With some holes in his side's play exposed late in the first half, Tatsuki shakes things up at half-time, sacrificing a defender for an additional midfielder to pack out the middle of the park and allowing them an additional attacking option, under the condition that Tsubaki tracks back to cover the gaps left by those attacking runs despite his booking in the first half.
Things prove to be tough for our team of choice in the second half however, with Tokyo Victory taking the game to them, and even with the use of all his substitutes to bring in some new faces and fresh legs Tatsuki can't do anything to change the game. As if that isn't bad enough, disaster strikes as a mix-up between Tsubaki and his goalkeeper allows Tokyo Victory a soft second goal. At this point, enter Murakoshi, who steps up to the plate as the heads of some of his team-mates drops to salvage a respectable draw for the team.
I even surprised myself a little when it came to how impatiently I've been waiting for this episode after being left hanging with the score tied last time around, even if it is just a pre-season friendly - Such is the compelling nature of the football on show in this series thus far. Thankfully the second half of this opening game didn't disappoint, avoiding going down the Roy of the Rovers route in preference to a slightly more realistic take on this kind of game, with the possible exception of Murakoshi's sudden transformation into Frank Lampard - He didn't exactly seem like the goalscoring type to me, but oh well. All in all though, the football fan in me is continuing to love Giant Killing - Tatsuki's managerial style continues to evoke comparisons with a number of well-known coaches in the modern game, while I found myself "ooh"-ing and "ahh"-ing with the crowd at the match itself. Hopefully we'll be moving on to the football season proper too, where things should get all the more exciting than this pre-season malarkey.
Murakoshi scoring in the game was a surprise to me too. I thought he was an old slowbie. Well, I guess he has some fight left in him.
ReplyDeleteHowever, by the end of the episode, I thought none of these things. At the end credits, I couldn't stop thinking about how much I disliked Murakoshi.
But that's a good thing, an interesting thing. Murakoshi is a good player, and yet he's such a big jerk that I can't like him. Will this conflict continue?
I can only hope.
And on a final note, Tsubaki just redefined the words "epic fail". Had I been a player I would have seriously considered burying him there in the field.
The Manager's name is Tatsumi, btw.
ReplyDeleteWow that turned me on! Speaking from a female perspective, football/soccer turns me on! I thought the show was going to be a soccer rendition of anime sports oldies but the show has a fresh new outlook on such a dull topic. No offence to soccer of course...
ReplyDeleteAgreed with JW that we woulda made Baki a part of the field with a beating. Oh gosh, Baki's such a--. I mean... REALLY. WHY. Just why Tsubaki.
Oh I wonder how Prince would feel after being demoted. Not much probably. He's thinking "Now I won't have to do as much."
@Krungie: 'Oh I wonder how Prince would feel after being demoted. Not much probably. He's thinking "Now I won't have to do as much."'
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm guessing he took it in stride, but it would have been interesting to see the exchange. In fact, Tatsumi tossing over the arm band really took me by surprise.
Yes, yes. Well at least this means that Murakoshi won't be a minor character. I was starting to think he was just going to fade out. Or at least not be part of the drama. Guess I was dead wrong.
ReplyDeleteJust caught up to episode 5, and this is proving to be a winner (the anime, not ETU, yet!). Not too sure about the football analysis and tactics, but the psychology that Tatsumi is using as manager really seems to have that ring of truth about it.
ReplyDeleteSo - why is it that it takes the Japanese to make a football drama that's actually about football, rather than off-the-pitch activities?