The manga easily establishes Ashito Aoi as the protagonist of the story quickly. A forward who can be easily seen as a ball hog for his middle school team. We can easily see that he has a short temper, as that is the reputation he gives early on. Although things aren’t as they seem, for instance, the reason he ended up getting kicked out was because the other kid was insulting his mother. While the short temper is valid to a degree, it is clear that Ashito has a lot of pride.
Ashito Aoi quickly catches the eye of Tatsuya Fukuda despite getting kicked out of his game. A former player is labeled as a genius. But the moment where it’s clear he wants Ashito is how he recalls everybody’s position on the field. The it factor, what you may call it, is what Ashito has even if he seems like a ball hog. It seems very likely that Fukuda is the one that can tap into Ashito’s potential, maybe. It’s clear that his interest in Ashito is legit because he is the only person in that entrance exam that is not from Tokyo.
The entrance exams are a beast of their own because the player is trying to earn a spot. Granted, Tachibana, Kaneda, Hasegawa and Hiroshi are the ones who got invited, whom they knew more than likely would get a spot as long as they didn’t flunk it. I like how it describes how each player is out looking for themselves. Which is the reason why Ashito and Eisaku stand out a bit. As you do need some selfless play. Eisaku was able to get a read on what Ashito was doing. For Ashito as bizarre as his play was, it was something that a typical ball hog wouldn’t do. For Ashito he will be interesting because it is clear he is a very intuitive player. Though it’s clear it is only the beginning to make the cut.
For a soccer manga, it really dives deep into the sport. It’s clear it’s going to present more strategies. Also the mentality of the players. As the discussion of Ashito play is a key example of it. As it makes it a series that definitely appeals to soccer fans and not just those looking for a good character-driven series. The talk about raising the next generation of Japan soccer is interesting because how to keep that consistency of talent is the hardest part. It’s an interesting way to motivate the younger players since they believe they will have a shot at a spotlight. Of course, that only works if the payoff feels earned.
