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.
