# Aoashi (2022)

> A gifted but raw young soccer player from a provincial Japanese town fights to earn a place in elite high school football after a costly mistake.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/104806

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 48
- Episode runtime: 24 min
- Status: Returning Series
- Genres: animation, drama
- Network: NHK Educational TV
- Cast: Kouki Osuzu, Tatsumaru Tachibana, Seiichiro Yamashita, Taku Yashiro, Shun Horie, Junya Enoki, Chikahiro Kobayashi, Maki Kawase
- TMDB rating: 8.1/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15792808/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: earnest, hopeful, intense, sincere

## What critics say

Audiences rate the anime positively, praising its sincere portrayal of a young player's struggle and growth through competitive youth soccer.

## Synopsis

Aoashi (2022-present) is a Japanese animated sports drama series created for NHK Educational TV, produced by Production I.G and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, that follows Ashito Aoi (voiced by Kouki Osuzu), an aspiring soccer player from a backwater town. His dream of entering a high school with a strong football club collapses after an incident in a critical match leaves his team eliminated from the tournament. Yet he catches the eye of an influential visitor from Tokyo, and the story follows his struggle to rebuild his place in the sport. Tatsumaru Tachibana voices Eisaku Ohtomo, and Seiichiro Yamashita voices Soichiro Tachibana, among other players and coaches who push Ashito to measure himself against stronger rivals. Each episode is built from training sessions, selection pressure, and matches where talent and temperament are tested. Across two seasons the series builds a grounded, emotionally earnest portrait of youth ambition, rivalry and self-doubt, with a sincere, hopeful tone and the physical intensity of competitive football. Its slice of life pacing and coming of age focus make it a natural fit for fans of Haikyu!! and Blue Lock, and viewers who enjoy underdog sports stories and Japanese school athletics will find resonance here.

## Shows like Aoashi

- [Captain Tsubasa: Road to 2002 (2001)](https://ember.film/tv/22208)
- [Bakuman (2010)](https://ember.film/tv/33140)
- [Captain Tsubasa J (1994)](https://ember.film/tv/58120)
- [Burning Kabaddi (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/88387)
- [Ahiru no Sora (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/78605)
- [Ace of the Diamond (2013)](https://ember.film/tv/54214)
- [Captain Tsubasa (1983)](https://ember.film/tv/23685)
- [BLUE LOCK (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/108395)
- [Medalist (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/154476)
- [Stars Align (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/78554)

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