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Episode 22 of Ao Ashi is easily the most exhilarating episode we have seen in the anime so far. Esperion Youth B team got completely befuddled after their tactics failed to work. Musashino Youth's high press tactics got out of hand, leading the Esperion player to make several minor errors.
Ao Ashi episode 22 was a battle of tactics, as in just under 45 minutes of gameplay, we saw the two teams switch between their tactics and formations to complement their playing styles. Moreover, the episode has some beautiful animation sequences for the most prominent scenes.
Ao Ashi episode 22 saw Tachibana regain his confidence as a player
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Ao Ashi episode 22, titled Like a Demon, starts off with Esperion trying to come up with a new plan when Coach Nozomi chooses to change their formation. Togashi and Takeshima were to stay behind for the defense while Ashito and Asari, along with the midfielders, were supposed to go upfront.
With more players upfront, Esperion is able to forge an attack. During the attack, Tachibana realized how much pride he had lost as a forward. This realization allows Tachibana to put his best foot forward as he starts a counterattack on his own.
He cuts past a couple of players to play a through ball to Ohtomo. When Ohtomo isn't able to control it, Ashito reaches the ball, sending over a beautiful cross.
The ball gets punched by the keeper. However, Tachibana makes use of his athleticism to put the ball past the keeper, scoring his first goal for Esperion. When Tachibana is praised by his teammates and gets the sign of approval from coach Nozomi, he gets fired up. This causes him to initiate a string of attacks.
Here, we get coach Satake's take on the Esperion team. He identified Ashito as the MVP for them. While he lacked technical skills, Ashito had a wide vision of the field, thus allowing him to direct attacks by utilizing his teammates.
In the meantime, Ashito was trying to use the game to decide if he wanted to be a forward or a defender. But he had come to the realization that what he desired the most was to score goals, irrespective of his position.
Looking at Ashito's proficiency, Satake decided to change his formation, which was similar to Esperion's, with more players pushing forward. However, unlike Esperion's attack-based formation, Musashino were more focused on their offside trap.
Later, when Ashito and Tachibana led another Esperion attack, Muto retrieved the ball and played a long pass to Kaneda. Kaneda, who only had to face two players during his attack, albeit clumsily, scored the goal, putting Musashino back in the lead.
We then saw a flashback from which we learned that Kaneda had requested Muto to pass the ball to him in an area between Togashi and Takeshima. He believed that their defensive partnership had holes, which could cause them to make mistakes.
When another similar attack went through, all hope seemed lost as Kaneda was able to take a shot. However, Kuroda was able to clear it, but happened to get injured after he hit the goal post. Fortunately, the game was halted instantly for half-time.
Final thoughts on Ao Ashi episode 22
Ao Ashi episode 22 was brilliant as the episode wasn't just focused on a single player, but was able to show progress for several players. We could see how the team responded as a unit as they forged their attacks.
Most prominently, we saw Ashito leading his team with his quick instructions and wide vision of the field.
With Musashino leading the scoring at half-time and Kuroda's injury, Esperion will have to come up with a few changes to deal with the deficit. Tatsuya Fukuda is on the sidelines to watch the match, and he, alongside Hana, is about to go watch the team-talk. Hopefully, his presence will help the team regain their confidence.
Ao Ashi episode 23 titled Do Your Best. Don't Lose. Fight to Your Limits. will air on September 17, 2022.
