User reviews

Ao Ashi is the first 24-episode anime I watched while airing, which means I watched this weekly for 6 months. And I loved it. I won't deny that I did not enjoy some episodes in the 1st half as much, but the 13th episode completely surprised me and turned the story on it's head. It seemed like I knew exactly where the story was going in the first half but that completely changes in the 2nd half, and it made sense later why the first half was slow and why they created a certain environment before going in the 2nd act. This anime did a great job in showing the mental struggles of an athlete and that things won't always go as you want in this profession. You have to adapt according to your skills. And, as you would expect from a sports anime, there are plenty of cheer-worthy moments as well.

I'm mid-season (episode 12) and I'm still not sure if I like this show. The protagonist is your typical dumb obnoxious kid that has a lot of potential to become a professional football player but ironically doesn't really know how to play with teammates and lacks all kinds of basic skills. He's given the opportunity to play in one of the best school teams in Tokyo after the team's coach sees him play.

In theory it sounds great but in reality it follows the same pattern many other shows have already overdone: protagonist can't do something, people make him feel dumb and useless for it, protagonist has a mystical revelation and does something "amazing" in a crucial moment, outsiders have a 10 minute commentary about it, etc. Rinse and repeat.

Hopefully this is only the beginning and the show gets less repetitive in the second half of the season. It's pretty good tho'.

Many sports anime come and go over the years, some barely staying in the memory of viewers. However, every so often, something appears that grabs viewers' attention and Ao Ashi has achieved that this Spring 2022 season.

Ao Ashi frames itself as kind of a rags to riches story. Ashito Aoi is clearly talented; he and everyone around him know that much. However, he has to climb more obstacles than most due to his familial situation, competing against people who stand in the way of his road to success. Many sports anime dramatise the sport itself while simplifying everything else around the players and teams, while Ao Ashi was totally relatable and realistic.

Coming to the technical aspects, the OST was sane and the animation by Production I. G (the studio behind other sports anime like Haikyuu, Run With The Wind, Kuroko No Basket) was clean and was consistent. Compared to other works by the same studio, Ao Ashi felt bit behind in terms of excitement or relativity, however it was effective enough to deliver it's story against the backdrop of a protagonist who is trying to make his mark (I relate it to Diamond No Ace, which I also rated the same). It might be the top sports anime, but I will hold my horses for Blue Lock, since it involves the same sport.

My Rating : 7.5/10.

Aoashi is one of the best sports anime that is beginning to air in Spring 2022 and is similar to Blue Lock and Captain Tsubasa. The animation even looks professional because it is based on true manga stories. It describes how the youth of candidates becomes a beautiful kid in Japan. The casts of the characters sound perfect.

The story is good. I think what it lacks is the intensity and thrill that other sports anime gives. It has the potential to be one of the best only if they could make the matches more nail biting.

I don't often go out of my way to rate things or publicly share my thoughts on things, but this anime is incredible and if we don't get a season 2, I might start a riot. The characters are well crafted and feel unique. They sometimes fit some preexisting anime stereotypes, but the characters also feel fresh and worthy of investment. The in-game action/player development/power level creep is exciting to watch and the episodes end on cliffhangers that draw you in. They do such a good job of creating tension with on and off the field obstacles in Aoi's life. It's also wonderful to see a love story developing that isn't based on fan service. The art style and actual animation is really high quality and for 24 episodes, they've done a beautiful job of making sure the cuts/transitions flow well. Intro and outro songs are playlist adds, absolute fire. I can't say enough good things about this anime, please check it out for yourself and help get a season 2! I don't normally watch shows as they come out, but this show had me in front of my TV or computer every Saturday, y'all are lucky and get to watch the first season in one swoop.

As people tend to watch a lot of sports anime, some of the story become as cliché as it can get. They follow the same route like many others such as, a kid, with or without any special abilities, meet friends, training, enter competition and the story end with a high note (usually the team that MC plays for win the competition).

But, Ao Ashi, while it seems to follow the generic road, it does not lead to the same conclusion, the story itself is about a kid from Ehime, enter a youth team for an existing club (in the anime not real life) and began to know what soccer is all about. His brain and knowledge on the game change from a Sunday League IQ into a professional player mind during the course of the story, The story itself is just a summary of how a kid enter a youth team in order to become a professional. While there are few exaggerate element , this is the most real as it can get.

There is no super power like Captain Tsubasa or Inazuma Eleven or there is no illogical skills which can be seen in Blue Lock. All the training and tactics seems to be more lean towards realism and while others soccer storyline have either a broken MC who superb all the way from the start to finish or a weak MC who gradually become the best, Ao Ashi tend to push for a different route. The MC have major flaws that cannot be changes(physical) and he only have his tenacity to learn and his inborn talent of bird eye view.

For people who want a fast bombastic and crazy stunt, this anime is not for you. The anime is very slow pace in term of character development. Hence, while it does have a good storyline, the anime might not be your cup of tea if you don't like anime with slow build up.

The end of the season in general was excellent, how did we felt towards every character & what their backstories are & build their characters starts with Ashito wich was perfect, It was literally flawless! The season is perfect for the upcoming seasons! And how the season showed us all aspects of football, such as the inevitable sacrifices and the feeling of the players, especially Ashito, they showed all aspects of Ashito, his sad and happy side, and the childish side after him laughing at the trivial things, and how Hana is the character who was only interested in the world of football because of her love to her brother, then Ashito appears and after she saw the enthusiasm in Ashito's eyes. It reminds her to her brother once when he was like him!

This was my opinion of the season.

I've seen many anime, but this one is the one that has impacted me the most. The character development is really accurate to how some players will think in real life, but what I like the most is how those character feelings are portrayed in the episodes. The shadowing, the facial expressions, and coloring really adds to the emotion. The way these characters are written make them easy for the audience to connect with at least one of the characters, so many experiences that a player can go through and this show helps us understand the difficult moments a player has to undergo. Another important fact that I seriously love about this anime, is that the story is not really rushed and they pay attention to so many details. So far in my opinion, this is the anime that has been the most accurate to how people would think and feel in real life. Life is not always about blue skies and rainbows and this anime is one of the few that have been able to show us that. An absolutely beautiful show, well written, and filled with amazing character development.

A review of Aoashi with the perspective of a semi-pro player (including my own soccer story).

It is SHOCKINGLY ACCRETE. I believe that I could notice all of the minor details that made the show sooo pinpoint accurate, as a former pro junior player who happened to advance/move into the same position as the protagonist (Aoi Ashito). Everything is coherent and it really dives into the psychological aspects of players as well as the game as a whole.

It really started for me when Aoi was forced to change position to learn the fundamentals, view different perspectives and understand the basics of possession play. It was from that point and forward that he started to evolve by learning and mastering everything: eye contact - body language - triangel play - pass, play, cover/support (tiki taka) - playing with your lines - formation changes - lifting the play - counters - the hidden language of passes - causing confusion - stagnating. The mastermind coach Fukuda was able to put Aoi on the path to become a masterclass playmaker with all of these skills including Aoi's spatial awareness & future sight (Eagle eyes). The anime is much more than the evolution of a single player, it's about the whole team. The sweet sweet feeling of victory, sadness of a loss, feeling of euphoria after a goal and facing old teammates.

My soccer journey I might be biased because of my similarities to Aoi. I started playing very young in an unranked team. Our coaches (some soccer enthusiastic dads) were amazing. They taught us everything and made us play like the pros. At the time many of us (including myself) didn't know why we played, moved or did certain things, but it was because they had engraved it into us. They managed to teach us soccer without us even knowing it and sooner or later, everything started to come naturally because of the training, with promising results. We won the first league/season, and moved up in the divisions, even skipping multiple divisions at times and before I knew it, we were in Div 3.

We started to draw more games and even lost more than normally. Our coaches thought that we needed some changes and so did I. I was tired of being a defender so I started to train my shooting and dribbling ability in order to play as a striker. During one summer I gained a lot of muscles on my legs and came to practice with stronger passes and even stronger shots, most of them at the sweet spot (top corners). We had to say goodbye to old teammates and welcome new (there was no test or anything because we weren't an academic team). I started the new season as a defender once again and I started to befriend a new goalkeeper. He knew that our team was good and we wanted to improve at penalties, so he asked me to take some penalties on him. We practiced on a smaller goal (5-man goal) because the bigger goals were occupied. He thought that it would be easy since I was a defender, but after I shot the first one he didn't have the time to react. He said that he knew our team was good, but not that good if that was the shooting power of a defender. I smashed 12/15 goals in the top corners with 2 saves and 1 on the crossbar where I hit it so hard that the goal lifted off the ground slightly. The coaches noticed and changed my position to right wing since I was previously right back (right defender), and was used to playing along with attacks and taking throw-ins as well as "chance balls" (header passes).

The next summer I went on a vacation to Spain and asked some local kids playing with one of their dads if I could play soccer with them. They said sure and we played and I noticed that they definitely played on a team since they weren't bad. After playing for about half an hour I went to a nearby restaurant with my family. It turned out that the dad had followed after and told me that he was the head coach of the Milan FC academic team and that the kids I played with were a year older than me and part of that team. He paid for my lunch and gave me his business card and asked for me to move there and play for them. I politely told him that it was a big choice and a huge opportunity and that I had to consider it. However, I couldn't do it because of my parents work along with other reasons.

After playing in Sweden again with my team, I started to question some plays when I was subbed and during practice games (scrims). The coaches agreed with my plays and eventually made me a centermid playmaker (same as the Aoi) barking instructions at others. My first official game as a playmaker was in Div 2 and it was phenomenal, 8-0, 6 assists and 1 goal. We continued facing tough opponents after moving up to div 1. After a series of games we ended up winning and while trying to become the back-to-back champions I got a knee injury which made me quit.

Back to the anime. The show is filled with sports and emotion with a realistic pace that adds to the realism. It has a nice contrast between serious soccer, drama and an underlining romance alongside moments of comedic reliefs of artistic liberty (funny faces). This is because of the amazing side characters that greatly contribute towards the story. Hana helping and guiding Aoi overall, Yoshitsune giving subtle hints towards Aoi, Anri helping Aoi become better with minor tweaks on exercises, Togashi's beef with Takeshima. Even the lack of presence from Tachibana was greatly used to show that he was feeling out of it, missing easy shots and being off-side because he felt that he was inadequate and didn't deserve to be on the team. It's only later when he has to face his old teammates that he realizes that he deserves to be on the team and unleashes his true power.

In conclusion: The story is filled with minor details that makes it more believable. I might be biased as a previous semi-pro soccer player, but it is a masterpiece when it comes to depicting the sport and I definitely recommend it.

I sometimes don't watch anime in dubbed because they often choose the wrong English voice for some specific characters, it just doesn't fit sometimes.. but with this one they did excellent 👍 everyone's voice fits them perfectly!

This show doesn't stray from your typical anime sports show where the MC is the underdog but he must work his way up, but with this one the story feels a lot more genuine, thanks to the drama and the emotions expressed very well in the animation

However my one problem is the movement, while they're actually playing the game, (and all the other sports anime I've seen are victims of this too beside like 2), moments that should be intense are watered down due to the slow movement and choppy scenes like it's a flip book! Times like this should be greeted my fast paced fluent actions like a fighting scene in other shows

Overall it's a great show and the drama revolving around the MC and his own personal issues is what makes this great 👍

Btw there's also a love triangle going on, it's settle but its there, and it's a lot to build on if they choose to, that would take this anime to the next level.

Shounen anime tropes and archetypes. Shallow football understanding. High stakes and drama over everything. Pure generic garbage pandering to middle schoolers.

Best Sports Anime Ever!

I hate having to compare it to other shows, but really when you compare it the Blue Lock, Number 24 or Free, there is something lacking, but it is still worth watching.

Aoashi is a sports anime that is very good but not a 9 or 10 currently. It first aired in Spring 2022 and is similar to Blue Lock, but doesn't have the quirky badass characters in Blue Lock. The animation is very professional, and people tell me that it is based on true manga stories.

The English Dub casts of the characters sound perfect, and enjoyable to listen to their voices. I am looking forward to season 2.