Sometimes you want flashy shonen sports manga, and other times you want some realistic yet feel-good fun; Ao Ashi firmly sets itself in the latter territory. Previously released in 2015, Titan Manga recently licensed the series with its first three volumes in one omnibus this week. This series is a refreshing look at Japanese soccer with a loveable protagonist and great emotional moments on and off the field.
What is Aoi Ashi About?
Yūgo Kobayashi’s Ao Ashi is a seinen manga which chronicles Aoi Ashito’s journey to become a pro soccer player. Aoi is a dedicated soccer player hailing from the small town of Ehime. While he’s a supportive and hot-blooded individual that’s liked by his team, his cockiness and confidence land him in trouble from time to time. He also initially doesn’t follow tactics and is hard-headed when it comes to passing the ball to his teammates.
Unfortunately, an altercation with a student during an important high school preliminary causes him to lose control of the situation and ultimately lose. However, a chance meeting with Tatsuya Fukuda causes Aoi to impress the manager of Tokyo City Esperion Youth F.C. and Aoi is given a chance to tryout for the youth team. Thus begins this countryside underdog’s tale of achieving his dreams of playing for the pros.
A Grounded Take
I haven’t read a ton of sports manga, but the ones I have are squarely in shonen territory. (Fun fact, the first manga I purchased as a kid was the first volume of Prince of Tennis!) I’ve also read Blue Lock’s first few volumes, so I understand the appeal of high-energy sports manga.
That said, Ao Ashi goes a different direction with its seinen release. Rather than focusing entirely on high-stakes soccer matches, it also deals with business off the pitch as well. While the characters in the series are fictional, the organizations representing them aren’t, and the story does reference some all-time greats in the sport. It’s a great way to encapsulate the realism of the story.
Specifically, Aoi’s journey spends a lot of time reconciling the fact he will have to change his life to pursue his dream. It says something that the third volume in this omnibus has an arc where he realizes how much he, his mother, and his brother has to sacrifice in order for him to move to Tokyo for the tryouts. This culminates in a heartfelt goodbye from Aoi’s former classmates and his family as he builds up his resolve to proceed to his goal. While he matures in the span of the omnibus, he also doesn’t lose his childlike wonder and love of the game, and I love that for him.
Throwbacks to an Older Time
Ao Ashi definitely feels like a sports manga in the early 2000s, and now I feel old myself. The art style has an endearing style that harkens back to something like Eyeshield 21 but has moments of gritty realism. This isn’t a manga that has over-the-top action scenes, but there will be some spectacular plays regardless. The designs are a loving homage to that era, and it reminds me of a simpler time.
That said, it does take a while before Aoi’s true character comes out, which is okay since we’ve got a ton of volumes to get through in the future. (The series just wrapped up in Japan last year with 40 volumes, so Titan Manga’s got quite a few omnibuses on their schedule.) I do appreciate how he gels with two of the other supporting cast members later in the omnibus, Tachibana Soichiro and Otomo Eisaku. The zaniness of the eventual youth team causes for a quirky, rounded cast that I’m excited to see in the future.
Oddly enough, the collected paperback omnibus itself feels solid and reminiscent of a larger 2000s release. While it doesn’t have the bells and whistles as a Kodama Perfect Edition, the cover is sturdy and the pages feel quality and comfortable to read in any setting. It’s a nice, oversized book that I’d love to display on my shelf.
Ao Ashi’s 3-in-1 omnibus scores a hat trick of a great cast, and well-rounded grounded storytelling, and a wonderful physical relase. I can’t wait to see what this series has in store next!
Rating: 5 out of 5 UwUs
(Aoi Ashi’s first 3-in-1 Edition is now available at your local bookstore. Stay tuned for more anime and manga news and reviews here on Miso!)
