Haikyuu!! is a manga overflowing with optimism. Its protagonist, Hinata Shoyo, is one of the most irritatingly positive people you will ever encounter. Yet, the series’ author, Haruichi Furudate, is the exact opposite of his character.
In sharp contrast to Hinata’s never-ending positivity, Furudate never once thought that anything good could happen. In a 2014 interview, the mangaka opened up about his feelings when Haikyuu!! was first selected for serialization.
Haruichi Furudate Admits His Fears During the Serialization of Haikyuu!!
When Haruichi Furudate received confirmation that his manga about volleyball would be serialized, he was far from happy; in fact, he felt devastated. Furudate admitted that he always wanted to work with a volleyball theme, so the only thing he ever thought about was completing the story without having it cut short.
Weekly Shonen Jump, the magazine in which Haikyuu!! debuted, has a reputation for axing any manga that does not perform well. Manga that do not receive an adequate response from readers get instructed to wrap up the story in a few chapters so that it can end.
It seems Furudate was afraid of this exact phenomenon. Thus, rather than looking at the positives, the author was scared for his story.
“No matter what kind of manga I would’ve started, the feelings I have at the beginning wouldn’t have changed. I would’ve still been scared of having to cut my story short (laughs).”
The author was so scared of his manga getting audited that he never once thought this opportunity could be a turning point in his life. Instead, he began overthinking that his career, along with his manga, would end.
“Even when I heard that Haikyuu!! would be serialized, rather than feeling the joy of grabbing the opportunity of serialization, I thought, “So it’s finally the beginning of the ‘ending’…”
In the very next line of the interview, Furudate admits that he himself is surprised at how pessimistic he can be.
How Haruichi Furudate Channeled the Pressure of Serialization
The best part about Haruichi Furudate’s pessimism is that rather than rendering him immovable, it made him want to work hard so that Haikyuu!! never had to face a rushed ending. For him, it could be the first and last chance to serialize a story in Weekly Shonen Jump, so one false move and everything would be over.
“This positive pressure and negative urgency that I feel hasn’t changed since the serialization began.”
The only thing that made the mangaka happy was receiving letters from fans who claimed to have begun playing volleyball after reading Haikyuu!!. The author often watched elementary and middle school volleyball matches for research, and he encountered children who knew Haikyuu!!.
“I can see that this manga has become a springboard for many people to start playing volleyball or to continue playing volleyball, and that makes me happy and lifts me out of my pessimistic state.”
As a conclusion to his fears, the author claims that the genre of a manga has nothing to do with how successful it can be.
You can read Haikyu!! manga on Viz Media and watch the anime on Crunchyroll.
