So I guess before I get into covering Ginga E Kickoff one last time, I guess I need to do a few things.
The first thing is, damn, what a long freaking journey this was. When I picked it up in the Spring 2012 season, I didn’t think I would want to blog this anime, but it’s first episode was ok, so I decided, “Well, might as well keep talking about it while no one else is because KIDS” Little did I know that I really enjoyed writing about this anime. I did have to deal with an inconsistent schedule, but overall, I think it was worth it…if only because it satisfied me. And now, I get to write about it one last time. It’s been fun. I had done episodic blogging before, but in trying to just limit that to one work per season, Ginga E Kickoff has had its downs, but it’s had a lot of ups. But along the way I kept on trying to get better at this whole blogging episodically thing. Hopefully I can apply some of what I did here to the next title I’m picking up blogging this Spring. And I expect it to be blogged weekly!
Second, yeah…getting this out of the way, Oyatsu, why couldn’t you guys sub faster? Thanks for throwing off my schedule!…But in the end, it’s just trite complaining. Yeah, I do wonder about your subs, but you were the only ones subbing this anime, so I can’t complain. Thanks for taking the time to do what you could for this anime.
Lastly, I thank those who did manage to read my thoughts on Ginga E Kickoff. It doesn’t get a lot of hits, but I do see it get some looks, so for those who did read it, and for those who somehow read my posts from Ginga E Kickoff 1, thanks for sticking by.
Now, time to finally discuss what these last few episodes provided.
Oh Aoto
I ended up watching Ep 38 and 39 in session. I usually watch one episode then write my thoughts, but instead, I didn’t want to be caught up with anything. I just wanted to watch the anime episodes. And well, I did. And boy, as I replayed the ending over and over again, it definitely feels bittersweet. It also felt like the journey of some kids who once didn’t know how to play together could have continued. But the passage of time (and in this case, the eventual anime that has to end) claims all. The Momoyama Predators’s last official match was in the finals against Barcelona, but instead of bringing the championship back home with them, they lost. Their final match as a team came against the world renowned pros in soccer, and they had fun. Lots and lots of fun. Well, Ryuuji basically croaked for a while, but he was facing a team full of pros who got serious. And in the end, he got his swagger back — it took a slap from Kota to snap him out of it though. Slaps always work in anime.
But whatever the case, that was all she wrote. It’s now time to move on from their moment of joy and grow up and grow apart. It seems established out of the 8 members who went on the trip to Barcelona, 5 — Kota, Aoto, Reika, Tagi, and Shou — will try to eventually make their way up into the pro levels. Everyone else will find their futures in whatever they choose to do, though it might involve playing soccer every once in a while. There will be new Momoyama Predators since Hanashima’s still going to be coaching them, and that will mean some challenges for him. But in the end, they will do what they can to overcome whatever comes their way….well, in my dreams at least, since this series is over.
So…what exactly more can I say about the series that I haven’t managed to say over a year? There’s not much else to really say: Ginga E Kickoff was a joy to watch. This is legitimately the reason why I’ll at best check out any anime that supposedly has the label for kids on it. Though unfortunately, the only other show to really get me is Gyrozetter, but Gyrozetter is not that good. Simply put, characters grew, they played an exciting brand of soccer, and overall, they stood out. Admittedly, there were some good matches in this series, but nothing tops Amarillo-Predators Round 2. That match could only have been so great thanks to the characters and the solid writing of this anime. Anyways, I think I’ve reduced myself to just rambling. I really don’t think I have anything else to say. Ginga E Kickoff is one of the best series to have come out in a while, and it’s somewhat of a shame it was overlooked. I know one thing: it was worth the ride, and worth writing about.
…Never thought I’d think that last April.
