Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle (2024)

One volleyball match is the entire plot of Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle, and it still made $100 million worldwide. That tells you how much people care about these kids. It’s the third round of the Spring Nationals, Karasuno and Nekoma have scrimmaged for a year, and now it finally counts. It’s crows against cats: karasu is crow in Japanese, and neko is cat. Shoyo Hinata has waited a long time to face Nekoma’s Kenma Kozume for real, and if Karasuno loses, there is no rematch. This is a direct sequel to the TV series with zero on-ramp, so newcomers will drown in names, and the single-match setup leaves room for nothing else. It’s also the first half of a two-film finale, so it stops mid-tournament. It runs a tight 85 minutes. A 7.6 because it’s a thrill for fans and a closed door for everyone else. $92.61 says you leap to block the next thing anyone tosses your way, even if it’s just the car keys.

What works: The match carries real stakes, the Hinata and Kenma rivalry finally gets its payoff, and the crows-versus-cats setup gives it a scrappy identity.

What doesn’t: It’s a direct sequel with no catch-up for newcomers, and as the first half of a two-film finale it stops mid-tournament.

Who it’s for: Longtime fans of the series who have waited years for Karasuno and Nekoma to meet for real.