Sure, the anime is called 2.43: Seiin High School Boys' Volleyball Team but we cannot take our eyes off Fukuho Tech. They are a tight-knit group and they represent a school with a long history of success in volleyball. The stakes are high for Fukuho since they don’t want to disappoint their dedicated fans. Did we mention that they are all hot, too?

Subaru Mimura’s dedication is particularly inspiring. At first, he comes off as cocky but as we get to know him, we realize that he is a self-sacrificing leader who has promised to never let his teammates down. Even after both his knees are injured, he doesn’t share that with anyone to not bring team morale down. The tall ace has more depth and emotion than we could see and he became a favorite quickly. More than anything, we’d love to see him opening up to Ochi about his fears and let some of his burden be known.

Mimura takes the spotlight but Ochi is supporting Fukuho from the sidelines. Ochi is devoted to Mimura and would do anything for him. These two go back a long way, since Mimura cheered up Ochi to keep his involvement in volleyball, even in different ways.

So, it’s only expected that, when Mimura slips and falls on the snow, Ochi sacrifices himself to protect him from a possible injury. Ochi fractures his arm and has to stay away for most of the match. His sacrifice fires up Mimura and the rest of his team who now want to make Ochi’s selflessness worth it. We were cheering them on, but then remembered about the Seiin boys too, which leads us to the next part!

Seiin’s Haijima is a tsundere, we know by now. We love to see him concerned about his boyfriend...ehm… his teammate Kuroba. Haijima pushes Kuroba in their final match with Fukuho to give it his best. Kuroba gets injured and Haijima runs over to check if everything is ok. Luckily, Kuroba only gets a nosebleed. It is a persistent one, though, so he has to stay out of court until the last set.

Back at the doctor’s office, we get to see how much Haijima cares about Kuroba. He’s usually a cold logician but when it comes to his favorite person, he readily apologizes and stays with him until sure everything is ok. We even get to see Haijima and Kuroba blushing shyly, which is adorable!

Haijima showing his soft side is our weak spot. Throughout the series he steadily learns to make his point clear without sounding harsh. Similarly, Kuroba just wanted to make Haijima proud, so he took all the chances to help Seiin win, and in the process won our hearts! Their chemistry is one of the best parts of 2.43: Seiin High School Boys' Volleyball Team and we want to see them together no matter what.

Seiin is not Haikyuu!! The series focuses on interpersonal relations and dynamics. The matches take up a smaller portion but they are epic, nonetheless. The drive to win is reinforced by strong emotions. Kuroba does not want to disappoint Haijima so he trains in secret. Haijima wants to show Kuroba he can be the team’s star if only he makes use of his talent. Fukuho’s Mimura knows that he has to give up on volleyball after high school due to his knee injuries so he doesn’t want to betray Ochi’s trust and swears to win. Ochi knows that due to his old injury he can only play a supportive role to the team, so he gives it his all for Mimura.

It’s a tough choice, but we can’t help but have a soft spot for the Seiin team leads. After all, Fukuho tech has been a top team for years and we feel that this is Seiin’s turn. Let’s not forget that the love and dedication between Haijima and Kuroba goes back a long way, since their childhood. We’d love to see Seiin not as the underdog anymore and our boys Haijima and Kuroba strengthening their bond.