I’ve just started watching this series due to the recommendations from Justin and other commenters of the blog and I have to say that I am really liking this series. The show’s first impression on me was that the style of the anime seemed a big too young for my taste, but after watching the first episode, it is quite clear that the series is not a childish series. Plot Summary “The story follows a boy who was in a soccer team, but it was disbanded due to not enough players. However, after the boy meets a female professional soccer player, he aims to bring his soccer team back.”  – MAL Shou is an out-going bench-warmer character who is in love with soccer. After his team is disbanded, he goes off in search of new members as well as a coach. The first member he meets is Erika who’s a skillful transfer student from Osaka. The both of them then meet a professional female soccer player who cheers them on and helped with instigating the building of a new team. After going through many trails of players leaving due to studies and trying to convince a coach with a traumatic past, a team is finally formed and they are on their way to becoming the “best in the universe”. First up, is the first round of the local tournament. Review The storyline and animation style of the series takes on a very simple and clean approach. There is rarely any “filler” moments and the series gets straight to the point. The first 6 episodes covers the formation of this new team fronted by Shou. Episode 7-9 covers the team’s training and first official match in the league. To me, sports series tend to fall under the “been there, done that” style, and it is hard to find a show that’s truly original in this genre. Where this series is nothing original, it definitely takes itself seriously without all the ridiculous frills that series such as ‘Prince of Tennis’ and ‘Kuroko no Basuke’ has and is a breath of fresh air in that aspect. As such, it is easy to appreciate this light and entertaining watch. I know that people are bound to compare this series with other soccer shows that are currently airing, and Ginga is currently appealing to me more than Area no Kishi as Area has gotten a bit tiresome in the later episodes despite still being a good series. The plot is pretty direct and simple – its about a new team making its way to being the “best in the universe”. The story takes on the usual cliches but tries its best to remove all feelings of corniness by not placing a huge exaggerated focus on those moments. The characters each have their own unique quirks and appeals and whilst the focus is currently only on a handful of the team members and it’s coach, I am hoping that we will get to see more involvement...
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