Ao Ashi Season 2 is one of the most anticipated anime sequels. Fans are getting desperate to see its second season, especially after hearing the rumour about its renewal.
It has only been months since the completion of the anime’s first season, but there is already a great demand for the following instalment. So, when will the series return with another set of adventures? Here is everything to know.
The Japanese anime Ao Ashi is an adaptation of the manga series written and illustrated by Yogo Kobayashi and based on a concept by Naohiko Ueno
The story follows Ashito Aoi, a young footballer from a local junior high school who is known for his unpredictable moves and self-centred plays.
Studio Production I.G. animated the anime’s first season, officially running for 24 episodes from April 9, 2022, to September 24, 2022, on various local networks in Japan.
Crunchyroll streamed the anime outside of Japan with both sub and dub, and it received a positive reception from viewers and critics alike. Many praised it for its grounded depiction of the sport with more emphasis on tactical and strategic plays.
CONTENTS
- Ao Ashi Season 2 Release date and Countdown
- Ao Ashi Season 2 Countdown:
- Ao Ashi Season 2 Renewal Status: Confirmed or Cancelled
- Is there enough source material available for Ao Ashi Season 2?
- Manga Sales and Profitability
- Blu-ray/ DVDs and other Merchandise sales
- Popularity in Japan and the West
- Manga’s Popularity
- Overseas popularity
- What will happen in Ao Ashi Season 2?
- Ao Ashi Season 2 Trailer
- Final Words !!
- Frequently Asked Questions about Ao Ashi:
- Who is the main character in Ao Ashi?
- How many volumes of Ao Ashi are there?
- What genre does Ao Ashi belong to?
- How many episodes are there in the Ao Ashi anime?
- Will there be a season 2 of Ao Ashi?
- How many seasons of Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie are there?
- Is Ao Ashi a complete story or an ongoing series?
- Is Ao Ashi appropriate for all ages?
Ao Ashi Season 2 Release date and Countdown
As of March 2023, Ao Ashi Season 2 doesn’t have a release date as it is not confirmed yet. However, if a new season is confirmed, it is likely to air sometime in mid-2024, or possibly in late-2024.
This is cause the second season premiered from April 2022 to September 2022 and ittypically takes around 1-2 years to produce a new season.
As of now, no official announcements have been made yet, hence the readers need to keep in mind that these are just speculations.
But, keep an eye out for this space as we will update it as soon as something official is announced. We can expect the announcement in the next few months.
Ao Ashi Season 2 Countdown:
Based on the following information, here is the countdown to the premiere of Ao Ashi Season 2’s second season.
CountdownAo Ashi Season 2 Renewal Status: Confirmed or Cancelled
As of writing, Studio Production I.G., the publisher Shogakukan, or any other company related to the production of the anime has not officially renewed the anime for a second season.
A lot of anime manage to get a new season right after the season finale but unfortunately, Ao Ashi wasn’t one of them.
| SEASON | RELEASE DATE |
| Ao Ashi Season 1 | April 9, 2022 |
| Ao Ashi Season 2 | Yet to be announced |
Production Studios consider various financial and commercial metrics before announcing a renewal and it is possible to speculate whether an anime will get a new season or not by carefully evaluating these three factors:
- Availability of source material
- Sales
- Popularity
I have used the same method for Eminence in Shadow, Takagi-san and World Trigger and so far it has proven to work.
So now we will examine these factors to see if Ao Ashi anime will get a sequel or not.
Is there enough source material available for Ao Ashi Season 2?
Ao Ashi anime is based on the manga written and drawn by Yugo Kobayashi.
It started serialization in Shogakukan’s Weekly Big Comic Spirits magazine in December 2019 and was later transferred to Weekly Young Magazine in January 2015.
The first volume of the manga was released on April 30, 2015, and the latest issue came out on February 28, 2023.
A total of 31 volumes have been released so far, and the manga is still ongoing.
The first season of the anime adapted 12 volumes out of 31 volumes leaving behind 19 volumes of content which is more than enough material to create another 12-episode season.
Conclusion: Currently, there are 8 volumes of source material available to adapt, which is good news since the series has more than enough material for Studio Production I.G. to start working on a new season right away.
Moreover, the series is still ongoing with a consistent release of new volumes, so that’s a big plus for getting a sequel.
Manga Sales and Profitability
Before we proceed, it’s important to understand that most of the anime we watch today are created primarily to promote and boost the sales of its source material (in this case manga).
Sales from the manga and related merchandise are the main source of income for the producers, while revenue from advertising fees, online streaming licensing, and Blu-ray sales are considered secondary
Typically, a 12-episode anime television series costs around $3,000,000 to produce.
Therefore, an anime has to make back this much money through merchandise sales and licensing fees to ensure a new season from the producers.
As of February 2023, Ao Ashi had reached a circulation count of 17 million copies across 31 volumes.
The anime has certainly helped boost manga sales, as evidenced by the sales numbers.
As of January 2022, two months before the anime aired, the series had over 10 million copies in circulation. By June 2022, after the anime premiered, the manga had reached 12 million copies in circulation.
In August 2022, there were over 15 million copies in circulation, and by February 2023, it had crossed the 17 million copies mark.
Conclusion: typically, a shonen manga with 200,000 to 4,000,000 copies in circulation is considered successful, so Ao Ashi manga is performing remarkably well with these sales numbers.
Therefore, it is very likely that the anime production committee will renew Ao Ashi for a second season. They may even have secretly started the pre-production if they had predicted the popularity of this soccer anime.
Blu-ray/ DVDs and other Merchandise sales
While Blu-rays and DVDs are no longer key players in determining anime success as they used to be back in the 2010s, they are still a great tool to understand a show’s popularity among the general Japanese audience. In general, if an anime’s disc sales are over 3,000, a second season would be promising.
As for Ao Ashi, the situation doesn’t look very promising.
The sales numbers for the first Blu-ray/DVD volume of Ao Ashi were so low that it failed to even make it to Oricon’s weekly sales ranking which means it couldn’t even manage to sell more than 200 copies.
However, it’s important to note that Blu-ray sales are no longer the only measure of a show’s success, as streaming fees have become a more significant factor in the industry.
Conclusion: Based on the sales numbers, it appears that Ao Ashi anime failed to make a profit for its producers through its home video release, which is not a promising sign for the show’s future.
However, it is possible that the show managed to recoup its production costs through licensing fees and merchandise sales, so there may still be hope for its continuation.
Popularity in Japan and the West
Ao Ashi manga was already quite popular in Japan prior to the anime’s release, and its popularity has surged even further since then.
Manga’s Popularity
The series is one of the best-selling titles for Shogakukan with multiple volumes topping Oricon’s weekly and monthly sales charts and averaging around 160,000 copies sold per volume.
The series has received multiple nominations and has won awards in prestigious competitions, such as:
- Ranked 4th in the 10th Manga Taisho awards in 2017
- Winner of the 65th Shogakukan Manga Award for the general category
- Ranked 20th on the 2022 “Book of the Year” list by Da Vinci magazine
The anime’s debut in Japan was highly anticipated, and it quickly became one of the most-watched shows of the Spring 2022 season. It ranked top on several streaming websites, including the D-Anime Store and AbemaTV and was one of the most-talked shows on the internet.
Overseas popularity
The debut run of the Ao Ashi anime received a positive reception from fans in the west, with many viewers and critics praising it for being even better than the source material in some aspects.
The series has garnered positive reviews from viewers around the world, earning a solid score of 8.26 on MyAnimeList and ranking at #1245 in popularity, with more than 173k members in its MAL group. Meanwhile, its highly popular competitor Blue Lock currently stands at 8.3 out of 10 so both are pretty close.
It has also received a strong score of 8.1/10 on IMDb and an 82% approval rating on AniList. This shows that the show’s popularity is very high even though it is a young series.
In conclusion, the series gained a significant following in both Japan and the West and generated a ton of revenue from merchandise sales, indicating that it has a strong and loyal fanbase.
With enough source material and the potential to make even more sales, it is inevitable that Ao Ashi Season 2 will be announced soon. It is no longer a question of if it will get a new season, but when it will get a new season.
What will happen in Ao Ashi Season 2?
Since the first season covered till volume 12, the next season of Ao Ashi will begin with adapting volume 13.
The second season will continue from where we left Tokyo Metropolitan League, where Ashito and Tachibana have found themselves facing an undefeated opponent. Doubting himself and losing confidence, Ashito was able to overcome his fears and helped his team overthrow their opponent by scoring a goal. His impressive performance earned him a promotion to the Esperion A team, where he joined Ootomo, Kuroda, and Togashi.
Ashito’s ultimate goal was to be recognized in the Esperion A team and secure a contract with the top team. However, he soon learned that he needed to adjust his expectations and work hard to keep up with the team’s high level of play. Despite the challenges, Ashito remained determined and focused on improving his game.
While Ashito was able to excel in attack, his defence was still weak and needed improvement. Similarly, Ootomo, Kuroda, and Togashi also struggled to keep up with the rigorous training and competition in the Esperion A team.
Although the competition was tougher than he had anticipated, Ashito remained undaunted and worked hard every day to keep up with the pace. After demonstrating his commitment and hard work, Ashito was able to secure a spot on the bench in the upcoming round of the Esperion A Premier League competition.
Ao Ashi Season 2 Trailer
There is no trailer for Ao Ashi Season 2 available yet to watch, but we will update this page if one gets released on their official youtube channel.
On the other hand, here’s a trailer for the first season, which you should watch to recall how memorable the previous one was.
Final Words !!
In summary, there is a good chance that Ao Ashi Season 2 will happen. If that is the case, we should hear some news about it this year. But don’t expect the release date for the second season to be before 2023 since it takes time for a new season to be animated.
I will update the article next month if something has changed. In the meantime so you can check the same analysis I have done for other series:
Frequently Asked Questions about Ao Ashi:
Who is the main character in Ao Ashi?
The main character in Ao Ashi is Ashito Aoi, a high school student who dreams of becoming a professional soccer player.
How many volumes of Ao Ashi are there?
As of March 2023, there are a total of 24 volumes of Ao Ashi
What genre does Ao Ashi belong to?
Ao Ashi belongs to the sports genre, specifically soccer.
How many episodes are there in the Ao Ashi anime?
There are a total of 24 episodes in the Ao Ashi anime.
Will there be a season 2 of Ao Ashi?
As of now, there has been no official announcement regarding a second season of the anime.
How many seasons of Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie are there?
Currently, it has one season for now.
Is Ao Ashi a complete story or an ongoing series?
The Shikimori manga is finished.
Is Ao Ashi appropriate for all ages?
The manga and anime are targeted towards a teenage audience and are generally considered appropriate for all ages.
