now, since we're kind of here already because we are moving. I think we've mentioned that. I think, as of this episode, when it comes out, we will actually we will be in the process of moving into the new place. So we are going to have to change up our schedule just a little bit. There are going to be some skipped Mondays where we just we won't be able to record, we won't have the time to I should sayemwill not have the time to edit.

01:16

Um, we've also got some trips coming up that we're excited about, but it does mean that, like we might have to skip a Monday here or there, I can tell you right now there will not be an episode next Monday, august 4th, just because we are. If you've ever had to move, you know that it is extremely time consuming, extremely exhausting, and as much as we love doing this podcast, it does it usually takes, like you know, to watch the episode, takes about an hour to do our notes and everything the prep work, like a lot of time goes into it and we love doing that. We just don't really have the time for it while we're moving.

em

01:52

All that podcast money. We're moving into a mansion. We're losing money on this podcast, baby. Yes, as I buy cables that don't work.

rainbow

02:01

But no, but it is a labor of love and we love doing it. And if in a perfect world we would have more time, I wouldn't have to be at work five fucking days a week, um, and we would have more time to do this stuff. But that's just the way the cookie crumbles, um, you know. You know, don't leave us. Um, and if, if you are interested, I kind of floated the idea to em of like we could like re-release an old bonus episode. So if that's something y'all are into, let us know. Maybe I'll put some polls up on social media to see if you'd be interested in that um, because that would be really easy. That's just a matter of literally re-uploading an episode that's already edited. But if you're okay with just like nothing being in the feed for a week, um, then we'll just leave it and we'll try to do some social media engagement, you know, to keep the keep the conversation moving.

02:46

But on the bright side, this does mean that we the podcast will be going for longer than originally intended. So those of you out there that never want this podcast to end I'm one of those people Congratulations, you know, the end is going to take longer for us to get to. Yeah, all right. Um, I guess I'll stay here in housekeeping and then we'll move into chit chat, because I do have something I want to talk about. But last week was our mid-season break episode and I just want to say thank you again to everyone who participated. We also really enjoyed the little notes that you all left at the end of the Google form. We like to give an opportunity for people to say stuff that's like kind of just a message for us, and we loved getting to hear what you had to say. We loved each and every one of your messages. We we read them. I read through them multiple times. They live in my heart.

em

03:34

Um, so thank you so much yeah, no, really very sweet, very touching.

rainbow

03:39

Yes, we love it, okay, um, do you have anything to add for the housekeeping stuff? Uh, nope, okay. So I want to talk really quickly, um, about something. So Danny Mota, for those of you who don't know is a YouTuber. He's like one of the very few YouTubers I follow. He does a lot of reactions, um, to shows. He started off doing only anime but he's really branched out. He's done hell of a boss, has been hotel, some other YouTube properties. He's's done the Owl House. He's just started She-Ra and I'm so excited and unfortunately, the video I'm going to be talking about right now is from his Patreon, so it is behind a paywall.

04:14

He did react to Blue Lock. I'm kind of using that as a way to watch Blue Lock because I don't really have the attention span to watch the whole show, but I want to know what's happening. But he was talking about the character Nagi um and, for those of you who don't watch Blue Lock, he's kind of like a very Kenma coded character. He's like the anti-social character who only wants to play video games. He's like not really interested in soccer, but he's kind of like he has a natural talent for it and like he's now starting to get into it. But Danny Mota. He commented on how, like these antisocial characters are always seen by the narrative and by other characters as really unmotivated, but they're always really dedicated to video games and like that's the idea is that they're antisocial because all they want to do is sit around and play video games. But that's not. That doesn't mean they're unmotivated. Like they are very much passionate about this thing. And it really made me think of Kenma and how I think haikyuu, as a narrative, does a good job of showing that, like, actually being dedicated to video games doesn't mean that you're like unmotivated in any way. I think we really see that with his character and I think uh kuro is a character who really understands Kenma in that way. And it just made me think of haikyuu and how much I love this narrative and how much I think it subverts a lot of like tropes that we see and a lot of ideas that people have about like others. Like I think it does a lot for the sports genre or the sports anime genre of being like hey, guess what? Not everyone has to be like dedicated to this sport with their life. Um, they can be dedicated to other things and those matter just as much. So, yeah, I just wanted to touch on that Also.

05:45

Just a shout out for Danny Mota, as of this recording cool guy has never said or done anything that I find like truly like harmful or offensive. Like seems like a sweet dude. I obviously don't know him personally, but, you know, if you like YouTube reaction videos, I would check out his channel. You can just, you know, type Danny Mota into the search bar. So there you go. Free promo Danny.

em

06:07

Yeah, danny, tit for tat.

rainbow

06:09

Yeah, right, I do I will say I don't think he ever plans on watching Haikyuu. I think the sports anime that aren't like. I think he watches Blue Lock because it's like really over exaggerated in like a very specific way. He's very like boycotted in that way way. So I don't know if he would appreciate watching Haikyuu episode by episode and reacting to it.

em

06:28

He would love it, though, if he gave it a chance.

rainbow

06:30

I think that's the thing, because he also is on a podcast called Otakos Anonymous with another YouTuber, nick something. I don't really know him, but I do think, like I think he should watch Haikyuu and talk about it on the podcast because, uh, I think he would enjoy it. I think he'd get really into the story beats. I just think it's it could be a thing where, like so many people have been, like you have to watch IQ, you have to watch IQ, and he's like I don't care about volleyball that much, and it's like honey, it's about more than just volleyball you don't have to care about volleyball.

06:56

You will then care about volleyball yeah, and I will say for, because of the podcast that we do specifically, danny does watch a lot of like queer stuff. I think he started with Given. He himself, I don't think, identifies as queer, but like he, I think, is doing it, he's a good example of like hey, this is how you be an ally, you're open to learning. You know he's really he's not at all like homophobic about things. So that's another thing. If you like queer reaction series, go check out. Danny, nice, all right, and now that I've talked a bunch, I'm gonna talk more because it's time for my recap. Wait, I want to say something.

em

07:27

Em has something to say. I got a recommendation. We started a new anime called the Summer that Hikaru Died and I'm sure some of you know about this. It's relatively new. The manga started coming out in 2021. I did some googling this morning because I definitely want to check out the manga and it's only like seven volumes in and the anime just started last week.

07:46

The second episode came out this past Saturday um the 12th, and it's good. It's like a horror coming of age, like queer coded, not a BL, but it's about two boys in a rural Japan village and this boy's best friend like goes missing in the mountains and then he comes back but there's something not quite right with him and it's really good and I for one, really the animation is very cool. All of that and like just I for one kind of find myself preferring the like queer coded stuff over like an actual BL. I don't know why. Maybe it's the tension and like it not being confirmed because it's queer coded.

08:26

Okay, you've seen the manga panel with his hand in his chest. I saw that and I said netflixcom, here I come and I don't know. I think you get your imagination gets to play a little bit more and, like I don't know, bls that are actually BLs tend to be like kind of snooze fests in my opinion not all of them, but in my experience. But that's just my little opinion about like queer coded versus like actual context and also just recommendation Love that.

rainbow

08:51

Yeah, I think that's. I think that's kind of a common thing, I think in an era where we're still dealing with a lack of queer representation. I think sometimes, like when we get stuff that's actually queer, like the stuff that's allowed to be made that's like explicitly queer is maybe not always the stories that we would actually want to see, it's just like what people think should be said about the queer community. I don't know if that makes sense, yes, but like I totally, I totally get where you're coming from. I really Em showed it to me yesterday and I was like hell, fucking. Yes, I'm very into it, Very queer. I think the mangaka might have even explicitly said that like it is not a BL, but there are is a lot of like queer sexuality, like themes within it, and it's actually like a really interesting exploration of grief. I think, yeah, and I'm really excited to see where it goes.

em

09:39

Yeah, all right, so now we can get into your recap. All righty Three. All right, so now we can get into your recap. All righty Three, two one.

rainbow

09:46

It's finally Kiyoko's time to shine. The boys head to the stadium to prepare for their first match, but when Hinata loses his bag, it's Kiyoko-senpai to the rescue, racing through the streets of Tokyo to get Hinata's court shoes back to him in time for their team to face off against their first opponents, tsubakihara Academy. Can our crows adjust to this new environment, or will they be swallowed up by the stadium?

em

10:09

Find out this week on Haikyuu. This is our first official day and it's the Kiyoko episode Very exciting. So this takes place after the opening ceremonies and the boys are back in their gym doing drills. Takeda notes that they don't seem as nervous as yesterday. Meanwhile, Ukai gets a call letting him know that the matches are going by faster than anticipated, which means less time for warm-ups.

rainbow

10:31

Yeah, I think there's like a serious focused intensity in this practice gym, like I think you can see it on there. There's definitely a tension there, but it's not nervousness Like. It is like I think they're like kind of feeling ready, they're locking in if you will. They are like. This episode is about locking in.

em

10:50

It really is Any challenge that comes your way.

rainbow

10:52

It really, really is, and I just like I had a moment of being like so proud of Coach Ukai because he's like I really wish that you know they had more time to practice and sync up together. It's so important, especially for this first day, and I was just thinking about how like old coach Ukai must be like so proud of his grandson and the coach he's becoming.

em

11:10

Yeah, wow, just hit me with a bullet. So at the bus station they take a bathroom break and a kid accidentally takes Hinata's bag while Yamaguchi isn't looking. Once they get to the stadium, the third years are watching the court from above and Daichi kind of saying to himself to calm down, to which Suka teases him.

rainbow

11:29

I think the shot of the third years like at like with their backs to the camera is so fucking hype. I got like so excited I was like they fucking made it. The third years made it.

em

11:40

This is a big deal for everyone, but maybe the biggest deal to the third years.

rainbow

11:43

Well, it it's their last chance and they've been working towards this since they were first years and, like this episode makes me very emotional and we'll get into it.

em

11:51

Me too. So then, especially with one third year in particular. Yes, so Hinata finally notices that his bag is not his bag, which means his shoes are gone. Side note, this bag belongs to Natsu, which means his shoes are gone. Side note, this bag belongs to Natsu. Everyone recognizes it from, like, the local children's store. But it's the perfect size and sturdy Hinata loves to cosplay as his little sister. Poor Yamaguchi feels it was his fault for taking his eyes off the bag, but Hinata doesn't blame him. While they freak out, Takeda calmly calls the gym. Daichi and Inoshita also talk about potentially buying new shoes if it comes to that, and they're so grave about it that Suga has to remind them that no one's dying. Suga, I'm glad you're here. Yes, Kageyama also, calm in a crisis, while he's sucking on his little yogurt packet, asks Hinato where his phone is. And Hinato realizes his phone's in his bag. Kageyama, nice, and he's got all these little sparklies. You have a crush on Kageyama.

rainbow

12:48

He's so easily impressed, it's so I also took a note of Kageyama just like sucking down his little yogurt drink in the background, like so unbothered by everything that's going on. And then he's just like and do you think he was thinking to himself like, oh, do you think Hinata's phone is in his bag? Like, and that like it's just so funny that he's like, oh well, what about your phone?

em

13:09

I think like he's just very level-headed and, like Kageyama, obviously can also lose his head, but I think he is locked in enough where he's thinking about like, okay, how are we gonna get this back, and he's able to think well, if other stuff is in his bag you know, yeah, I think there's a certain kind of pressure that he is like cool and it's, I think, for him like it's emotional stuff that gets him like really flustered.

rainbow

13:32

But this is like it's not him who has to deal with this. He's not the one who lost his court shoes, so it's not like he's like having to deal with like other people's emotions and I think that makes him a really good setter, being calm and cool, collected under pressure.

em

13:44

Cool, Kageyama strikes again.

rainbow

13:46

Yes, yeah, and I do love how he's like literally to Hinata's rescue here, while Hinata wipes the stars out of his eyes.

em

13:53

Yamaguchi tries calling Hinata's phone and a mom answers, but the only thing is is they don't have access to their bus anymore. Someone took it to go get the neighborhood guys. And this is where we have Kiyoko, our hero, volunteering to go. Yachi says that she should be the one to go, I guess, since you know she's the junior manager. But Kiyoko says I'm fast as fuck boy. She says to Yachi I won't take too long, but I know you'll feel a little lost without me, but you'll just have to get used to that.

rainbow

14:20

I said not Kiyoko, simultaneously saving the day and also getting her baby bird out of the nest okay, I know, I just said Kageyama to the rescue, but it's truly Kiyoko to the rescue in this episode his twin Kiyoko yeah it's yeah, it's the, it's the dark-haired, blue-eyed ones to the rescue in this episode.

14:38

But and I'm like maybe I'm just a sensitive bitch but like when Kiyoko's like telling Yachi, like in the dub, she says like you know, next year I won't be here and you know, I'm sure that's going to be really challenging for you, but like this is your time to shine and it just like honestly brought tears to my eyes. I was like what's happening right now?

em

14:54

like I just love yuri so much and she's all the third years are such good senpais and I really feel like we get to see Kiyoko being such a good senpai to Yachi because it is true, Like she knows Yachi's anxious, she knows that she's pretty much probably attached to her side all the time when they're together and she is going to have to get used to that and I'm sure like it sucks for Kiyoko Like they have such limited time as a couple and there's like a there's a bittersweetness to that. I think in the spoiler zone we should talk about our predictions for the future of, like Yachi being a solo manager. Oh yeah, no, I said I was saying to you yesterday that I think Yachi is a real rock for the boys, like next year, because I think the adjustments without the third years it's going to be a hard one and I think I forget what it was that made me think this specifically.

rainbow

15:44

But I think Yachi will really step up to the plate next year under Kiyoko's guidance okay, well, never mind, maybe we don't need to talk about that in the spoiler zone then, because you just said it's not a spoiler.

em

15:54

It's like predict, it's like what we think next year. Oh, I remember what I said to you specifically was that I predict this is not like a spoiler. We don't really know anything about their second year, but like I could see them in the beginning have a hard time adjusting and Yachi invites the third years to like come to a practice match and like maybe give some more like words of encouragement and wisdom to kind of help them lock in.

rainbow

16:15

I love that.

em

16:16

That's beautiful it would definitely be hard. I mean, they're gonna leave some big holes in their defense. And anyway, back to the current episode. Yes, so Kiyoko says that she'll be back before the match starts and to try not to worry, she's so cool. Tanaka and Noya intensely beg for her safety. Um, and I think it's Suga, that's like you're making me nervous it's Asahi oh yeah, who said?

16:37

something and I said thank you, Asahi, for being the audience surrogate when tanaNoya are saying some weird shit so Kiyoko is luckily able to grab a bus on the way back to the gym and while she's riding she thinks back to her time on the track team After practicing and practicing and practicing. Everything I had worked so hard for ended so abruptly. We see an image of a hurdle coming towards her and she had run into it, which I guess you know, because we have known now that she has all these scars on her legs because she's run into these things. So I'm assuming like this was like the last straw for her. Finally she was like I can't do this anymore.

17:12

And then we get to Daichi asking her if she's decided on any clubs. She was like looking out the window looking at the people running, I think, grappling with the fact that it was over so suddenly for her and she's kind of just floating out there in the in the ether. And that's when Daichi is like hey, do you want to be the manager for the volleyball club? Um, and when we get a shot of like her first day and the third year's like kind of being like attaboy to Daichi for bringing in someone so pretty and I kind of like.

rainbow

17:38

She does look a little like, because I feel like Kiyoko third year Kiyoko as we see her calm and cool and collected and just like used to the volleyball antics. But she looks like she's giving a little like yachty nervousness, like she's like what have I gotten myself into For?

17:51

sure, and I like getting to see that perspective and I know you're about to go into it, but she talks about how, like you know, the volleyball club hadn't really had a manager, so she really had to learn a lot from scratch and it shows, like all of these different rule books, the right, and it's like the manager position. I think it really hit me this episode, how intense it is and like what the manager is really doing and what an important part of the team she is, and I think that's what this episode is really like. Giving us is like, hey, this position is incredibly important. Kiyoko has been an important part of this team, like she's right there with Daichi, Asahi and Suga.

em

18:27

Yeah, because she goes on to say like they hadn't had a manager in so long that she felt like even if she were to leave it wouldn't really matter either way. But then, like as time goes on, she says you know, the the other boys on the team stopped being strangers to me, and I think especially her fellow third years, like as they went through the years together they really became a solid like team with her involved.

rainbow

18:49

You know she felt like just an observer in the beginning, but now she is a part of it and has an important role to play yeah, we're kind of like getting flashes of like moments that we've kind of seen before, of like, I think, in the, the first year when they lost that match, and like the, we see Daichi, Asahi and Suga like upset about it and we see something we haven't seen before, which is like Kiyoko like in the background, like looking on, also feeling that defeat, and like she's really been through it all with these boys yeah, uh.

em

19:16

back at the stadium, Ukai warns them about the floor being different. Uh, it's not non-slip, it's not wooden. Uh, they could hurt themselves if they try sliding around, and so they should really work up a sweat. Poor Yachu looks very nervous for the safety of her boys. He also notes how the ceiling will be an issue too. It's going to take the team a while to get used to this sense of distance, because the stadium is so much bigger than anything they've played before.

19:40

Hinata gets distracted by how bright the lights are and gets bumped on the head by a ball. Hinata gets distracted by how bright the lights are and gets bumped on the head by a ball. And then we have poor Suga in his cold hands. He says that it always takes them forever to warm up when he's nervous, and Kageyama asks if he wants gloves. And Suga asks if Kageyama ever gets nervous. He says he does, but he's not nervous now. This is just another step towards our goal. Now you can interpret that in two ways, I think Another step for the team's goal to win nationals and another step towards our goal, meaning him and Hinata's to just stay on the court for as long as possible.

rainbow

20:15

And to end up on the world stage together. I think it's both, maybe even a's more, the Kagehino one because of I know, I know you want it to be. I think, I truly think it is both, um, because I think, and I think that's very meaningful for Kageyama, because, like he really feels a part of this team, yes, and I think it goes back to something we saw way back in season one where he said next time we will win versus next time I will win, like he really feels, like he is a part of a whole rather than just an individual.

em

20:47

No, you're totally right. Suga then goes on to say damn you big shot and kicks him lightly on the butt. And I also know because then we have Hinata, who is like putting balls back in the basket and I said, was Hinata being barefoot truly the best option? But I do wonder if maybe they just don't allow like regular shoes on the court they do.

rainbow

21:05

That's a big thing You're not supposed to and like especially in, like, like true, like stadiums like this. You are not supposed to wear anything other than like court shoes, poor.

em

21:14

Hinata.

rainbow

21:14

And so he's just walking around barefoot and like not able to do anything, because obviously he's not going to do a run up or anything.

em

21:20

I'll bring in a manga moment right now is he does say in the manga, oh, I'll play ball boy. So he does that with his time, which we do see him bringing the balls back to the basket, but they just don't explicitly say that in the anime. And we have Ukai looking at him very proudly. So back to Kiyoko, who is switching out the bags with the mom, is still thinking about how she joined the volleyball team on a whim, she misses the bus back and is now forced to run all the way back to the stadium. And, as I said before, this is where Kiyoko thinks that, you know, no one was in her spot before, so if she left it wouldn't be a big deal, but she has to now entrust this position to someone new and we get the shot of the back of Yachi's head.

21:59

We also get a shot and I'll bring in another manga moment, because why not when she's thinking like I have to entrust this position to someone new. Now, you know she thinks about the second years and then the first years and specifically that shot of Kageyama and Hinata laying on the floor, defeated, after the Seijo loss, when they were hitting all those balls. And then we're just like lying on the ground, and I do feel like that must have been the moment where, like it really locked in for Kiyoko, like I need to find someone to fill in for me, to help, like as I grew with my third years. Someone has to grow with these boys too.

rainbow

22:27

I'm literally tearing up right now listening to you talk about it. It's so beautiful. She just cares so much and like it's just. I think it's so impactful because we haven't gotten this from Kiyoko. We haven't really gotten a Kiyoko POV whatsoever and now, when we do, it's so beautiful, it's like I'll get it, because this is the part that makes me tear up.

em

22:46

So, so, as she's running to the stadium, we get back to that. She repeats that after practicing and practicing line. But this time she thinks so what? It's not that I'm admitting defeat or saying we're definitely going to win. I'm not going to be standing on the court, I won't be wearing a uniform, but right now and we see Kiyoko use her track skills to jump over a barrier into the stadium I have to take on this challenge. This is my battle line right now, and I'm going to bring another manga thing in because I just like the way it's worded here even better. She says something you've practiced and practiced, something you've poured your heart into, can all just end one day far faster and with far less fanfare than you'd expect. So what, let it. It isn't like I'm expecting defeat, nor am I counting on victory. A challenge lies before me. I want to take it on, that's all. Okay, here we go.

rainbow

23:33

Tears rolling down my cheeks right now.

em

23:36

I think this is a very like and this is like what I love about this. What I feel is the heart of Haikyuu. This is more than just the typical like main character storyline. This is a very human real life thing. That happens the way that like things don't always work out how you think it will, but that doesn't have to mean like a bad thing. You can take the things you learned and apply them to challenges in the future. You can start something on a whim and it can grow to be important to you. I think it's such a subversion of the dramatized main character storylines that Shonen usually gets and that this is real life and I'm sure all of us can relate to it. And I just want to talk a little bit about how I really relate to this Because, like I had a goal of like working in TV and film for like most of my life and I worked and I practiced and I practiced and I moved to New York and I took a bunch of crappy jobs and then I worked on a show for like five years and then, like it did just kind of come to an end and there were strikes on the horizon and like I in that time I'd really learned the reality of working in this kind of like entertainment industry, especially if you're a no name with no money.

24:41

It's a harsh reality and like when if you get a job and it ends, there's no guarantee of the next one. So after like five years of being on a show, it was going to be over, with no promise of anything coming up afterwards. And I think if I'd been in my early 20s when this happened, I would have had a really hard time like accepting that. And there was a path where I could have like just like gripped on harder and been like no, this is what I'm supposed to do, this is I'm just gonna like stay and really try and like figure force it to work out. But there was also another path where I could like I tried it and I could do something different. I could move to California and that's what I did instead.

25:23

And I just feel like it is such an important lesson to like if it's very much that whole like if a door closes, a window will open, kind of thing, like you can work really hard for something and it just doesn't work out, and that's just like life, and it's not meaning anything bad about you or you did something wrong. That's just what happens a lot of times and I think just being open to whatever else comes your way, being willing to try things, even if it's on a whim, even if it's something you don't know you really care about that much, and then also being able to use those skills in a new way and whatever. Like you know, even if something didn't work out, that doesn't mean it was useless.

rainbow

25:58

You know what I'm saying? Yes, no, I totally agree, and I mean honestly this podcast wouldn't exist if you hadn't made the choice that you made.

em

26:06

That's so true and like I can take all this knowledge that I've learned from like like decade plus of learning about equipment and how stuff works, I'm using that to do this with you today in California.

rainbow

26:17

Yeah.

em

26:18

Time for us all to cry.

rainbow

26:19

Yeah, that's really beautiful. Thank you for sharing that.

em

26:21

And I know we have. We have young listeners and, like you guys might have a specific dream in mind. Go for that dream. But also, like I think we also tell ourselves a story about who we are and we get really dedicated to that story. And I think part of growing up is like being open to the idea that things might not play out the way you originally thought they would, and that's not a bad thing. And the more you can be open to doors, the the better it will be, the more opportunities you'll be able to grab because you're not so focused on like well, I was always meant to be this. Like maybe not.

rainbow

26:54

You know, go with the flow, my guy yeah, I think there's very few people in the world who like what they thought they were going to do when they were 18 is what they ended up doing 10 20, 20 years later, and I think that's okay. I'm certainly not where I thought I was going to be, but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now.

em

27:11

Yeah.

rainbow

27:11

I'd maybe want to have more money, but that's not my fault. I'd want to be more financially secure, but I live in America, so yeah.

em

27:20

So but that I just really like appreciate Kiyoko's point of view and her storyline and she does have a very important part to play and she can do that because of, like, what she's done in the past and yeah, it's very beautiful, I love her and yeah, and I, literally I cried watching it.

rainbow

27:35

I cried just now with you explaining it to me. It's a really beautiful moment. Listeners write in. What do you think of the Kiyoko episode? We want to know.

em

27:43

I also love how it ends up, because she's back in the stadium and we hear Kiyoko louder than she's ever been, because that's another big thing, right, she's quiet but she screams out for Hitoka-chan and I just loved hearing. It felt like a symbolic, I don't know, just her being loud and being like. This is my moment in the anime bitch and she throws the bag to Yachi, metaphorically passing on the torch, if you will, and her, her third years, cheer her on and it's just really sweet and can I take a second to talk about gender?

rainbow

28:13

real quick talk about gender can I make this a feminist moment you better, because I do think it's awesome that like we get and I think, like in a sports anime for the like moment that are like one of our female characters get is still like is about athleticism, is about her using her skills that she learned in the sport that she loved yes, to do this. I think that like it's there's nothing about, there's no romance involved in it. It's not about like a man that she obviously it's about a boy because it's a boy's volleyball team, but like it is and it's, but it's about her. It's not about like I need to do this for these boys because I have to take care of them. It's because she has become invested, it is personal to her and like there's a lot of other stuff in this season that's a little bit more like traditional gender norms and like maybe there's some misogyny and patriarchy in there that we don't like.

29:01

But I think this moment I think you can really read it through a feminist lens and it works really well like she's thinking about how she like she's not thinking about I want the boys to win. She's like I want to win. I want all of us to win. I am a part of this and I think that is so important, and I think like more stories that center boys and men but have female characters could learn from that, where your female characters don't have to be all about the guys. They can have their own personality, they can have their own story that's just about them and their inner self, and I think that's really cool.

em

29:32

Nice job for.

rainbow

29:33

Adate and.

em

29:34

Haikyuu is just good at like showing that everyone has their role to play. Another manga moment that I didn't even write down, but like Takeda, I think there's more of like there's a train delay and they have to figure out logistics with the bus in the manga and takata has, like, all these routes memorized because he's like I don't know anything about volleyball, so I made sure that I could be on top of any other issues that might arise, like logistic wise. Everyone has their role to play. You don't have to be the freak duo. That's cool, but the manager is just as important. The coach, who knows nothing about volleyball, is just as important. It's. That's life, baby I love it.

rainbow

30:07

I love it so much.

em

30:08

This is such a good fucking show. Hinata is thrilled to get his shoes back. He's adorable and he's jumping, and I mean, hello, kangaroo. He's jumping like an inhuman amount. And just as Daichi calls for his team together, the first opponents arrive sub Tsubakihara High School and they've got fun headbands. And this is where I pass the bag along to Rainbow.

rainbow

30:31

Thank you. Thank you, em. Yes, we come back from the commercial break and both teams are lined up. We've got Karasuno on one side, looking very serious. We've got Tsubakihara on the other side and they're ready to start their first round game. So Taki Ukai are over on the bench and they're ready to start their first round game. So Taka and Ukai are over on the bench and they're talking about how everyone seems less nervous than Taka thought they'd be, especially Hinata, and it looks like the shoes incident maybe gave them an outlet for their anxiety.

em

30:58

Yeah, so it's kind of a nice distraction, like he couldn't think about the match because he didn't even have his fucking shoes.

rainbow

31:03

Yeah, well, it makes me think about like what they say, about like people who sometimes like people who have high anxiety, like watching horror movies, because it's a way to be anxious in a safe and secure environment, Like it's not happening to you but you can like release those feelings.

em

31:17

That makes sense. I like watching people play horror games, yep.

rainbow

31:23

And Takeda says we can thank Kiyoko for making sure it wasn't a nightmare, and I love that. Give her her flowers, yeah, um. And then the other team, Tsubakihara, is over there doing their huddle and the captain says that he won't let them get kicked out in the first round again, like last year. So we find out that this team they came to nationals but they lost in the first round and had to go home immediately. And that's clearly weighing on some of the the players, and the coach tells them that they need to use their serves to divide up karasuno's attacks. But don't take your eyes off their number 10. He'll hit it from where, uh, where we're least expecting it. And I said that's fucking right.

em

32:01

Hinata is a fucking threat, the famed number 10. Yeah, this is another manga detail that this is su su Tsubakihara's second time at nationals. This is karasuno's ninth time at nationals, oh seriously. So grandpa Ukai was not fucking around for like eight years before they fell hell, yeah, okay, karasa.

rainbow

32:20

Well that's. I think that makes sense. They used to be a powerhouse school and now they they're coming back to powerhouse status and um uh. Then we go back to the the court and the teammates. The teams are like both getting ready to play and tanaNoya like they love to stare down their enemies, so they like make a face at the other guys. And the other team talks about how her karasuno beat shiratorizawa and they were like, oh, that's a little scary. But one guy says they were like, well, would you rather be playing Karasuno or would you rather be playing Shiratorizawa?

32:51

and they're like oh, we'd much rather be playing Karasuno, right? Um? And like somebody says like, basically, like getting to play Karasuno is a lucky break, and I was like that's because you don't know what's coming for you. They're like oh well, we don't have to play Ushiwaka, so like that's a relief, and it's like yeah, but now you have to play Karasuno, now you have to play Hinata.

em

33:10

I do think the shaved head guy makes a point that says that still doesn't take away the fact that they beat Shiratorizawa.

rainbow

33:16

Yeah, yeah, I think that it's, I think that that's important. And the Sab every team at this national tournament had to be one powerhouse or another to get there and he says all those powerhouses disappeared in the blink of an eye and I think in a way that kind of like evens the playing field at the national level, where it's like all of these teams that are here, like they made their names as powerhouses by beating other powerhouse schools in their prefectures and so like they are like. You know, it really is just like whoever stays on the court the longest in each particular game and the coach specifically says the team that gets swallowed up by their opponents, by the stadium, is the one who disappears. Okay, so the game is about to begin and it's Kageyama up to serve, because they love to put our boy as their first server, and we get another go killer serve shout from Hinata Always, always, but theata, always, always, but the killer it is not the serve does go out. Yeah, so I mean it's clear what Takeda was saying earlier about the stadium. You know kind of, you know messing them up a little bit, but we'll get into that a little bit later, and I did want to mention that we get to see the Tsubakihara cheering squad and their banner reads even the smallest stream can become a great river. Oh yeah, I thought that was pretty cool. So you know, now it's the other team up to serve and they do that thing where they put it right in the spot where the back row setter is coming up to the front, and so Tanaka's receive is a little bit off and um, as happens throughout the season.

34:47

I believe this happens throughout the season, but we get a flashback of the team meeting from the night before when Ukai is breaking down who their opponents are and what to look out for. And they're talking about the number four and you have to look out for him because of his height he's like 190 centimeter and his spikes, which are really powerful, and he can kind of hit whatever set really powerfully. If it's too close, too high, whatever, he's still gonna give you a powerful spike. So then we have Hinata going for a quick, but Kakeyama's set completely misses him. And this is where we get uh Takeda thinking about how important spatial awareness is in volleyball and like I didn't really think about that too much, like you know, I kind of had this thought throughout this episode, like, well, if the court that you're on is the same size like.

35:28

I didn't really think about that too much. Like you know, I kind of had this thought throughout this episode like, well, if the court that you're on is the same size, like should that spatial awareness really matter? But it's actually. It's also the space around the court that matters as well. They're in a much bigger stadium than they've ever played in. I think. There's four court, four volleyball courts, like four games going on at the same time. Ceilings are really high, and so that does throw off your spatial awareness. And as somebody with very poor social reasoning skills, I was like, wow, do you think I would either a not be faced at all because my spatial reasoning is so shitty, or would it be worse for me? Um, and then we have a moment of Kageyama kind of glaring at the ceiling, um, but then the background kind of fades into black and we get this like white grid with the lines very like wavering around him.

em

36:09

They're very fluid, Kageyama's mind palace is all out of whack. It is, yes, his mind palace. Get out. I need to go to my mind palace.

rainbow

36:18

Um, and he apologizes to Hinata and saying that he can adjust, and Hinata goes like full gremlin mode with his smile. What do you? Why do you think he's smiling like?

em

36:26

that I feel like it's a mix of he enjoys watching his boyfriend struggle and also like I think he has always had this absolute belief in Kageyama. So it's like, yeah, I know, and also it's fun to watch.

rainbow

36:41

You have a hard time it's like, yeah, he's like, he's like I can adjust. And Hinata's like, yeah, you will, I know you You'll adjust for me so that I can hit your sets. And we have, and we see, like Daichi and Tanaka, they do some like saves with their receives and they're able to get the ball over the net and they're thinking to themselves how they have to hold down the fort until until Kageyama can adjust. We have Ukai thinking about what a detriment it is that Kagehina didn't get to practice in the gym, in this particular gym, before the game. Like the shoes thing wasn't necessarily a blessing, like in some ways it helped maybe with the nerves, but because Kagehina were not able to synchronize their freak quick before they started this game, they're not having to do it during gameplay.

em

37:22

Yeah, and the point gap is widening as they're scrambling to get their shit together.

rainbow

37:27

Literally. My next note is Tsubaki Hara racks up four points to Karasuno's one point and their number nine on. Tsubaki Hara tries to rile up Karasuno by saying that the freak quick isn't coming and Hinata is like slightly creepy here because he's like very genuinely surprised and he's like it's not, it would be next.

em

37:46

I love that. And Kageyama then returns this like very similar creepy little smile, and this one is more like because, yeah, the guy was like oh, I'll bait them by like saying this to mess with them, and Hinata completely like just blocks it, basically like it almost gets to Kageyama, but then he says that and then he has this little smile of like oh, that's almost gets to Kageyama, but then he says that and then he has this little smile of like oh, that's my man.

38:07

Yeah, Kageyama has his little evil grin Like I imagine him saying like hee, hee in his head and Hinata's absolute faith in Kageyama is a challenge in itself, and I think that's another thing that Kageyama's smile is in response to where it's like, oh, they won't do the quick, and he's like, oh, yes, they will, and Kageyama's like, yeah, I will.

rainbow

38:31

Yes, I love that. Yeah, I love I. You know, I don't know if we've ever framed it that way, but I love that. That Kageyama, or Hinata's absolute trust in Kageyama, is a challenge to Kageyama. That like, okay, so I need to be like the best, the way that Hinata thinks I am every single time, and like that's one of the reasons he loves playing with Hinata so much is because he always has that implicit challenge there.

em

38:47

Good, partners push each other to be the best. I don't know what to tell you. Oh my god, they're fucking soulmates. Yeah, this episode is another like unsung hero of, like Kagehina's dynamic.

rainbow

38:57

I like really the. The rest of this season is gonna have a lot of really good Kageage hina moments and a lot of good creepy smiles so many, so many fucking creepy faces I'm very excited for. So during the next attack we have Hinata and Asahi both going to jump, but Kageyama ends up sending it to Asahi, um, and he I think Hinata is even like a little bit like what the fuck? I thought we were gonna do the quick next like he legitimately he wasn't just saying that to like as like a comeback to him, like riling them up he like legitimately believed he was like no, Kageyama is gonna send me the free quick any second yeah, it's, it's genuine, and that's part of why he's such a good decoy.

39:34

Yes, and I think it was really clever of Kageyama to use Hinata's comment to fake out the number nine, because the number nine was ready to block Hinata. He wasn't there to block Asahi because he was tricked. And, like I, just Kagama is a really good setter and like very smart and like really knows how to use everything that's going on the court, which I think is important, because that's something Hinata has started to learn this season. He's starting to pick up on that of like, oh, you have to be aware of everything that's going on, and Kagama slowly starts adjusting. He sets one ball just a bit too high, so Hinata's hand misses it completely, but Hinata manages to hit it with the top of his head, yes, which is very funny, and it gives Karasuno a point. That's our shounen protagonist. You come out there with those random moves and Hinata's clearly a little embarrassed about this header because people are like in the stands kind of laughing about it.

em

40:26

I'm just like, hey, he got the fucking point.

rainbow

40:28

I think it's cool that he was able to do that, that's true, yeah, that ball was totally like gonna give Tsubakihara a point, but Hinata hit it over to the other side and Tsubakihara was not prepared for it and Karasuno gets a point, so I don't know why you laugh, laughing. And then Ukai pulls in Yamaguchi as a pinch server and our boy is ready. Yamaguchi is ready to shake things up.

em

40:50

I love this because, yeah, they're just struggling to close this point gap, and so Ukai says I'm going to have to give him a shot in the arm early.

rainbow

40:57

Yeah, and so we get kind of a flashback to Shimada helping Yamaguchi prepare for nationals, and Shimada taught Yamaguchi to find a reset point in the gym to focus on. In this case, yamaguchi picks the lights in an emergency exit on the other side of the gym, and so what this does is this helps calm him down. He's like you're going to be really nervous, but if you find this reset point, it'll bring you back to focus and you'll be able to do a serve, just like you've been doing it in practice. And we get this really cool shot. That's like I don't know, I don't really know how to explain it. I took a picture of it.

41:28

Maybe I'll post it on our socials, but it's a really cool shot of like it's Yamaguchi's eye, but it's like overlaying the net and you're kind of like seeing his eye line up with the spot on the net where he knows he needs to serve it in order to get it where he wants it to go. He wants it to go to the spot right behind their ace and I thought that was cool, considering what we saw earlier in this season of them practicing their serves and like taping the net, like we're really seeing that came through. He's imagining that spot where the tape would be, where he's been practicing his serve over and over again. And so he serves the ball and it does unfortunately end up going towards their libero. But it's still enough to make them hesitate and they do a shaky receive, and so Karasuno is able to do a three-person block that shuts down their attack. Then we get another successful jump float serve. The receiver on Tsubakihara tries to get it overhand, but it slips off his fingers and goes out.

em

42:20

Two in a row.

rainbow

42:21

Yamaguchi, you are the spear we need, that's fucking right Now, tsubaki Hara does manage to receive the third serve, which ends Karasuno's runs, but those two points help them gain the momentum they need. So we have a. We're back to Kageyama. We're back to him locking in. We have an absolutely beautiful shot of his profile here, like it is just I will say, for all of the issues this season has with its animation, some of the most gorgeous shots of our characters we've ever seen. Yeah for sure, like this is just. It's beautifully animated, I really love it. And like he thinks to himself okay, I think I got it. And then he looks over to see Hinata who is staring at him, absolutely sweating bullets, thinking to himself send it to me, give it to me. I want it, send it to me, give it to me.

em

43:08

on, Lou, yeah, in the in the sub is just Tosukuri, tosukuri, tosukuri, tosukuri, tosukuri, and it's I love to imagine it without this like context, because it's literally just Kageyama like looking down, he's just staring at him and then he looks back up and that's where we get that really pretty shot of him looking back up and he's Kiyoko's twin.

rainbow

43:28

Yes, it's, it's so funny and that's like that mode, that like mind meld thing that they do, where, like you know, like it does feel, like that's not just the thoughts in Hinata's head. It feels like Kageyama is feeling that energy coming off of him, like Hinata is ready. He's like you have not given me a successful toss yet. I need to spike.

em

43:45

I need to feel the ball hit my hand and then Daichi, the number one Kagehina shipper is like I don't think Hinata even thinks about messing up, or even is like worries about messing up, and neither does he talking about Kageyama yeah, he says, like it's it like when they get nervous, they just like push those feelings aside.

rainbow

44:04

yeah, and that really seems to work out for them because, um, we go back to that really cool animation of like the uh Kageyama's Mind Palace where, like, everything blacks out and and there are scenes that, like that, come up in like white line drawings and it like is triggered by, like where the ball touches it's, it hits somebody's arm, and then, like it like whites, uh, it like fills in those lines um and it's like a really cool visual representation of Kageyama locking in.

44:32

So now we have a slow motion moment of Kageyama stepping forward to do a set and the grid lines solidify around him as the ball comes his way after a really good receive from Daichi, I might mention and we see Kageyama pinpoint the exact location he needs to set to thinking there perfection. While Hinata goes in for the kill and we finally get a free quick and everyone is so fucking stoked about it. Everyone's like yes, it's like everyone across no knows, this is what we fucking needed and it's so cool. And Kageyama, in a very cool moment, he like turns to the rest of the team to say sorry, it took so long, while Hinata is in the background. Having a spike orgasm is the only way I can explain it. Like his like eyes are closed, he's done like a fist bump into the air. He has like a little blush on his cheek. Don't worry, I got a picture. We will be posting it. It's one of my favorite moments in the manga and in the anime. Like I love how fucking excited he is he's like.

em

45:33

this is everything I've wanted is to hit one of these spikes. It's gay, it's really gay. It's just so cool because this is their first game of nationals and they're falling behind because they didn't have a chance to warm up Like this would be where you think one would panic, but because Kageyama was able to keep it so cool and, like, lock it in.

rainbow

45:47

Yeah, it's very cool and my note here to Hinata's reaction is like OK, honey, we get it. You miss your boyfriend, special only for you tosses, and you're really excited that you finally got to hit one. And that's the end of the episode. We're off, boys and girls. We are done with episode 10. We're off, boys and girls. We are done with episode 10. We're moving on. I'm so fucking excited. I'm actually a little upset now that we have to wait like two weeks to record but it's gonna be fine, it'll be worth the wait.

em

46:14

Yes, so for manga versus anime, I did kind of touch on everything that I wrote down throughout the episode, but there is that panel. There's an extra panel at the end of one of the chapters of Kageyama and Hinata lying on the ground all funky after the Oba-Josei match and Kiyoko poking her head in. This is you'll remember the scene where she comes in and is like you have to eat your lunch too, but this is just her poking her head in and thinking I have to do something about this, and that's why I think this is the moment where she decided to get a manager.

rainbow

46:45

I she decided to get a manager. I really like that. That's not something I thought about when I was watching the anime and maybe because I didn't have the manga as context, but because it does, it shows that moment in the anime and I kind of like didn't really think about why that was there. But I think you're right, that is when she was like I can't leave these boys without some help, like they are going to need all there. They need all the support they can get.

em

47:09

They need somebody there with them, like I was there for Asahi, Suga and Daichi and I really like that. Yeah, she believes in the future of the team and she's like I need a nice lady to keep you in line. Yes, all right. So now we're moving on to a kind of a new segment, because we don't have a big character Spotlight Rainbow created something called behind the voices

rainbow

47:17

yeah, I, and you know, part of this is just because I really love that. This is a Kiyoko episode and I wasn't ready to stop talking about Kiyoko and we already did a character spotlight on her back in season one um, because of course we did um. So I wanted to talk a little bit about the voice actors, and the sources for this section are behindthevoiceactorscom, wikipedia and IMDB. So the Japanese VA for Kiyoko is Nazuka Kaori. She is a Japanese actress and singer who's been working since about 1998 and she's appeared in a lot of stuff, including Fruits Baskets, the OG, blood Plus, which is like that unlocked a core memory for me.

47:58

I completely forgot about Blood Plus, but it was like one of the very first anime I remember watching as a kid. I really don't have a lot of memories of what happened. I'm not even sure if I read the manga or watched the anime, but it just like really struck me. I was like I know about this and now I'm like I couldn't really find it streaming anywhere, but I'm like do I need to like watch some of Blood Plus? Like will it trigger, uh, some memories for me? Um, but she's also been in D Greyman, soul Eater, full Metal, alchemist, brotherhood, my Hero Academia, bungo, stray Dogs One Piece and the Apothecary Diaries.

48:31

And I don't know like how many, like what if those were big roles or smaller roles. But she has appeared there.

em

48:37

I looked up for my Hero, because I watched that too, you guys know, and she's Mount Lady, and then the Invisible Girl, ooh, okay, and then, moving on to the English VA, it's a woman named Rebecca Stevens.

rainbow

48:48

She's a VA from Texas and she's best known for, kind of, three main animes Harlock, space Pirate, kids on the Slope and Girls and Pansier, and I don't really know any of those. They're all from about 2013, 2012, um, but I did notice, uh, that she's married to a guy.

em

49:08

I didn't even write his name down, whatever, um, but rebecca stevens husband is the voice of natsu todoroki in mha not so yeah, that's one of shota's uh shoto's older brothers yeah, he had white hair, so I guess he has ice powers yeah, yeah, he's not the evil one, but he's the other, like older brother that hates their dad, okay well, don't they all hate their dad? Oh yeah, well, for a good reason, the sister like tries harder to keep the family together.

rainbow

49:31

Surprise, surprise, but yeah really, yeah, not shocked at all. Um, and then the only other languages um that were listed on behind the voice actorscom was, uh, spanish and a woman named Eva Bayou Bayou B-A-U. Uh, not entirely sure how that's pronounced, um, but she has appeared in um kind of big name animes as the Spanish VA in the Spanish dub. So she's been in Fairy Tale Assassination Classroom, devil May Cry and One Punch Boy uh, one Punch man, one Punch Boy, one Punch boy, the prequel to one punch man, um, and I. This made me very excited because I love Madoka Magica and she voices mommy in the Spanish dub of that. So I got really excited about that. Cool, all right, so that's the voice actors, and then I did do some mini character spotlights.

50:20

I figured for the next few episodes while we're with Tsubaki Hara, um, we could just talk a little bit briefly about some of the characters. So I didn't do like the full deep dive that I usually do, but I just got like their name meanings and then, if there was any fun trivia, um, I also wanted to say I pulled from the wiki that, um, the Tsubaki Hara members names seem to be inspired by various locations in Niigata pre, which I assume is the prefecture they come from. So the first one we have is Teradomari Motoki and he's an Aries and this is the number four. Okay, that was talked about. I'm glad I didn't write that down, but I'm glad I remembered. And it looks like he probably does have a character sheet somewhere out there, because in his trivia did list that he was an Aries, so I'm sure people know what his birthday is and I feel like that makes sense for an ace with a powerful spike to be an Aries and then with his name meaning his family name.

51:12

Teradomari means territory, and then his first. His first name, motoki, means system, basis or foundation, and rare. And then the trivia is he actually shares the same voice actor as achan from episode one of this season. Oh nice, he knit his little class friend and then, um, the next guy. I picked the number nine, um, because we get him being a little, uh, a little stinker, um, I also. I like his character design. He's giving like, he's honestly giving baby from k-pop demon hunters a little bit like, but a blonde version, okay, um, he's just he's giving like that cheeky kind of attitude anyway, but his name is atima, uh, yoshitomo, um, and we didn't have a birthday for him, but he seems like a leo to me. Okay, I don't know why, but that's just what. What felt right, um, and so for his family name atima it means appropriate, um, or interval slash among, and then his first name, um yoshitomo, means righteousness, justice and friend, nice, and then he didn't have any trivia for him. But those are two of our uh tsukihara boys. Nope, Tsubakihara boys all right.

em

52:26

So now it's time for the world's favorite game. It's who? In haikyuu?

52:29

This week's scenario is brought to you by our beautiful brains and it is going to be the ultimatum queer love edition.

52:37

And so, for those of you who don't know, the ultimatum is a reality tv show where it's couples have like one person who wants to get married and one person who's dragging their feet. So they give them this ultimatum marry me now which was a great way to start off a marriage, by the way. They bring them onto this show where then the couples choose they all are swingers, basically and they choose another person to be in a trial marriage with for three weeks, to have this experience, to cheat freely, and then they have another like couple weeks with their original partner and at the end of it, they either can marry their original partner they came in with, they can marry their new trial marriage person, or they can walk away single, insane right. Well, guess what? There's a queer version of it as well, and, in light of the second season airing not too long ago, we're gonna do a who in Haikyuu? version, and so we'll be going through the pairings and saying who would be the ultimate giver and who would be the ultimate receiver?

rainbow

53:31

and that I. I think I wrote ultimate, but it's the ultimatum, ultimatum not the ultimate, the.

em

53:36

I'm the ultimate receiver, if you know what I mean I mean it is like here's.

rainbow

53:40

The thing is that I think the ultimatum there is like a hetero version that has a few seasons, um, which I have no interest in watching whatsoever, but the ultimatum queer love is lesbians. Um, well, I mean, they, they present that, the show presents them to us as lesbians. I think some of them could be more like gender non-conforming. I think some of them do use they them pronouns, but the show is definitely made by straight people for straight people. It has a straight host and the second season was really trying to like, push at us, like no, it's good that we have a straight host. Love is love, blah, blah, blah. And it's like no, you should have a queer fucking host for this queer fucking show.

em

54:13

Go fuck yourself such a weird hill to die on like get a more interesting host yeah, and she's also just like not.

rainbow

54:18

It would be one thing if she was like good at her job, but like, and maybe that's like, maybe she's not supposed to do that much. I don't know. She seems like a perfectly nice person. I just wish they had somebody who was actually queer to talk to these queer people.

em

54:31

Yeah, it just feels a little out of place and I think that would be an easy enough thing to change, but whatever, yes, okay. So Kagehina, who's?

rainbow

54:40

who's the giver? Who's the receiver?

em

54:41

I'm gonna say and I forget because we've had this conversation, just as people, and I forget what I said at the time but I think right now I'm thinking Hinata is the ultimatum giver, just because I could see Kageyama like taking just a more passive role in their relationship, not that he doesn't care or doesn't want to be in it, but I just feel like Hinata is the dominant one in their relationship and so if anyone is gonna push for the next step, it would be him.

rainbow

55:07

I could see that and I could see Kageyama be like holding back because maybe he like he doesn't feel, like he's emotionally ready, like maybe he did. I could see him being one of the ones who maybe doesn't understand the point of getting married. Yeah, um, and like I could even see him like, by the end of it, being kind of like Bridget and Kyle from season two, being like where Bridget was like listen, I don't really care about marriage, but it's clearly important to my partner, so I figure why not just do it? Yeah, um. I could also see it the other way, where maybe like Kageyama is like you know, it's like the who fell first, who fell harder, and like Kageyama fell hard and he's like ready to do it, but Hinata is maybe held back by some of his own like nerves and fear, or maybe just like especially if they're still like young men like it's like well, we have olympics to win, we can get married later yeah, yeah, I mean, at the end of the day, I think both of them are like who cares about marriage?

55:55

we're volleyball married anyway, yeah no in.

em

55:57

In reality I don't see either of them pushing for marriage.

rainbow

56:00

But if I had to pick, that's how I'm going I think that makes, I think I think that makes a lot of sense, I think, Kageyama being the, I think. At the end of this, I would like to talk a little bit about the uh, my, my fanfic idea for the ultimatum volleyball love.

em

56:14

All right for AsaNoya. I could see Asahi being the ultimatum giver, because I think Noya would just be more concerned about like doing other things. But Asahi is ready to take this step and he and I just feel like Noya would be the one not to settle down first.

rainbow

56:29

I'm actually gonna go opposite. I think this actually what I said about Kakihina, I think applies more to Asahi and Noya, where I think Noya would be like I am in love with you, let's go, let's have a wedding, let's get married, let's do the whole thing and like not, maybe it's not even about like the traditional, the traditional marriage aspect, but he's like let's do it. I want to like commit to you and Asahi being like nervous and feeling like he like if he does that with Noya, he's only going to let him down Like he won't. Maybe he has fears that like he won't be a good husband.

em

56:53

Yeah, I could definitely see him being insecure.

rainbow

57:07

Maybe like he's not good enough for Noya gonna hold you back, kind of thing, exactly, exactly, uh one. I didn't. I forgot to list Tsukiyama on here, um, but let's go ahead and talk about them now. Yamaguchi is the ultimate ultimatum giver and yes, yeah, tsukishima is like fully like. I don't believe in marriage. This is stupid. We don't need to do this.

em

57:18

I could also see that being like a problem in their long-term relationship where they've been together for so long. I think Tsuki starts to kind of take some things for granted and maybe not try as hard, and Yamaguchi just wants to see a little bit more effort on his part. Fully agree, fully agree. For DaiSuga, I definitely see Daichi being the one to like really be all about wanting the marriage and all the traditional stuff, and I could see Suga being like eh, like, we're gay, we don't need to get married.

rainbow

57:44

Yeah, kind of like what Trixie and Katya were saying on their Trixie and Katya Watch episode of just like we're gay, like we don't have to, like we get to be different, we don't have to do what the straights do and like, honestly, your assimilation will not save you I'm a little on Suga's side there but what your assimilation will not save you, ah yeah, just the idea that, like we, like the fight for gay marriage is so much like well, straight people get to be married, so like we want to be married too, because like that means that we're equal in the eyes of the law, and like I just think as queer, as a queer community, we have the possibility to push for, like not what is given to the gender normative, heteronormative couples, but we have the ability to push for a more equitable and just world, world for everyone, where the benefits of marriage are not tied to marriage and are instead given to people, like universal health care and, like me and you know, taxes are changed so that you don't need to get married to get a tax break and, like you know, I just think that to me is a more worthwhile fight than fighting for what straight people have.

em

58:46

Yeah, no, I hear that IwaOi.

rainbow

58:49

This is so tricky because it could go either way.

em

58:52

I could see Oikawa being the ultimatum giver, because I really think he would really want like the marriage and the wedding with Oizumi really bad. And I could see Iwa again, just kind of like oh, we've been together forever, I'm not going anywhere.

rainbow

59:08

Like we'll get married when we get married kind of attitude.

59:10

But see, I could also see it being the opposite, where which I love, how like all of these are like well, it could be either one, yeah.

59:13

But I think it's fun to think about why.

59:14

Because I could see Owaisumi being the one, and I could even maybe see it kind of like a similar to a DaiSuga thing, where he was like he wants to be married, he wants that commitment, he wants, like that, the ceremony of it, and Oikawa is, I think, one thing he could be maybe a little bit of like a family abolitionist and like no, we don't, I don't really want that.

59:33

Like we, you know, we have our relationship and like it can be its own thing, it doesn't need to be what the streets have. But I could also see Oikawa, kind of similar to Asahi, having that like insecurity, like because Oikawa is a very insecure person, and like deep down and like I think he would maybe, uh, wrap that up in something else. But I think deep down at the heart of it, like what he would figure out in his trial marriage, his first trial marriage, is that like he is afraid that ultimately, like Owazami will stop loving him will like if they're married, like that that's so, like it's too much commitment and like that will mean too much if it falls apart.

em

01:00:08

And that's what Oikawa is afraid of yeah, I could see that and I think we're coming up on. I know we just said we can see both ways, but I feel like we're coming up on couples where it is pretty clearly one way uh, kuroken, kuro is giving the ultimatum, kuro is good, there's just I.

rainbow

01:00:22

There is no world in which Kenma is giving the ultimatum. Kuro is getting, there's just. There is no world in which Kenma is giving the ultimatum.

em

01:00:27

I think Kenma, I really picture him as pretty emotionally constipated. I think he loves Kuro just as much as Kuro loves him. But I think he has a harder time with, like the displays of affection and like I just think he wouldn't, like he'd kind of drag his feet on stuff like this.

rainbow

01:00:42

I think, yeah, I think it'd be hard for him to see, I think it'd be a little hard for him to see the merits of it. I think for him, the idea of like doing a wedding and that's the thing about weddings is like especially the wedding industrial complex makes it so complicated. It's a lot of work, like there's a lot that goes into it. You have to be the center. Like being getting married means being the that's the big thing too.

em

01:01:00

I think Kuro comes from it, where it's like I want to scream it from the rooftops that we're married, and Kenma's like that's embarrassing. Yeah, yeah, like, not like he's not embarrassed of Kuro, but he doesn't want the spectacle.

rainbow

01:01:12

I think they would compromise and I think they would elope. They do a courthouse wedding with BokuAka and Hinata there.

em

01:01:18

Yes, definitely, speaking of BokuAka, I think I mean honestly with them. I don't. I think they'd both be like let's get married right away. If I'm being real, if I had to pick one, maybe Bokuto would be the ultimatum giver that's my headcanon, I think I think Akashi would.

rainbow

01:01:33

Again, I think I could see Akashi being the kind who's like well, maybe that's not something we really need to do, but like Bokuto's like I and I think a similar thing to Kuroken, where Bokuto's like I need to scream this from the rooftops. I think you could like, if you really wanted to headcanon it which, like, I don't really headcanon this, but like maybe Akashi like comes from like a, like a family who isn't okay with him being gay, like kind of like Haley and Pilar.

01:01:55

That's an issue that comes up every season of the queer one is, there's always one where, like their family doesn't approve and that's really holding them back yeah, and the idea that like well, if I always thought, if I got married, that my family would be there, and like they won't be there for this, and like that's a, I think that's like a valid thing to talk about. I think, like you know, obviously, like we're both fortunate to have families who like love and accept us for who we are, and the idea that anyone's family wouldn't, simply because you're queer, is just like insane. But, like you know, bias and discrimination don't make sense, right.

em

01:02:28

Yeah, I do feel more empathy for like it's like why are you gonna give them an ultimatum? Like I feel like that's a good enough reason. I mean, listen, obviously, if you really can't handle being with someone whose family is holding them back and you don't want to wait around, you know you gotta do what you have to do. But I think you like be a little more understanding. Like imagine if it was you.

rainbow

01:02:44

Yeah, I think that's the thing. I don't think it's ever fair to ask a partner to stay in the closet because you are not comfortable being out, but it is also not okay to force someone out of the closet in order to be with you. It's just like maybe that just means that the relationship you have it's not the right time for you. Guys like and and yeah, I totally get that and yeah, I think that's unfair like I, it doesn't sit right to me when somebody is like, oh well, you're uncomfortable, uh, with being out because of your family and therefore, like I'm giving you this ultimatum, that does feel a little. It's like it's not that, it's I don't know it's. It's really harsh, it's a touchy thing. It's very like personal and intimate and like traumatic for that person. Yeah, okay.

em

01:03:23

Sakuatsu is another easy one. I think Atsumu would be the one giving that ultimatum. I think he would like to have a wedding and Saku says like we can have 10 guests and they have to sit six feet apart from each other.

rainbow

01:03:33

Yeah. Saku says like I'm not doing a wedding. He's like I'm not smushing cake into your face. He's like, first of all, I'm mortified that I love you in the first place. He's like, first of all, I'm mortified that I love you in the first place. I think that's. I think that, and I think that's probably where Atsumi is coming from, is just like are you embarrassed to be with me? And Takeda's like a little bit, yeah, and that's something they have to work through.

em

01:03:53

Uh, ukatake, Takeda, I don't again. This is one where I don't see them actually doing this. But if I had to pick, I think Tak, think Takeda would be the one to give the ultimatum, because I think canonly Ukai has dragged his feet about like finding a partner and settling down.

rainbow

01:04:07

Yeah also it Takeda is a little bit older, like I think he's a couple years older than Ukai, so it could also be like Takeda feels like he's ready to enter that stage in his life and maybe Ukai feels not quite Ukai's, like I'm 27.

em

01:04:19

What am I a child bride? I'm only 27. What am I a child bride? That felt like a Gale quote. That's from you, uh, broad City. Oh, okay, I'll put it in.

rainbow

01:04:30

Okay, kiyo Yachi I just like it's so hard with them because I feel like they are so on the same page that like it wouldn't happen, but like again I could see maybe Kiyoko wants to get married and Yachi is like dragging her feet because she feels that insecurity. But I also just don't. Again, it's hard to see any of these people giving an ultimatum.

em

01:04:50

Yeah, I think Yachi would be psyched to marry Kiyoko at the first sign of interest. But yeah, maybe she has that insecurity. Am I good enough for you, kind of thing? Yeah, and then Ushi 10.

rainbow

01:05:02

Hmm, this is a hard one one. I could see both of them like not being interested in marriage, like like fully, like headcanon wise. They don't really want to get married at all, they're not into that. But I think, if we're putting them into an ultimatum queer love situation, I think it would be Ushi Jima, because he comes from a more traditional family and I think for him it comes from a place of like this is what you do. Yeah, this is the proper way of doing things.

em

01:05:27

And Tendo is like doesn't really understand the point of marriage yeah, I think he's not interested in it and thinks it's kind of silly.

rainbow

01:05:36

Yeah can I? Can I talk a little bit about my go ahead canons? Okay, I think I've been thinking about this since we watched the ultimatum queer love season one. So I have an idea in my head of, like the couples that would go would be Kagehina Iwaoi BokuAka, kuroken Ushiten DaiSuga and Sakuatsu, and like I think, oh well, actually I think it would be Oihina and Kage Iwa who would go in together as couples, but then when they paired off to do their trial marriages, it would be Kagehina and Iwaoi and they would actually leave with the person they did their like first trial marriage partner with, which is not something we've seen on the Queer Love Ultimatum yet.

em

01:06:13

No, the closest we get is that the couples do get really close to their trial partner, even going as far to say that they're in love with them, they have sex with them and all that. But then I think people, just once they go back to their actual partner, I think the reality of life hits them again, because you are kind of in this weird bubble, and especially the couples who are in unhappy fucking relationships, they do tend to be the ones to then fall in love with their fucking trial partner in three weeks. Hello, lesbians. Maybe when I were talking about it it's like, yeah, we would definitely fall in love in a trial.

rainbow

01:06:42

Like, unfortunately, that would be us as well but like we're also poly, so we would have talked about it going into it and it would have been an understanding that, like we know what our answer is, right, well, we would never go on this show.

em

01:06:53

So right, um, so that's the closest like. No one actually commits to the bit, but if anyone could commit to the bit, it would be kagehina and iwaoi, I think.

rainbow

01:07:02

I think that would happen. And then with boku waka kuro ken, um, it would be, boku would both be the ultimatum givers and they would end up doing a trial marriage together, and then aka ken would do their trial marriage together and they would actually leave as a polycule um, yeah, there's one in this last season where, like, it was one girl who liked both parts of an original couple and it's like you just need to be their third.

em

01:07:25

But God forbid we do that.

rainbow

01:07:26

Well, that's the thing is all of these reality dating TV shows. At the end of the day, they are perpetuating the marriage industrial complex and the idea that monogamy is the ideal for relationships.

em

01:07:38

It's just so like people really put themselves in a prison because it's like you have to be not monogamous and you can't cheat. But also here's this experiment where you're kind of allowed to cheat, but also not really, but also we're swinging but also how dare you?

rainbow

01:07:50

it's just like free yourselves from the prison of monogamy well, it creates a lot of drama, oh my god um yeah, and then the other pairings like I think of, like, um sakuatsu going in, maybe Sakusa ends up with Ushijima, and like yeah, and like he thinks this is the partner I want, but ultimately he realizes that like Atsumu challenges him in a way, or I guess Ushijima challenges Sakusa, but anyway, I think Ushijima is just so in love with Tendo.

em

01:08:15

Yeah.

rainbow

01:08:18

And then I think I had Tendo and Suga doing a trial marriage together, because they're both the ones who don't really believe in marriage and are just like I mean kind of fuck this shit Right. But then ultimately they realized, like they kind of come to the Bridget conclusion of like this is really what my partner wants, then OK. And then I had Daichi and Atsumu just kind of getting stuck together, kind of like Brittany and Marita, yeah.

01:08:41

And that just being like kind of like whatever, but maybe like it's just Atsumu missing and maybe like Daichi, kind of like because he has that captain mentality and like Atsumu is he. He, yeah, he's into captains, uh, but I think like maybe, maybe they do find a way to help each other in the end um, so yeah and then. But then DaiSuga um, sakuatsu and Ushiten would all go with their original partners, and because it's a Haikyuu fanfiction, none of them are breaking up, because that's not how I roll.

em

01:09:11

I'm not doing that much of angst. Yes, All right. Well, it looks like we don't have anything for the spoiler zone.

rainbow

01:09:16

I can't think of anything really to talk about. This is I think we're going to be skipping out on some spoiler zones here, because it's just a lot of gameplay and not necessarily a lot that we need to talk about for the future.

em

01:09:28

Well, you never know, because you never. You don't remember everything that comes up in episodes that will then be relevant to like spoiler zone stuff. So who knows? But no spoiler zone today. Um so, before we let you go, hey, can I give you my socials. We are on twitter, instagram, tumblr and blue sky at fly hq pod. That's f-L-Y-H-Q-P-O-D. You can also email us at flyhqpod at gmail dot com. F-l-y-h-q-p-o-d. At gmail dot com.

rainbow

01:09:54

Don't forget, you can comment on our episodes on Spotify, you can leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and you can also send us a message through Buzzsprout.

em

01:10:01

and until next time, stay healthy, stay safe and fly high.