I just read 310 chapters of Ao Ashi, and we’re finally about to have the BEST game in the manga yet, Esperion vs Barcelona U18. Now here’s why this game is actually crazy: We’re finally about to see the true gap between the J1 League level and European football. Barça U18 isn’t just some youth team — the manga literally sets them up as the pinnacle, the standard every young player compares themselves to. So watching Esperion step on the field with them is the moment we finally understand how far Japan is from Europe… or how close. My predictions— and remember, I haven’t read the match yet: Honestly, I wasn’t a fan of Kuribayashi playing this game at first… BUT the second they introduced his rival, Damian Kant, everything changed. Now it feels like the story is begging for that matchup. If Kuribayashi steps on the field because of him? This game is about to get REAL CRAZY. I’m honestly so excited for this game, because this could be the moment Ao Ashi jumps to a whole new level. We might be witnessing the next big thing in the series, and I’m not ready.