English Dub Review: Aoashi: “From Now”

Overview: Ashito (Ciaran Strange) takes the team to the top and gains the lead over Musashino. 

Our Take: The lessons and risks Aoi chooses to take changes the course of the game entirely and makes for one hell of an epic comeback. His advancement in learning lessons from previous mistakes is a great progression of skill. The type of pass in the way the ball is an excellent intricate detail that continues to show how intelligently written and how many more eye opening insightful tricks the series continues to have up its sleeve. The riskier play in using diagonal kicks with their being small room for error makes it an intensely inspiring and amazing point lead. The engrossing match is jarringly cut short, however, with it bluntly transitioned into their victory and Aoi, Otomo, Togashi and Kuroda’s promotion to the A-team. Whether this is how the match was originally constructed in the manga or not is irrelevant, a more full-bodied match would have been more exciting and paced better, while delivering true finality to the game. Better yet, it would have avoided being as undercut as it was here. 

The glaring drawback with the pacing of the game aside, Aoi’s relationship with Nozomi is the real victory celebration. The respect and appreciation that Aoi has for his coach is a heartwarming display. Seeing Nozomi’s softer side is also touching in how much he makes Aoi aware of the challenges ahead on the A-team, telling him not to give up and that he believes in him. Nozomi watching Aoi grow, giving him tutelage along the way, makes the scene all the more satisfying. 

If Nozomi’s dynamic is a hearty feast narratively speaking, Hana’s feelings for Aoi making her adorably awkward around him is the delicious dessert after. With Aoi realizing the similarity she sees in him with Fukuda, him wanting to be recognized for his own merits is wholesome in how much more he is beginning to care about her. How deeply Ashito cherishes her cheering him on is beautifully heartfelt in how much that differs from what she feels she failed to do with her defeated brother in his heyday. The scene is made even more passionate when she plants a quick one on him and scurries away in the cutesy way she does. Also, as a fun aside, the ending transitions into the cleverly connected ending showing Hana’s sunny morning after. 

There are some threads that are left hanging like Kaneda and his rollercoaster of emotions in being dominated once again by Aoi. Some final moments with Fukuda would have made for a more nourishing ending and made it feel less rushed. Although, with that said, this is more than likely, and hopefully, not the end of Ashito’s journey on the small screen. With Aoi’s hopeful, earnest look ahead to the A-team and its members, him and his teammates’ journey feels like it is just beginning, and better yet, just beginning to hit their stride, in more ways than one.