Ao Ashi

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. The protagonist 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.

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't insult 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.

This anime is what would happen if Kuroko no Basuke and Haikyuu had a child, but the mother drank heavily, overdosed on crack daily and threw herself down every flight of stairs she saw for the whole pregnancy. I haven't used this account in years but I had to dig up the password and log back in just to write a review for this absolute pile of trash. Morbid curiosity was the only thing keeping me going throughout because lord knows the most boring cast, basic plot and impossibly generic main character weren't nearly good enough for something rated above 8/10 here. The animation is a slideshow at best, the voice acting is uninspired, the art is dull and most of all the football on display is just beyond bad. If you're from a country where football is popular, you probably know more than the protagonist of this show. If you've watched football more than once you're probably top 10% of all characters in the show. If you've played it then you're top 1%. I get suspension of disbelief for the sake of the narrative, but I can't believe a professional club's youth academy would sign someone who doesn't know what a diagonal run is, how defending works, what passing triangles are and much more. I half expected the offside rule to be explained to our mentally challenged MC at some point. It gets a 2 instead of a 1 because Hana is a cute and likeable character. That aside, if you are thinking of watching this sludge, take my recommendation: Ronaldon't.

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 of football 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.

I don't understand this anime. The whole anime and character development of the MC is based on the double talk, lies and reverse psychology of the people in his team. I mean not one person who contributes to MCs development through honest talk. People borderline abuse the MC emotionally to the point of insulting his mother, but somehow it is supposed to be some sort of motivational push INTENTIONALLY done by the said people. I know it's a fantasy story, but I doubt anyone will grow to be better with such treatment in real life. Anyone with a little self-respect would find another way to succeed than to bow down to people who insult his/her family. It started off really well, personally disappointed as the story progressed.

Good anime story wise.In 19 episode there is a head kick which is the only funny moment in this anime. I gave it a 10 because putting pieces together overall this anime is like a chess trainer so you can learn a lot Art style is very modern Characters are okay Series is for learners not for amusement seakers It seems i need at least 105 words for this review so exclude things that arent interesant to you me personally think that there is Blue Lock too to be watched,it's completely(100%) different than this anime so you can try that there is only one lesson there though and that is to be fast fast if you wanna be successfull playing football

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 a new 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 o…

This show is alright if you like sports anime. It's definitely not in my top sports anime when compared to shows like Run with the Wind, Haikyuu, Free or Kuroko's Basketball, but for a show about soccer it does a great job keeping the viewer interested. If you love soccer or sports anime in general, this will be a decent watch for you. The show deeply focuses on the concept of soccer, which I thought made it decent because for someone who doesn't know much about soccer it helps you understand positions and gameplay. The reason I gave this show a 7 and not an 8 or higher is because the MC (in my opinion) was really annoying to me. I did not root for him AT ALL. I just felt like all he did was whine and act like a child, sometimes it felt a little unrealistic because in the real world he would've gotten benched for being selfish the way he did in the entire first part of the show. I found myself rooting for side characters more than the MC. I was really interested in Coach Fukuda's story and other characters like Kanpei, Jun, Tachibana, Yuma, Nagisa, and the star player Kuribayashi. The MC definitely grew on me in the second half of the show, but I honestly didn't care for him. He was so bland to me. The reason this show is good is because you want to see if the characters get to their goal, so once you start it you kind of want to finish. Another thing that didn't sit right with me and took away from this being highly enjoyable was that the only girl characters that were all introduced served no great purpose other than their RANDOM crushes on the MC. The MC didn't even speak to one of the girl's enough for her to even establish a crush. It made zero sense. I had to remind myself this is anime, and these tropes are common, but it was distasteful to me how the bland MC randomly had a few girls crushing on him. The only girl that kinda made sense was Hana. I liked Hana, but again other than her liking the MC and being Fukuda's sister, she served 0 purpose. I liked how she was sort of an aspiring sports nutritionist - but she didn't even manage the entire team she would only randomly meal prep for the MC, so what was the point of her character? I even laughed when she practically asked the MC for permission to meal prep for Kuribayashi - like girl what? What is your purpose then if you aren't going to provide help to more players? When you watch a sports anime, it usually is mainly male characters, but at least in shows like Haikyuu or Kuroko's basketball, the female characters served purpose by being a manager and/or coach for the entire team. Lastly, I liked how the show made you feel like the characters were growing. They didn't start out amazing, they had to work up to it. I think the art style is nice, and the storyline isn't tough to follow. I recommend this for anyone who wants a sports anime to watch while they're bored, but honestly if they made a season 2 I probably wouldn't watch.

This got too long to keep in notes so i moved it here. Anyways, 4 main points I disliked about Ao Ashi: 1-The first half was painful to get through, I was watching in 1.5x speed and skipping practically half the episodes. The MC was so unbearable to watch. Every tine he opened his mouth, it was just to spew some chunni BS. His nonsense screaming dialed down a LOT after getting a much needed reality check. That was ofc in the latter half which made it a decent enough watch. 2-This show relies heavily on suspension of disbelief, cuz ain't no way in hell Aoi should've made it into Esperion (especially since the anime is trying to do a realistic depiction of the cutthroat world of football). They literally had to teach him the basics that even the grade schooler members of the club know. 3-It's obvious the author is going for the cliche underdog to top guy trope but it rings hollow as MC starts off in a very advantageous (and undesereved) position with the most prominent youth club in Japan. The speed of his growth and development and the perfect environment he's in feel like a cheat code, completely taking away from the satisfaction usually derived from watching the rise of the underdog. 4-The "romance" was just the cherry on top. The only two relevant female characters just had to develop romantic feelings for MC after interacting ONCE cuz ofc shonen. And as if that doesn't undermine them enough as charcters, they just to be brocons as well. BOTH of them. Anime is never beating the allegations. The first half of Ao Ashi was so terrible, it had me contemplating dropping this anime multiple times. However, the second half was genuinely not bad. As someone who loved playing football as a kid, I liked seeing the tactical and analysis driven plays and how all postions were given their time to shine because surprise surprise football isn't all about forwards and scoring goals (ahem blue lock ahem).

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 Haikyuu or Diamond no Ace you should give this anime a chance.

The best football anime I've ever seen. As a fan of this sport living in a soccer country like Argentina, I can say that it is the most real thing you will see on a field. The characters can be annoying or they are not to your liking but the best thing about this is how their skills, mentality, leadership, competitive, camaraderie, strategist, vision and among many things you need to be a soccer professional are gradually developed. On top of that what broke my heart the most is the bond that a mother has with her son, my favorite chapter without a doubt. This Anime deserves a lot of recognition because I want to see more of this beloved sport well done.

THIS ANIME WAS GASSSSSSS! I can’t lie I didn't hear a lot about Ao Ashi before I saw that Production IG got it. That and the fact that we haven’t gotten a good soccer anime in a pretty long time, but this had to be the surprise of the season for me. It covered most of the boxes for me and is a really nice underdog story. I personally hope and can’t wait for a season 2. Art: 8 So the actual animation was a little lackluster at times, but almost everything else was perfect. I think the art style really complimented the anime and the sport in general, plus the character designs are kind of fun too. Also, the music was really good. Everything fit really well from the openings to the endings to the background music. Characters: 10 The characters are what made the anime for me, from the complex relationship with his family to his new teammates, to even his rivals, every person that was introduced had a point and a story behind them. As for Aoi himself even though he can get a little annoying at times, he has his own charm and was a pleasure to watch... Also Hana best girl. Story: 9 The story is what you would expect in a soccer anime except they go in much deeper with each part of the process. Without spoiling, what they did at first with how they surrounded a couple of episodes around his family was done so well that I had almost no complaints, and honestly, that's just for the pacing in general. The pacing is so good and I’m really glad this got 24 eps. Overall I dont have much more to say, a really good sports anime and I’d give it a 9/10.

So Aoashi is the complete opposite of Blue Lock and I like it with better animation and character development. The romance aspect is good and the idea of a selfish player turning into a team based one. Blue lock is just unrealistic where people fire shots from 40 meters at full power and it manages to go in every single time or the can pull acrobatic shit after just 5 minutes of so called thinking and awakening. This aired nearly 2 cours before Blue Lock and is so much better but isn't getting a second season. While some of you all will say that anime is not supposed to be realistic and blah blah blah but even if it isn't realistic you need basic character character development for it to be good. Like in solo leveling, leveling up is not character development, hard work and letting the off game plot progress for 1 or 2 episodes is and that is why I like Aoashi better than Blue Lock. AoAshi = 90% Sports 10% Slice of Life Blue Lock = 99% Shonen 1% Sports

I always thought the sports anime genre lacked a good football show and i'm glad i found Ao Ashi. Sure we have Blue Lock but i think this show really shows what football is and what is really all about. Ao Ashi has it all when we talk about sports anime. Good plot, funny moments, good drama moments, excellent characters and perfect football knowledge. This is a show you actually hear about the tactics used, why something work and something doesn't, how moral affects the athletes performances. Even in trainings, they will do something and explain to the viewer why they are doing it, what's the purpose and how it will roll out in the game. Maybe i'm overselling it but it truly goes in depth and beyond on certain aspects of football. I really enjoyed the characters and i this season really made excellent foundations for character development in the future of certain side characters. But... As nothing is perfect i'm really sad the animation couldn't keep up with it. Don't get me wrong! Animation was pretty good at some points but my main issue is during certain parts of the matches that feel like everything is happening in such slow mode. I really enjoyed the relationship between Ashito and Hana has it doesn't feel generic and it actually brings something good to the table. The soundtrack is simple but it's been stuck on my brain this last few days. It is a little bit generic but god damn it goes hard for me. If you enjoyed the aspect part of football in Blue Lock you really should watch this as it is more football focused than Blue Lock and it actually gives some insight about what it takes to go pro, mainly in Japan but it can be applied to experiences in other countries where it really is hard to breakthrough and pursue a career on the sport. It was really fun to watch this as i binged watched this and am now reading the manga since the finale left us curious about what comes next! Just watch it and find out for yourself!

I read the Ao Ashi manga in fall of 2020. I think I started it while in the middle of some zoom class or the other, but it very quickly consumed all my waking thoughts and it is most certainly my favorite manga ever. When I found out that Ao Ashi was getting an anime adaptation, I was cautiously excited, but mostly my expectations were pretty low. I think the anime did a great job at adapting the manga. Though it was very shocking to see some characters in full color (cough Kiriki cough), it was great to see them on the small screen. The games were super engaging and fun to watch. I do think some of the more normal seeming things in the manga came off as superpowered in the anime, mostly the way they chose to depict Aoi's vision. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, but not exactly what I'd hoped for. Overall, it was really good and I'd recommend checking out the manga if you liked the anime because it's phenomenal.

What drives this anime apart from the cliche of a sports anime is the relatability one has with Aoi. Growing up playing football, every child has a dream to reach the pro leagues and loves the game for certain reasons. After watching 3 episodes of Blue Lock garbage, I wanted to watch an anime that was actually based on football. What resonates with me in this anime is the natural feeling of getting behind the mc, given that his ability is nothing more than any kid who grew up wanting to become the best. To see how this anime has blessed the mc with bang-average skills but with "talent" that can be nurtured through experiences makes you feel like you're part of the team. From a technical aspect the art and music are pretty average, however, what really hooked me to this anime is the way the MC seems to keep going regardless of the different hurdles thrown at him. With the World Cup hype seemingly hitting social media with "Blue Lock" I figure that more attention will be drawn towards actual football anime in "Ao Ashi" with true football fans with the possibility of the studio renewing the anime for a second season. Bring it on.

This is way better than I expected. I happen to see this in one of the recommendations so I decided to binged it all at once and now I'm addicted. Although I've seen a lot of sports animes before, I never really had the urge to write a review on them until Ao Ashi. That's because I see a lot of people underestimates it because of mere clips and rumors they saw in the internet, and the animation quality and art style of it, but here's a simple advice: Don't judge the book by it's cover. I don't really care how un-review-like this review may be but I had to do it. I have to make an exemption because I don't think that this series got the credit or acknowledgement that it deserves. (I will not go into details like music etc. but know that i like them) All I will say is: This anime is great and you guys have to watch it. It's hilarious, it's intense, it's cool, it's pact with wholesomeness, chemistry and emotions. This gonna be my favorite football anime now. After Hajime no Ippo, I never felt so connected in sports animes again until I read and watch ao ashi. I feel so inspired by the characters specially to the main character, Ashito. He acts confident because being positive is part of his personality, but he know that he is not the best and very far from it that's why he's doing his best to improve. He often complains when there are changes in what he used to do, but he listens. He listens intently, he accepts all insults and advice, and will show a development in times you weren't expecting the most. Though some may seem bothered by his personality, but I love it. He is comical when he needs to be, he has a bit of anger issue but still polite. He often gets emotional but he has unwavering determination is what he wants to achieve. Overall, I think he's cool. World building, character development and character dynamics on this anime is written very well. It has good plot and storyline, the pacing is not as slow as the others makes it to be, it's actually balanced. Not fast nor slow. And aside from being realistic and relatable, it was pact with football knowledge and tactics, that will make you interested in it more. Characters, both the main casts and opposing teams have interesting personalities and back stories that will make you relate to them even though you don't play sports. They have unwavering dreams of becoming the best, they are full of passion and determination, I can't really explain it here but if you watch the anime and read the manga you'll know. So if you have spare time on your hands, go watch this. If you don't, go watch this anyway. If you think you don't like football, (like me) go still watch it because I'm sure you will like it too. There's no harm in trying. I went into this anime not expecting much but ended up having more fun than I expected. I understand that this may not be everyone's cup of tea, but if even one person get to experience the enjoyment and excitement like I did watching this, then that's worth a lot. So why are you still here? Go watch it now!

Ao Ashi was good. Not great, but good. It's simple and follows the main tropes of a sports anime. A hereto unknown, hyper-skilled, especially positive [soccer] savant is plucked from the sticks to play ball in the big city. That being said I don't hate any of those at all. I haven't watched enough for those commonalities to have gone stale. Like I have said in previous sports anime reviews, you don't have to reinvent the wheel as long as it's fun and entertaining. I liked the art style. Simple, not especially over-stylized, nothing special, it feels comfortable. The animation of action and movement isn't great, they don't do anything special, but they also don't overly rely on voice-overs on still images. The characters are mostly uninspiring. The main cast are filled with characters you've seen before, especially the main character, Aoi, who is basically a carbon copy of Sawamura Eijun from Ace of the Diamond. The characters I find the most interesting are Togashi and some of the players from the A-team who we don't know yet. That's not to say I dislike any of the other characters. Like most sports shows, there are few female characters, all of whom (with perhaps one or two exceptions) are defined by their relationship with men, specifically our MC. Would be nice to see a sports anime with more dynamic female characters, I guess it's also on me for not searching those out lol. I thought the first set of OP and ED were good enough, but that being said I don't really remember them. I liked this show, I really did, but the more I talk about it the more I consider it a lower rating. It watches really quickly, it drew me in to where I wanted to keep watching past my bedtime. If you're looking for a show to watch in a few weeks or while figuring what to watch next this is as good a show as any.

The most realistic football story I've ever seen. One more sports story, one more soccer story. The truth is I didn't expect much from Aoashi, I was content to watch a good game, however I was surprised. Aoashi is the most realistic soccer story I've seen, it doesn't just focus on showing you great games, plays or shots, but it plays with what every child wants to be a professional soccer player. I love the first transition arc, how they emphasize the fact that you need money to fulfill your dreams, needing friends to motivate you, needing family to keep you going, and needing a special person to keep you from falling. Aoashi is the only spokon that has made me cry, I look forward to continuing the story and seeing how Aoi becomes a professional player.