Volleyball Couple Reaction to Haikyu!! S1E21: "Senpai's True Abilities" 

adam’s “NO” when the episode ended i can’t 😭

Just wanted to add that Oikawa's "Mr. Refreshing" nickname for Suga is actually a pun in japanese, one word for "refreshing" is "sugasugashi"

10:41 Furudate-sensei (the mangaka) was really conscious about the rotations and tries not to magically switch players for the sake of creating tension. Not sure about how the anime was spliced together, because sometimes they do cut out scenes because of the limited time. In the manga, he has a mini court with mini faces all the time to visualize the rotations from above. To reach a scene with a good server (like Oikawa / Kageyama / Asahi), he "fast-forwards" the rotation by having a point-for-point scenario, which is still realistic. I think he only messed up a couple of times accidentally. Then he apologizes the next week on the next manga issue. 19:57 Just a cute trivia from the manga: Kageyama looks weird in that shot because Tanaka slapped his a** hahaha

LOL 14:02 Adam and Sarah behaving like they're Hinata's parents watching from the side lines.

I have watched this show a million times but that scene with Kageyama begging to come on and Suga wanting to stay on longer... I don't think I've seen a show deal with this team dynamic so perfectly. It wasn't toxic, both players want Karasuno to win and are aigned. Love this.

A small part that makes the last point Suga makes cooler (at 31:00 in this vid) is that the three third years all have numbers for the order the touch the ball. Daichi #1 receives the serve, Suga #2 sets it, then Asahi #3 spikes it for the poing.

I love to see Adam getting so into it and enjoying the show so much! Sarah not letting Adam catch her off guard and being tight lipped on what she thinks will happen in the second set ❤ Was waiting all day for this to drop! Gonna sleep happy tonight!

Can I just say that I love how everyone acknowledges Suga's skills. He pales in comparison compared to Kageyama, a genius but I really love how everyone, the seijoh coach, oikawa, etc acknowledgedes that Suga is no slouch on court.

Adam's 'NO' at the episode ending is a mood.

You know, I remember when I watched the first episode, Adam was pretty stiff as if he had no interest in watching anime. But now, I enjoy watching him laugh with Sarah because he's emotionally attached to anime, especially Haikyuu! Thank you, Sarah, for showing him our anime world!

this is a suga episode and he's so valid but what im really here for is the gradual erosion of sarah's anti-oikawa barrier.... from "I HATE HIM SLIMY ARROGANT DOUCHE" to "well he's a little immature off court"..... its just a matter of time until my guy wrangles a place in ur heart WITHOUT glasses

Adam's "NO!" when the ED started actually made me laugh out loud! You really do lose track of time when watching these episodes. I mentioned this is the Dateko match, but Ukai is definitely not afraid to take risks. To me, that's a real testament of how much faith he has in his players. Suga's the best. We've known that for a while, but he just reinforced it times a million.

I love when Adam asks questions and Sarah is just at a loss of words “…I don’t know” 😂

Adam you yelling "No!" at the end - we all definitely relate to that reaction!😂 I adore this episode. I love that Suga gets his time to really shine and for us to see the potential of having Suga's strategic mind. It also really gives Kageyama a reason to look up to and learn from an older setter who is not just Oikawa and his setting and communication style with hitters. Also peaking that Ennoshita senpai advice to help move things along on the bench too

I love how Sarah still reacts as if she hasn't seen the series before because same 😅

I love Suga so much. And I know it was already pointed out during the first run through, but everyone loves that last point with the three seniors making the play happen together - Daichi at #1 with the dig getting the first touch, Suga at #2 setting at the second touch, and Asahi at #3 getting the kill. Love Asahi knowing that it was probably Suga's last play and making absolutely certain that they sent him off on a good note, too. Regarding Oikawa always serving, I think it's a pretty similar situation to only really showing Hinata's serves or receives when he messes up hilariously. If you actually go back and check, he last serves when Seijoh is at 15 points, and Tanaka ends it by making it 15-8. They trade some points back and forth - we see 16-9, etc., and Kageyama gets pulled out at 20-11. Until the moment when you guys said he's always serving (at 21-15), Oikawa hasn't served since it was 15-8. They just didn't show every serve in between. Thing is, when he IS serving, it's always relevant every single time regardless of whether it goes well for Seijoh or goes well for Karasuno, so it's always shown. Finally, this episode really drives home how lucky Kageyama is to get these guys as his teammates. The growth we've seen in him throughout the season would have had no chance of happening on almost any other team. I would probably only trust Nekoma's experienced coach and the similar team environment there to be able to guide him properly, and even then, it probably would have taken a fair bit longer than it did with Karasuno.

Oikawa was not always serving. They only show his serves most of the times because he was the only one on Seijoh with an impactful serve at this moment. Narratively, at this point, people on court was intimidated by his serves so it was highlighted even more.

Suga has my heart 😭❤️ I love Adam's "No!" at the end. I love how much he fell in love with Haikyu ☺️

17:19 Ohhh Sarah laugh at oikawa's jokes.. 🤭😂

The poetic sequence of that point at 31:00 always makes me smile. Daichi (1) receives, Suga (2) sets, and finally Asahi (3) scores the point. "Give it to me. I will definitely break through". And he did, as they did before countless times. It's so good.

I think all the Oikawa-enthusiasts collectively cheered upon seeing Sarah and Adam laughing at Oikawa's teasing to Iwaizumi. Thank you for that haha. Anyway, just a few tips for future episodes, I noticed that sometimes you tend to get locked up in reading the dialogues (totally understandable) so to get a better grasp of the contexts, you can try to rewind some scenes and observe the reactions of other characters or other details presented (you can also do this for fun scenes just to enjoy the moment). I get that some details are easier to miss and sometimes the pauses affect the way some scenes may be perceived as conclusions/theories were formulated before the scene ends so, I'm hoping for more patience in understanding the characters of the show. Each character is so well and beautifully written, regardless if they're in Karasuno or not. I think that being able to see and appreciate things to that depth would make the show more fun. Still, if you're curious about some details that you might have missed in the previous episodes, below is a list. (I borrowed some of Sarah's passion to play devil's advocate here). These are mostly from EP19 because I watched that late. Hoping you'll see this comment tho. 1. Kageyama said that Oikawa and Iwaizumi have been on the same team since grade school. They are basically childhood friends. That said, they have a different dynamic than normal teammates. They banter every chance they get, Oikawa annoys Iwaizumi with anything he says and Iwaizumi threatens Oikawa with body harm in return. There's no malice there. 2. To support my statement above, notice how Iwaizumi immediately told Oikawa to not stay up all night upon seeing the Karasuno match in Oikawa's bag. It shows that he knows Oikawa's tendency to stay up watching the game for research and is concerned about his well-being. In the end, he gets to call Oikawa crappy and trashy, but still Oikawa takes no offense in that. Also, fom ep15/16 Iwaizumi fetched Oikawa from his fangirls by throwing a ball at Oikawa's head, still no bad blood there. 3. The warm-ups. It was kinda glossed over but Takeda upon watching Seijoh said that Oikawa is apparently watching the other players closely. Shimizu failed to see that as from the outside it looks like they are fighting because the other members had to hold Iwaizumi from punching Oikawa for his comment. But notice how his treatment of his hitters differ. Each comment is tailored specifically to how the member is doing in that particular moment, the same with how suga talks/praises his hitters to know their condition. He's not just taking care of the member's physical being but also their mental state. Do they need encouragement? Is he jumping as high as he usually do? Is he distracted? Does he need to be riled/fired up? Each comment is not an off-handed random thought. Given the difference in personalities, of course Suga's approach is different from Oikawa's but the goal does not differ much. He observes his teammates and makes sure that they are in the best possible state to play the game. In Iwaizumi's case, I think he noticed some stiffness in his swing like he's forcing it which is why he told him that he doesn't have to try too hard. What came after is partly from them being friends and for him to also loosen up. They've been together for around a decade probably at this point, Oikawa knows how Iwaizumi would react and the punch is more likely to be an empty threat. 4. Oikawa's Ritual. I need to defend this because I really love that one line is like a switch for the team. It's not in Oikawa's character to wax poetics like Takeda, but if you observe closely it is a way for Oikawa to lead the team as their captain and setter. You see how he's like chilling before, then suddenly turns serious before telling his team that one line. The same how his team were rowdy during the warm-ups teasing each other and fighting but from that one line, everybody knew it was game time. I think there will be no other way for Oikawa to tell his team that he trusts them every game other than what was shown (without the alternatives feeling too out of character). Also, the coach already mentioned that there is no underlying meaning in that statement. He trusts his team, that's it. And in turn he mentioned how the team trusts Oikawa which is also reflected by the change in atmosphere like the team treasures knowing that Oikawa trusts them, thus them going in the game more seriously. 5. Team dynamic. Oikawa for all he looks arrogant and cocky is extremely self-aware and is honest to a fault. This is pretty apparent even at this point, especially when you see him talk to Iwaizumi which is when he is most honest and relatively vulnerable. Also in his internal monologues. He doesn't think that he's so good that his teammates should just blindly follow him. If you look back at the warm-ups, Oikawa apologized to Kindaichi because his set is too high. Again, Oikawa and Iwaizumi just have a different dynamic than everyone else. 6. Lastly, I know that you have expectations on how the members should or would react especially when you hit pause before seeing such, but let's take into account how there is no shown issue on Seijoh's team dynamic. They're doing well, there's no visible annoyance from any team member nor an internal monologue about how infuriating their captain is. Kindaichi used to hate Kageyama and even openly rebelled against him during a match, if you can't see a hint of that directed to Oikawa then, that's saying something. I'm sorry for the Oikawa defense rant, but I just rewatched ep 19 and the absolute chaos in the comment section inspired me so here you go. Also, I understand the benefit of hindsight from a backstory that Adam is yet to see so I wanted to point out things that were missed from the previous episodes as compensation.

Adam saying “NO! 😱” was freakin hilarious! 🤣 Ladies and Gentlemen We Got Him 😂 he was really looking forward too see what will happen next 😭 but gotta wait till next week 😭

Suga is a gem and we all know he is amazing, even Tsukki doesn't sass him. Also all the great strats and planning brain. Its been said multiple times in here but Oikawa isn't always serving, the points do adjust to fit the rotation well, there aren't really any mess-ups in the fact in the show. No, the show the Libero not be able to get back in time to hit the ball, it was a legit out. Suga setting up Hinata to block good is awesome, actually playing his position and not making Tsukki do all the work. Suga starting 2nd set makes sense, gives Kageyama time to rest up and continue to refocus, then he can come on when they need him to clucth it out. At least that is what makes sense to me personally. Oikawa teasing Iwazumi is still awesome, shows how good friends they are. Ennoshita (the guy talking to Kageyama) is one of my favorite side characters, he has great insights. Oikawa's respect for Daichi is one of my favorite things in this episode, he recognizes how important he is to Karasuno and how awesome they are. Love how Adam is recognizing just how quickly Kageyama adapts and how much that takes and his growth as a person. Azumane doing the last point to make Suga feel better is awesome feels. Love Ukai saying "next time" like it isn't even a question and how good it makes Suga feel, such an awesome moment. Also let me know if you like the comment format or not, I am experimenting with typing as I watch so I don't loose masses of text

I think I have yet to see a more powerful reaction from Adam than his sheepish scratching of his eyebrow at 32:11. We're right there with you, man. Tanaka and Suga really make this story arc such a trip. I like to imagine that if he was watching alone, Adam may have experienced some slightly moist corners of his eyes 🥲

I agree with Sarah and Adam.. Suga and Tanaka deserve diamond hearts 💎💎 I really liked how confident Asahi was when he asked Suga to set him.. it was like a quiet, less dramatic version of ‘Sugaaaaaaaa!!!!’ from Episode 9 (not 8, sorry!)..It showed real growth on his part ❤ I sometimes envy as to how mature these high school third years are than I am 😅😅

I wonder if Sarah noticed Ennoshita (my fav chara) giving his juniors advice this time 'round? Just gonna copy/pasted some of my personal opinions with the translations for this ep I wrote on her 1st watch since they seem to be still causing some confusion this time through: 8:14 「慌てないでいつもよりほんの少しためて飛びな」➔ "don't panic, though. Just jump a little higher than usual" should be more like "don't panic, & jump after accumulating momentum/pausing for a bit (longer) compared to your usual (timing)". This is clearly a mistranslation that was caused probably by mishearing "tamete" as "takaku" (I mean, their translation implies that Hinata isn't usually jumping to his highest point while blocking, but did so after being told, then got surprised that he was successful) . It's basically the same thing Sugawara was saying later on. 14:03 「日向！ダイレクトだ！」「ダイレクト、初めてだ」➔ "Hinata! It's coming directly to you!" "This is the 1st time it's come directly to me" should be "Hinata! Direct (attack)!'" "This is the 1st time I'm gonna do/try a direct (attack)". Hinata saying he's never had the ball come right at him before this is ridiculous. 22:09 「でも他の皆はそこそこ技術あるからそれなりに打てちゃうと思うんだよね」➔ "I think that everyone else also has their own techniques & that affects how they hit the ball" should be more like "but since everyone else has a certain level of technique, they're able to pretty much hit them (the not so perfect-fit for-them sets) regardless".

Suga and Oikawa are my favourite anime characters of all time. Suga is such an amazing character he supports his teammates and has goods strategies that he uses when he gets on the court and as you saw he can be a bit chaotic but it brings the morale of his team back up and what most people don't know this unless they read the Haikyuu wiki page but one of his nicknames is "The Indomitable Setter" meaning impossible to subdue or defeat. Suga is like that because you can't subue his supportive, team mom nature, his determination or his spirit. While people may say that Suga gets defeated I believe he is not in the way that he since he was aware of his limitations but he did not let them define, subue, defeat him. He was able to get around them and play to his best ablitiy and bring the best of his teammates abilities and boost their morale as stated earlier. Plus everytime he gets on the court teams don't know what to do since they don't know how Suga plays and plus it is also said that everytime Suga is on the court he has something up his sleeve. Sorry for the rant but that is my honest opinion plus this is my number 2 favourite Haikyuu episode of all time. I really want both of your guys's honest opinions about the nickname "The Indomitable Setter" that was given to Suga and do you think it fits him from what you guys have seen of him so far. Yes I agree Suga and Tanaka or both gems as well.

I am a Suga type of player. Not a huge guy (5’7”). Not a crazy fancy pinpoint setter. But I know how to bring up morale and I can make a difference where it counts. I’m aspiring to be stronger and smarter too though!

It’s nice to see Suga’s influence on the whole team and it’s awesome for him to be able to led the team to go relatively even in the first half of the second set against Seijoh’s Oikawa.

suga is one of my favourite characters so I really enjoyed this ep. So glad that he got the chance to shine.

When you get so invested in an animated match that you start objecting to the animated ref's decisions, you know you're a massive fan already 👌🏼👌🏼

I can't believe (I totally believe) I'm watching this show all over again, hahaha. I love the pair of you commenting. It's great to have a bro in this joint too.

I'm just rewatching rn, but I really want to point out how Hinata looks out for Kageyama. He always checks on him and immediately knows when Kageyama is not being himself or something like that, which also highlights Hinata's emotional intelligence. That and the friendship that they built in that short span of time needs more appreciation🤧

I'm sure you knew that Oikawa wasn't *actually* serving all the time, and that it was just a storyboarding choice since his serves are so butt-clenchingly hard, so it's kinda funny seeing everyone trying to logic that it wasn't actually the case as if volleyball rules could allow that to happen lol. Still, I think this episode highlights something about Haikyuu that makes it have such a universal appeal even to non-athletes - each rally or point is not just fun volleyball to watch, it's also precisely pieced together to tell a compelling story from a literary perspective in the character backgrounds, experiences, motivations, situations, down to who touches a ball in a point being a conscious choice from the writer to have some meaning in the story. Suga's role this episode in forming the team dynamics and shaping Kageyama's growth is a prime example. It's part of what makes rewatches so much fun!

Suga was one of my first fav characters in the series and even after meeting tens of teams and hundreds more characters, he keeps his #1 place in my heart.

もう少しで映画もやるし、2人の反応が楽しみ

I love the combination and back and forwards between "Do you think they would do this" and "well you've seen it before so you know exactly what's gonna happen" situations from Adam 😂

Unreal timing, trailer just dropped! More Haikyu coming mid feb ^^ Glad to see you tolerating Oikawa a bit more on the rewatch too 😂Really is the small details that are impressive, like the way he compliments Kindaichi's blocking right before the solo quick shutdown. I think alot of us didnt like him at first, the VA really does a great job of playing the villain.

I need to see some footage of these Lydia plays. Sounds like a fun teammate to play with! And a great editor to boot 👍

I love this episode so much, so I am really looking forward to Adam's response!

Suga’s moment is the beeessst 🥺

Adam’s « NO » at the end proves one thing… one of us !

I laughed out loud with Adam at "back then I am pretty sure it was actually acurate". I have watched this show for 819 times I got easily distracted by goofy things at moving moments.

Waiting for Adam to mess up the intro and say "currently Sarah's husband" 🤣 love y'all 🏐

Oho, early morning upload! Here for it 👋🏽

when salah is with adam, she is more like a child. I really love that.

you guys are the goat i wait for these every friday love it as always love the discussions and perspectives and especially appreciate your guys' attention to detail!! love from sweden

Always here for the Tanaka and Suga recognition!! They are gems and Karasuno’s hypesquad/keepers of the moral for real (+ Noya of course)!! Don’t know if anyone’s mentioned it already, but Suga stopped himself from saying “Go win this” and changed it, because it’s a team effort, they’re both contributing to the match and Karasuno’s success :) I love how invested you both are, sighing when it’s Oikawa’s turn to serve again, rooting for Suga and your reactions to Hinata having to hit the ball directly XD Also Adam’s “No!” at the end there was great, haha, we’ve all been there 😂

32:52 "NO" so offended, love to see it

Loved this episode again!

Your reactions are the best!!

I always enjoy watching your channel I am big fan of both of you I haven't watched volleyball before either, but watching Haikyuu and your commentary has piqued my curiosity. I plan to check out Sarapavan's matches on RU-vid. ❤

It’s crazy how early it still is for Adam like there is so much more to be watched. Love these vids!

Remember there are no bad calls in Haikyuu. Every officiating call made is accurate for the sake of time. They made it look like seijoh touched that ball, but they actually didn’t.

Sarah reacting to Haikyuu!! alone was great, but your double reaction just blows in out of the park. Season 1 is nearing completion, Karasuno v Seijho, the hype is real, can't wait for the next episode.

This episode really made me feel that finally Adam is starting to love this anime. He seems really excited with every play and I love it. As always your videos are amazing ❤

Might be premature but I'm calling this- Adam will love another certain white haired king❤

This episode that I will always call the Suga episode, is actually one of my all-time favorite episodes of Season 1. It really cements why Suga is one of my all-time favorite characters of the entire show, just 2nd behind Hinata. I love him so much and I love watching people recognize him and acknowledge him as a player

that NO was personal hahahaahah

I have to Say they proportionally were better when suga was on the field because if the score was 11 against 20, then karasuno scored 55% of what aoba josai scored. During the periode suga was on the field, if karasuno scored 4 while aoba josai scored 5 they scored 80% of what aoba josai scored.

i live for these reactions

I love that you were so much in the match that you paused less and your video were only like 35 minutes long!!!! We have Suga loves in this chapters and he deserve it!!! I aplaud with you for him. And Sarah with the feels with the plays and the Adam`s "NO" and saying the name without doupts... Yeah to all that!!! Pd: Happy that we know some more of Lydia thanks to Sarah too :)

Oh boy, I gotta watch this later with some popcorn 😂❤

Karasuno's 1st and 2nd years are all wild cats and dogs... But the 3rd years had already charmed and tamed them...😅....like tanaka, noya, kags, tsuki.....if they had been in another team they wouldn’t have developed so much...🥰

Adam's NO... we all have been there. All these years watching this show, I never noticed the libero touched the ball before it went out. You guy rock. Sara seemed a little down at the beginning, and Haikyu 😂 turned that mood around. I'm so happy.

Yes Adam, I always had the same reaction when an episode ended.

episodes 20 and 21 leave off on pretty big cliffhangers. love it and hate it at the same time. love it for the hype for the next episode but hate it because you want the next one right after.

There's not exist a single time when i watch this episode and not cry or feel sad on the Suga/Kageyama scene, it's just perfect. Sarah is completely right, we don't deserve our boy Suga

the call at like 14:30 or so is an animation mistake i would say, in the manga he doesn't touch it and it's clearly out

- Next week tho... It's going to be pretty emotional for me, isn't it? Looking forward.

14:43 I really like this momento of you guys, I can see the offense in your faces 😂❤ lmao Btw I'm also sure that Watari touched the ball!!

Sono molto contenta che Adam si sia appassionato ad haikyu. Questo anime merita tantissimo, e' coinvolgente e finisce troppo presto 😂

Saw it in another video, but Oikawa… Petty, immature, “arrogant” But the nail on the nose is POMPOUS because petty is a reaction in spite but he does everything very tactful, arrogant is thinking you’re the best but lack humility but he works very hard.

Hinata's first direct attack is still one of my favourite moments with Kageyama yelling "you suck" right after

I let you my thoughts: the episodes are too short, and I need more. XD But of course great reaction as always!

I felt that NO from Adam 😂

As a brazilian, the Fofão reference is such a delight!

WOOOO LETS GOOOO!

Adam hasn't has much exposure to our #6 Ennoshita, aside from when he spoke to Tobio and Shoyo during the training camp. But what he said to Kageyama highlights why he's so great.

I let the episodes pile up and now I’m going through them, Adams NO! At the ending credits playing had me laughing

Totally off the topic but you guys are too cute 🥰

Adam is getting so much more comfortable

bruh adam's 'NO" when the credits started. i feel thatso hard lmao

14:03 my favorite reaction in this episode😂

Adam my guy. Its been said before but we all relate to that, "NO!". Waiting on these anime episodic release cycle, as well as the season releases was so rewarding. Here you are forced to endure even without all the seasons available to binge, haha. cudos mate

" No!! ".. same adam same.. I get the same feeling when your guys reaction video is over too. Now I have to wait a couple days for demon slayer reaction.

I think this is the first time Adam screamed "NO!" at the end of an episode :O

You just gotta love genius idiots like Kageyama. yes he is prideful but his drive to improve is just much higher. He took that as an opportunity to learn from the field instead of resting or taking it easy,

32:52 From one Adam, to another, I understand completely

I'm just curious if Sarah watch Haikyu movie commin next month* w/o Adam or wait till he finishes off all the anime series.🤔 *release might be different where you live.

Not really related...Seijo's coach described him as "special（tokubetsu）" instead of "sincerity（tokujitsu）". Sugawara is not talented, but he is my favorite character who is dedicated to his teammates!

usually they skip some points so the important servers will be focused instead of normal serves like Hinata's

The translation function didn't work well, so the viewing was delayed💦 It was not particularly discussed in the comments section, but about Suga-san's line at 31:50. I'm sorry if someone has already commented. In the translation, Suga-san first said "KATEYO (go win this)." But he's rephrasing it to "KATSUZO (let's win this thing)." I can only speak Japanese, so I don't know what kind of impression English speakers will get in this translation, but I will tell you the impression of Japanese speakers. The part of "go win this" that Suga-san first wanted to say is "a word of encouragement to the other party that does not include Suga-san himself" in Japanese. "Let's win this thing" that Suga-san told Kageyama is "inspiration that includes the meaning of let's win with the team, including Suga-san himself" in Japanese. It's just a slight difference in meaning in Japanese, but the fact that he rephrased it made a big difference in impression for viewers.

about 2 man receive, i think i side with Adam when every player has overall same skills on average. but in terms of haikyuu and karasuno specifically, when it comes to receiveing only daichi and nishinoya are really good at it. Other second and third years are only good or average and none of first year can really receive well. (maybe kageyama but as a setter he is trying to avoid receiving) so, again as i said i agree with adam that 3 or even 4 receivers of same skill level is better but in this scenario adding third receiver with much lower level of receive skills could actually make things worse, or rather risk is much higher than reward

Hi

'He touched it!' 'Yeah!'

I love how Suga's not only "Mr. Refreshing" for the team but also has Adam's face beaming; really shows off why he's got a key to the bro house this episode

I get why some like Oikawa, but what always upsets me most about him is his pettiness. Players like Suga, Noya, or Hinata have that bit of Goku (Dragonball) in them where they always want to defeat you at your best. They uplift everyone around them because the stronger your opponents, the stronger you are when you win. However, Oikawa will purposely sabotage others - he'd of gone his whole life trying to never let Kagayama know what he's doing wrong. It always bothered me how vehemently Oikawa acts like rival rather than mentor to Kagayama. Oikawa having high emotional intelligence makes it that much worse; Kagayama's a dick, but he actually makes effort to improve as he (very) slowly gains awareness.

I’m here too! 🩷