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Apr 9, 2022 11:38 AM

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Apr 2018
5490
I'm glad that Production IG is the studio that got to animate this. It's looks great, way way better than the football anime (Futsal something) that aired in winter season. The main character is the frontline genius Ashito Aoi. He may be selfish but that's just because he's very honest about how he thinks. He has perfect memories and sight enough to see the whole field while playing not to mention TWICE as much stamina as average player too. That's already pretty good TBH. The opening is amazing!


“You yourself have to change first, or nothing will change for you!”
'
Apr 9, 2022 12:16 PM
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Jan 2022
354
Maybe its because this is my first sports anime, I'm not a big sports person in general... I don't know how to feel about this anime. It's got potential though
Apr 9, 2022 12:25 PM
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Jun 2021
18
KANLen09 said:

This is soccer (or as you Americans call it football) much within the reigns of Captain Tsubasa and the like, and is at the core of it all, Shonen-ish for the young teens.

Bro Americans call it soccer and it's called FOOTBALL
Apr 9, 2022 12:27 PM
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Jul 2020
178
This is the football genre anime I've been waiting for. There is no doubt that Production I.G has always been good at producing sports anime. I didn't read the manga, but it looks like it would be really fun because I love football.
 
Apr 9, 2022 1:01 PM
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Oct 2019
29
Man, I love sports anime so much... this episode was so good!! And Ashito reminds me of at least three other sports anime characters, it was kind of fun to figure that out during the episode :) I don't have that many thoughts on it other than that, but I'm super excited for the rest of the season!!
Apr 9, 2022 1:02 PM

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Jan 2018
4125
Ao Ashi is the best football manga I've read. It has a more grounded and realistic take on football. The matches are really well executed and use great tactics during it. This was a good first episode. I really do hope it gets more attention.
Apr 9, 2022 1:35 PM

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Dec 2019
635
Questionable art direction at points but it was a really endearing first episode. I think this is the director's first role and he did a pretty good job of having me engaged. This first episode really gave me some major Haikyuu!! vibes (I know that people compare every sports anime to Haikyuu!! but there are definitely some striking similarities here). Interested in seeing how this turns out.
Apr 9, 2022 2:18 PM
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May 2021
251
As a huge fan of the sport, seeing that most of the animes regarding the sport have been below average, I really don't want to raise my expectations for this one.
I've heard good stuff about the manga, so I really hope it'll stand out amongst the others.
That said, we do have Blue Lock coming out later (really hope it'll be adapted nicely).
ASOIAF is the best piece of fiction

Apr 9, 2022 4:03 PM

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May 2018
150
I watch sports anime for the hype and drama and this one is starting out at Hype-kyuu!! levels right off the bat on both counts. I’m really hoping this is just beginning and the series can attain “Sawamura finally being acknowledged by Coach after 170 episodes” type of legendary status.

And here I was thinking that Gay Horse Boys was going to be the best sports themed series of the season. Early prediction is that Ao Ashi and Danseur are going to be battling it out for my AOTS.
Apr 9, 2022 4:16 PM

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Sep 2020
4136
Good start. I've always wanted to read the manga but I've not got around to doing that yet. It's a more realistic approach to football and I like that there's going to be more of a focus on tactics. It's been a while since we got a good sports anime and I honestly haven't been this excited to watch one since Ace of the diamond so I hope it delivers.

BestDogeKoromaru said:
I watch sports anime for the hype and drama and this one is starting out at Hype-kyuu!! levels right off the bat on both counts. I’m really hoping this is just beginning and the series can attain “Sawamura finally being acknowledged by Coach after 170 episodes” type of legendary status.

Love the Ace of the diamond reference there. I'm not sure the anime will have that many episodes but I'm certainly hoping that it will be just as entertaining as Ace of the diamond.

Mod Edit: Merged duplicated posts; please use the edit button.
KarinaraApr 25, 2022 9:29 AM


𝒮𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒𝓈, 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒸𝒶𝓃'𝓉 𝓂𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇𝓌𝒶𝓇𝒹 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝒸𝓁𝑜𝓈𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒹𝑜𝑜𝓇 𝒷𝑒𝒽𝒾𝓃𝒹 𝓎𝑜𝓊. - 𝑅𝑒𝒾 𝒦𝒾𝓇𝒾𝓎𝒶𝓂𝒶



Apr 9, 2022 4:20 PM

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Jun 2019
1321
It was pretty good. I have some worries on the production side, but the writing might be great enough to carry it.
Apr 9, 2022 4:24 PM

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Sep 2020
4136
MGrid said:
Jaytaro10 said:
As a huge fan of the sport, seeing that most of the animes regarding the sport have been below average, I really don't want to raise my expectations for this one.
I've heard good stuff about the manga, so I really hope it'll stand out amongst the others.
That said, we do have Blue Lock coming out later (really hope it'll be adapted nicely).

If you are hyped for Blue Lock just because you like football, I recommend you drop the expectation. Since Blue Lock is terrible if you are watching it for the sports representation.
Why else would you read or watch blue lock then if it's not for the sports representation? I personally think it's grounded in some form of reality if you don't factor in the cringey lines from the characters.


𝒮𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒𝓈, 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒸𝒶𝓃'𝓉 𝓂𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇𝓌𝒶𝓇𝒹 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝒸𝓁𝑜𝓈𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒹𝑜𝑜𝓇 𝒷𝑒𝒽𝒾𝓃𝒹 𝓎𝑜𝓊. - 𝑅𝑒𝒾 𝒦𝒾𝓇𝒾𝓎𝒶𝓂𝒶



Apr 9, 2022 5:47 PM

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Apr 2008
685
I've definitely seen more boring starts, but it's not pretending to be anything other than a generic sports show. Not my favorite genre, though I liked Ippo, Haikyuu, Kuroko, and a couple others. Unlikely I'll stick with this, but if I'm going to give Love All Play a second episode then it's only fair I watch another of this.
Apr 9, 2022 6:26 PM
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Sep 2016
7
In the shot where it shows the manager against Barcelona you can see Dani Alves and a Young Messi but I can't grasp who the #9. It could be blonde Suarez or just some made up character.
Apr 9, 2022 6:57 PM

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Aug 2020
2645
Might be the best sports anime this season. I'm hyped for this. Very good head start!


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Apr 9, 2022 7:01 PM

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Jul 2021
467
A pretty solid first episode for a football anime. I'll keep my expectations low but this show seems to be different from other sport anime in recent years.

That headbutt reminded me of Zidane lol.
Apr 9, 2022 8:17 PM

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Oct 2016
25
I was afraid I'd get tired of MC very quickly, but the angle they're taking with him is actually quite great. I appreciate how maturely the incident in the opening match was handled: it's shown to mostly just be an unfortunate incident between kids not fully understanding the consequences of their actions. The coach was really cool too, this is shaping up to be quite solid.
Trying out (almost) every anime that airs each season since 2018.
Apr 9, 2022 8:18 PM

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Jan 2022
36
It's has alot of potential I'll keep watching to see where it goes
Apr 9, 2022 8:41 PM
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Jul 2018
562029
I'm no expert critic, but I can say this first episode shows potential for the series. I havent watched many sports anime, but this sure gets me back in the spirit of Soccer and I hope the Writers & Animators succeed in their vision for where they want to take the series.
Apr 9, 2022 9:47 PM

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Jul 2016
9094
Gotta love that not-so-subtle homage to Zidane's headbutt. Rival goalkeeper feeling so ashamed for calling MC's mother a whore was unexpected tho.

Promising first episode. As expected from Production I.G and their excellent record of sports anime.
Apr 9, 2022 10:18 PM
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Jan 2020
66666
Great op song. And Production IG Sports series are something else. Much better than the common no-name/bad animation stuff.

I like the protagonist so far and football is the one of the only things I like as much as anime so hopefully this can end up becoming great



Apr 10, 2022 12:08 AM

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Mar 2020
812
Interesting episode. Next week let's go to Tokyo!!!

In the end your family still supported you. Arigato okasan to niichan.

I already loved the OP music. I hope the visuals will be amazing as well.

Looking forward next week!
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Apr 10, 2022 12:21 AM

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Oct 2016
4530
Production IG back at it again. That was a really solid start!

Big bro's a real bro for that, looking forward to the next episode to see how he compares to other more skilled players.
Apr 10, 2022 12:26 AM

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Jan 2022
792
I've watched first episode and it was pretty decent. But I don't think it's some kind of show for which I can wait for a week. Guess I'll just binge watch it at the end




!!!
Apr 10, 2022 1:43 AM

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Feb 2021
23405
Had a bit generic start to it but there was some realism to it nonetheless.

I like how their financial condition is displayed to be an obstacle. Haven't really seen much sports anime but from what I've seen, they never have an issue with money.

The older brother Shun is already my favourite character.

I might be wrong but is his mom a prostitute or something? If so then the kid who was trash-talking him should have had a few of his teeth knocked in. Seriously what an asshole.

I wonder if his old team will ever come back into play. Like maybe someday they'll have to play on opposing teams?

Overall pretty nice start.
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Apr 10, 2022 2:04 AM
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May 2018
322
DeonX said:
Had a bit generic start to it but there was some realism to it nonetheless.

I might be wrong but is his mom a prostitute or something? If so then the kid who was trash-talking him should have had a few of his teeth knocked in. Seriously what an asshole.



Even I who read the manga can't remember if they specified it, I just assumed that she works night shifts at a bar or something.
Apr 10, 2022 3:40 AM

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Dec 2020
3855
AYYY BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS !!!

idk shit abt soccer but man that was fun to watch. im liking mc a lot already
Apr 10, 2022 4:33 AM

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Jan 2016
1950
One of the GOAT sports manga finally has it's own Anime adaptation.

Hopefully blue lock won't overshadow this, which it most probably will

EDIT: Nvm, I thought Blue Lock was airing this season.
Apr 10, 2022 6:15 AM

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May 2015
3300
Red_Ranger_Wien said:
phantomfandom said:
There are five sports anime in this season, I already watch other four. And after watching this episode, Ao Ashi is definitely the worst among them. I'm not saying it's a bad anime, just the worst sports anime in this season. Manga reader will probably claim that it'll only get better from now on.

Bruh no this is already miles above the crappy CGI horse show and the mediocre badminton show. It's also better then the golf show. What's the fifth one? I don't see any other sports shows on the season chart.

Fifth one is probably the dance show which is listed as performing arts rather than sports...

I haven't seen the horse and golf shows yet, but from the other three I can't say that Ao Ashi is the best. It has a pretty standard start like any other spots anime and only later episodes will tell if it's incredible or not. Surely, it has potential and ambition to become very popular but so far my hype for this anime is mostly because of the studio making it and not from the episode itself.
Apr 10, 2022 6:23 AM
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Feb 2021
532
Finally some quality football anime to watch which I had never watched before so I am sure this is gonna be amazing and I really love the manga.
Apr 10, 2022 7:18 AM
Former AMQ God

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Sep 2014
5566
This is a really good watch for fans of the european soccer scene judging by the namedrops and references.
Apr 10, 2022 8:26 AM
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Jul 2018
562029
Interesting first episode. I dislike the attitude of the mom but his big brother is the goat.
Apr 10, 2022 11:21 AM
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Mar 2015
14121
Arrogant little bastard loves his mom
Apr 10, 2022 11:46 AM

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Aug 2019
191
I love how this won’t be captain tsubasa (I read like 30 chapters when the anime got announced and by then it’s different immensely). This is not a typical soccer show and it won’t even be like blue lock, this show is special in it’s very own way, and many will come to find that out. If you are interested I would say read the first 30 or so chapters, very solid stuff.
Apr 10, 2022 3:22 PM
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Nov 2018
5
Very promising anime as expected, for me at least, nice colors, good looking view and the characters, for me i saw 3 key moment if i can alm that
When he headbutt the player bcs he was talking about his mom, the face of coach when he saw he knew all 22 players positions and the Last scene with his brother

I really want to see where this anime is going, beside ao and coach, his mother seems a nice character and hopefully she will get some screen time. 10 out of 10 for the first episode.
Apr 10, 2022 3:47 PM

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Oct 2008
13721
MC's mom is one friggin' hot pretty MILF!!!
4/5.
is it only me or the music sounds cheap? even that ED...or is that OP???!?
matias067Apr 10, 2022 4:28 PM


Apr 10, 2022 5:35 PM

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Oct 2016
524
I'm glad that the kid felt so guilty about what he said earlier that he wanted to apologize in person. Turns out the kid is actually a decent person after all.

Not sure how I feel about Ashito's mom though. I hope she gets better as the story goes on.
And I'm expecting Ashito to show his older brother some gratitude for being so supportive.
Apr 10, 2022 5:45 PM
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Mar 2021
12
Prem league clear of La liga
Apr 10, 2022 9:05 PM

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Jul 2020
208
I love this anime so far. The MCs story is truly inspiring and I can't wait to go on this journey with him.
Him and Hinata from Haikyuu would be beat friends for life with all that dedication they got.
Apr 10, 2022 10:42 PM
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Oct 2015
174
Dan-Te said:
... and went to play in La Liga in Spain, the best league in the world.
Facts.

A good first episode and great potential for a good football anime. Even though there are some points that I didn't like:
  • The defenders stand and talk to each other about the #10 attacking them.
  • The homage to the Zidane headbutt in episode 1. It would be better in a later episode with more emotional weight.
  • The boy who provoked Aoi into headbutting comes afterwards with his parents to apologize.
  • Aoi isn't interested in football tactics at all, yet seems to be an absolute genius in this field as well. Doesn't feel earned to me.
  • The youth team coach wants his club to be the world stage in football, beating Barca, Madrid, Manchester and Milan. But how? There's no competition in which he could achieve that. Even if the club wins the FIFA Club World Cup, it wouldn't really put them on the world stage. Football clubs in Europe would only try to buy their players and otherwise this would quickly be forgotten. At least, if you go by the current way the competitions are held.

This is what I was about to say. I agree with every single point (except the LaLiga one, PL is clear) you made. That's why I can't agree with everyone who is claiming this to be seinen-ish. In any case, it would be 'seinier' than most of spokons out there, but it's still a sports anime after all...

Anyway, as the massive football fan I am, I'm really excited for this one, hope they manage this realistic focus well. I'm afraid of them trying too hard on the tactical stuff and then making wrong takes.

Animation looked good, although the art style doesn't imo.
Apr 10, 2022 11:06 PM

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Oct 2020
184
Very good introduction



Apr 11, 2022 6:36 AM

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Apr 2021
43
What's does the mom do at night? being a hostess?
Apr 11, 2022 8:00 AM

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Jul 2020
258
tbh, I'm not a big fan of football but this anile looks good lol
+ the coach is hot jk

Apr 11, 2022 9:27 AM
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Nov 2021
154
Couldnt say it was 10/10 cap but a nice 7/10. good start in my opinion. not the kind of main character i was expecting
Apr 11, 2022 9:43 AM
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Sep 2020
46
Nice mother Aoi-kun
Apr 11, 2022 1:37 PM

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Aug 2018
5200
Been looking for a good football anime, hopefully animation doesn't drop the ball (heh) and the writing stays consistent. Really hoping this stays good
_______I like rocks__
Apr 11, 2022 2:41 PM

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Jan 2014
1330
I really liked the first episode, and I'm honestly curious to how well his path takes him. They really did well in presenting the whole entire episode from start to finish. Can't wait for more.
Apr 11, 2022 3:00 PM

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Jun 2013
4853
I am the tactic.

Lol, K
Apr 11, 2022 8:01 PM

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Jul 2014
753
Good start. I liked the MC , at least he's not a wimp. I thought first he's brainless but actually, he has potential when it comes to playing strategically. Looking forward for the next episodes
Apr 11, 2022 10:06 PM

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Nov 2017
20
I am enjoying the hell out of the manga and am caught up to it so for sure I'm gonna be checking out the anime weekly to see how well it'll do and so far pretty damn good.....
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It’s time to ditch the text file.
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