English Dub Review: Aoashi: “What We Lack”

Overview: Ashito (Ciaran Strange), Otomo (Ben Balmaceda), Tachibana (Clifford Chapin), Hana (Marisa Duran) and Kaneko (Giovannie Cruz) go see what Musashino is really made of out on the field in order to scope out their competition. 

Our Take: Tachibana’s reunion with his old coach is quite an engaging one in how perceptive and imposing of a coach he is in deducing how conflicted Tachibana is but also in how he catapulted regular players to the top of the charts. It is interesting in how Aoi and the gang learn about how their opposing team is so proficient due to each player knowing their roles and facing their weaknesses without fear, differing greatly from their own anxiety-filled tactics. 

Tachibana’s older twin sister, Miyako, is a fiery one who seems very responsible and kind, scolding him about his distance from his parents. It really doubles down on how dedicated Tachibana is to his progression as a player, however flawed it may be.

Eventually, the scum of the field, Kaneda, rears its ugly head calling out Ashito and Tachibana. What he says is not too different from the crap he has spewed before and definitely not giving him any brownie points for his character. The result, however, is much more interesting in that it incurs Tachibana’s wrath in his ridicule of Aoi and the other’s skills. His admirable display already shows what sets him apart greatly from Kaneda. Before talking, Hana’s outburst at Aoi when he leaves her waiting for them erupts into something much more severe with her wanting his permission to make a meal plan for Kuribayashi. You can tell him encouraging her to do it bothers her with her being visibly upset it does not have the same effect on him, even though as we have learned through her stomping off, it does. 

Kaneko highlights Tachibana’s greatest and most unique strength as a forward in the trust he places in his teammates and that he should not compare himself to Kaneda, making for a nice wholesome moment. The upstanding accounts of Tachibana from his old teammates also helps show that he is quite simply too hard on himself, further communicating his warm nature compared to Kaneda’s cruel and twisted one. Aoi gets the photo of him and Hana with him showing how much he cherishes their relationship. Hopefully, these moments with Hana will make him cognizant of her feelings but also his in their developing feelings. How Anri feels is also a factor as well, especially considering how this episode highlights how they have more in common in terms of soccer. With the starting lineup chosen for the game, how Tachibana bounces back will be the most rewarding in seeing how his technical skills return to form and/or develop on the field as a result of his boosted morale.