Aoashi

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 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.

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.

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 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.