Ao Ashi anime unveils new cast, theme songs for part 2 this Summer

The Ao Ashi anime (Aoashi) is set to continue into a second cour this Summer, with a new cast of characters just being announced.

The end of an anime broadcasting slate can be a rather sad time for the majority of fans who have to say goodbye to their favourite series.

However, fans of Ao Ashi (Aoashi) can look forward to the football anime continuing into a second cour.

More good news is that the official Japanese website for the anime has just revealed five new characters that are sure to ruffle a few feathers, both on and off the pitch.

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Ao Ashi anime continues broadcast into part 2 with new themes

It’s excellent news for fans of the hit football anime, the Ao Ashi (Aoashi) series will continue its first TV season into a second cour broadcast (three-month programming block).

Another 12 episodes are set to be released on the Summer slate, with upcoming episodes currently scheduled to release from Saturday, July 2^nd to Saturday, September 17^th.

The new opening is called “Presence” and is performed by Superfly, with the new ending from Kami wa Saikoro wo Furanai called “Color Lily no Koibumi.”

Additionally, the series will maintain its normal programming block in Japan, meaning that new episodes will launch on Crunchyroll from the following times across its second cour:

• Pacific Time: 5 AM
• Eastern Time: 8 AM
• British Time: 1 PM
• European Time: 2 PM
• Philippine Time: 8 PM
• Australia Central Time: 9.30 PM

New voice cast join the Ao Ashi team

However, it has just been revealed that several new characters will be joining the team; Takuya Eguchi as Akinori Kaneda, K?tar? Nishiyama as Junnosuke Nakano, Y?ki Ono as Chiaki Mut?, Tomoaki Maeno as K?ji Satake and Kei Shindou as Miyako Tachibana.

Akinori Kaneda is a first-year student who “After joining the Musashino youth team, he developed his physical strength and became the team’s ace striker despite being a first-year student. He has a rough temperament, but his determination to score goals is stronger than others. He has extraordinary feelings for Asito and his teammates, who competed together in the Esperion Youth Selection. Position: Forward.”

“I read the manga in one sitting and it really touched my soul. I don’t play sports at all, but I still felt the passion of a sports manga. There are many beautiful lines that can be paraphrased not only for sports, but also for life, and they really touched my heart when I read them…!” – Takuya Eguchi, via aoshi-pr.

Junnosuke Nakano is also a first-year student, “his mental attitude was noticeably weak, but he fitted in with his current team, which emphasises team play, and gained confidence as he won more and more games as a member of the team. His position is defender.”

“I played sports when I was in junior high school, and I was shocked at the difference in the level of athletic ability between my seniors and my peers, and above all, the difference in the strength of feeling that I put into sports. Nakano-kun reminded me of those memories, and I have nothing but respect for the way he tries to overcome them.” – K?tar? Nishiyama, via aoshi-pr.

Chiaki Mut? is the captain of the Tokyo Musashino Kekkodan team. He is the “mental pillar that holds the team together as a command tower. He was also teammates with Soichiro Tachibana of Esperion Youth during their junior youth days. His position is midfielder.”

“My impression of football manga is that there are many adolescent sports manga based on club activities, but I was attracted by the fact that it is set in a club youth team. It is interesting to watch them struggle and grow up in a world where ‘winning’ is not the goal in itself, from a different angle to a coming-of-age manga where you are sweating your hands off.” – Y?ki Ono, via aoshi-pr.

K?ji Satake is the manager of Tokyo Musashino and “Although the team is made up mainly of players who failed to make the J-Youth team, he has managed the team with his excellent coaching skills to achieve seven consecutive wins at the start of the Tokyo Metropolitan League season. He is 29 years old, and has always cared about Soichiro Tachibana, whom he coached in the junior youth team.”

“I played football myself when I was a student, and the realistic depiction of the game made me think “That’s why it’s so difficult” and “That’s why it’s so great! I felt a lot of sympathy for the realistic depiction of the sport. I think it’s a great film that lets many people know how interesting and difficult the sport of football is.” – , Tomoaki Maeno, via aoshi-pr.

Miyako Tachibana is Soichiro’s twin sister and is a footballer too. “She has a clear-cut, split-take personality, and also takes good care of her younger brother by delivering his change of clothes to the clubhouse.” – Tomoaki Maeno, via aoshi-pr.

“Miyako Tachibana is a straightforward person who expresses her feelings to others, but I have the impression that she is a reliable and caring older sister who worries about her twin brother Soichiro and cares for him. I will do my best to express that wonderful side of Miyako!” – Kei Shindou, via aoshi-pr.

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By Tom Llewellyn – [email protected]