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| The 2nd Cour of Ao Ashi has begun, and the OST set for this feels a step down than the 1st. The highlight of the match: the U-17 high school player Haruhisa Kuribayashi's pro debut, and he'a already making waves on the field. His 4 choices compared to Aoi's 1, Anri gives him a proposition to think about it and hurriedly progress to the A team, while the others have been watching his every move, for he's a natural prodigy, the next face of the new Tokyo Esperion generation of players. Due to Yoshitsune having an injury, some players from Aoi's B team will be able to be promoted to the A team, and Coach Fukuda is thinking about nothing other than to help Aoi progress faster than usual. The B team's match against Kurume Daiichi with Fukuda's supervision, this is their chance to shine, and Aoi making the most use of the match to imitate Kuribayashi's killer pass style...kept missing. At least he tried. Rather than focusing on the bench with Coach Fukuda, focusing on the match instead clears the mind and ables them to think and act more clearly, and that leaves Fukuda no doubt to promote Aoi to the A team. At least this is what Aoi thought, but Fukuda holds that thought with their private conversation not held since the beach (in Episode 1), and changes his position to that of a defender. This is a complete 180 transition from a natural forwarder that Aoi is, and Fukuda knows that this will never be enough if he wants to make it to the world stage. His limit as a forwarder is severely limited, and Fukuda's vision of Aoi being a fullback, it's either go home or go big, and Aoi has to learn this the hard way. Aoi's fate is slowly warping away...the coach whom helped him pave his way to Japan's biggest soccer team, is working against him. The ego and pride of a natural-born forwarder, or the completely new and humble learning experience of a defender? |
KANLen09Jul 2, 2022 5:35 AM
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| Welp, that's a curveball outta left field, aoi.exe encountered a fatal error. Brilliantly done. The visual quality is making my nerd self barf rainbows, really awesome to see - er, just about everything. |
AMAZING EPISODE WITH A LOT OF PROGRESSIONS AND THE VISUAL IN THE OP IS CHEF'S KISS, THE COMPOSITION LIKE THIS SHOT SPECIFICALLY. |
"......If I told you that I was a real witch, would you believe it?"  |
| "Your skills suit that position. You will never again play as a forward." Well, Fukuda's always looking at the bigger picture. Given Aoi's wider vision, being a defender fits him better. But of course, the transition will not be easy for Aoi. And he will go under the different stages of grief... but well, this is all part of his gradual growth. So ganbatte Aoi! Btw, the new OP song is pretty good. Not as banger as the Alexandros but it's vocals are pretty powerful. Suits the new vid too. I miss the old ED though. It was more chill. |
| Holy... the new OP is such a beauty! New ED with Hana is cute too. Just as Ashito thought things are finally starting to go well for him as a forward, he gets struck by Fukuda. That scene was really intense and you could really feel Ashito's anger and bewilderment to hearing Fukuda's decision. It hurts him that much more because of his inflated ego. Looking forward to see how he will come to terms with this. I always thought he is much better suited for midfielder or defender instead of forward and Fukuda had the same idea from the moment he saw him. |
| Man, I could feel that frustration. I totally understand his shock and confusion and anger. Dude was just starting to really understand how to play soccer too. I mean he was trying new things, experimenting and he gets this bomb dropped on him. I mean the man made some valid points, but it’s still a tough pill to swallow. The kid’s whole identity is basically being a forward. Now he’s got that taken away from him and made to play defense in what I imagine is a less “flashy” role. It’s like he’s gotta learn how to play soccer all over again. But I think it could be a blessing in disguise. If the man says this is the best position for our boy, I trust him. I guess a fullback isn’t a “flashy” position like a forward but it’s still an important component of the team (I assume, idk I don’t play soccer). Aoi is understandably upset and feeling down now, but I hope he gets to see this as an opportunity to play in the big leagues in the future. It might not be what he envisioned originally, but it’s still a chance. Pretty eager to see what next week will hold for the kid. |
| The visuals in OP and ED were insane! My favourite visuals in a long Time in an OP but maybe im biased because i love soccer. It seems ashito Is finally evolving to a better player love to see It. I dont imagine ashito as a leftback. |
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| Quite a good ep ,totally changes ashito's path going forward. I was somewhat expecting this an ep or two ago when his instinct was to pass instead of shoot but i thought it would have been as a winger or midfielder, fullback is pleasantly surprising, especially being a position that is somewhat overlooked in other football anime/manga, at least to my knowledge anyway |
| Kuribayashi is spectacular, the way he looked at the reporter with those condescending eyes was pricy. Aoi is lucky to be surrounded by people who care about him and his play. Anri is a star. "A pass is a mean of getting a goal", Nozomi is a visionary . Too bad Aoi wasn't promoted, but turning him into a defender? Hell Fn way. Maybe Fukuda is ball jiggling him, who knows. |
lihle808Jul 2, 2022 6:52 AM
How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb --- Dr Strangelove  |
| Interesting episode, didn't expect those turn of events. I figured his talents would be better suited as a midfielder than a defender, his vision and ability to find goal scoring plays seem suited for someone who can control the field but I guess a full back could work too. It's just that I have never seen Ashito defend against someone. I always thought he'd convert to midfield given the things he was learning. OP visuals were fantastic and the ED was so adorable. Hana best girl. <3 |
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| Aoi as fullback? Tf? That came out of nowhere. |
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| I don't know if this is a spoiler or not, but if you are a fan of Man City (Pep) or Arsenal you should realize this. |
| “You should enjoy the little detours to the fullest. Because that's where you'll find the things more important than what you want.” |
| that was waaay tooooo cruel on ahito |
| You know he's a legend when even the closed-eyes aggressive senpai opened his eyes to view the interview. New OP is fantastic, and the same goes for its visuals. Art looked a bit off at times in this episode, especially with Aoi's face. Does anyone know the soundtrack they played as Fukuda listed Aoi's flaws? Its fucking amazing. |
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| A simple match with a convincing victory this time around, Aoi's pretty much set at this point... until he didn't get promoted to the A Team which is unsurprising as it'll be too quick The bombshell that Coach Fukuda told him to switch positions to a full-back tho, was expecting if a position change were to happen being a midfielder would fit Aoi better |
| Fukuda made some good points as to why Aoi cannot play as a forward but surely a better option would be an attacking mid or a number 8? As a right-back, he needs speed and intelligence to know when he's supposed to attack or defend. As a midfielder, he has more time on the ball to use his vision to pick players out. He could also make late runs from deep because of his natural skill and if you know anything about football, you'd know that late runs into the box are hard for defenders to deal with. |
 "𝒮𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒𝓈, 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒸𝒶𝓃'𝓉 𝓂𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇𝓌𝒶𝓇𝒹 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝒸𝓁𝑜𝓈𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒹𝑜𝑜𝓇 𝒷𝑒𝒽𝒾𝓃𝒹 𝓎𝑜𝓊."- 𝑅𝑒𝒾 𝒦𝒾𝓇𝒾𝓎𝒶𝓂𝒶   |
FragmantLemon said: That's what I'm saying. Aoi as a midfielder is the ideal option. I guess as a fullback, he'll play as an inverted fullback, slotting in as another midfielder when the team is on the attack. I still think as a number 8 or number 10, he would have more time on the ball and would be able to pick players out easily.The bombshell that Coach Fukuda told him to switch positions to a full-back tho, was expecting if a position change were to happen being a midfielder would fit Aoi better |
"𝒮𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒𝓈, 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒸𝒶𝓃'𝓉 𝓂𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇𝓌𝒶𝓇𝒹 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝒸𝓁𝑜𝓈𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒹𝑜𝑜𝓇 𝒷𝑒𝒽𝒾𝓃𝒹 𝓎𝑜𝓊."- 𝑅𝑒𝒾 𝒦𝒾𝓇𝒾𝓎𝒶𝓂𝒶 |
| Woahh the 2md OP visuals is amazing. Love the camera angles. Definitely an upgrade compared to the first. The song is nice but not as catchy as Alexandros but it's good in its own way. Uh oh. What will happen to Aoi-kun. The 2nd ED visuals and song is nice too. But I really loved the 1st one by rin. |
| Oppai check! 111 cm: Hancock 110 cm: Zoro 100 cm: Robin |
Coach Fukuda is 100% right about it. Fullback is the position that suit Aoi's skillset the most. |
KyouKaiTenJul 2, 2022 9:02 AM
| “You should enjoy the little detours to the fullest. Because that's where you'll find the things more important than what you want.” |
 Hey Nozomi, why the long nose? I mean face, lol. |
| I laughed when I saw that too lmao his nose is so damn huge |
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CQLLIST said: AMAZING EPISODE WITH A LOT OF PROGRESSIONS AND THE VISUAL IN THE OP IS CHEF'S KISS, THE COMPOSITION LIKE THIS SHOT SPECIFICALLY. That shot was extremely good. |
| I always thought Aoi had a playmaker fit, like a Center Mid or Attacking Mid. Notice the words of Fukuda: "You will never again play as a forward". He did not say "You will forever play as a defender". So my guess is that Fukuda wants Aoi to play defender, full-back nonetheless, so he can understand the defender's position and mind. He already grasped the Forward mindset, so all that's left is the defendant one. He will then be moved to a mid-position where he will be "the reincarnation of Ronaldinho, even though he is still alive", having a complete view and control of the whole court. Hungry Heart did something similar, so it's not too far-fetched. |
MusikaJul 2, 2022 11:36 AM
| Wow. Just when Aoi was getting the hang of playing soccer, Coach Fukuda reveals the real reason why he was brought to Tokyo Esperion. Not to play as a forward, but as a defender. Essentially, this makes more sense as it will allow Aoi to pick his spots and create other opportunities for his team to score goals. Of course, Aoi's primitive view of the game doesn't see that and he starts getting mad at Fukuda. It sucks that he lied to Aoi, but it was the only way to convince him to come over here. It just shows that Aoi still has a lot to learn about the game of soccer as defenders can also score when they are on the attack. I guess Aoi never had the chance to play different positions because he always wanted the ball. Even when I was playing soccer in elementary school, I played both defender and goalie when I needed to because I wasn't athletically gifted to play the forward position. This is another learning curve that Aoi has to overcome if he wants a spot on the world stage in the next year or so. He'll eventually learn that playing defender is also fun especially with his bird's eye view of the field. |
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| And this is when Ao Ashi becomes one of the GOAT sports manga The author is a genius with this twist. |
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| What an incredible episode this was, it left me speechless in the end. The first half was mainly showing us Kuribayashi's talent and his personality. Aoi had to learn from him in order to get better. He played really well in the last 2 matches as a forward. Even managed to use the tricks of Kuribayashi. Coach Nozomi had a depressed face throughout the whole episode and it made sense in the end when Coach Fukada asked Nozomi to bring Aoi for a talk. This was probably one of the best and realistic conversations in an anime. Aoi's stuttering and stops in between his sentences was just too heartbreaking to listen. The fact that he has to change his whole career as a forward to a full-back. It suits him better though if you view it but HIS dream is completely shattered though. He has been playing football since a young age to become the best forward but not to become a full-back player. This single moment probably changed his whole life, the reason why he played football, his dream. They're all over and Aoi has to start from point 0. Coach Fukada's facial expression was MAD fucking scary. The opening visuals are probably one of the best too! Jesus fucking christ, the shot where Aoi is hanging at the goal is just too fucking beautiful. Could someone tell me what chapter this is? Might start from this point after the anime. |
   “You yourself have to change first, or nothing will change for you!” ' |
Musika said: I always thought Aoi had a playmaker fit, like a Center Mid or Attacking Mid. Notice the words of Fukuda: "You will never again play as a forward". He did not say "You will forever play as a defender". So my guess is that Fukuda wants Aoi to play defender, full-back nonetheless, so he can understand the defender's position and mind. He already grasped the Forward mindset, so all that's left is the defendant one. He will then be moved to a mid-position where he will be "the reincarnation of Ronaldinho, even though he is still alive", having a complete view and control of the whole court. Hungry Heart did something similar, so it's not too far-fetched. Ah, that definitely makes more sense and I can see that happening. I thought he was better suited for midfield as well but having him play defender first before transitioning to mid field is definitely a good way to progress the story assuming it does indeed follow that path. Though Fukuda does say that Aoi fits the fullback in his dream team so it's possible that it was always his intention to have him play full back. |
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SideCharacterKal said: Could someone tell me what chapter this is? Might start from this point after the anime. This is adapted up until chapter 62, so you can start with 63 |
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