Ao Ashi

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.

This is my first review .It's been a long time since i saw an good sport anime, there have been some but not like this.This anime brings back the feelings Haikyuu gave me a few years back,that feeling of hard work and people trying to get to know each other so they can play better and win.No superpowers or anything like that ,just plain old football with a little bit of anime plot.I wish to see a season 2 of this one and fast .This deserver many seasons.The animation was good,just what i expected from an sport anime,maybe even better.I think if you liked Haikyuuor Diamond no Ace you should give this anime a chance.

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.

Sports anime might be fundamentally similar to each other, but the writing and deliverance can differ a lot. Ao Ashi creates a world full of lessons and hardships, in both football and life. And like most sports anime, it doesn’t matter if you’re a fan of football to appreciate it. The characters are there, the build-up is there, and the emotions are there too, like in any other good anime. The main purpose of this review is to express how well Ao Ashi excels in certain things compared to other sports anime, what it lacks compared to them, and how good it really is overall. Theprotagonist lives in Ehime, a prefecture of Japan that is located on an island and is not famous for its football players. Ashito, who is at a young age, is the best player in his school and is very passionate about football. He decides to try his luck and moves alone to Tokyo, to enter the football powerhouse called Esperion. What I love about Ao Ashi here is how well it portrays the hardships the athlete, their family and friends must struggle with, and how the athlete has to sacrifice everything and leave it all behind, focusing on a single thing – which is football, in our case. There is bittersweet drama and decent character writing. Other than that, there is the test Ashito must face as an outsider, the bullying, the rivalries, and the unsportsmanlike conduct of other players. While on the same time, he works hard, he progresses, and he makes friends and acquaintances. Another point to be made about why Ao Ashi is such a good sports anime is the on-point portrayal of different behaviours inside the football world (coaches, players, managers, nutritionists, etc.) and how everyone plays their own role in the greater image. How Ashito, who wants to improve, will have to face other people who care solely for their own benefit. This is sometimes shown in a harsh way, but at the same time, there are beautiful moments of team spirit and emotions. After all, we are not alone, and we need the strength and faith of people who care about us; this is something else Ao Ashi does well. But the most praiseworthy thing Ao Ashi succeeds in delivering is the difficulty of the sport. Most sports anime take their sports lightly and do not emphasize techniques and serious ways to improve, aside from team spirit and hard work. In Ao Ashi, we know how it is physically exhausting, mentally tiring, and may ruin both your body and psychology. How many techniques have to be taught, how much the athlete must do inside and outside the court, how he has to take care of himself and what huge an emotional capacity is needed. And at the same time, how the trainers can use you for their own benefit without caring about your opinions, and how your teammates can sabotage you or not care about you. As far as character writing is concerned, the most common problem Ao Ashi watchers face is Ashito’s personality. I agree that his behaviour might be annoying at times, but let’s not forget that he’s an immature, ambitious 15-year-old. He is realistic and I hope to see development in his personality in the next seasons; I think it is hinted that there will be. The protagonist matures little by little and views differently his friends, his love interests and even football as a sport. What about the side characters, though? Like I said before, we get to know all different perspectives and behaviours. The main and side casts are detailed, and everyone has a story to support and a dream to pursue. So, whether it is about the matches or the characters, it is not easy to get bored watching Ao Ashi. There is always something interesting going on, and the development is always there. Now, it is worth mentioning that Ao Ashi’s animation is plain and simple, and people who care about flashy animation and non-stop motion often complain about it. To me, the colourful art and the good character designs are enough to make Ao Ashi good visually and aesthetically, so I think there is absolutely no problem with the animation not being fabulous. In addition, the soundtrack is great and creates the perfect atmosphere. OST aside, the opening and ending songs are usually great. The opening sung by Alexandros in the first half is one of the best sports anime openings I have ever heard, since it fits the show’s vibes and radiates a feeling of “hype”. Sadly, the second opening song is not as good, but some people like it due to its good animation… while both ending songs are perfect for closing the episodes. Finally, I would like to mention the original voice-acting cast. It does not feature the most famous names in the industry, but it gives chances to younger voice actors. I do not think the choices were not well-thought though, because the result is positive and I consider the cast great as a whole. Katou Wataru, Yashiro Taku, Oosozu Kouki are all names that could be frequently included in the most-awaited anime in the future. So, what is it that Ao Ashi lacks? As you can understand, since it focuses on a technical and psychological viewpoint this much, some other things are expected to be missing. The first comparison that comes to my mind is with Haikyuu: in the latter, the character dynamics and development during the matches feel stronger, in both main and opponent teams. This is because of the focus on teamwork and the classic “nakama power” that shounen anime tend to show. On the other hand, there are also some scenes where a certain event has occurred before, or a certain technique has been explained to Ashito, and suddenly everyone starts talking about it in the matches – a kind of plot convenience to help the watcher learn more about the sport and see progress. To sum up, to me, Ao Ashi’s pros outnumber its cons and are very interesting, so I consider Ao Ashi a “top tier” sports anime in its own way. It is very different from other sports anime in aspects I have mentioned above, but that’s what makes it worth watching. In the end, it is all a matter of taste and aesthetics, so it is up to the watcher to decide if Ao Ashi is interesting or not – but what it does in terms of writing, it does more than well.

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