Aoashi

I like Ao Ashi. What I like about Ao Ashi is the emphasis that in the world of football, not everyone is instantly a top star football player who only plays in the frontline like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. In the world of football, a team consisting of multiple talented players in different positions is what makes different players stand out and valuable in the eyes of many football enthusiasts. When a show like Ao Ashi breaks this false perception in the established norm media, it’s a welcoming thing to see because that means a show like Ao Ashi can explore other aspects offootball other than the conventional route. Ao Ashi begins like any other sports series: A high schooler who’s passionate about the sport he plays and strives to be the best at the sport in the hopes of going professional. Aoi Ashito is, by all means, presented to be the usual run-of-the-mill shounen sports series’ protagonist. A character who embodies all of the positive traits there can be. Thankfully, however, the series does break him down and allows him to go through transition phases and progression while maintaining the said traits. What differentiates Ao Ashi from other sports anime alike is the approach in which this is done. The show is very much grounded in reality. It doesn’t have the over-the-top edginess shenanigans to it like many other shounen sports series out there. This then in turn allows Aoi Ashito’s eventual growth as a player and as a person to feel authentic to the viewers. In earlier episodes, besides the struggle in understanding his own capabilities as a football player, Ashito’s also weighed in by the burden he has on his mother and brother. The series emphasizes the importance of his family and how much they have sacrificed for his dreams. Ashito as a player and person is very much molded by his family’s influences. This is why he feels that if he doesn’t succeed in his dreams, it would be a waste of his family’s hard-earned money, time, and devotion to him. This level of investment that the series has for a part of Ashito’s motivation as a character is humbling to me. Because of the series' strong emphasis on this part of him, we can see why he acts the way he does and the drive he has for his passion. It’s this understanding that makes him much more nuanced than what it may appear on the surface. And the series isn’t afraid of reminding Ashito and the viewers about his upbringing from time to time, which is crucial to the journey that Ashito continues to undergo as a football player. This anime develops Ashito and then immediately breaks him down. Similar to Ace of Diamond, Ashito in this series goes through transition phases and that’s how the development of his character comes into play. Throughout the first half of Ao Ashi, we see how Ashito grows comfortable in his position and play style. He’s very forward-minded. All he ever wants to do on the field is to play the striker positions and score goals—a very typical depiction of main leads in football-related media. He wants to become the best of the best solely in that position and when he’s stripped of that position, he’s left distraught and breaks down. Ashito felt as if his soul was ripped from him because scoring goals and playing the forward position was all he ever conditioned himself to do. This further exacerbated his mentality when his friends and family in the past also encouraged him in his so-desired playing style. But changing his desired position also paved a way for a new perspective. Football is a team sport, which is why it was important for Ashito to finally grasp this concept. It’s part of his character development in the series. This also initiated a much-needed contemplation on his part. Upon reflecting on his past, Ashito realized he was selfish and naive before he entered the academy, and after he entered the academy. He realized he never understood what football was despite being his passion. He felt guilty for blindingly indulging in his friends and family’s trust and praises in him for all those years that he preached about becoming a renowned footballer. By playing in a fullback defender position, Aoi Ashito not only learned the lessons that were needed but also about himself—what defines him as a footballer and his abilities. Ao Ashi as a sports anime presents things on a more microscopic level for viewers to understand. Ao Ashi’s majority of the episodes consist of demonstrating the sport on the side of tactical and strategic plays. But it’s largely presented through the eyes of Ashito as he’s the playmaker on the field. This also inevitably leads him to be a “protagonist” who lacks the fundamental knowledge of football even though he was recruited to a supposed prestigious football academy in Japan. Thus when watching the earlier episodes of the series, the pacing can feel really slow even though it’s decently paced given the amount of content from the original source material that was cut in the sacrifice of time. One can argue the quality of the series in this sense. Ao Ashi is very much on the side of presenting strategies, tactics, and how a game of football is played in different scenarios depending on each team’s approaches and the subtle tactical maneuverings on the field. In doing so, not only the pacing is slow, but it’s also at the risk of losing viewers’ attention if the emphasis on the tactical plays doesn’t interest them. For that, it’s up to each individual’s perception. But to me, this aspect of the series adds a great level of depth and it’s meant to be appreciated as there’s a level of enjoyment it holds. The second major setback to Ao Ashi during the earlier episodes is that of animation–or lack thereof. What consists of the fluid animation is not of football matches or character movements, but of slide-show. The directing was subpar to the like of other Production I.G’s sports series. This inevitably adds to the detriment of some viewers' enjoyment. However, evidently, much of that is gone by the second half of the series. The newfound directing and animation reinvigorated Ao Ashi in my eyes. This is also compelled by the fact that the plot was solely focused on moving forward from its trial arc. Much of Ao Ashi lies in the foundations of football. The ways in which some parts are presented aren’t something to be awed over as it does subsume to the wider anime tropes in some aspects. The characters are much of that case. And I can’t say that I’m fond of it. But it does its job given the writing of these characters is true and down to earth—one other thing that keeps the series from indulging into the edgy territory. In the end, the strong suits in Ao Ashi also compensate for it, which makes it more appealing in my eyes. All in all, I really do recommend Ao Ashi. It is something of its own and it does hold its own integrity to the likes of Haikyu and Ace of Diamond.

Ao Ashi dropped the ball on so many levels. From an outsider's perspective, it looked really promising but ended up being a letdown after diving into it. It's not a horrible sports anime but it is ridden with so many annoyances it sucks out all the fun. Well, watching Ao Ashi never really was accompanied by a high level of fun. At least for me, there was no feeling of hype or energy in the show. First of all, the characters. Aoi is almost a perfect cookie-cutter sports anime main character. Pretty much an always upbeat, goody two-shoes that values friendship and camaraderie above all else. Don'tinsult his friends or family, unless you want him to get really mad. Well, good guy mad. Personally, I also can't get used to his voice and his constant screaming. His gift, which, naturally, catapults him into a league of top-tier players, is highly stylized. Almost to a point, one could argue about it being supernatural. But I am just going to strike it off as an over-the-top visual representation for the viewer. As for the side cast, I don't have much to say. They had no substance and depth. We get a few hints and pieces dropped throughout the show's runtime, but most of it felt lackluster and only got set up to be put in the storeroom for later use. Both girls got a bit shafted as side characters. Once Hana's duty as an amateur therapist and nutritionist was done, she got put on the sidelines. It was time for Girl B, Anri, to move in. Thankfully she knew a few things about football, just in time to help Aoi out. Of course, just like Hana, Anri also developed some feelings for Aoi. Why the romance aspect? And I use romance lightly because it just felt so tacked on. What was the point besides needlessly forcing drama on the screen? If executed well, it could add value to the story, but don't start another subplot if you are already struggling with others. Speaking of drama, Ao Ashi really suffers from a constant flow of low-tier drama. The anime likes to add those extra layers for dramatic effects, which are completely unneeded. It didn't feel natural and most of it was blown out of proportion. Aoi could have thrown a canned coffee on the ground and they would show zoomed shots of everyone's faces with shocked looks on them, while melodramatic music was starting to play in the background. To quickly talk about the "bad" guys, they are written so poorly. They bully and look down on people for the sake of doing it. While the good guys stand up for their friends and ooze love and respect. We got to include that black and white morality somehow. I already mentioned the nonexisting hype, so let's focus on that one next. About 80 % of all the football scenes were boring screen time filler. They had no impact, no engaging hooks, and no remarkable scenes. The same goes for most of the strategy talks as well. Absolutely underwhelming. A handful of moments were pretty alright but they just get overshadowed by all the average filling around it. Every time they played football on screen, it was accompanied by a barrage of thoughts, never-ending dialogue and flashbacks. Establishing a good flow was never an option, it got dragged into a dark alley and shot. The anime is plagued by scenes that drag on way too long for the points they try to get across. Aoi and friends could recite the whole bible before making a play. To wrap it up on a positive note, I do want to mention some of the show's good aspects. The art is consistent and has some nice visuals from time to time. Both openings, as well as the endings, are good at setting the mood. The biggest aspect is the potential. If we get a second season and they handle the narrative and characters with enough care, it could have solid potential. Most side characters just seem way more interesting than our bog-standard main character and with enough finesse, they might even improve the romance subplot.

I watched Blue Lock a couple of months back and I thought it stood alone as a great soccer/football (however you wanna call it) anime. I was wrong, Ao Ashi is a severely underrated anime that adds realism and a better story than Blue Lock. While I still do think Blue Lock is a bit better than Ao Ashi, I believe that Ao Ashi has potential to become a much better anime because of its character development and public views of what soccer is. Aoi Ashito, the protagonist of the show, is similar to Haikyu's Hinata in the sense that they are always excited for anew challenge and never get disappointed when playing against a player stronger than them. The very likable protagonist develops more maturely as he starts to understand the basics of soccer while having a specific trait that makes him different from the others. What I loved about Ashito was how his struggle with money impacted his rise in soccer in a positive way. His realistic tendencies to force thoughts away and only focus on soccer adds an interesting aspect to the story and how many professional players might do the same. Ashito is a great protagonist who serves as an emotional support for the team and also explains how he isn't always perfect which can cause trouble sometimes. The side characters in the show are all different in their way. What I like about this anime is that they all carry their own perspective of soccer and while some focus on the basics, others try to make soccer an interesting complicated sport. I enjoy watching each side character go through struggles to improve themselves in their own match while not overshadowing Ashito. The balance between the side characters and main character help the anime remain entertaining and informative about the world of soccer. What is extremely underrated in Ao Ashi is its underlying concepts and themes. There is some romance involved throughout the show which enables the show to become more diverse. Ao Ashi also provides arguments that athletes are also just humans at the end of the day which have their own issues, relationships, and complexity in their everyday lives. The attention to detail the author has when writing this story is one of the reasons why the show can be so impactful at sometimes too which helped create a better dynamic. The actual games, while very simplistic, offer an engaging dynamic which make it interesting. Although the art is nothing compared to Blue Lock and isn't as action-packed Ao Ashi still offers a great dynamic. It does this by showing how difficult soccer is through exhaustion, emotion, and psychological breakdown. It also provides how hard-working one has to be in order to just understand the basics of the sport like the drills that Ashito did in the first episode just to learn one very basic move. The realism and emotion throughout the story make Ao Ashi a must watch to many readers as it grasps human emotions when playing the sport.

As a sports connoisseur, I would like to ask you a genuine question: "When was the last time that we actually got a really good sports show, most particularly concerning about soccer/football?" Sure, you have the constant answers of either the modern Inazuma Eleven or the much beloved classic Captain Tsubasa series, but if both aren't your cup of tea, there should be something on the plane of a realistic, young adult-ish setting that showcases all the nerfs of growing in a soccer team. And no, I'm not talking about superpower types like Blue Lock (which is coming next season) nor this season's original "reboot"of Aoki Densetsu Shoot!'s "Shoot! Goal to the Future" which is just plain effing abominable. And we have long since waited for the coming that's released now in the form of Ao Ashi, a manga that since its release in 2015, is still to this day, quite popular in Japan with sales raking in with the latest volumes, and even won in Shogakukan's 65th Manga Awards held in 2020 in the general category. Ao Ashi can mean a lot of things, but most particularly according to its mangaka Yugo Kobayashi, Ao (青 in Kanji) means blue, which is the colour of the Japan National Football team (nicknamed the Samurai Blue) and simultaneously the team's 1st colours (or uniform attire), while Ashi (アシ) means feet. But while Ao also comes from "青春" (Seishun) meaning "youth" or "blue spring"), it also means "blue reed", which represents immaturity, and which is exactly showcasing the story of a young Ashito Aoi on his growing-up journey to play in a soccer team: the prestigious Tokyo City Esperion FC, which is based on the real-life J-League club Kashiwa Reysol, competing in Japan's top-tier J1 League football division. For a trivia, while the Reysol's main sponsor is Hitachi, Esperion's sponsor is Kaido. Both companies have similar mottos: "Inspire the Next" for Hitachi, and "Inspiration Works" for Kaido, despite the former being based in Chiba while Esperion is (clearly) in Tokyo. This is thanks in part to Naohiro Ueno who is a sports journalist, but also the manga's original concept creator and the supervisor/consultant to Yugo Kobayashi on replicating the minute details of soccer/football as closely as possible. So, all of the soccer action that you see in the Western world (UEFA, FIFA, Premier League etc.), you can expect to see it all here in Ao Ashi (which as of this review) is 29 volumes in and is still going strong. And most certainly with the anime's promotion thanks to famed sports studio Production I.G and its broadcast in Japan's national TV station NHK (specifically NHK Educational TV (abbreviated as NHK E), the sister service providing educational content), it wouldn't be surprising if Ao Ashi (like Mairimashita! Iruma-kun, also broadcast on NHK E) could be seen as a potential for a multi-season run for its edutainment purposes. But, backing up to Ao Ashi's premise. It's a simple "rags to riches" story about Ashito Aoi, this talented but difficult to handle boy who is interested in soccer and has been thriving in his home state of Ehime to take his dream into the international stage. However, the tryouts at potential soccer/football teams have crossed him out due to his unorthodox, self-centered way of playing the sport, and he is left with nowhere to go. That's where the rag-tag, messy adult by the name of Tatsuya Fukuda meets him at his downfall, and with a pep talk and an offer to join one of the most prestigous football clubs in Japan: Tokyo Esperion FC. Aoi doesn't make a hesitation to accept his offer and join the club that's brimmering with insane talent across the board, and despite the poor life of a family with a large cashflow sacrifice, with the talent he brings to the club, this is his life-changing story of a thriving changing soccer/football career. Ashito Aoi is akin to a lot of a lot of similarly specced protagonists who have walked the talk before, from the likes of Haikyuu!!'s Shoyo Hinata, Hajime no Ippo's Ippo Makunouchi and Diamond no Ace's Eijun Sawamura. All of them are pure talents at what they do best, but it's at their very own respective institutions that they engage the SWOT analysis: knowing their strengths, working on their weaknesses, improving on their opportunities and alleviating any threats that come their way, be it on an individual or team level with teammates that work alongside them. Yes, there may be not much of a plot to follow, but like every sport, it's essentially a character development story that's based on the protagonist, which in this case is Ashito Aoi and his endeavours in growing in Tokyo City Esperion, learning from the all-time greats and its bunch of team players, working out all the nooks and crannies of each and every strategy and plan, whether in agreement or disagreement that spikes out in celebration or arguments abound. This is the base foundation and hallmark of a growing protagonist, one that's not doused in generic Shonen traits nor tropes, just some pure sportmanship goodness. Similarly, for a growing protagonist to work, there are countless team members working alongside Ashito Aoi on his conquest to reach for the stars and take the world stage by storm, one match at a time. Namely (those that appear the most): Yuuma Motoki, Togashi Keiji, Tachibana Souichirou, Ohtomo Eisaku, Asari Matthews Jun, Kuroda Kanpei and Takeshima Ryuichi, along with the Esperion B Team's Coach Nozomi Date and naturally Tatsuya Fukuda himself, acting as the club's manager and head coach. It's a hard gruelling journey for each and every player (not just with their coveted numbers, Aoi especially with the team's trademark No. 10 in the B team), for everyone learns differently according to their positions that are given and tutored by Coach Nozomi and the fare few seniors overseeing their progress, mastering their crafts and skills to become the best players possible. It's the same when you see your favourite soccer/football players like Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Paul Scholes, Zlatan Ibrahimović and the like training to their very best and then replicating that same training onto the playing field which earns them their prestige titles and insane fame. And this is not just Ashito Aoi's objective, but is something that everyone shares as a goal, for individuality could only get you so far before teamwork becomes essential to reach for the stars. And like every team player, they do have their fair share of fans as well. For Aoi, other than his own family with his very supporting mother Noriko (honestly, one of the best mothers in anime), he/she comes in the form of Hana Ichijo, whom despite the different family name (which later got joint together), is actually Manager Fukuda's younger stepsister. Her essence of presence got its start as a football fan, someone whom she admires when she was young (which is actually Manager Fukuda) and supporting rising stars like Haruhisa Kuribayashi whom made his professional debut at the ripe age of 16, she's now dead set on becoming a sports surgeon with her vast knowledge on nutrition to help the Esperion players grow better. How she got acquainted with Aoi is merely a coincidence that he in his earlier stages would not stand out amongst the crowd to excel if he continues that way, and Hana famously proclaiming that she is his "first fan in the world" sets the journey of the two in the soccer/football space as through the thick and thin, the genuine and the misunderstandings (which has a hint of romance to it, but only as a minor thing), they both grow in their own individual ways, closer to one another but yet maintaining that distance as to not impede the protagonist on his way to the world stage. In some ways, they do look well together, but secretly inside, it's the Aoi × Hana ship that both the manga and (now) anime fans can look forward to the most. I really love Hana's character of what she brings to the table, and she is a dynamic dynamite girl whom Aoi could be proud of her standing and supporting by his side. Of course, there's the Esperion's sponsor Kaido Electric's daughter Anri Kaido, though she has inept on-the-ground experience to try and coach Aoi in improving his skills, none can touch the one-hit wonder that is his and Hana's relationship as the biggest fan and the constantly improving player. When it comes to sports shows, you can always trust Production I.G to go above and beyond to make justice or even exceed the experience of the source materials, as it always has been for Haikyuu!!, Kuroko no Basket and Tennis no Ouji-sama a.k.a Prince of Tennis. And Ao Ashi is certainly no different in the studio's ethos to always respect the roots of whatever they are adapting and keeping it to the high standards of consistency. Most particularly, this is newbie director Akira Sato's 2nd directorial work after Lay-Duce's 2018 show Release the Spyce, and he certainly has used the former to learn of his shortcomings and improve all of it on Ao Ashi, which it really shows. I would love to see him come back for future seasons to continue the great work, as is Production I.G doing a knock-out "GOAL!!!" job of replicating the feeling of exhilaration on the matches as realistic as possible. The music...eh, I would either take it or leave it as it definitely feels Shonen-ish at best. Don't get me wrong, [Alexandros]'s 1st Cour OP is a good song to kickstart Ashito's career and show his growth in the beginning stages, and Rinne's "Blue Diary" is a fairly good one in spots as well. But the 2nd Cour, while it has better visuals to back up, the OST for that is pretty forgettable. Think that I'm too used to Haikyuu!! once having BURNOUT SYNDROMES for an OP, and that OP slapped like power inflicting onto the volleyball. This is the minor nitpick and where the show falters, but not enough to diminish the enjoyment of the anime as a whole. I hope that this is only the beginning for more great things to come, because mangaka Yugo Kobayashi is definitely not slowing down on the weekly chapter serialization, and the anime at this juncture can last for at least 2 more seasons strong. Nevertheless, a great return to form for soccer/football anime...and gotta pass through the Blue Lock first before getting back into the Blue Reed's mature standpoint.