How Ao Ashi understands football better than any manga? Explored

Ao Ashi might have had a short stint as an anime, but its run as a manga has been nothing short of legendary. Ao Ashi's story, like most sports manga, revolves around Ashito, a young boy who aspires to be a professional footballer. However, it goes in a different route from other stories in its field.

Sports manga are usually focused on inter-high competition, which rings true, especially for manga and anime based on football. Days, Be Blues, and Farewell, My Dream Cramer are all examples of manga and anime centered around inter-high competition.

Ao Ashi takes a bolder step and introduces a concept that has never been seen in Football Manga and anime. The manga focuses on football academies, which makes it extremely realistic.

Ao Ashi gives viewers an in-depth look at what it means to be a semi-pro footballer in Japan. While the story might present itself as Shonen, it can already be classified as Seinen due to its grittiness and dark plots. The characters in the manga are not just chasing dreams. They are also finding their identity. Here is why Ao Ashi is one of the most realistic football manga out there.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the author's views and may contain spoilers.

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Why Ao Ashi is one of the most realistic football manga

Coach Fukuda and Ashito speaking to each other (Image via Production I.G)

The first reason this is the most realistic football manga is its deep dive into club football. While Be Blues and Blue Lock touch on club football, none dive as deep as Ao Ashi.

Every facet of club football is looked at in this manga, from the daily workouts that professional and semi-professional players do to the in-depth training and rondos. It is clear that the creator did his research before he put out this manga.

The realism of the manga becomes clearer when the football philosophy of Esperion FC is touched on. Esperion FC plays with a possession-heavy approach, a bit similar to that of Pep Guardiola and Johann Cruyff. This means every player in Esperion is required to have high levels of technical ability.

The main character, Ashito, who didn't start his footballing career at an academy, struggles. Even though he later becomes proficient, his skills never come close to that of other characters. This reflects real-life circumstances, as players who don't learn basic football skills at a young age find it hard to compete with their contemporaries who do.

Ashito playing in a match (Image via Production I.G)

The manga also keeps itself updated with modern football trends, such as the Inverted Full-back, the False Nine, and the Sweeper Keeper. Modern tactics such as Gegen Pressing, Parking-the-bus and Long Ball, and Pass and Move Football are also introduced. With all this, it manages to apply everything to a Japanese context.

It highlights the Japanese struggles to try and fit into the modern game and also shines a light on players' struggle to define their path. Topics like racism and depression are also tackled in this manga, and it makes the story very grounded.

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Final thoughts

The reason this series hasn't attained the popularity of Blue Lock can be chalked up to the anime. Apart from the anime's frenetic pacing, it tries to condense all the scenes where they play football.

Another factor in Ao Ashi's anime downfall was its portrayal of Ashito's vision. His ability to scan the entire pitch is treated like a superpower, and unlike Blue Lock, which had cool visuals to go with it, the visuals of the series were totally bland.

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