Ao Ashi

Ao Ashi is the only Football manga that i really like. It has a very standard plot but it is executed so well that it easily overcomes its limitations. The characters are well thought but nothing spectacular, the story is fairly predictable and there is little originality to the manga. However, Ao Ashi is a manga that is very much greater than the sum of its parts.

Pros: The football knowledge in this manga is great, but is easily explained and enjoyable to understand. This is one of the standout aspects of this manga, actually making me appreciate football more. It is much more of a realistic take on football, without any superpowers or special moves. I especially like the focus on the fundamental skills of football instead of each character being only good at one thing. As a person who does not like watching any sports, this got me invested in the matches.

The characters designs are especially enjoyable to look at. All of them have fairly diverse designs: varying in height, eyes, hairstyles and general looks. They are not lazy designs that simply change the character hairstyles so you can tell which character is which. Each character is well thought out in design.

Cons: As i mentioned, in terms of originality and story there is little that stands out from other manga.

My Biggest con has to be the fact that everyone, apart from the players, seems to know exactly what to problems is and how to fix it. It's as if everyone knows better than the actual footballers. This is mainly a problem for one of the characters: the daughter of an important sponsor of the football club. Even though she is not a football player, we get to listen to her explain what the problem facing the players are and how to fix them. Every time a player is doing something wrong or has a problem, we cut to her and she starts explaining things. She is also pretty much a blank character who has no personality other than liking football; in other words she is a stand in for the author, explaining things and setting up story points. She is also almost always right and knows best. I really do not like this character.

As well as this there is another character who is always right and always knows best. His actions and manipulations seem to be praised rather than being seen as exploitive. These types of character are unlikable and simply a hindrance to the story.

My final con is mostly personal preference, but i like to see characters in sports manga take more losses than what happens here. At the moment, the matches often seem very one side with a couple of missteps. Once the players break through a confrontation they almost always score. The matches are fairly clean and without any random factors, which makes for a much more predictable match. The randomness and constant changing situations needs to be felt more to make it more entertaining.

Personally, I've always felt like football has been a bit over-represented in the manga/anime scene. Its prevalence is only really one step down from the three B's (basketball, baseball and boxing) that seem to take up around half of all manga/anime sports series on their own. And, considering how common it is, I've been surprised at how many areas of the game have been left kinda untapped by the industry. Fortunately, Ao Ashi is here to shake things up with an incredibly refreshing take on the sport.

Our main protagonist, Aoi, is obsessed with scoring, not unlike the average child when they first get into a sport. In itself, that isn't particularly unique, but I think the degree to which the series is critical of that obsession does stand out. It takes him to areas of the sport that don't typically get a lot of focus in sports manga, due to being less flashy and conventionally "cool", and I appreciate that it gives those areas the attention I feel they deserve.

I also have a great appreciation for how messy things are at times. In a team of young teenagers, it can take a long time for people to sync up and figure each other out, especially if they don't get along particularly well. Ao Ashi depicts that in a way that feels very true-to-life, with people misunderstanding each other, fighting, and generally just not being very nice, both on and off the pitch. It's also a long-running problem that is gradually being worked through, rather than a moment of drama that everyone spontaneously gets over together, which is how I most commonly see it depicted in manga.

And even when people are understanding each other and communicating effectively, they're still generally having to be pretty direct about it. Like... shouting instructions to each other. Too often in manga do I see all the players coordinating perfectly all the time without ever really needing to say anything to each other, and that's one of the hardest things to suspend my disbelief around. I think that degree of unity only really works in a story if it's been properly built up to and we've seen enough of the hurdles along the way, and Ao Ashi encapsulates that perfectly. All the difficulties make those few moments of perfect communication so much more meaningful.

Ao Ashi is a very refreshing series that enjoys challenging its characters to take them to greater heights, and I love it for that. For now, I have it sitting at an 8/10, but I would not be surprised if it were to impress me even more, further down the line. I highly recommend this series to anyone who feels that sports manga have gotten a little stale.

Story: To be honest, I'm not a huge soccer/football fan. Like I played a bit as a kid, was never really good but I enjoy watching it. I get the rules. And to be honest, you don't have to know much about the game. As long as you played a sport before, you'll get all the sports stuff (maybe not ALL, but 95%). I was very impressed with the pacing and development of the manga. I mean, this is a real show on how great pacing can be for a manga. It's perfect in that sense. You feel you get somewhere by the end of every chapter. You can see growth in all the characters and it doesn't feel like the MC is "powering" up way too fast. It's good. Really good.

Art: The art can be a bit much at times. I'm never really lost or anything, but sometimes the artist is trying to draw an action scene and the art is hard to follow. But it's good nonetheless.

Character: The characters are really good. It's actually what makes the manga so well-received (IMO). It's not a situation where someone is an ass, and then they are revealed to be a nice guy. Nah, they're an ass period. And they stay like that, and it takes a lot for them to change because that's who they are. Even with all these very different characters working together, they all act as though they should. They don't stray far from who they are being portrayed to be and it's so great to not have the author bend characters around the plot. It's very well written in that sense.

Enjoyment: Honestly, I can't get enough. Like I said, I'm not a huge soccer/football fan, but I want to see these characters through and know where they end up.

In the end, I really do recommend it. Sometimes I feel like the love story should be a bit more fast paced because I don't get enough of it (sorry, I love a good love story) but besides that, I think this is a great story.

*this is a spoiler free review ;)*

I’ve recently come across Ao Ashi, a soccer manga, and I’ve been blown away by how good it is.
Art:the artist has his own unique style which is a breath of fresh air. U can tell that the artist is very good at sketching cuz even in a soccer match where there are at least 20 characters, the reader can still tell who’s who.

Plot: finally no more of the high school sports club troupe. The manga focuses on the Tokyo Esperion youth football club, which is associated with its own J-League team. Once u start reading it u get immersed in it and would find urself cheering for the MC or getting frustrated when the team face a challenge.

Character: The artist does such a good job portraying each character and showing each character’s personality. Each character gets a time to shine, tho of course the main focus remains on the MC. I rly like how the manga focuses on growing by facing ur own weaknesses rather than the typical growing by facing even stronger opponents kinda thing. The MC starts out as a forward, but there is a twist. Not gonna spoil it cuz that would be no fun hehe.

Overall: 10/10 would recommend. Even if you’re not a sports manga/anime fan, trust me you’ll love it cuz I’m not rly into sport manga either but I simply love this manga so much. Simply put manga is a masterpiece!!!

Tl:dr basically if u like haikyuu/diamond ace you will ABSOLUTELY LOVE Ao Ashi. This manga rly reminded me of the time I read Haikyuu and the excitement I felt then and even now.

This review doesn't contain any spoiler.
Ao Ashi is about a countryside boy named Ashito who is called to take on an exam in a youth club of tokyo named Esperion.Ao Ashi is one of the rare football manga which is realistic enough.And also we know there is a lack of good football manga compared to Basketball or Baseball etc.Ao Ashi has made me cry,made me happy,made me thrilled.The main character Ashito is constantly developing character.His character development has amazed me to a great extent.Other characters also get some good development but of course not to a extent that Ashito got.Ao Ashito shows every kind of problem a player faces while playing pro football.Injury,racism,family problem etc are grearly portrayed in this manga.You will get to know how youth club works to produce great youth players.Matches are based on tactics which is very realistic.They also mentions some great players and football clubs.The artstyle is very refreshing.Character designing is also good.Story was fast paced so it was a great read.Story was never rushed also.You will be invested in the story as soon as you start reading.
Till now I have rated this series 9/10 because it feels like it lacks something to get a perfect 10/10.Still the manga is not finished and maybe it isn't even halfway through.But it certainly is my most favourite football manga and I hope to see more realistic football manga like this(not some cliche high school football though).Matches were quite exciting but not many of the matches are shown in this manga.They only priotorizes the big matches which is actually a good thing to me because the story progressed much further.Ao Ashi also shows friendship,trust,family etc.It got a little bit of romance also but not mainly focused.
It didn't took me long to catch up to the latest chapter but it was really a great read.If you love football and finding a manga which shows football from youth club perspective which is greatly tied to league system then Ao Ashi is greatly recommended.

The anime-manga pool has a surprising lack of soccer related series. Being a soccer fan, I am so relieved. Prior to this, I watched Captain Tsubasa and Days. CT was aimed at a much younger demographic and it could not interest me (no insult intended; i know its an og series with immense credibility). Days is plain pathetic and wrong.
Ao Ashi is a fresh breath in the sports genre. It is not bound by the highschool sports club cliche. That is far too overused. This series is all about club soccer with direct ties to the sports scene.
A young middle schooler, Ashito, whose skills in soccer outshine everyone in his small, no name town is noticed by a renowned coach, who grew up in the area. The coach, Fukuda, is impressed by his raw talents and invites him to a tryout in Tokyo. Ashito is a diehard lover of football and Fukuda gives him a glimpse of his dream; the dream to push Japanese football to the international level and with sufficient preparation, dominate the international leagues. The excited Ashito enters a whole new chapter of life, the chapter of hope, possibilities, struggle and fame.
The artwork is extremely good. We get a clean view of everything and the mangaka has a very nice way of portraying the action. We understand how the game is going on. The clear passes, the impact of charges, the tackles, the missed shots, everything stand out beautifully. The character designs are unique with different hairstyles, plenty of expressions and costumes.
The characters have been the best thing so far. Our hero is clearly inspired by Tsubasa. He used to carry his team back in his town and despite being somewhat selfish, he is painfully self aware. He has the skill of judging everyone's positions and knows his way in the field. He's a treasure trove of potential but has a lot of quirks holding him back. We get to see his incredible mental fortitude and his eagerness to keep playing. Despair, skills, injuries, nothing will stop him from pushing harder. The coach is a decorated player with incredible achievements. Due to a terrible injury, he had to retire prematurely and is now, steadily progressing towards his dream. We get the female lead, a very meticulous and resourceful girl who knows a lot about the sport and helps out greatly. For some reason, she takes a liking to Ashito. Then we get the huge amount of players, some of them shining in a surprisingly small amount of time.
Overall, the 29 chapters we fully packed with so many events. Faced paced yet never rushing, this manga has my full attention.

(TL;DR people can scroll to the bottom)

Though I enjoy football ardently, I'm not particularly fond of its mangas as they tend to be overly unrealistic and unoriginal. Having said that, I still gambled at reading Ao Ashi, hoping it wouldn't disappoint me like some others; and to now, I'm actually pretty happy that I did so.


Now, Ao Ashi's story is to a certain extent unoriginal. You have your main character- Ashito- a middle school kid with an insatiable thirst for scoring goals and of course, he wants to go pro. After fierce competition he finally gets handpicked by scout Fukada-former Japanese star now retired due to injuries. From then, he tries to climb the ranks of FC Tokyo Esperion's youth academy. Sounds familiar? I'm sure that this young-kid-wants-to-go-pro motif is nothing new but I can assure you that, there are fresh elements in the manga. The fact that Ashito isn't precociously equipped with world class techniques and tries to offset these shortcomings with tactical acumen and hard work is realistic, and commendable (I'm looking at you Tsubasa). However, impatient people should know that the plot progresses slowly.


The mangaka has also done a great job to portray the events unfolding on the pitch. You can clearly see what is happening, the effect of precise crosses, the damage of accurate through passes,... and most of all, the positional and spatial awareness of the players themselves. The mangaka should be praised for his great work in drawing what would normally happen on a real pitch cleanly. Moreover, the character designs art-wise are also acknowledgeable. The attention to detail is absolutely excellent.


The story also possesses football stereotypes in terms of its characters, which makes it realistic and enjoyable. You have the dickhead defender who always try to murder the attacker, you have the technically gifted forward who can humiliate defenders with few touches, you also have the guy who is abysmal with his technique but have an acute brain that makes him shine. To put it simply, the characters are highly relatable and should make the experience pleasurable.


It is true that the pièce de résistance of Ao Ashi is its realism. There is a realistic aspect in most details of the story. That talent alone won't help you go pro is realistic. That technique alone won't help you win matches is realistic. That awareness at all times is key is realistic.


All in all, for ya lazy TL;DR folks, Ao Ashi is greatly realistic, relatable and enjoyable in many ways. For football fans who wants a break from unrealistic things and are patient with glacial plots like me, this is the holy grail.

Ao ashi is a football manga about a suburban kid who goes to Tokyo to become a pro. The kid’s name is Aoi Ashito.

Story (7)
As you see, the plot sounds nothing original. But the presentation is fresh.
The kid is good but not overpowered.
Instead of shonen logic of “genius son of genius father” or “power of friendship” Ashito grows by practising football/soccer.
He is consistent, stubborn, a little slow to learn but hardworking.

Most football manga like in Inazuma XI, Captain Tsubasa and Days are pretty unrealistic. They are good, but aimed at kids.
This however is VERY realistic. We learn about football— training in Rondo, Passing>dribbling, vision is important, the role of CB vs FB,etc.
If you like football this is a must read!!


Art (8)
Art is clean, easy on the eyes. In sports manga it is very important for reader to SEE how the ball travelled and how the players moved. This is amazing in Ao Ashi. And the kids design looks good too.


Characters (8)
This is the most important part of any manga. The kid— Aoi is likeable, has a poor family so we root for him. BUT he is a selfish Forward. Doesn’t like to pass initially, so I didn’t like that part. But that makes it more realistic.
The team camaraderie is on point. Good friends, just friends, jealous guys, wise coach, and a girl too. All characters are written well.


Enjoyment (9)
Very very enjoyable. I read 120 chapters in just 3 days. Pace is good. And story is unpredictable at times, which keeps it fresh.


Overall (8)
I highly recommend Ao Ashi to everyone!! If you are looking for a sports manga in high school setting, you’ll love it. It’s quite similar to Giant Kiling, which is amazing too.
Go try this out and tell me if you liked it😄

Thank you for reading.