That’s the second damn episode this week I was sure was a finale and turned out not to be.  Of course it matters a lot less here than it did with Pet, not least because I’m pleased enough to be getting another ep of Haikyuu this season.  Mainly though it’s because the end is never the end with Haikyuu until it’s actually the end – this is just going to be a mid-cour break.  Still, it’s weird to see a season finish on the 4th of the first month of the next – that’s quite a rarity in TV anime, especially those which haven’t seen any delayed eps or unplanned hiatus weeks.

There isn’t a whole lot of drama in what’s playing out here, since we know all the big names have to be around for the second cour this summer.  That leaves it up to Haikyuu to provide sparks in its usual amped-up puppy dog way, and that’s rarely a problem.  Most of the A-part belongs to Bokuto, who’s probably my favorite non-Crow in the cast (and maybe my favorite competitor, period).  His bakayarocity is never less than a blast to watch, nor is the impact is has on his poor teammates.  This time around he’s out of sorts because Fukuroudani have been shunted off to the auxiliary arena rather than the main hall.

My favorite part of this sequence was that it was the presence of Kotarou’s “student” Hinata (who was off on a T-shirt run) that finally knocked Kotarou out of his funk.  These two have quite a fun connection between them for obvious reasons of personality, and I certainly wouldn’t be surprised to see the Owls and Crows face off during this tournament at some point.  Probably Shouyou’s most fateful encounter during his souvenir hunting, though, was with Hoshiumi Kourai, Kageyama’s friend from the youth camp.  The little man staredown here was pretty intense, but the truth is there’s really no comparing these two boys at this point in their development.  Shouyou simply doesn’t measure up, and it’s about a lot more than 5 cm.

This is a fairly interesting twist, because as Suga (as ever the most observant observer there is) observes, Hinata hasn’t really had the experience of coming up against someone his own size but better.  Better, yes – but it’s the “his own size” (well, almost), that’s the kicker.  Kourai-kun is much more of a complete player than Shouyou – that little bit taller and more athletic, a better blocker and scrambler, and possessed of a freakishly wicked jump serve.  I think the Shouyou of the first three seasons might have been freaked out, but after his humbling and educational “training camp”, Hinata-kun has grown (though not taller).  His impulse now is not to sulk, but to observe closely and see what he can crib to reach the same level himself.

The other interesting development here is the return of the Niiyama girls team (staying at the plush high-rise hotel next to the humble Jaybird).  It seems as if Tanaka of all people may be getting a romance subplot (if we’ve been introduced to that girl by name I confess I’ve forgotten).  That would certainly be notable, as Haikyuu has avoided romance subplots to an almost religious degree.  The main focus here is surely going to remain the volleyball, though – that’s just the sort of series this is.