I have nothing but praise for Ao Ashi. It is a series that encapsulates the wonders of a shonen manga mixed with the adrenaline and passion that the spokon genre is known for. Not only that, but the amazing character cast that drives the story forward did nothing but keep me engaged to read 410 chapters in sixteen days.

I love how the story, in its simplicity, carries a stupendous message and a constant pace that never makes you bored of reading. Also, the art is just magnificent, how the lines flow, the poses, composition, use of tint, everything makes it a feast for your eyes to indulge in.

For the characters, I'd like to start with Ashito. What a fun protagonist! He really embodies the heart of the manga and is truly the one who deserved to be the central piece of the story, from the beginning and his obsession with being the forward that scores goals to his very "death" and "rebirth" as a fullback supporting the team as the playmaker. All his progression as a footballer, his fears and doubts about what it takes to go pro in such a profession, were fantastic. It humanized him and made him more relatable as a teen who did not have all the answers.

I would also love to talk about Akutsu. HE WAS SOOOO GOOOOOD. This just proves how you can make the rival a dickhead but also an AMAZING CHARACTER. It always irks me so much when an author tries to do this trope but it just ends with the character being mean for the sake of being mean, without any ounce of introspection or possibility of changing his ways and recognizing the flaws in his own personality. This is why Akutsu is just an amazing character... once you understand his domestic situation, you'll appreciate how much he changes, from not taking into account anything that Ashito and the first years do to considering them his equals. I'll let this panel speak for itself.

Of course, there are more characters that I'd like to speak about: Otomo and his cleverness, Togashi and his perseverance, Hana and her unyielding support, Kaido and her troublesome male-dominated path of becoming a coach, or Tachibana and his doubts as a forward.

But to end the review, I'd love to talk about Fukuda, the coach, the one who laid the trail for Japanese players to follow, he whose dream was shattered by an injury and had to take a roundabout way to stay in the football that he loved so much. He's amazing, and the message about how Japan should not be a 1:1 copy of Europe and how they nurture their players is phenomenal. Him trying to find a way to improve while not compromising his country's culture is such a powerful message to look at in this day and age. His dynamic with Ashito was simply phenomenal. In the final match, when he yields command to Ashito for him to spread his wings and reorganize the whole team, it moved me a lot. What a manga, man. I strongly recommend it.

“Seeing you all willing up to crawl up as you reach for the spot in the sunlight you desire… It truly seems like you are all shining bright to me.”