Ginga e Kickoff!!

Esta review también está en español. Football Chronicles, Chapter 3: Ginga e Kickoff!! Note: some football animes will be named in this review for the sake of comparison. This is, mostly, to see how the game is faced in each series. Of course, no spoilers. Also, football as the real, english one (aka soccer), not the American one. Ginga e Kickoff!! (GeK!) is the latest football bet offered in 2012. Gek! was a really pleasant surprise, not only for the release itself, but because there was already another football anime airing at the time: Area no Kishi (technically three, with Inazuma Eleven Go 2... but IE is... special). Maybe the Japanese are starting to realize why people call it the "beautiful game"... Now, let's see what this new product has to offer... GeK! story focuses on Shou Oota, a sixth-grade kid that loves football with a passion only possible in protagonists of sports anime. Sadly, he's in the same situation of Mamoru Endo in the beginning of Inazuma Eleven: the team lacks people. Actually, the situation is so serious that the team disintegrates, leaving Shou alone... Yet, far from giving up, he starts looking for players to resurrect the team and enter in the regional tournament. His first target is Erika Takato, a transfer student from Osaka. Erika has great skills and speed, but she's not very thrilled with Shou's offer... He's a nice guy, and has a noble dream and all, but he's terrible at football. Still, with willpower, determination, self humiliation and various negotiations, Shou manages to recruit not only her, but various other remarkable players... and that way, the Momoyama Predators are back. Their objective is not being the best of the city, nor the country or the world, no: they aim to be the best in the whole galaxy! (really). So, who are the Momoyama Predators? As I mentioned, Shou is the soul of the team. Cheerful, loud, persistent and optimistic, Shou loves football, even if football doesn't love him. Unlike other famous protagonist such as Tsubasa (Captain Tsubasa), which basically was the earthly personification of the Football God, or Kyosuke (Hungry Heart), Toshihiko (Aoki Densetsu Shoot!) and Kakeru (Area no Kishi), which had issues, but from the very start you just knew that they were prodigies, Shou has no abilities. However, talent has many forms, and although he's not a great player with his feet, he has a great vision and understanding of the game, and is able to order the whole team from his position (number 2, or last defender if you prefer). Basically, the team works through him. Of course, with hard work, his going to polish his skills to become a respectable player, and not only an organizer. The next one is Erika. Cheerful, nice, direct, and strong, she take's shit from nobody, especially those that underestimate her cause she's a girl (maybe nobody take her seriously for her K-On! look...). She has an excellent ball control, and a great speed, which make her a very effective forward. Oh, she's also a Cristiano Ronaldo fangirl (really). The following are the main power of the team. The Furuya triplets (aka the triplet demons) are the personification of force and skills: powerful, athletic and talented, they're the key to victory. Despite having a somewhat rebellious nature, they're quite reasonable and pleasant (when they want to), and are always willing to help their teammates whenever they can. They can play in any line, that's how good they are. The last player that worth mentioning is Reika Saionji. She's Erika best friend since she came to town, and is thanks to her that she discovers football. She start playing as a form of dieting (even if the Furuyas's feel offended by her motive, she really needs to lose some weight), and to help the team to complete the number of players. Of course, she will love the game, and play it even if her family oppose (cause, apparently, is way too dangerous...). Although her technical and physical limitations are huge, she tries her very best to be somewhat useful in the last line. Visually, GeK! is excellent (especially when compared with his contemporary buddy, Area no Kishi). The animation is fluid, showing fast and dynamic games, and portraying very well the beautiful game. The character design is very nice, varied, and are pretty detailed. Everything is colorful and pretty, which goes in hand with the cheerful and relaxed atmosphere of the series n_n. Sound is on par with the animation. All the seiyuus put a lot of effort, and pull great performances. Yuu Kobayashi is Shou (and Kyousuke Tsurugi in Inazuma Eleven Go 2, Setsuna Sakurazaki in Mahou Sensei Negima and Kanon in Umineko no Naku Koro Ni), Shinnosuke Tachibana is Ryuuji Furuya (Tachimukai in Inazuma Eleven, Soma in Kuroshitsuji), Kenn is Kota Furuya (Jil in Druaga no Tou: The Aegis of Uruk, Judai Yuki in Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX and Phinks in Hunter x Hunter 2011). This series is also one of the first works of Mariko Nakatsu (Erika), and the official debut of Riiko Takazawa (Reika), both showing great skills and a promising future. As for the music... is amazing. The background music is good and all, but both opening and ending are beyond. Both songs have... how should I put it... the spirit of football (the ending even has actual pictures of real kids playing, in the same vein of Captain Tsubasa J). Very impressive. And as I usually do in my football reviews, I leave the most important thing for the (almost) end: how's the game in Ginga e Kickoff!!? Is close to Captain Tsubasa, with endless fields and shots that can destroy nets/fences/walls? It's like Inazuma Eleven, where super powers, time space manipulation and theme fields are the norm? Is like Giant Killing, where everything is hyper-realist, not only the game, but the people and the results too? In GeK! they play football, that's for sure. There are no such thing like super powers, special techniques or ridiculous shoots, the field used by elementary kids is quite crude (no beautiful green grass that looks like a carpet), and the stands are pretty empty (except for some family and friends). Some shoots are visually exaggerated, but the outcome is pretty normal (I mean, there can be wind or dust, but the goalkeeper is not going to die trying to grab the ball). So, this is like Giant Killing? God, no (can you imagine a GK with sixth-graders? It would be insanely boring! xD). While there's nothing "supernatural", you don't need to be a genius to figure out that skills are vastly exaggerated (although, technically, physically possible). In GeK! we see children who train hitting the ball on the crossbar with 100% effectiveness (the character that do it admits that is based on a training method by Maradona!), others are able to lower the rival moral kicking the ball with enough effect, that it hit a player and the rebound will be an own goal, feints and dodges worthy of professionals (or legends)… well, this kids can play ;). Everything for the sake of the show. Nevertheless, the games pass consistently and fairly attached to reality (and sometimes, remembering that they're kids, they play "dango football", an ugly and unorganized mess, pretty common in normal children games). Another factor that I think deserves mention is that the ridiculous and disproportionate honor presented in sport animes is not present here. I'm not saying that GeK! encourages dirty playing or cheating, but if you can lower the morale of an opponent by playing clean (not very ethical, though)... why not? This last thing was a very pleasant surprise, especially since this is a children program (and dumb aesops are pretty common). As a closure, Ginga e Kickoff!! is a great series. Interesting and dynamic matches, lovable and charismatic characters, a very relaxed and cheerful mood (with, of course, doses of problems and emotions) and an impressive audiovisual level make GeK! a highly recommended option for football fans, and also a good anime for those who want to se…

Ginga e Kickoff is a hidden gem of sports genre in anime. It started with Shou, our main character, an elementary student soccer player meeting Erika, a transfer student whose ability in playing soccer succeeds Shou in many levels. From asking her to play with him and then miraculously meeting a female professional soccer player, Shou then strives on to bring back the Moroyama soccer team with its old and new members and a better coach that can accepts all of the players, both in personality and skills. Story wise it is (9/10), the team does not just strives to win a competition, but to become the number one in the galaxy. Very exaggerated and impossible to achieve, but the team put fire and determination behind that dream that makes us cheer for them as they grow, skill wise and also in teamwork as some of the characters are not the easiest to get along to. Characters (9/10): This anime is played with two team, half with 11 players and the other half with 8 players. All are determined but distinct from each other, they mesh very well. Shou, our main character, loud and brash but given a flaw that makes him just what he is, a child, but he grows to be better and the most notable characters are the triplets for the are, in my opinion, the most complex characters. And c'mon, they are triplets. Every characters are different from each other and is given the time to grow. Art: (9/10) Nothing to be awed for but the players are all in elementary students, and the anime did a good job on making them look like one with it's simple but cute design and flat coloring. This anime is not like kuroko no basket or inazuma eleven, there is no special out-of-the-world moves, all they used is normal soccer skills that is not exaggerated and kept very simple and easy to understand what's going on. The animation is clean and flows very well. Sound: (8/10) Once again, the soundtrack is not popping out but flows smoothly with the anime. The opening and ending has some catchy songs but isn't anything of much praise. The voice acting is done perfectly for they doesn't sound awkward and is just right for the characters. Overall: (9/10) Enjoyable with wonderful and believable story with good pacing and good characters.

Ginga e Kickoff!! is highly underappreciated, a true hidden gem with fantastic character writing and a relatively down-to-earth story. Even if one isn't the biggest fan of sports anime (neither I nor my sister are, but we were swept up in this story and finished it very quickly!). It boasts no amazing, out of this world moves, the characters play pure soccer and it's a story grounded in reality with one or two amazing events that wouldn't be out of place in children's movie. After all, it IS aimed at children and it has a soothing atmosphere, a gentle score, and plenty of idealism. But it's also excellent and truly enjoyable for an adult to watch too. Why? Because the character writing is fantastic. It is as much a show about being a child as it is aimed at children. The kids are in their last year of elementary, they're scared of being torn apart when they all go off to different middle schools based on their exams, they're scared of having no more time to play with the higher strains of education, this is their last chance and they want to make it count. And do they ever! It ends, just like a beautiful dream, but with hope for the future. The cast is diverse in many ways, the main team (Momoyama Predators) is a mixed team with two girls along with the boys. Shou himself is inspired by a professional female soccer player who trains him and Erika for a day and her lessons to them remain important for the rest of the series! Tagi is half-Arab, although this isn't explicitly stated in the anime version, it's clear in his design, with his darker skin and thick, curly brown hair! Blind soccer is featured respectfully and legitimately, not as a pity party at all, and by practicing with blind soccer players using the same training methods, the kids hone their senses and polish their skills. The characters deal with problems children do both on and off the field, like Erika deals with casual sexism and the ways growing up affects boys and girls differently. Tagi deals with hitting a growth spurt early, winding up gangly and tall for his age, losing confidence in his ability to play because his mind hasn't caught up with his new height. Reika deals with the stuffy expectations of being the heir to a rich family which expects her to live her life protected and ladylike at all times. Coach Hanashima is a rather useless, shameless drunk when they first meet him and piece by piece, it's revealed he used to be a great player and even coached other kids before a tragic incident made him deathly afraid of robbing more children of their futures with his risk-taking. His story and character development is beautifully cathartic and ultimately uplifting. The art style suits the wide-eyed, naive, enthusiasm of the main character and the youthful story, the animation is smooth and although there's some rough patches in the first few episodes (some anatomical hiccups here and there that look really strange and funny if you notice them), overall, it looks really good and crisp as you go along. The art style veers towards moe levels of cuteness about the face, but the kids' bodies are well drawn to portray the action. There is some poignant drama too, so it's not all sunshine and butterflies, it's a balanced show, although it's certainly more on the optimistic side-- but in a good way, certainly not saccharine. Even the most painful stories that end well, never feel sugarcoated or cheap, because they're handled respectfully and fairly, there's no solutions that are magical band-aids-- instead, the happy endings are most often a case of everyone expecting the worse and being surprised by the beauty born out of persevering despite the difficulties. Matches rarely take more than two episodes ( unless it's a tournament! ), the pacing is believable and the matches exciting even if one knows little about soccer. It really makes you want to get up and cheer them or move around or play yourself! Overall, this is a very sweet, encouraging show with surprisingly well-written characters (both child and adult) and an engaging plotline, that should be enjoyable to both boys or girl, adults or children!

Okay, so let's get this started, shall we? I haven't done too many reviews so spare with me here. A football anime that's unique from others would be a way to describe Ginga e Kickoff. It actually had the potential to be a 8 or even a 9 but why is it a 7? Well, read ahead. The story is indeed quite unique and the main character isn't overpowered like in other soccer animes but guess what? Other players are overpowered twice as much to make up for it. I wouldn't mind just strong kids but we have a kid here who can force other kids to make Own goals and a 9-10 year old with PERFECT accuracy near the goal post, in elementary school. The characters aren't exactly the most likable either. There is at least one mention of being the Best in the galaxy every episode and i thought of quitting it several times, because frankly, it gets annoying. The beauty of this show would be that it's not just for kids. It's a show ABOUT kids becoming the best but people of all ages can enjoy it. All in all, it could have been better if they made the 10 year old kids less overpowered or if they didn't try to use the sympathy card in an innocent anime near the end, (can't spoil it) but it was worth the time. The growth of the MC is good, and if they actually focused on him a little more it would have been a lot better but I still would recommend it to others.

Story: 8/10 The story seems very unique from other soccer/football anime. Usually, in a sports anime, it is about winning against other school teams in the regional, national etc. This anime aimed steps higher, and eventually had a match against pros. While this is a pro, I also believe this is a con. The characters are all elementary school, probably all around the age of 10. The story seems way too unrealistic, and that is where it lost 1 point. The other is how slow the start and how rushed the very end was. From the start, the OP focused on the 8 man team. However, for the first almost half, it was about the 11 team. In the very end, everything just seemed to go way too fast. Their finals was not exciting at all, and the whole Aoto's father just seems crammed in. Art: 7/10 The art is nowhere near good for 2017. However, for an anime made 5 years ago, it isn't bad. One thing I found most "buggy" is the ball, because it seems just white when moving. Sound: 8/10 Most voice actors fit, especially our MC Shou. The OP and OSTs are also amazing. Character: 6/10 The characters are unbalanced. We have Kota, that managed to recreate a pro's shot after seeing it a couple times. There is Ryuuji, that can perfectly create own goals. And of course, we have our Aoto, words can't describe how ridiculous his skill is. Then comes Shou. Shou isn't, or at least wasn't bad. However, it seems like they forgot about his "time-freeze and analyse skill". Eventually, he just became a speaker for the strategies. Erika started off being this speed demon and cannot be matched. Eventually, it was forgotten as well. Enjoyment: 9/10 Surprisingly, even with all of my complains, I geniunely enjoyed this anime. Overall: 8/10

What a show! This was probably the best show about 11 year olds playing football. Did I want more after a massive 39 episodes? Yes. Did I love all the episodes? Also yes. It starts a bit slow to establish its setting and characters it finds its pace and by episode 3 or 4 you will be hooked. The characters - I enjoyed majority of them. They all get proper development which makes you love them. Assassination Classroom did development of several characters and it did it spectacularly. Galaxy kickoff is 2nd in that. Our protagonist Sho, while initially too loud and sucking at the game, you will come to love him even more as episodes go on. Erika is a tomboy and perfectly suited for this show. But IMO the best characters are either Coach Hanashima or Furuya triplets. Their dynamic with the coach and rest of the team made it a treat to watch. Reika is another underrated character that people should look out for. The only downside to this show, I feel is that animation of the matches. Not all of them but few matches don't have that Haikyuu animation. Although I think it can be forgiven since it was released in 2012. I highly recommend this show.

Victory Kickoff is a relatively short watch that almost made me cry. It has great story progression, and some impressive representation that is gracefully pulled off. It offers time for all of it's characters to develop so no one's arc will be left unfinished, the music score is somewhat repetitive but it is catchy and meant to evoke the chants you'd hear in a soccer field so I grew to like it a lot. If I wanted to go into spoilers the story can probably be told in 2 paragraphs, but the important part to know and the aspect I think might pull indecisive people in is that you're in for a story of human compassion through soccer. Characters grow and leave biases behind through playing soccer for the sake of fun, it is a very lighthearted story that still has some sadder beats and by the end you'll be cheering for the Momoyama Predators to win as if you were in the stadium watching them. I'm sure it can make you feel passion for soccer even if you haven't played or watched it much before, after all.. .. " Soccer is fun, isn't it!! "

For this review, I´ll try to give the least amount of spoilers possible, even though it is a fairly old anime. The plot of Ginga e Kickoff!! follows an elementary school student, Shou, who is trying to revive his football team after it disbanded due to problems related to the team´s former coach. With the help of Erika, the Furuya triplets, Reika, and later Aoto and Tagi, Shou is able to create a new team with one goal in mind; being the greatest team in the galaxy. I have to be honest and say that, even though I watched this without any expectation, I came to the conclusion that this anime is heavily underappreciated. First, one of the points that I realized during the final episodes is that the main character always says -WE are going to be the best team- instead of the constant -I AM going to be the best-, something that really called my attention since it is a common trait in lead sports anime characters. Second, the main character is by far one of the weakest members of the team in terms of ability, but he is still one of the team's pillars, especially when it comes to strategizing. Third, the girls in the team are always improving and showing what they are made of. The first one´s speed rivals several of the boys. And the second one, while being the weakest link at first, ultimately became a remarkable member of the team, mainly because of her stamina. Fourth, while seeming annoying and judgemental at first, the triplets are without a doubt the most charismatic characters in the anime. Initially, it appears that the three are just thugs who think lowly of the rest. But they certainly have a soft spot for their teammates, which is more visible during the middle part, and are also the ones who help the MC when he needs support. My only complaint rest on the soundtrack, mainly in the opening, which could have been stronger. The endings, on the other hand, are a little better. In conclusion, this anime is a hidden game that deserves a chance. And, while not needing a second season, I would like to see at least a little continuation, just to see these characters again.