Keppeki Danshi! Aoyama-kun

A strange series, you have a main char that is a clean freak, gets paranoid about germs alot, but at the same time is a great soccer player, but can only really play in the last five minutes and go all out. Story: Not alot, a soccer player that likes to be clean, will spend forever cleaning everything before and after the game. but it has some memorable moments, and enjoyed it. Characters: You got a mix bag, the girls that like the main char, the clean freak himself, the goofballs on the team and so on. It's a basic series in alot of ways, but I didn't mind it at all. Enjoyment and over all: it's a far cry from a great series but at the same time I very much enjoyed it and the characters, and wouldn't mind a second season, it's at the least passable, though don't expect a huge amount of soccer, it's in there, but quiet a few episodes barly if at all focus on soccer, it's more slice of life with soccer in it.

Really funny, really sweet, really fun and really beautiful. The art style--both character design and the show colour design--is absolutely wonderful in convoying the comedic and cleanliness of show. In the same vein of Daily Lives of High School Boys and I'm Sakamoto, with the added fun of both good clean sports anime while at the same time pointing fun at sports anime. The ending in particular is a great shout out to classic sport anime, and cast members having really dumb 'specialities'--like soccer tricks balancing a ball on your ass--is a fun take up of the superpowers in regular sports anime. If you like either comedy or sports this is a show is check out.

“Clean Freak! Aoyama-kun” is what happens when a show has a writer that has problems with giving his own creation an identity. Either I have some weird standards or the person who categorized this show as seinen has a twisted sense of humor. Apart from maybe 3 episodes everything is just flat, surface level ale rather lazily written. I would expect a seinen to at least try to have some depth. I guess I’m just naive. This show is devoid of almost all story (and what there is isn’t even Aoyama’s, you know, the titular character and the MC of the show) ale is so plot driven it actually hurts to watch. Before we start I would like to explain something. I will be talking about “plot” and “story”. Many people use those terms interchangeably. I’m not one of those people, so to make sure everyone is on the same page… I use the definitions for “plot” and “story” as Lisa Cron describes them: “What happens in the story is the PLOT, the surface events.” “STORY is about how the things that happen affect someone in pursuit of a difficult goal, and how that person changes internally as a result”. First things first, this is not a sports anime. It’s a cheap teen comedy that uses sport as background. It’s not even a catalyst for anything interesting. Most of the plot concentrates on things other than sport (mostly Aoyama). Apart from maybe 2 episodes the show would lose nothing if the sport scenes were cut. Aoyama himself gave me a lot of Sakamoto, from “Sakamoto desu ga?” (aka “Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto”) vibe. Meaning he is the embodiment of perfection, can’t do anything wrong and everyone loves him even when, objectively speaking, he acts like an ass. And yes, not reacting when someone interacts with you, not acknowledging the celebration of a goal (You can do that without touching) and being late for obligations is being an ass. On top of that Aoyama is a rather boring protagonist. His whole shtick is that he’s a germophobe that loves soccer and hates to lose. On paper it’s a solid idea that could be the catalyst for some interesting plots. Unfortunately all it does is make everyone around him give him special treatment. I suspect the fact that the whole world bends over backwards like a cheap whore for him is supposed to be comedic but it’s just annoying. Aoyama doesn’t really have a story or anything that would even resemble an arc. He starts and ends the show the same way. He doesn't have a defined goal or motivation and his reason for joining the school is just bullshit — the team shirts are white. Eff off. Even for a “gag” that’s just idiotic. If he was a more active protagonist I would mind that he doesn’t have an arc or story. Despite that, a lot of characters around him have stories. Short, and apart from two, rather boring but at least they have some. For a show that has Aoyama’s name in the title it is surprising that the episodes where he’s absent or treated like background are much better than those where he is the center. It’s especially visible in the last 4 episodes where the writing seems to be getting more focused and actually character driven. If the whole show was on that level I think this would be a rather enjoyable and entertaining show but as it is it’s just bland. I get that this is supposed to be (according to MAL at least) a gag humor show but a lot of time those gags butcher some pretty solid, dramatic scenes. Instead of letting the drama breathe a little and sink in we are slapped in the face with an unfunny slapstick gag. I find it hard to be entertained when a show doesn’t respect its own writing and audience. There are some really interesting plot points that unfortunately go absolutely nowhere or are resolved by a cheap, worthless joke. Why set up a solid, mature conflict if you are just going to butcher it? I just don’t get it. This is supposed to be a seinen but all the themes and subjects that would actually fit the bill are written in a very childish, almost naive way and I am surprised any sort of editor allowed it to be that way. I honestly can’t recommend this show. It’s not a total travesty and there are those 3 episodes I enjoyed (even if they were destroyed by jokes at the end) but I just can’t stand the amateurish writing in this. The show had a lot of potential with an interesting protagonist that could have struggled to fit it. But instead it’s just a cheap comedy with a plot you saw a million times over in better shows.

This anime is an anime filled with both hyperbole and realistic depictions of germophobia which I as a germophobe really appreciated seeing, since even though they're presented in their most extreme form, it's still not too far-fetched to be impossible (most of the time). If you're looking for a football anime, this isn't the one for you (even though the animation is still better than Bluelock S2). But if you're looking for a short, comedic relief which will make you consider finding a fan-translation of the manga (since there is no official english release as far as I could find) to compensate for the lack of a season 2, this is one of them. Art style - very subjective category, but I myself love it. 8/10. Animation quality - it often has still frames during football matches, but outside of them it's great. Definitely the weakest part though. 6/10. Characters - In terms of realism a lot of the side-cast lags behind, but most are hilarious. 8/10 Story - very basic but enjoyable. 7/10 Germophobia depictions - Sometimes it's legit unrealistic, but it's mostly an extreme, yet still plausible state of germophobia and there were often elements which I loved seeing because I could relate so hard. I felt that someone understands it for the first time in my life. The next quadruple bracket contains an example which I really liked to see which is a mild spoiler so don't continue reading if you don't want to see it. 9/10 ((((There is a part where Aoyama finds one particular person whose touch he for some reason, which he himself can't pinpoint, doesn't mind. I really appreciated this because it really works that way sometimes.))))

Clean Freak Aoyama-Kun on the surface is a generic show carried by a compelling concept. The story premise is about Aoyama-Kun, a excellent soccer player who is a germaphobe who absolutely hates getting dirty in any shape or form. He not only plays for the Japan National Soccer team but also plays for Fujimi High School instead of a youth club (In soccer, it's uncommon for talented players to not play in some club and be recruited.) The story not only explores Aoyama's soccer career but also his interactions with his peers trying to uncover why he's the way he is. SPOILERS AHEAD: Story: I liked the comedic aspects of the show. I'm not a big soccer fan so maybe I would've enjoyed that aspect if I understood it more. The story was relatively simple so 6/10 Art: The art and animation doesn't really stand out, but that's not the main focus. Another 6/10 Sound: 5/10 Characters: While Aoyama absolutely carries this show. Some of the side characters and their interactions stood out to me. I love that there was another "clean freak" besides Aoyama, Odagiri touching Aoyama was also surprising. Most of the characters just fit certain archetypes, I think they work well together. Definitely the highlight of this show, 8/10 Enjoyment: I enjoyed some episodes but others became background noise, 7/10 Overall: 6/10

Summary: If you're expecting this to be a sports anime, you'll probably come away pretty surprised. Aoyama-kun is more like a school comedy that uses the soccer club as a setting than a series that's "about" soccer. That's a good thing though, as the series is very funny and has a number of great characters. It's held back by the disjointed structure of its plot (to the extent that there is one) but the characters are the main attraction here, not the story. If you're wondering whether the series can sustain the high concept gimmick at the center of the show for 12 episodes without getting boring, the answer is yes, mostly by making the MC the least interesting part of the show and giving all the personality to the supporting characters. Positives: + It's funny. Lots of good jokes and gags. Moka and her spiked bat covered in flowers and kittens is the best ongoing gag in the series. + Good characters. Aoyama, the title character of the series, has little personality and often disappears for long stretches and I didn't even really mind, because all the other characters are so good. It's hard to praise specific characters without going down the whole list. I don't want to write that much and you don't want to read that much, so I'd just say that basically all of them are fun and entertaining in their own ways. + Easy to watch. The episodes go by fast and you never get bored. It's a simple and undemanding show that can entertain with very little effort required on the part of the viewer. I promise I don't mean this as a backhanded compliment, it's a good thing sometimes. Negatives: - Too disjointed. It can be explained to an extent by the fact that this is a slice of life show and never pretends otherwise, but it's almost maddening how many interesting storylines and characters get introduced and then vanish from the face of the earth, never to even be referenced again for the remainder of the series. There needed to be more follow-through on these stories and the series shouldn't have introduced characters that would be in for one episode before never appearing again, such as the manga writer or the rival soccer player and his girlfriend. - Weak romance subplot. Part of the broader problem with not following through on stories, but introducing a love polygon between Aoyama, Moka, Mio and Tsubasa only to drop it 2 episodes later like it never even happened was poor writing. It should have either been an ongoing story or not in the series at all. - Not enough Mio. There should have been more Mio.

While my overall score is low I would like to say this is still an anime I would recommend to people. I want to emphasize that this is not supposed to be a very serious anime. This is a COMEDY, and I do hope people come into this knowing that. Now, this review is more so to clear things up for people, and so people can go in understanding what to expect. The overall anime does not really have a direct storyline/plot, it's one of those where it's like mini-stories within its self, and for this anime, it is not a bad thing. While I do believe it could have been done with an actual plot I find that for the kind of comedy it is, it would be unnecessary and probably actually ruin it. The overall show is not really soccer-oriented, yes it does have those scenes but don't expect the intensity of other sports anime such as Haikyu, KnB, Ace of Diamond, Mix, Ping pong, or Cross Game, to name a few. Think of it as a mix of Saiki K. and a more laid back sports anime. It is a pleasant anime to watch in my opinion as a way to pass time, yes it won't have much character development and while it is important for most animes, this isn't really the case for this one. You do get to see some of the other characters and while not their backgrounds really, you do see their actions and can grasp it from there. I find that the overall antics of the team and Aoyama to be refreshing and have calmer interactions as compared to other sports anime. Overall it is important that you don't have the same kind of expectations for this as you would with a serious sports anime. And while this might not be one for your taste. It might just be something to surprise you like any other anime. So give it a try at least!

Well what can i say about this anime, i've been binge watching it 12 episodes full and i can't just get enough, the concept is interesting, the plot is also interesting. It doesn't just focus on one character but every character including the supporting character itself gets portion of the story and for me that's kinda rare nowadays , the opening of this anime is also kick-ass the catchy tune and the animation that shown on the opening always gets me hype, to note this is not that typical "sports' anime, this anime has a slice of life element and also have many comedic moments in it, so don't expect you will see many action in this anime. the animation is also cool the cute animation they did during some scenes are adorable and funny i can't get enough of it. so if you're looking for a "comedic slice of life sports" anime you should watch this anime. it's a pity though the studio didn't continue this anime to 2nd season, this anime helds potential to be one of the funniest and coolest anime

A very solid 8. I would give a 7, but I feel some of the other reviews discredit it too much since they were expecting something like Haikyuu, but in soccer form. I really like how it didn't turn to be some generic, cliche soccer anime though. It's a funny comedy, it's short, and it's easy to just sit down and watch. It has a very clean and simple feel to it (no pun intended). The characters are interesting and I like how it focuses on a new character almost every episode so that the viewer can gain insight into that universe. It's worth the watch and even if you don't like it, it was only 12 episodes so it's not much of a hassle. Overall, it's not that serious and imo not every single anime should be treated like it's supposed to be some holy grail. I do recommend and you should probably watch it.

Despite only being 12 episodes, Clean Freak! Aoyama-kun does a good job at being funny, interesting and even had a little bit of romance in it. Not to mention, some of the sports moments (there's a not a lot for an anime about soccer (or football, if you're European etc.) were really fun to watch. All the characters introduced each had a likable personality. It was super easy to get through, and I wish there had been more, because it could've been so much better. One thing they never continued further was Odagiri's role in Aoyama's life, which is arguably a big one considering the first episode we see her. This anime could've switched up so fast and turned into a romance/sport/comedy anime and I wouldn't have even been mad about it. It's a shame, but for what it is, it was a really good anime for something so short and impersonal. There's no deep development within any character, and what you see from them is what you essentially get. Enjoyment is easily a 9/10 and the animation is clean and really nice to look at. Definitely recommend if you're looking for a quick anime to binge that's light hearted and funny.