Our take
The setup
Set in Ehime, the story follows the protagonist's older brother, who had drifted away from soccer after past setbacks. A practice invitation pulls him into a youth club team, where he must adjust to a demanding, unconventional system.
Why read it
For fans of
This volume follows the older brother of the series' main character, a young man living in Ehime who had put soccer behind him after an earlier disappointment. When an invitation to join practice arrives, he takes the unexpected step of joining a youth club team mid-way, re-entering a sport he thought he had left for good.
The appeal here is less about flashy skill and more about the uncertainty of starting over. Once real training begins, he runs into a coach known for an unorthodox approach, and the tactical exercises this coach designs make little sense to him at first. His confusion is treated seriously rather than glossed over, giving the story room to show how disorienting it can be to step back into a system you don't yet understand.
Readers drawn to sports stories about rebuilding rather than straightforward victory will find something to like in how the setup lingers on doubt and adjustment instead of rushing toward triumph. The dynamic between a newcomer and a coach whose methods seem strange from the outside creates tension that doesn't rely on dramatic matches or rivalries to be compelling.
There's also a quieter thread here about family, since this character is introduced specifically as the older brother of the franchise's protagonist, tying his personal arc to the wider world of the series without leaning on that connection for its own sake. His decision to join the team, and the surprising choice he makes when the coach's intentions elude him, suggest a character trying to find his own footing rather than simply following someone else's path.
Altogether, this makes for a grounded continuation of a comeback story, one that trusts a reader's patience with confusion and recalibration as much as it eventually will with results on the field.
3 volumes in print / Volume 1 to the latest
Spoilers through Vol.3
Official synopsis
A story of recovery dedicated to everyone who loves soccer. The protagonist is Shun, the older brother of Ashito who lives in Ehime. Having distanced himself from soccer due to past setbacks, he joins the AC Ehime Youth team mid-season after receiving an invitation to participate in practice. Full-scale training at the youth level begins, but Shun is confused by the tactical intentions of the 'heretical' coach, Kenzaki. In such a situation, what is the unexpected action he takes!?
Official synopsis
Ashito's brother puts up a fight! An official Ao Ashi spin-off. The protagonist is Shun, the older brother of Ashito, who lives in Ehime. Like Ashito, Shun once dedicated himself to soccer, but due to a past setback, he now keeps his distance from the sport. One day, Shun receives an invitation to participate in practice from the 'AC Ehime' youth team, a J-League club in Ehime. Though he initially considers declining, after watching a top team match, he realizes his lingering passion for soccer. He decides to take on the challenge once more. And so begins the three-day training session. Overwhelmed by a level of play beyond his imagination, will he manage to pass the youth tryout!?
Official synopsis
A spin-off of the popular soccer manga Ao Ashi. The protagonist is Shun, the older brother of Ashito, who lives in Ehime. Like Ashito, Shun once dedicated himself to soccer, but due to a past setback, he now keeps his distance from the sport. That setback was asthma. Moreover, he developed it while participating as a trainee for an Ehime J-League club's academy, and as a result, he was unable to become an academy student. Why would Shun now find himself facing soccer again!? --There is no such thing as a challenge that is too late. A story of 'resurrection' that gives courage to everyone.