Volleyball Couple Reaction to Haikyu!! S1E18: "Guarding Your Back" 

Adam doesn’t have to be shy about cheering the other teams. Most of us did that lol! Haikyuu is an amazing series that you do not end up disliking or hating any other “enemy”teams. The writing is fantastic.

The analysis in the change in rotation is why i watch this channel. it's a really unique perspective you guys have.

I love that Adam isn't afraid to critique Ukai's coaching decisions where warranted. I think his analysis is spot on. And it speaks to a difficult aspect of coaching as well. Sometimes the "right" decisions don't work out, and sometimes the "wrong" decisions DO work out. I'm not a coach, but I imagine that it's so hard to evaluate the efficacy of your coaching decisions because of the inherent random variance in any given match.

i am hoping that Adam would like Oikawa just so that we can see The Great Oikawa War on camera😆

Okay, so names in Haikyuu. Hinata actually parallels with two of his first-year teammates name-wise. With Tsukishima we obviously have that sun-moon duality, but with Kageyama we have light and dark. Kage means shadow. Yama actually connects Kageyama and Yamaguchi as well- it means mountain. Asahi and Noya have an east-west correspondence, with nishi meaning west and azuma meaning east. (Asahi's name also connects him back to Hinata as well- the same kanji is used for the hi syllable in both names, making Asahi's personal name mean morning sun.)

'I wish my sets could have won for us.' They did my dude. That last set wasn't Kageyama's. It was Suga's set with Kageyama's hands. He put it where you would have put it. Where you told him to put it. Suga's hands were all up in that game.

I feel so blessed to hear the commentary because I think some people take it for granted and forget how the commentary is coming from a world champion and world class international volleyball player/athlete like Sarah and now an experienced coach like Adam. The way they analyze the game and comment on things to do and not to do in real life are such great tips to people starting to play the game or even people who are already at a high level.

By the way, regarding the discussion at 16:30 about tall players and blocking - I think it was telling that it was one of the players from another school (aka, a fellow high school kid) that made the statement. The show is fully aware of the fact that blocking is about much more than height; that's one of the most important lessons in the show that gets talked about repeatedly throughout the series. But the writing is also very aware of how different people tend to act, think, and react. And a fellow high school player pointing out the height of the two who did the block definitely feels appropriate, whereas if we were hearing one of the coaches' thoughts, you might expect a take with some more high level understanding of the actual skill involved.

Oh my gosh, the way Sarah just yelled "kick it or get it up!" I'm over here thinking ohh she is too locked in to remember what happens here, but predicted it right anyway! 🤣You both were so locked in, I love it. Happy New Year! Oh right - yes Hinata's name 日向 basically means "towards/to face the sun" and Tsukishima's name 月島 means "moon island".

Adam wasn't cheering for Date Tech, but Aone was definitely the person who had Adam's heart on the court 🤭

I would agree with Adam when he say's the Date Tech are the overall better team at this point in the series. Besides their Libero, they're entire team is made up of 2nd and 3rd years who have been playing alongside each other for a while now and they also have an implemented a style of play. I think the biggest failure would be the team/coach's inability to adapt to Hinata's quick attacks, who unlike Nekoma, established a plan to contain him early on but Date Tech never took any measure's do do so and persisted with the game plan established before the match began. If these two teams were to have a rematch the following week, and Date Tech analyzed there failings and implement a plan to deal with Hinata, then I would have them as favorites to win.

Aone is my second favourite character after Hinata. In the manga his biggest concern is that no one will sit next to him on the train, and that plus his earnest sportsmanship is very sweet for an intimidating character. Love your sports insights; it’s fun to see Sarah bounce off another expert!

I would say that Ukai's decision to shift the rotation was a risky decision more than anything else. He was definitely right in the sense that if Dateko had managed to figure out how to take away the freak quick, Karasuno would have been screwed. He took a gamble and it paid off. I really love how after Aone was just a tiny bit too late on that last quick by Hinata, you could see him start to get down on himself and the captain had to help pick him back up. It's the little moments like that that really drive home the fact that no matter how good or big or intimidating these characters might be, they're all just kids who love to play volleyball.

The name "Hinata" (日向) contains the kanji character for "sun" or "sunlight," giving it a positive and bright impression, and it is frequently used for both boys and girls. The kanji character "Shou" (翔) in "Shouyo" means "to fly with wings," while "Yo" (陽) stands for "sunshine" or "sunlight," also giving positive and refreshing impressions. According to the Haikyuu!! fan book, Hinata was named after "the sun" and "flying," which reflects his name well. Additionally, "Hinata" (日向) does indeed mean "place in the sun" His name is the most punny pun in the whole show. Tsukki's name is more straightforward, but there's a cute bit at the end. It literally just means "moon island" but the author wanted to at least give Tsukki a tiny bit of his own light, so his given name is Kei, which means "firefly." The name "Tsukishima Kei" in Japanese is written as 月島蛍. The first part, 月 (tsuki), means "moon," and the second part, 島 (shima), means "island." The combination of these names is more of a poem than a pun, evoking images of a moonlit night with dancing fireflies, suggesting that Tsukki has it in him to be his own light, even if he's a "commoner" who can't outshine the daylight.

These first-years are so lucky in their seniors. We've already seen that so many times (with Suga, Tanaka and Daichi in particular) , but I really love Asahi's interactions with both Hinata and Tsukishima in this episode. He's generous and never dismissive, which shouldn't be rare, but there are hints that not all teams' seniors act that way (eg. the seniors who made Kenma not want to play in his first year). And I like how highly the first years, and particularly Hinata, think of him-- Hinata's complete faith that the team will be okay because (21:45) "the ace is there"; or Kageyama's little face when Asahi calls them heroes (40:20).

Sarah and Adam both defending Suga's comment towards Daichi and Daichi happy that Suga still wants to fight but one question remains Adam. Did Aone make it into your Bro House or is he still just on the porch waiting to get in.

Two Hinata-related things! First, his missed serve always makes everyone groan in frustration 😂 That said, if we think about it in context, I may be wrong, but I think that was his first time ever serving on match point in a real match, right? On top of him not being a particularly good server, with that bit of context I'm really not surprised at all that he flubbed that one. He doesn't actually miss THAT often - it's just that, similar to Tanaka and Tsukki, his serves are usually either not shown or given maybe 0.5 seconds of screen time because they're not all that interesting most of the time and just very plain. The only real time that any of their serves, and his specifically, DO get shown is when it goes awry like that one. So it's pretty easy to think of him as being a horrible server when most of the time he's just "meh" with an occasional actual error. Second, regarding Adam's comments on Date Tech not adjusting fast enough to Hinata. I think this match was used as a way to really emphasize how effective and hard to adjust to the duo of Hinata and Kageyama is, even against a good team. Date Tech is definitely a strong team, and they still definitely had a hard time adjusting to Hinata. The opponents that we saw do it the best and fastest was Nekoma, who have someone as analytical and strategy-oriented as Kenma to break down the opponent's tactics and immediately come up with countermeasures. And we know Nekoma to be not just a good team, but a VERY good team with a coach who has fairly consistently taken them to nationals. So it's not surprising that we saw them adjust much faster than what Date Tech was able to do. However, if Date Tech had managed to go to a third set, or IMO if Ukai hadn't changed up the rotation and taken away Aone's ability to match up against Hinata more frequently to get some more reps in against him and really get used to him, then I think they would have ended up winning the match. I get why Adam disagreed with that decision, but I think that Date Tech's blockers, and Aone especially, are the type of players who would have definitely gotten used to Hinata if given another set in the same rotation, and by then it would be too late for Karasuno to change. I think Ukai recognized that.

Giant Aone shyly befriending tiny Hinata who takes his hand in two hands is like one of my fav things 🥺

31:55 It pains me that I’ll never know what Adam said to Sarah that made her laugh at that moment.

Seeing the Great King at the end of the episode makes it great lol (just kidding coz Sarah likes him too much 🤣, by the way that one hand grabbing the ball, Oikawa 😍🥰)

I love the technical commentary so much and I am looking forward to the next games as the series progresses. I think that at the moment the series was still mostly character driven instead of preoccupied with giving exact details of the matches, because the manga was written for young readers who virtually didn’t know anything about the sport. So in this case, I agree with Sarah and Adam about the rotation changes being actually a bad decision from a coaching perspective BUT as Sarah said “setting up Asahi for failure” was actually the best move by a writer perspective: to give him redemption about the previous match against Date Tech and the Iron Wall, putting him, and Nishinoya, on the spot. It worked out even better because they overcame the past and now can build on that success. As someone else said, Ukai is new to coaching and he will probably make some mistakes and maybe that’s intentional in the writing or the series. But I really love how the sub plot of the sad state of Karasuno as a team after the previous tournament is introduced and resolved here with the dynamics between Nishinoya and Asahi and Sugawara. Ultimately right now the introduction of Kageyama and Hinata is the real kick the whole team really needed. It’s just so good how it was all written. Adam, next you will see more detailed matches as soon as the author Furudate became comfortable with the readers not dropping the manga because reading a whole match without knowing much about volleyball could have been difficult or “boring”.

I am so happy to see Sarah Pavan reacting again to the Haikyu, and seeing Adam’s personality come out more and more. He slowly got invested and he is paying close attention to the show. The comments, the more in depth perspective analysis… i was so happy to have seen the series together again with Sarah and get so much insight about volleyball and storytelling… and i thought it was the best thing. Now they are giving us MORE content about this incredible series. Im touched 🥲 I eagerly wait for each episode reaction. Adam and Sarah did not necessarily agree on everything and that’s what makes these reactions soooo much better. Thank you guys for taking the time to react, and props to your editor as usual. Beautiful team 🤍

The way Sarah's face changes in the ten seconds between 17:10 and 17:20 is so funny. "I know that's a sensitive issue for you" 😂 Nice kill Adam

I just noticed at 03:41 Takeda’s jacket has the “監” (for kantoku 監督) symbol and Ukai’s jacket has the “C” (for Coach). According to Google, “監督　kantoku” is unique to Japanese sports and is equivalent to the head coach and the “coach” is akin to the assistant coach. I learn something new everyday.

This is why Noya is the GOAT! And when I heard Sarah shout "kick it" I thought she probably forgot, but when she was leaning in I 100% knew, lol

THE WAY MY BREATHING STOPPED WHEN SARAH SAID KICK IT BEFORE NOYA'S KICK SAVE AKJSHA LOVED IT OMG

I think I get what Adam is saying. If they did a rematch the next day, Date Tech likely would have won that game. The reason Karasuno won was because Date didn't adjust fast enough. But by the end, they were starting to counter Karasuno. Which is why it was said that if the match went to a 3rd set, it would likely be Date's victory. So it is less that Date was the better team, and more that they were a more *polished* team, I think?

23:50 Suga completing the arc from ep 9. Now neither he nor Asahi have any doubts about this toss. I love Haikyuu so much.

Sorry if someone has already written it. Sugawara's first name, Koushi, means to serve and support. His last name, Sugawara, is same surname that is considered the god of learning in Japan (only his cace.There are many names with the same sound but different meanings).

"When a Middle gets a dig, it's considered a bonus" says Adam. This is probably a common observation in professional indoor volleyball. I see how it makes sense. I won't jump the gun, because the Haikyu anime (and manga) is long, but the author addresses this point very well - with all the details in it, and why Haikyu is written the way it is. My comment may be too cryptic, but I won't spoil anything. Sarah has at least some idea of what I mean (and the manga goes even deeper into this).

The change in rotation might not have been the best for strategy, but it was a great decision for story. It set up Asahi to complete his arc, and I feel like that's a worthwhile compromise.

Oh, please feel free to cheer for other teams Adam! To be honest, Date Tech is like my second favorite team in Haikyuu. They're quiet but disciplined, and everybody is fighting for the pride of their slogan, “The Iron Wall.” I think if it weren't for Ukai's rotation, Date Tech actually stand a very good chance of winning the second set, so I kinda agree Adam saying Date Tech is the stronger team. In fact, the best blockers of Date Tech are both second years, so they are expected to be a very formidable team in the next year. They're very close to Karasuno, as you said, i's not an overestimation!

Don't know if this counts as a spoiler because it's a minor background detail in a few future episodes that might be easy to miss, but... Aone and Hinata's relationship is absolutely wholesome. Aone has that whole gentle giant thing going on. He might look mean and scary to most people, but the level of respect he shows to Hinata pretty much tells you everything you need to know about Aone's true nature.

Ooooh I wasn't expecting an episode today, but I'll take this 👀 Happy new year, you guys! 🎉❤

It's like seeing it in a new way with professional commentary breaking down the state of the game.

I can't understand how many times have I seen Haikyuu without realicing that Michimiya has twins in her team

I cannot count the amount of people who I introduced to Haikyuu that doesn't know a single thing about volleyball. That people watching can slowly absorb so much about the game is incredible to me.

I finally caught up with your recent videos of haikyu 🕺🕺. I was so intrigued to find an Olympic volleyball player reacting to my favorite sport anime I immediately binged all your reactions to get your viewpoints on the sport/anime comparisons and then you told us you were gonna watch it again with your hubby. So excited for another pros outlook on the anime yes!!!!! Thank you I hope to see more reactions this year also plz pause as much as you can and give us your views on the anime and how it handles the theme of volleyball and what volleyball athletes go through that’s what makes your reactions so awesome because the come for the highest level of volleyball we could ask for .❤

happy new year!! great discussion in this episode as always, i don't remember what sarah thought about ukai's rotation switchup on her first watch but i really appreciate hearing it now! as a non volleyball player i tend to rely on the viewpoints given me by the characters, so (and this goes for all your reactions) having your added perspective gives me so much more fulfilment on watching

Gosh, I think Adam will love Tsuki's arc so so much. I need more reactions per week! 😢

I love how Asahi is Noya's hero. That's why he got so upset when Asahi gave up before. It wasn't just that his efforts were going to waste if his teammates won't put in the effort, it was because the guy he looked up to the most gave up and walked away and it crushed him. So on that final spike we see Asahi through Noya's eyes, proving himself the hero he's always been in Noya's eyes.

Happy new year. I agree with Adam's assessment on Date Tech being the better team overall, as a team they also have more practice together I think. Karasuno has a bunch of 1st years and two players who didn't play with the team for a while. On Ukai's decision I do want to say that he's new to coaching so if the error was intended as such by Furudate that's cool.

Thank you so much for giving us this!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR 🎉🎉 Hope you guys are surrounded by love and laughter and great food 😂

I’m glad that Adam really into the watching it with Sarah right now, not just volleyball field but Haikyu

Karasuno shockingly passes well, because Tanaka and Asahi shockingly receive well. Noya and Daichi are known to be better at receives, but Asahi and Tanaka are quite something at passing. Kagayama is good at passing too, but he's like... Not human. Also he needs to set the ball. Tsukishima, Hinata and Yamaguchi are the only bad passers hahaha

The one thing that I want to tell you is that the Spring Tournament is ongoing in Japan right now😢

Asahi = the ace who does not fight alone. That's why we all love him.

I love your reactions so bad, you guys are so entertaining and knowledgeable, I think I have seen almost every Haikyuu! Reaction in YT but yours is very unique on the way you go into it as athletes

Happy new year! What a genuine surprise❤

I actually thought this video isn’t coming until next week. So thank you for the early update! And Happy New Year 2024 guys!

Idk much about volleyball until i watch haikyu, and very gald to have this channel recommended to me on youtube. Love the balance of reaction and analysis from your perspective. Thank you for the content!

Sarah : kick it! Me : You gotta be kidding me. 🤣 I laughed after hearing that. 😅

Regarding the discussion in the end, when Adam said that he thinks that Date Tech is a better team than Karasuno. I do kinda disagree, they were a better blocking team that's for sure but attacking and spiking wise I think they were not on Karasuno's level. The majority of this game Aone's quicks were dug by Noya and Daichi (who are the best defensive players on Karasuno). Date Tech's open hitters also weren't as amazing and were dug a few times or failed to score. I think over-all, Date Tech was the better blocking team yes, but in areas like receiving and digging, setting (thanks to Kageyama), and spiking (mostly thanks to Hinata) Karasuno was better over-all. Just based on this game alone of course. I just think over-all Date Tech's offense is just not as great as Karasuno.

I wish you guys could watch the bonus scene after this episode. It's on you tube but is in the first Haikyuu movie. It definitely is an emotional watch, but it is amazing.

I think Adam's comment about Dateko being the better team isn't off. Like, if they played again, or it went to 3 then Dateko would have won. Like, 9 out of 10 times Dateko will win in that situation, Karasuno is just really good at finding that 1 in 10 reality, if that makes sense

YES! Always so hype when I see you posted

Ive been waiting! So glad the video is out! Im gonna get right into it

I have BINGED all your Haikyuu videos and a fair few of you informative videos on "How to" and I love it all! Especially the Haikyuu of course as that's why I found your channel, you 2 are amazing and I look forward to seeing more reacts :D Thanks for the content!

Its good to see yall both healthy 😊

I do appreciate the coaching commentary. Another element to the reaction. I though do have the benefit of knowing the story but coaches comments are well appreciated.

I love your reactions so much!! Can't wait for more!!!

So excited for the next episode!!! Happy new year Adam and Sarah and thank you for the great reaction.

I've been waiting for this allthroughout this winter break! pls keep doing this until you reach the end of this show

I’m so glad I got the notification on cause I legit forgot today was Thursday! 😭 Adam the next match is AWSOME!

I missed your reactions last week🧡🖤 happy new year!! 🎉

You always make my Friday morning better, good to have you guys back, shout out from Brazil

Such an awesome treat to find your reaction to episode 18 - love learning more about volleyball and just adding more nuance and depth to a series that I already love. So thank you to you both for that! Also, this is an unusual aside, but it was great to see a return of Adam's Stony Brook's Volleyball Seawolves t-shirt - my undergrad alma mater. Awesome start to 2024 - wishing you a very Happy New Year to you both!!!

I missed you guys, I hope you had a great holiday season and happy new year🎉

I won't argue that Ukai had an error with the shift, I would only remind that he is a rookie coach going in head first so mistakes will happen.

Happy new year, Sarah and Adam! Thank you for all the amazing reactions in 2023

It's crazy how haikyu basically tought me the basics of voleyball and made me start playing, and seeing you guys now, watching and giving your analasys and opinions are teaching me even more! Gotta love it :)

Sarah was so immersed in this episode that I feel like I was watching her reaction for the first time again 🙌🏻 I wonder how you resist to watch more episodes after seeing just one 😅 I admire you for that, you have self-control level god 😱 I wish I have some of that 😅

Happy New Year everyone!! thanks for this update!! ❤❤

It was about time I have been waitofr almost 4 days

Sarah, Adam, Lydia! Happy new year! ❤

I'm not a volleyball player but I write in my spare time and as a writer, that shift to me felt like a plot device to setup Asahi for his redemption. The author needed to atleast make a good reason for it but the reason was a bit shaky. If he was to give a more solid reason for it, he'd have to rewrite some stuff back which is a drag if you've tried to write something before.

great video !

Got here as soon as I saw!

happy new year sarah and adam!

Well finally sarah 🙄 been waiting

Longest 2 week wait of my life!

You guys are amazing. Keep it up. The analysis you guys give on the strategies that the show is giving is great to hear. PLEASE continue to pause and give your thoughts and feedback! In fact, if you have more would love if you do more! Would also love to see you guys pick apart the inaccuracies of the show too, with the techniques in blocking/setting too! Am definitely well aware that this anime can exaggerate a lot, looking at you Kageyama and Hinata. Of all the reaction RU-vidrs that have watched haikyuu, you guys give the best insight because you guys take time to pause a TON and give your insight. Right there with coach Donny ❤❤

I love your comment about how well the series teaches the sport. Furudate is a former volleyball player and created the series to reverse the declining interest and state of boys volleyball in Japan. So it was made to increase interest and teach more about the sport for men!

And we're back!

I'd definitely say that Adam's right when comparing both teams; at this point in time, Karasuno is almost entirely reliant on the freak quick, and their strategy consists on using it, either to score or to confuse. When you take the freak quick out of the equation, Karasuno really struggles to make any kind of high level attack, and against a block as good as Dateko's, that is fatal. Still, Karasuno is not weak by any means, they have really good players, just not with enough technical skills or experience. This is good for their development, though, because they are "empty" since they are not used to any kind of strategy, they can absorb and learn better and faster than other teams, and that, right now, makes them a very important threat.

I totally agree that Tate Tech may be a team with more experience and strength. I also agree that the rotation is not the best choice. However, I think this shows that Karasuno and Wukai are a new team, and a new coach, like a baby crow. This thought 100% fits with Karasuno's current situation and level. I really like Haruichi‘s setting there.

I can’t believe you haven’t shed a tear even once adam! 😢😂

Great episode and discussion! I love watching your reactions and hearing your thought on the strategies and gameplay. Pretty sure you have explained it before, but could you maybe explain what the meaning of "in system" one more time?

Hi Adam I'm not sure if someone already mentioned this symbolism Daichi #1 - solid recievers are 1st to touch after the serve Sugawara #2 - setters are 2nd to touch Asahi #3 - spikers, the 3rd to touch the ball And if the attack fails #4, Nishinoya

Happy New Year!!!! We are starting the year with Noya's awesome digs, Sweet!!! About the rotation switch up, I feel if Ukai didn't make the change, Aone might have completely adjusted to Hinata's quick, thus shutting down Karasuno's main weapon. I feel there would have been a higher probability of going into 3rd set without karasuno's freak quick. Maybe that's why Ukai thought better not to give them chance to adjust to Hinata kageyama's freak quick. I don't have enough volleyball experience to make a call about this rotation change though.

Got me laughing at Sarah's "Kick it" inadvertent utterance.

Happy New Year！❤🎉

Hi, I don't know if someone that matters will read this, but this video in particular is missing in the Haikyuu reaction playlist, I've been watching through the whole playlist and when it came to this episode it skipped from e17 to e19 😅

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy new year. 🎊

To win the game, I think that Ukai's decision to shift the rotation is right. Because he freak attack is the only weapon to win Dateko. It must be ensured to be effective. But it's a little unfair to the player truely.

adam - congratulations on staying awake. we're all very proud of you. go take a well earned nap

WE NEED MORE! XD

This year's spring high school volleyball tournament has come to an end.

Common Fact. Kageyama is polite to people older than him(or less violence). When he got teased by them, he'll try to not get mad but when there's first year that join the teasing, he mostly wreak it to the first year.