2.43: Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team (Japanese: 2.43 清陰高校男子バレー部, Hepburn: Nī Ten Yonsan Seiin Kōkō Danshi Barē-bu) is a Japanese volleyball light novel series written by Yukako Kabei and illustrated by Aiji Yamakawa. Shueisha have published five volumes in three seasons since March 2015 under their Shueisha Bunko imprint. A manga adaptation with art by Yamakawa has been serialized in Shueisha's josei manga magazine Cocohana from July to September 2018. An anime television series adaptation produced by David Production aired from January to March 2021, on the NoitaminA block.
"2.43" refers to the height of the net for male volleyball, 2.43 m.
Contents
Plot
Kimichika Haijima, a talented setter, transfers from Tokyo back to his childhood hometown in Fukui after causing an incident with his former middle school volleyball team. He reunites with his childhood friend Yuni Kuroba, a physically gifted player with strong jumping ability but performs poorly under pressure. The two play together in middle school, but after Kuroba collapses under pressure during a crucial tournament match, a conflict forms between them and they become estranged.
Both later enroll at Seiin High School and join the boys' volleyball team, where they are reunited alongside teammates including the determined captain Shinichirou Oda and the tall vice-captain Misao Aoki. As the team trains and competes in prefectural tournaments, Haijima works to rebuild his partnership with Kuroba and help him overcome his mental weaknesses so he can become the team's ace. Together, the Seiin team aims to defeat the dominant teams in Fukui Prefecture and qualify for the Spring High National Tournament.
Characters
Yuni Kuroba (黒羽祐仁, Kuroba Yuni)
Voiced by: Junya Enoki (Japanese); Bryson Baugus (English)
Yuni (or Kuroba his teammates call him) is Kimichika's (Chika's) best friend since kindergarten who was originally upset when his best friend moved back in middle school.
Kimichika Haijima (灰島公誓, Haijima Kimichika)
Voiced by: Kensho Ono (Japanese); Zach Aguilar (English)
Kimichika or Chika is Yuni's best friend since kindergarten. Chika was involved in a scandal at his middle school which caused him to transfer from a prestigious school to the same school as Yuni.
Misao Aoki (青木 操, Aoki Misao)
Voiced by: Yūichirō Umehara (Japanese); Ricco Fajardo (English)
Shinichiro Oda (小田伸一郎, Oda Shinichiro)
Voiced by: Kent Itō (Japanese); Clifford Chapin (English)
Akito Kanno (棺野秋人, Kanno Akito)
Voiced by: Shouta Aoi (Japanese); Khoi Dao (English)
Yusuke Okuma (大隈優介, Okuma Yusuke)
Voiced by: Subaru Kimura (Japanese); Tyson Rinehart (English)
Mimura Subaru (三村統, Subaru Mimura)
Voiced by: Kaito Ishikawa (Japanese); Alejandro Saab (English)
Media
Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced via Twitter on November 1, 2019. The series is animated by David Production and directed by Yasuhiro Kimura, with Yōsuke Kuroda handling series composition, Yūichi Takahashi designing the characters, and Yugo Kanno composing the music. It aired from January 8 to March 26, 2021, on the NoitaminA programming block. The opening theme song is "Paralysis" (麻痺, "Mahi") performed by yama, and the ending theme song is "Undulation" performed by Sōshi Sakiyama (崎山 蒼志, Sakiyama Sōshi). Funimation licensed the series and streamed it on its website in North America and the British Isles, in Europe through Wakanim, and in Australia and New Zealand through AnimeLab. Following Sony's acquisition of Crunchyroll, the series was moved to Crunchyroll.
Reception
The anime adaptation's first episode received mixed reviews from Anime News Network's staff during the Winter 2021 season previews. Caitlin Moore critiqued that the episode was a "quieter, slower character piece" akin to Stars Align, praising the "detailed and deliberate" character acting and strong, relatable writing regarding Yuni and Chika, saying it has "come right out the gate with one of the best premieres of winter so far". Nicholas Dupree praised the premiere for Yuni's "tempered but still present earnestness" being delivered with "well written dialogue" containing "character and personality" along with the rest of the cast and Yasuhiro Kimura's environmental work and storyboarding for giving the settings a "sense of place". James Beckett praised David Production for capturing the usual sports melodrama without being "too listless or downbeat" and the above average writing providing "naturalistic and relatable" dialogue for its characters, but was critical of Chika not being "interesting or engaging" beyond his douchebag personality and his relationship with Yuni. Theron Martin found the episode more palatable than Haikyu!! due to its tolerable character designs and personalities showing through their appearances and felt that Chika's "darker-edged intensity" displayed a "more intriguing character", concluding that: "In all, this series seems like it has at least some potential, especially on the dramatic front. Whether or not that will be enough to hold the interest of those who don't normally care for sports series remains to be seen." Rebecca Silverman was taken aback by the "pretty grim" debut being "relentlessly dark" with its bullying plot, both Chika and Yuni having "unsavory elements" in their respective lives and felt it lacked the "dynamic art and animation" of previous sports shows, concluding that: "It's no Haikyu!!, and while it doesn't need to be, it should at least make me want to see these guys develop and win, and this episode isn't giving me those feelings." Fellow ANN editor Christopher Farris reviewed the complete anime series, saying: "Far from the potentially-terrifying wild ride it began as, or the broad espousal of genuine team spirit it nearly grew into, we end up with yet another typical story of a few focused-on friends wanting to play volleyball real good."