Aoashi

It’s quite likely that you'll question whether Ao Ashi is worth watching during the first couple of episodes. There’s something, or rather someone, that you might find very annoying. The main character doesn’t make a very good first impression. In fact, he could be summed up as "Asta from Black Clover playing soccer". Aoi is loud, overconfident, extremely emotional – simply unbearable. On the other hand, the show does an impressive job of portraying soccer. There are many great shots of the game, and I immediately took a liking to Coach Fukuda, who decides to give Aoi a chance because he sees his undeniable talent. I’m sure you’ll be able to see this talent and what makes the protagonist special, too, though you may wonder how it will be used in the story. You might not like how dramatic the opening is at first, and you might find a lot of the emotionally charged, loud scenes to be exaggerated. However, in the context of relationship building, it makes sense and actually works. If you don't drop the series, you'll be rewarded and your overall impression will gradually improve until you become convinced, like me, that Ao Ashi is an excellent sports anime worth looking forward to. How did the writers achieve this? First of all, by having the main character face reality, letting him fall flat on his face a couple of times, and having everyone around him, coaches as well as teammates, confront him with new problems and his own mistakes from which he gradually learns until everything falls into place and you'll grow to like the kid and his transformation. Aoi's story is excellently written, perfectly capturing the hero's ups and downs. Aoi’s growth and development feel very convincing. The atmosphere in the team is also wonderfully handled. There is mistrust and discord stemming from different motivations and approaches to the game, but also logical compromise and teamwork to achieve a common goal. There's also strategizing on the part of the coaches, a good demonstration of the work involved in raising young people who “have to figure it out for themselves, but sometimes they need a little push." The coaches themselves are also excellently portrayed. They are struggling to do their best and sometimes questioning themselves, too. The best character of the whole series for me is definitely coach Date Nozomi, who is an excellent version of Snape. Both character development and team development are great, and even the supporting characters are given enough room to be engaging and show us their importance for the story. But that's not all. The depiction of the matches is also great, and the series perfectly builds up the tension, especially concerning the last match of the season, where it doesn't forget to introduce the opponent, and escalates the tension between the teams (on several fronts), so you really get the impression that it’s a big deal and a climax of the whole series so far. Yūgo Kobayashi obviously knows a lot about soccer. You can tell by the individual shots of the pitch, the use of familiar strategies, or dropping famous soccer names, but also the analyses and insights that the supporting characters have while watching the game. And this is where it differs from Love All Play. The series either shows you the whole thing first and then explains it in quite a bit of detail (so that even a layman can understand it), or it uses on-the-fly analysis of the situation, with the main character sketching out a plan in his head, quickly explaining it and making it happen. These moments are a delight to watch and feel like highlights from soccer matches complete with an analysis from an expert. The animation is also great. For example, the last opening has some absolutely amazing shots such as the one inside the goal in the first few seconds. All in all, Ao Ashi keeps on getting better, becoming a really great show in the end. I believe it has a lot more to offer in the future, and I look forward to a potential next season. The fact that Aoi starts off as a "whiny kid" is great for character development. The room for improvement is very large, and the potential is used very well. After the first season, I’m giving it 8/10. If there is a second season and if it keeps up the trend, it could soon turn into a five-star experience. (2022-09-24) (less) (more)