As the year wraps up the conversation between Fukuda and Ashito is very interesting. Ashito is so focused on soccer it is interesting when Fukuda mentions that he would have done well in Spain. It’s more so the point of how the culture it is in Spain compared to Japan. The community is immersed and they much more support the team going forward possibly pushing their kids to play soccer.
Though the real surprise is that it’s so competitive that you can be told to kick rocks if you aren’t at the level even when you are in middle school. It just shows the culture difference as mentioned before. It really raises the expectation of Barcelona and their youth team. Especially given the promise from Garulla to Ashito.
The biggest shock for Ashito surprisingly is learning that Hana will be studying abroad in Barcelona. Honestly the real reason it comes as a shock to Ashito is because from his perspective that comes out of left field. As everything with Esperion has been more of an expectation within Ashito’s mind. Hana not being in Japan is something he never considered. It adds an interesting parallel in the relationship between Hana and Anri. Their goals are way different, but each of them can understand the passion the other has for their goal.
Ashito’s revelation that Hana has done so much for him and he feels he has done nothing for her. Of course her being his first fan is something he doesn’t realize. Ashito doing well clearly makes her happy. Still her refusal to see Ashito comes from her experience in Spain with her older brother. Perhaps she is worried about losing the resolve and being a fan, but it is clear that he wants to support Hana like she supported him. Hopefully headed into the next volume we can see them finally communicating.
It was great to see Fukuda’s experience in Spain. No surprise the biggest thing is the language barrier. As simple communication gave Fukuda major issues. While it is unfair you can’t blame them for thinking a foreign player’s refusal to communicate with the team. In there we really see what Fukuda means that Spain in particular is so passionate about soccer.
Still as we see Fukuda play with the kids outside we can see him gaining the trust of the Spaniards. He was able to show through soccer that he loves the sport that they do. It’s cute to see how passionate a fan of her brother Hana is. Perhaps this partly shows why in the present she is avoiding Ashito. More so her fears of Ashito suffering the fate of her brother. She wants to stay and be by his side even if that conflicts with her goals.
