Haikyuu!! Observations: Chapter 372 And 395 Parallels

Haikyuu!! Observations:  Chapter 372 and 395 Parallels

** SO. MANY. SPOILERS. BELOW **

Have I established that Furudate is master class in terms of narrative? The parallels in Chapter 372 and 395 of Haikyuu!! are stunning, and need to be discussed.

First off, though, is the establishment of a timeline. Because this final arc has been a mess to make linear sense of…I have no clue how the anime will handle this, other than putting title cards in every single flashback to keep us on track!

For starters, the Ushijima flashback in Chapter 395 happens nearly TWO YEARS before the events of Chapter 372. We get this evidence because at the start of Chapter 395, we have this shot of Ushijima: 

Not only does it establish he’s 19, but he’s not on the Schweiden Adlers, yet. He’s in his debut year, playing for the Japan national team. I wonder if he made the switch to play because Hoshiumi joined the Adlers, or Kageyama? And then, in Chapter 372, when we get his selfie reaction – MORE ON THAT BELOW – we see that he’s 21 and on the Adlers. So two years difference in those flashbacks in 395 vs. 372, and a total of FOUR years’ difference between the events of Chapter 395 and the present Haikyuu!! timeline. Simple to keep up, right?

So, if the current timeline is November 2018, then it’s around 2014 when Chapter 395 happens. Hinata is considering doing Beach volleyball in his second year, as evidence below, and Oikawa has already joined the Argentinean League right out of high school, which will get brought up below, too.

Okay, getting on track now that we’ve established the timeline – the first major parallel is Iwaizumi meeting Ushijima,  similar to Oikawa and Hinata meeting in Chapter 372, only, of course their meeting is so nonchalant and chill, versus Hinata and Oikawa’s dramatic sand reunion: 

BUT HERE, my friends, is where the parallels of Hinata/Oikawa/Iwaizumi/Ushijima create a magnificent Venn Diagram of Narrative Magnificence! You have parallels of:

* TRAINING TO GET BETTER *

Hinata went to the beach in Rio to train in beach volleyball to become a more well-rounded trainer. 

Ushijima went to California to get advice and practice training with his father’s foreign league team, much like Oikawa did with joining the Argentinean League…

* TRAINING WITH YOUR IDOLS * 

Oikawa establishes in Chapter 372 that he immediately went to Argentina after high school because he wanted to play under the guidance of Jose Blanco, the famous Argentinean setter that he idolized as a kid and still very much respected as a young adult and player. He ALSO, and this is important, establishes that he was going to break into the foreign leagues to get stronger anyway, and that his overall goal is to make it into an Olympics-playing team some day. Given that Hinata’s encounter with Oikawa happens in 2017, he’s been playing with Argentina about three years at this point. 

But THEN, we also have Iwaizumi, who back in 2014, went to California after high school to go to college at USC-Irvine in California. His whole reasoning is that a famous Japanese trainer works with the volleyball team there and that Iwaizumi has been a huge fan of him and his published work. He also wants to major as in Sports Science, as we the audience are led to believe, to become a Physical Trainer and intern with the author, Takashi Utsui, once he graduates college. 

And of COURSE, there’s the reveal then that Iwaizumi’s actual idol in real life is also the real-life father of his team’s long rival, Ushijima himself. It’s worth posting this reaction alone. Iwaizumi, you beautiful dork, you. If Oikawa ever saw that face, though…

It’s also worth noting at this point that clearly Oikawa and Iwaizumi keep in contact, as evidence in his conversation with Ushijima. I have to say, this chapter showcasing Iwaizumi as the peace-keeper; able to be friends with both Oikawa and his hardest rival, Ushijima, is fantastic. It calls back to when Oikawa was making fun of Hinata outside the bathroom, and Iwaizumi chided him for it. Iwaizumi is just an honest, straightforward, nice guy. 

Well….Nice to a point. Let’s all revel in the fact that it was IWAIZUMI, y’all, who started this selfie war. Keep in mind, this was 2014 when he and Ushijima supposedly sent the selfie to Oikawa of themselves. And then, three years later, Oikawa pays them all back: 

The final parallel, interestingly enough, with Oikawa and Ushijima, who admits that he has hit a wall and has to move forward to get stronger. Revealing that just maybe, he’s not quite the “genius spiker” that Oikawa pegged him as. That maybe he really is just a normal guy that got “lucky” in terms of the father that helped protect his unique attribute of being a “south paw” and, like Kiyoomi in Chapter 394, was lucky to have those around him that he did to help foster his strength as a player. 

Basically, Furudate has given us so much to work with in showing how these characters, who seem so fundamentally different, have so much more in common that we realize at first glance. It’s so masterful to see these moments of set up and payoff happening with so much satisfaction for the reader. I love it.

OH, and of course, I wasn’t going to leave you all without this little set of notes from Chapter 395: 

* Tendou in this chapter wasn’t current time skip Tendou. It was 2014 Tendou. So technically, we have no clue what his hair looks like now – though he’s fabulous either way!  So there’s that.

* It’s shown at the end of the chapter Ushijima’s father watching him play from California. We also see, since it’s 2:20 am there, that Iwaizumi is asleep, still in California, too. If it’s 2018 currently in the series, it means that Iwaizumi did graduate college, and has been interning for Utsui for likely a year, now (because it showed he was a sophomore in the flashback):

@tatakunara-orerumade​ and @hopipp​ have already posted my headcanons ahead of me, but basically – if the Olympics happen in 2020, a year and a half from now, that’s plenty of time for Iwaizumi to take his Bachelor’s in Sports Science, internship knowledge from working under his idol Utsui, and make it back to Japan to be a physical trainer for the same team as Ushijima, and more importantly for my shipping, fangirl heart, potentially Oikawa at the Olympics. It would be a beautiful payoff for all the set up these chapters have given us, and a beautiful wrap-up for the series. If we don’t actually get to see the Olympics happen in Haikyuu!! though, you better believe there’s going to be fanfiction about this. *runs off to write* 

This is the only time you’ll catch me making a tiktok @carolineforbae .

AAAAAAAHHHHHH! I love this post so much! I am so glad I requested this! I too go feral for clingy ushijima, he is a teddy bear with his s/o I will fight people for this😤. Also aone my baby!!! How could I forget this giant polar teddy bear of a man! I love this so much, thank you for making this post!

hello! I saw that your ask box was open and I thought it would be fun to ask you for clingy boyfriend for Ushijima, Bokuto, Tendou, and/or anyone else you thinks fits the bill! I wasn’t sure if you do headcanon stuff, and if you only want to do one person that is completely fine! Also separate with their s/o! I think your writing is so good and I always look forward to your posts!

aHHH thank you love! i added aone bc he’s a baby 🥺 hope u like it! (and yes i do headcanon stuff :>)

ushijima, bokuto, tendou and aone as your clingy boyfriend

warnings: gn!reader, big boys being soft, no proofreading

type: headcanons (sfw)

genre: fluff

©️ kaashikoi 2021

request something! :) | my masterlist! | my prompt list!

ushijima wakatoshi (wc: 215)

even though he doesn’t talk very much, he never fails to show you his affection

a human teddy bear i stg

he radiates heat, and he loves to rest his chin on top of your head when you stand in front of him

if you’re taller than him, he loves it when you rest your chin on top of his head

i go feral for clingy ushijima

he isn’t really into pda but when you two are alone ohhh

if he could, he would go to the toilet with you

his fav cuddle positions are either when you like straddle his thighs and lay on top of him or when he is on top of you so he can snuggle his face into the crook of your neck

my heart I-

and he loves to see you wearing his clothes just for the fact that he knows that you’re his 

tendou takes photos of you two all the time, and even though he won’t admit it, ushijima secretly loves it, and he has them all printed out to put them into a photo album to give it to you on your anniversary

bokuto kotaro (wc: 146)

ANOTHER BIG BOY

and he's SO BEEFY

his hugs are also the BEST

hugs and kisses 24/7, no matter where you are 

baby never lets go of your hand

and he LOVES to chill between your thighs

like he just lays there and minds his business

and he loves it when you play with his hair

i love bokuto sm it breaks my heart to see him upset

he prefers to be the big spoon, but sometimes he likes to be the little spoon, too

and he likes to carry you around instead of letting you walk

bokuto loves back hugs

especially when you kiss the spot between his shoulder blades

vshdfgzufhu oh to hug bokuto in general i’m sick of being 3d

every time he sees you he starts to smile so big, and he shows everyone how lucky he is to be with you

tendou satori (wc: 174)

he adores you so much

and he treats you like a royal

and ofc he would call you “my paradise” and i love it

HEAD PATS HEAD PATS

i stg AHHHH there's so much serotonin in my body rn like wtf

boy is SO into pda

he wants you to sit on his lap all the time, especially during lunch, so he can show off that you’re his

look at him,,, you would wear matching rings/necklaces/bracelets and especially matching onesies when (you’re not in school ofc)

wear his jersey to his games or his jacket  this boy will melt on the spot

he loves to compare hand sizes with you and he’ll kiss every finger and every knuckle of yours afterwards

and he texts you all the time when you’re not by his side to make sure that you’re good

he likes to give you back hugs but like when he approaches you from behind he’ll put his hands over your eyes first to let you guess who he is (even though it’s obvious)

aone takanobu (wc: 174)

another boy who is v v tall and who looks v v mean

BUT

do you know this reaction in animal crossing where your character like radiates flowers bc they’re so happy (i think it’s called joy but i’m not sure bc i play it in german lmao)

same energy

he walks you to school every day, and he’s ready to carry your things for you

pda yes but like lowkey

he absolutely loves it when you caress his cheek and he gets so soft

like all blushy and that shit when he sees you

WHEN HE HUGS YOU, HIS HAND IS ON THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD

and he always wears a shy smile when he sees you dvhagzhuqjw

he’s just glad that you’re not scared of him bc of his looks

he pokes your cheek with his finger when he wants your attention

and he loves giving you nose kisses

when you two are alone at his or your place and you cuddle in bed he prefers to be the little spoon

STOP SCROLLING!

Oka, I plan on following everyone on tumblr

literally everyone

Please reblog so I can make this happen

It’s happy alternative reality that we deserved, guys :’’’3 There is also a bonus of how lil naruto sees all of his nee-chans and nii-chans ahaha

Keep reading

haikyuu!! buzzfeed unsolved AU

OK THIS IS THE LAST BUZZFEED UNSOLVED RELATED HEADCANON SET I PROMISE 

[edit: check out the link at the bottom of the post for more buzzfeed unsolved au content :)]

hinata and kageyama:

90% of the show is them yelling and nobody watches it with earphones on

both of them believe in ghosts but that doesn’t mean they want to see one

hinata will literally go to the bathroom five times before going to the spooky house and kageyama gets mad at him for it but there is Fear in his eyes

producer: ‘were you scared?’

kageyama: 'pfft, no’

cameraman: *points camera down to show that kageyama’s legs are shaking*

they also bring a shit ton of food with them when they stay the night at a place and they’ll deadass be eating while talking about the history of the place

‘this house *crunch crunch* was built in *crunch crunch* 1972’

the producers tell them to stop bringing snacks but fans of the show love it

sometimes they’ll shoot a mini mukbang video

SPICY, BARBECUE POTATO FRIES | Mukbang at the Waverly Hills Asylum’

hinata: *looking up how to do a seance on wikihow* it says we gotta offer some food for the spirit

kageyama: *spills the doritos he was eating on the table

*after 20 minutes*

kageyama: fuck this

hinata: *starts eating the doritos*

producer: …

the ghosts: ………………the, audacity

tsukishima and yamaguchi

pretty much a ryan and shane duo right here

yamaguchi: we’ll be visiting this place as part of our ongoing investigation on the question, are ghosts real?

tsukishima: *shakes head*

yamaguchi just wants to see the look of fear in tsukishima’s eyes at least once

yamaguchi: *hears a random thump sound* fUCk tSuKkI a gHoSt!!!

tsukishima: *sees a chair being tossed across the room* huh, the wind is pretty strong today

he likes to stick his head into attics to scare yamaguchi

yamaguchi always carries a water gun full of holy water

yamaguchi: i have holy water with me and i’m not afraid to use it! but i’m also sorry you had to die such a horrible death i hope you find peace soon

tsukishima: *walks into a basement that is supposedly a portal to hell* fuckin’ take me already

so many 'yamaguchi being an angel and tsukishima being a demon for 10 mins’ video compilations 

daichi and sugawara

a very chaotic buzzfeed unsolved duo

suga, who is satan’s child himself, and daichi, who needs a raise

daichi: hello everyone! this is daichi,

sugawara: and suga

daichi: and you’re watching…

sugawara: jackass!!

daichi:…buzz…buzzfeed unsolved??

daichi started out being afraid of almost every place he had to walk into but after having to deal with the chaotic mess that is suga for an entire season, he no longer Feels Fear

this is because suga will deadass film a tiktok dance video no matter where he is

daichi: suga, someone was literally axe-murdered there

suga: *dancing along to ‘I’m a Savage’ or whatever that tiktok song is called*

daichi: *at cameraman* do you see what i have to deal with every day?’

suga is only genuinely scared by ghosts when his followers point out that a ghost was caught on camera in one of his tiktok videos

suga: *watching the video*

that was the end of suga’s tiktok career

tanaka and nishinoya:

another bunch of loud bois but they are much louder than kageyama and hinata

they’re very much into proving the existence of cryptids and are most known for that episode they spent hunting bigfoot by dressing up to look like bigfoot

tanaka: ‘you know that thing they do in cartoons where they stack on top of each other under a coat so they look like just one big guy?’

nishinoya: ‘ryuu i love you so fucking much’

other guy there who is also trying to catch bigfoot: oMg ItS bIgFooT *takes picture with the blurriest camera he could find*

both of them are very committed in their investigation of the supernatural and they’re very unconventional approaches

nishinoya: *lying on the ground in a creepy basement* EAT MY HEART DEMONS! WE’LL PUT THE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE!

tanaka: *takes out a spirit board* *spells out O-M-A-E  W-A  M-O  S-H-I-N-D-E-I-R-U*

ghost: *spells out N-A-N-I*

tanaka and nishinoya: *screaming*

kuroo and kenma: 

kuroo deadass flirts with any ghost or demon they encounter and kenma would sleep over in a haunted asylum for ten bucks

kuroo: *sidles up to the infamous annabelle doll* hey there little lady, what’s a pretty thing like you doing in a locked, glass case with a ‘don’t touch’ sign like this?

kenma: kuroo, there’s a demon inside her

kuroo: well, i’m a bit of a demon myself

kenma: she attempted to choke a guy in his sleep

kuroo: oooh, choking. i can get behind that…

kenma: *looks at camera*

the demon in annabelle: d-daddy??

“kuroo flirting with demons and kenma looking at the camera for 5 minutes”

kuroo’s actually a huge fucking scaredy cat and kenma secretly tries to push him over the edge

kenma: *plays computer-generated screams of the damned on his phone*

kuroo: WHAT WAS THAT?

kenma: …I didn’t hear anything *looks at the camera as if he was on the office and plays the sound again*

kuroo: i was too scared to close my eyes last night

kenma: i was actually able to catch a bunch of pokemon last night. who knew the winchester mansion is such a hotspot

producer: did you catch any evidence of ghosts?

kenma: …i caught a gastly

bokuto and akaashi:

bokuto is a die-hard mothman fan and akaashi is emotionally involved in proving that ghosts exist he will stop at nothing

akaashi: all of the evidence on the shadow figures and orbs spotted in this place can only suggest one thing…

bokuto: mothman did it

akaashi: no

bokuto: yes

akaashi: mothman is literally five states away

bokuto: he has wings

during their individual investigations, akaashi has already foreseen how bokuto is going to react

producer: it’s been quiet for a while. do you think bokuto’s no longer scared?

akaashi: oh no. he should be screaming right about now…

bokuto, inside the haunted house: *screams and waves his flashlight around*

akaashi:  and then he’s gonna call for help

bokuto: AKAAAAAASHIIIIIIIIII

*few hours later*

bokuto: i saw my life flash before my eyes in there

akaashi: *muttering incoherently near his ‘evidence wall’ full of blurry pictures and red string*

bokuto: i must’ve stared into the abyss at one point

akaashi: this place is fucking haunted. can i go back? it’s for sale right?

ushijima and tendou:

ushijima’s knowledge of ghosts is based on hollywood movies and tendou has exorcised places just by vibing

ushijima: *brings out a pottery wheel* if there are any ghosts in here, you know what to do

he’s actually never watched Ghost he just knows That One Scene

tendou: *naruto-running through the goatman bridge with a go-pro strapped to his head* IT’S MY BRIDGE GOATMAN, IT’S MY BRIDGE!!!

the Goatman Himself: i’ve never felt so fucking scared in my entire fucking life

ushijima believes that chanting in latin will Summon the Ghosts and tendou takes full advantage of that

tendou: *handing ushijima a slip of paper* here, apparently this will summon a full-bodied apparition

ushijima: thanks *begins chanting*

producer, interviewing tendou to the side: okay, what did you make him read this time?

tendou: i typed out ‘let me eat your ass’ in latin on google translate and went from there

cameraman: *zooms in on ushijima chanting*

the ghost haunting the castle: *is confused in French*

in the end neither of them get evidence on ghosts

ushijima: well, we’ll have better luck next time

tendou: maybe even revisit this place ?

the ghosts: i know i’m dead but this is the first time i’ve been scared for my life

[EDIT: for more buzzfeed unsolved au content written by me, check out The Search for the Mysterious Mothman, a headcanon set feat. bokuaka]