ao ashi 269 kitano's story didn't disappoint. i love his simple desire to improve in football and his distaste in being isolated due to his 'talent.' he wants a place where he can go beyond his current abilities, and narimiya was the only one who provided that support

i also really love how this captures aomori seiran as a team–people who want to evolve. with that goal in mind, they're able to fearlessly execute such a tricky tactic in a game with high stakes against a top-level team. nothing will change unless you do something new.

and the payoff?? so good. 🔥 this chapter and the last one really made me want to root for aomori seiran all the more. they're a team who can connect well and have a fundamental understanding of the game and how to adapt to situations

wha 16 "you, the very embodiment of forbidden magic" damn ig this dude has the magic curled all over his body i take it? i wonder if the magic plays around with reflection that distorts ppl's vision of him