Streaming: Crunchyroll
Episodes: TBA
Source: Related to Aoki Densetsu Shoot!
Episode Summary: Tsuji was once a star on his soccer team, but his own arrogance over his skills as a shooter eventually spelled his downfall. After that he left soccer behind in favor of other pursuits, though his attitude toward the sport itself took on a specifically sour note. The team at Kakegawa high school has a championship history, but that seems to have faded into the past. Now other teams don’t even find them worth practicing against.
When Jo, one of the current team members perceives Tsuji’s disdain toward soccer, their philosophical differences blow up into a fight. In the background, a mysterious man watches this conflict with unusual interest. This man turns out to be Kamiya, a past member of the team and now a famous pro player. He returned to Japan upon the request of Kakegawa’s principal, and while he seems mostly uninterested in coaching the young members of his former team, witnessing a soccer shoot-out between Tsuji and Jo piques Kamiya’s interest. Perhaps there’s something he may be able to do for the team at Kakegawa high school – but it will take a lot of work for them to reach their destination as a cohesive team.
Impressions: As someone from the US, soccer definitely isn’t the way of life for me as it is for others around the world. Recently, though, I had the opportunity to attend the inaugural match of a recently-established women’s development team, and it was a lot of fun. I got an impression of the fast-paced nature of the sport – something that’s somehow not as apparent when watching matches play out on TV. That said, while I can understand being a “big fan” of something (I’m a fan of many somethings), being so worked-up about something that criticizing it turns into a fight is perhaps going too far.
The fight between Tsuji and Jo, primarily Jo’s absolutely violent dedication to his sport, is pretty much my main takeaway from this episode, which seems mostly like a pleasant-enough sports series (aside from the unreasonable anger) with a pedigree a bit more substantial than most. The pedigree itself doesn’t mean a lot to me (I don’t think Aoki Densetsu Shoot is available here and I’ve never watched it via other means) and aside from the school’s general history and one character in particular, it doesn’t weigh heavily into this episode either. So that leaves the characters and the narrative drama to carry the day, typically the heavyweights of any sports anime.
In those regards, this episode is mostly average. I will admit, I’m more interested in series where people behave realistically, and both Jo’s raging emotions, as well as Kamiya’s sort of shadowy appearances throughout the rest of the episode, read as emotionally false to me. As previously stated, Jo’s reactions are extreme and both cartoonish and kind of terrible. Kamiya just reads like a walking character reveal, a little bit of fanservice for people familiar with this series’ predecessor. It all just feels a little bit empty.
It’s slim-pickings this season for sports anime – the other other “straightforward” example I can see is a new round of Prince of Tennis episodes, and I’ve already done my time in those salt mines. But if you’re more tolerant than I am of mediocre characterization this might be a fun choice to pass the time.
Pros: As cheesy as it is, I think the way Tsuji’s former friendship and the way the relationship is portrayed as contributing to his skill at the game adds a little bit of emotional weight to the episode. While the way the characters behave is still goofy and over-the-top, it’s clear that the relationship (and whatever happened to sever it) was an important turning point for the protagonist.
I also think the bit of soccer we see has some lively animation. Distant shots use CG character models, which aren’t bottom-tier (thankfully) and the more important close-up shots appear to feature some character acting or are at least rotoscoped so that they appear more realistic. If that aspect of the series becomes more of a focus, I can see how some of the things I’m more critical about could be more easily overlooked.
Cons: So, I just spent around a week at a video game focused event, and because of that I might be a bit more sensitive to this aspect in particular, but this episode begins by showing Tsuji playing online video games (rather than playing sports) and presents it as something diametrically opposed to a healthy social lifestyle. I will agree that spending all one’s time on only one activity doesn’t lead to becoming a well-rounded person, but this is true for almost anything (for example, Jo from this very series and his uncritical focus on soccer). It seems like a cheap shot that isn’t required for the story to resonate with viewers (in fact, it might insult some of them).
Content warnings: Bullying/threatening behavior.
Would I Watch More? – Though I enjoy sports series, the longer I’m an anime fan the more picky I become about the type of sports anime I really feel passionate about. It can’t be singularly sports-focused, it can’t be too toxically-masculine, and it can’t feel too much like a cynical cash-grab aimed at the fujoshi market. So I guess that leaves strikingly few sports series that I really feel all that strongly about. In any case, this one feels a bit too rote for me to truly enjoy.