Can a small town junior high school soccer player take the Tokyo Youth soccer world by storm?
About Aoashi
Aoashi is a shounen manga by Yugo Kobayashi, published in English by Titan Manga. The story began serialization in 2015 and ran through 2025, with 40 volumes total. Titan Manga will be publishing the manga in 3-in-1 omnibuses. Aoashi was adapted into an anime in 2022 by Production I.G.
The story follows Ashito Aoi, a junior high student with dreams of becoming a big soccer player. He lives in a small town with his mom and brother, who work hard to make ends meet. When Ashito lands an opportunity to tryout for a youth team in Tokyo, he knows he has one chance to change his life and make his dreams come true.
My Thoughts
I’m not the type of person you could classify as a sports fan. Hell, the running joke in my friend groups is that I’m the person yelling “Go Sports!” during the super bowl. However, the way sports anime and manga go, they always manage to tug at my heartstrings and draw me in. With manga and anime, we navigate a hero’s journey with these athletes, and follow them in ways we don’t with real life ones. And the journey is one that can convert even the least sporty person to a screaming, crying, and throwing up over fictional games sort of person.
I knew Aoashi was different from the first chapter. Right away we meet Ashito, in the middle of a match with his junior high team. A match that he completely ruins when he is taunted by a member of the other team and physically retaliates. The consequences of his actions are immediate. The coach tells him he ruined a scouting opportunity, his mother scolds him because she missed worked for him, and the team is devastated. It’s almost pointing you to think, “here we go, another MC with an inflated ego, who’s quick to anger.”
“I say I’m confident because I am.“
Yet in this first chapter we learn that Ashito was only pushed to the brink because the taunter mentioned his mother. And while it seems like he’s a ball hog and only cares about himself, he’s actually attuned to his team’s strengths and weakness, and puts himself in the position to support them making goals. A strength that Fukuda Tatsuya, the manager of the Tokyo team, clocks after spending the evening with Ashito.
And this is something we continue to see again and again throughout the story. Ashito is loud, confident, and doesn’t shy away from his strengths. Something he admits has caused issues for him before. Yet his determination to succeed allow him to find a way even when the odds are against him. When he arrives at Tokyo for the tryouts, everyone doubts him immediately. Players are tryin to get him to quit, and others point out how much he doesn’t belong there. Ashito has to prove himself again and again.
Overall, Aoashi surprised me. I had a feeling I would like it, but I didn’t know how strong the emotional components would be that left an imprint. The story is about soccer and a boy who wants to play soccer. But within him lies so much. His wishes and his family’s wishes. The feelings of wanting to do right by everyone who believes in you and wanting to do right by yourself. There’s a long road ahead of Aoashi, and I can’t wait to see where it goes.
Where to Buy Aoashi Vol 1 (3-in-1 Edition)
Aoashi Vol 1 (3-in-1 Edition)
Created By: Yugo Kobayashi
Translation: Motoko Tamamuro and Jonathan Clements
Lettering: Cale Ward
Editor: Ibraheem Kazi
Designer: David Colderly
Publisher: Titan Manga
Aoashi Vol 1 (3-in-1 Edition) is available for preorder now and releases on June 2.
Thank you Titan Manga for the ARC!
