[SPOILERZ] Discussion Thread

[Kouri-chan]

This thread is for discussing what's happening in the Japanese version of Area no Kishi. Right now it's up volume 19 (20 come April 16). That means you WILL be spoiled if you wander in knowing only what's happened up to our scanlation. (We're working on it, really!)

So.... SPOILER ALERT!! You have been warned! 3 times! :3













































































END PRECAUTIONARY SPOILER PREVENTION SPACE

[Kouri-chan]

I just want to know wtf happens to Araki and Kim and Kim's buddy after volume 18. -_- I love Kim too much =)

As a side note did you see that part int he Yoin game???! With Suguru?! (to zilch) How much did you read?

[Guest]

Woohoo! I'm so excited that I get to talk with someone about Ank. So let's plunge in.

Oh yeah....I read that part in the Yoin game. I've pored over it. Freakin' awesome & weird at the same time. Suguru totally took over ... the author did it cleverly, through memories, so it makes me wonder what the author has decided: is it just the memories of Suguru's heart rushing up into the brain at an emotional point for Kakeru in the game or is Suguru's soul actually directing those memories??? What do you think (or would it be clearer if I could read Japanese)?

I did a little bit of hunting on the internet regarding heart transplants & it is true. The heart has its own nervous system. They've also found brain tissue in the heart. And the heart actually sends more messages to the brain than it receives from the brain. I read that some medical professionals believe that memories are even stored in cells. So the mind is not located only in the brain, it is throughout the whole body. Also, people who receive heart transplants sometimes aquire tastes and cravings they never had before (I think Mine-sensei tells Kakeru-kun this). One net story I read was of a person who received the heart of a young woman who died soon after a car crash. The young woman, before she died, told a relative that she kept feeling the impact of the crash. The person who received her heart later started having dreams of the impact of the crash which would wake her up. The person only found out the connection when the family of the donor was contacted. The body is so amazing!

I loved the look on Silva's face when Kakeru-Suguru blew by all those people & scored by sending the ball between the legs of the goal-keeper. It was so cool! And I loved Kakeru's realization & response - how excited he was to be running on the pitch with his brother. Just makes my heart melt.

What do you think? Do tell!

Volume 18...

I want to know what happens to Araki too. I think that he's going to miss the flight & that Enoshima will end up playing Yoin without him, at least in the beginning. Perhaps an echo of his first return game to Enoshima? Another part of me thinks that Araki will get all cocky and take out the terrorists with his buddies with their football skills. I mean, getting hit in the face with a football kicked at full power could knock a person out! I can just see Araki getting a smug look on his face & then having the guy with the "golden head" (the guy that headed the ball & scored the winning goal) save him or something...

I think that Asuka-san is going to play some key role. Didn't an earlier volume reveal that he wants to become a doctor to help train football players? Because he doesn't think he has the talent to go pro? And because of the pressures his parents put on him to be a doctor. And what does Kakeru need? He needs to be watched & trained especially since his respiratory system cannot provide enough oxygen that his cardiopulmonary system requires when Suguru takes over (had to look up that word in the dictionary to make sure I spelled it right). I think Asuka-san is going to figure out that Kakeru underwent a heart transplant, though I don't know what he'll do with that info.

And that creepy, snoopy reporter...

There's so much to talk about!

[Kouri-chan]

ME, TOO!!!


@Yoin game: I KNOW!!! I love how unclear it is. We still don't know if it's the heart's muscle memory affecting the brain, Kakeru's actual memories of his brother, or his brother. And as for the heart transplant thing, I've read about people who have had heart transplants and wake up with a totally different accent. Or suddenly having cravings for foods they never liked before eg. hamburgers. There was this woman who became really masculine for a while after she received a teenage boy's heart.

I haven't read the Japanese version, only the Chinese because I was kinda unimpressed at the 30MB raws released so far... ^_^; yes i'm picky XD;

Now that I've refreshed my memory by reading the relevant bit I have to say that Kakeru is all like "No... brother... let me try the Run With Ball..." and "Brother... Why....!?" etc. after he shoots from mid range. So it's like he can't stop himself. Of course it may be psychologically induced since his impression of his brother is so strong and whatever. (as a side note, did you love the part when Kakeru was 'running alongside' his brother in the shounan game? I KNOW I DID!!!) But it may be cleared up soon. Well hopefully Mine might make an appearance... I might reread all the volumes at this point so I can actually discuss properly

As a side note did you think that Araki's 'regret at missing the penalty kick' expression on the beach was a bit... .-. ... strange? I was so fixated on his lips. I thought that the image ruined the whole mood of the scene XD


@Vol 18: Yeah, I think Araki will miss the flight too. The whole thing is so ridiculous!!! I bet Enoshima is going to be like "Hi Onimaru where's Araki?" and he's going to be like "Bite me, I have no idea!"

And that's a really interesting take :O He might actually. I've never thought about it this way before. If Asuka thinks he isn't good enough to be pro, what will the others do!!!

As for that reporter, to be honest I think he's kind of a terrible one.. he's been gathering information for SOOOOOO LOOOOOOOONG... I suppose Kakeru and Nana aren't famous enough yet for him? i don't know. All I know is that he overheard their conversation in like, volume 7! It's now volume 18!

Who's your favourite non-Enoshima player? Mine is obviously Kim For purely shallow reasons (his freckles). i literally squealed when I saw him return. I also have a soft spot for Onimaru and Nishijima XD OOOO! Have you seen Suguru's fellow national team members? I really like the blonde one, although I forget his name.

[Guest]

Ha ha! Your take on Onimaru's response is good ... there will also be a musical note in the bubble. :-)

My favorite non-Enoshima members...though I haven't explored too much with all the characters, I have three favorites (all of whom are cute ). Yuusuke - I like him because he's a real friend to Kakeru and he sees Kakeru's football talent and wants it to grow and flourish. Plus he's a good football player himself. I also like Asuka-san. Perhaps because he's a thinker and also a real leader. Araki is a genius, but he's not mature enough to be a real leader, not like Asuka-san. There's a reason why Araki is not the captain or vice-captain. You see how Onimaru respects and looks up to Asuka-san and that Asuka-san has nutured that relationship. Like you, I also like the blonde defender on the U-17(?) team that was a friend of Suguru's. I'd like to know more about him. Maybe I'll spend some more time trying to figure out the conversations in the scenes he's in.

Kim has freckles? I just buzzed over to Volume 8 & looked more closely ... and there they were! Yup, a sprinkling of freckles are a hazard to the heart. ;-) And

I love when Kouta and Nishijima are forced to be with one another when they go to see Silva's game with Kakeru, Seven & Yuusuke. It just cracks me up how Kouta can never get a hit. They're great comic relief - but with personalities to back it up & flesh it out.

Re: the creepy reporter ... I wonder if there's a minor law or something? Maybe the reporter can't release info on them until they turn 16? In some states in the US a minor is a person under 16. I'll be ticked if he releases info on Kakeru's heart-transplant. Or some tabloid-like drama crap between Seven and Kakeru. That would be really cruel.

Perhaps Asuka sees his ability as learned, not natural, and that's why he doesn't think he can go pro? Maybe I read that portion wrong. I remember that Silva says that Asuka is methodical and guides his play by observation, study, and his ability to sense the flow of a game (something like that). But that he doesn't have the football talent or sense that, say, Araki has.

And didn't you love Oda's goal in V. 18??? Woohoo! His victory sign, fist in the air, was cool ... so Oda. Maybe he'll shine more in V. 19 during the absense of Araki. There is a connection between Oda & Kakeru ... Oda's taken note of Suguru's memories taking over Kakeru & Yuusuke's thought that Oda's passed to Kakeru in certain situations like he would, so perhaps...

In the Shounan game, that picture of Kakeru & Suguru running together just makes my heart break. It is so sweet and poignant. And then Kakeru's obvious happiness when he grins at Seven during half time when he tells her that he's running on the pitch with his brother. I really like another picture in V. 16 that Kakeru sees of Araki and all the other star players of Araki's age on the U-17 (?) team hanging out & teasing Araki b/c he's gained weight. The next page is a double spread - we see Kakeru smile & envision the same tableau of Suguru's friends, but with Suguru there ... Araki's arm draped around Suguru's shoulders. *sniff* Lovely.

Yeah, Araki's lip thing was weird. You see that more than his tears. That's what I remember most when I think of that scene. Is he trying not to cry (and failing) & has lip distortion from the effort? Poor Araki. Actually, when I saw that section I felt proud of him for crying & hoped that he learned from it ... that he would realize that he does need to practice hard. But then my compassion and hopes were all dashed (like Oda's) when Araki shows up having gained weight again. *sigh* But it's accurate to Araki's personality.

Thanks for clarifying about Kakeru's response to the memory takeover in the Yoin game. I'm going to look at that section again after the goal. I hope the whole Suguru-taking-over thing is cleared up too. Maybe Kakeru learns to access those memories consciously through the training that Mine told Iwaki about? We haven't Kakeru undergo that training though ... being pulled by a motorbike in sprint-like intervals to increase his lung capacity. That doesn't sound like fun at all. But I think that the author wants to play with the ambiguity of what Kakeru's experiencing. Perhaps there's several things that happen at once and so we won't know which one resolves the taking-over bit. Perhaps it's during the tournament final when they play Kamakura? Because we know Enoshima is going to beat Yoin. I'll be really surprised if Yoin wins.

Enoshima also has to play Silva's team...at Nationals?

By the way, do you think that somewhere Araki "loses" Kakeru as his knight? And Silva picks him up as his knight? Not necessarily in high school, but in the relationship? Kakeru himself said that a Knight needs a King ... was it when he decides to go to Enoshima? Did Araki scold Kakeru for acting like a midfielder in the Yoin game in V. 15? Kakeru looked discouraged and sad after that conversation. Then Araki become involved with the U-16 team and I sense a bit of distancing between the two.

Also, do you think that there's an attraction that playmakers have to Kakeru's abilities? Suguru, Araki, Yuusuke, Silva, Oda, Seven, they all seem to be mysteriously attracted to Kakeru. Is it because Kakeru pulls out their ability to create a play or complete a great pass? Or am I just dreaming? I get a little miffed at all the players that expect Suguru out of Kakeru or see Kakeru's talent as Suguru's. It's one of the reasons why I like Iwaki so much is that he seems to understand Kakeru's gift as a striker & knows how to help him grow as a striker.

What about Sera (#10 on the U-16 team)? From what I've seen he seems like a bit of a snit. But I haven't read too deeply. I want Kakeru to blow him away. It seems like Kakeru's abilities show themselves best in an actual game ... didn't Hibino say that Kakeru seems to always make the decisive goal near the end of the game?

How do you think the manga will end? Or do you not want to speculate that far?

How do you think Kakeru & Nana/Seven/Mishima will get together? And what do you call her ... she's got too many names & I never know which one I should use.

Oh! And Suguru's assessment of Kakeru to Takajyou ... what was that all about! I want to know what this "realm" that Suguru thinks Kakeru can create is. What kind of amazing-ness will we witness? It's got to be something other than the memory-takeover. Is it the evolution of the phantom feint? And what does the phantom feint get renamed to by the announcer? I haven't been able to figure it out.

[Kouri-chan]

I like yuusuke too But I don't know, to me he just seems a bit too.. .ordinary? i don't know. Obviously i'm drawn to those exotic types huh? XD And I agree with you about Araki. He's skilled, extremely so - but he isn't really cut out for being a leader just yet. Which is funny because he's a playmaker and he's supposed to direct the team... he gets all the credit along with the strikers, since he gets the assists... and meanwhile, you have good old Sawamura and Oda just beavering away in the defensive midfield. Ah well. Life is like that.

Speaking of which, don't you love how mini backstories of the characters are revealed? Like the whole Hino used to be in a biker gang thing, and the whole Mako was the reason for Oda's knee injury thing as well.

I think the blonde defender is called Shou or Jou (surname - my bad, after checking, it's Shima XD MY BAD!), but I'm not sure :O I may be totally off! and. Yes. I totally agree! That page where Kakeru imagined all those youth national team players hanging out with his brother... it was so touching!

@Kim: And what? XD

@Nishijima: Actually I found myself really admiring his style of dress lol. It was just drawn nicely. And so Nishijima!
It's really funny how Kouta leaves Kamakura and his rival of sorts Nishijima, only to get a new rival, Yakumo, eh? XD

@Reporter: There could be a minor law, but they haven't really talked about that... :O I was under the impression that he was waiting for more juice to gather. Or for proof. Or something.

@Oda: I actually had to check volume 18 for that! And then I was struck at how different everybody looked! I mean Lee looks the same. but kurebayashi... SO DIFFERENT! And everybody's eyes got bigger XD Ah well... I liked Oda/everybody with smaller eyes, but ah well... Kurebayashi looks a lot plainer. I suppose you could say that Lee's achievements have inspired him to work harder? I don't even know why I'm talking about Kurebayashi when I was addressing your point of Oda...
But anyway, i finally found that part. And it's so amazing. I love it that Oda occasionally gets a chance to shine despite his position =) Now, if only Sawamura could as well!

I'm wondering who will be the next to find out about Kakeru and Suguru, and how it will affect their relationship... :O

@Araki gaining weight: I don't remember the details fully, but apparently Araki wanted to increase his fitness even more by playing with a heavy body... or something strange like that... and totally Araki.. o_O

And Enoshima should beat yoin ;\ Because this is the Winter I-H, and the last one of the year... OH MY GOD!!! Is ANK ABOUT TO END???! (well tbh this is only the Kanagawa preliminaries and they still ahve the whole country... but meh..)

@Knightness: Yes, I do believe that's why Kakeru decided to go to Enoshima. He wanted Araki to become his king =)
OK, I just reread that part. It went like this:
Araki asked Kakeru about what he did in the Yoin game
Kakeru was like "Oh that was my brother"
Araki: "Oh.. I see..."
Araki: "Well I don't know what happened between you two, but I know this.." (I've cut some stuff out)
Araki: "Enoshima only needs 1 king."
Araki: "What I need is a knight who will put the ball into the goal."
Araki: "If it were you at that point in the game, you would have converted it immediately wouldn't you?"
Kakeru: "Mhm..."

And then Mako shows up and breaks the tension!

Haha, the people who truly understand Kakeru know that he has a special ability to receive the ball and convert it into a goal. Seven I'm not so sure about (I thought she was a striker just like Kakeru..), but Suguru, Araki, Silva, Oda, Yuusuke.. definitely =)

Speaking of Iwaki... don't you think Mine-sensei is just so creepy?!

And as for Sera, well, he is in Kamakura :O I don't know if you've read Slam dunk, but he reminds me SO MUCH of Jin from Kainan. Hence I don't really have an unbiased opinion of him XD All I know is that he's new to Kamakura, came from overseas, and is a first year. FIRST YEAR! I forgot how he played against Silva's school because ummm... to be honest, apart from Yuusuke and Nishijima, Kamakura fails to inspire me >_< (that honour is for TSUJIDOU XD - I'm just disappointed that Enoshima doesn't seem to be playing them again... well... i suppose they can't really be a repeat team.. their one tactic was broken by Iwaki.. >_>) But yea.

Didn't Kakeru fail to show his abilities in the game? I think what Kakeru needs is time and trust. And he really needs a playmaker he can work with. He wasn't really suited to the U-16 team style of tryout because they only got a few short minutes to prove themselves.. (well, seemed like that anyway)

I think it may end as some sort of Slam Dunk style ending >_< I mean, quite open ended. Like... OUR JOURNEY IN NATIONALS HAS BEGUN... or something like that. i hope it doesn't end too soon, though D: I just realised that this is Lee's last tournament.
BUT! THIS MEANS! The possibility of another year! OH YES! Because the majority of players are in their 2nd year =) Kurebayashi will just have to step up >_> and i won't see Lee again after he graduates but... ah well...

@Seven/Nana/Mishima: I call her Nana ^^ and sometimes Seven >_> Seven sounds kind of dumb to me... but that hasn't stopped my brain from putting it into its subconscious -_- As for the romance, I honestly don't know. They still seem to be romance dumb at the moment. And with Mai on the prowl.. ^_~ I expected there to be more of a catfight between Nana and Mai, to be honest. I do think Mai is REALLY pretty. The opposite of Nana in every way except on the field! I loved her outfit when she was first introduced ^_^; Maybe they may have some hormone sparks when they're playing int he park, but that's just romance cliche sap me talking. (Maybe the eternal stalker reporter will get some pics of this...)

I don't know what Suguru means about the realm thing. ;_; He was such an awesome guy. It's such a pity that he's not around (alive)... but, that is one of the main plot points of this series, so...
Phantom Feint = Phi Trick ^^
because the way the ball moves is shaped like the greek letter phi

Hmmm... maybe Suguru thinks that Kakeru has a different way of thinking, and can pull goals out of places they never dreamed of..?

[Guest]

I miss Suguru too - I want to know more about what he thinks, who he is personality-wise, his view on various soccer players... But Suguru being gone is one of the reasons why I am so emotionally drawn to the story & want Kakeru to succeed. What do you think Silva meant in V.15, Chpt. 118 when he said that Suguru seems to want to "defeat crushingly" his former teammates? Maybe something went down between Suguru and his teammates on the U-15 team after Araki was kicked off. Kakeru has such a rosy view of Suguru's football career. It's been shaken once when he read about Suguru's nightmares in his journal. Kakeru observed that Suguru seemed to be angry all of the time, but I don't think all of that anger was because Kakeru was avoiding playing football. I'm waiting for the author to throw a curve ball and reveal a bit more...yay, I'm looking forward to it.

Mai is really pretty and I like her style. She knows she's attractive. It's cute how Mai flusters Kakeru when they meet at the vending machine. Kakeru is such an innocent - it's charming. And it charms Mai. But I do feel bad for Kakeru b/c she winds him up so easily. I think Nana is very aware of Kakeru's feelings for her and that she's securely in the position of intimacy with Kakeru (they spent all of their time together), so there hasn't been a cat fight yet. But things could change & Kakeru is naive, so if Nana doesn't watch him closely, Mai could snatch him (though Kakeru would probably be oblivious or completely confused about what was going on). It's really fun to see Kakeru's romantic nature. Like how Mito embarasses him in Volume 1 about how he watched the sun set by the river and cried when Seven moved. And then his mom's like "that's my son!". Hee hee. And then when Seven is thinking all technically about playing for Nadashiko after her first game & Kakeru is freaking out about where she was, and if she has a boyfriend, and no! she can't have a boyfriend because she spends all of her time with me, and... hee hee. I like his romantic streak.

It better not end with "Our journey to nationals has begun". I'd be so upset. I think the epilogue will be the World Cup (or some prestigious Cup match) - like how the beginning was with the U-15 Japan - South American Exchange Cup. And you'll see a jersey from the back with "Aizawa" on it, then you'll see Kakeru ... *sniff* and all of these characters that we've come to know & love (unfortunately, Kim will be in the stands because the game will be Japan against Brazil), then Kakeru will score the final, winning goal. Just like Suguru's dream. And somehow, *sniff* we'll see a picture of Kakeru holding the cup or walking off the field with Suguru next to him, and they *sniff* look at each other ... *bawling* *sniff* Aahhh ... I guess I'm like Kakeru in that I'm a bit of a romantic.

"I think what Kakeru needs is time and trust". You're right! I totally agree that the whole U-16 team trials is not setup to pull in players like Kakeru. When the team lost the Asian Cup, I thought to myself ... if they had taken Kakeru, they might have won. But maybe not since the team was thrown together and the playmaker was Sera, not Araki. The structure allows kings to shine, but not knights. Go Iwaki! He should have been the coach (maybe he will next time?). As for Mine-sensei, she creeped me out in volume 9, Chpt 68 - there were a couple of frames where she looked like she was Dr. Jekyll. I was shocked that a psychotherapist would say that Suguru was inside Kakeru. But there's a conflict of interest with her. She should have never taken Kakeru as a patient - there's an ethical issue there. But then, we wouldn't have the story the way it is, would we. Iwaki's anger was justified. I love his line "Kakeru-kun is not Suguru-kun". Yup! You speak that truth, Iwaki!

Do you think that Iwaki likes Mine? It seems that he does because he looks so sad in Vol 15, Cpt 118 when he & Mine are talking, especially after she leaves.

Kamakura doesn't really inspire me either. They have a lot of really good players, but no magical players. Tsujido - I love their heart and passion. Shounan, there's the 4 Arrows and the rivalry between Hibino and Kakeru, Yoin has Asuka-san and Onimaru, Syukyu has the Brazilian trio ... but Kamakura doesn't have a star player or a particular characteristic that is theirs. Maybe it is because there hasn't been a game they've played where there's a lot of discussion about them as a team or where we've seen their special plays (other than the game against Syukyu, but they were outclassed there). Maybe he's saving it for their game against Enoshima? That ought to be exciting.

Re: the tense conversation between Araki & Kakeru ... Mako! Clueless Mako! Why did you have to interrupt just then! It will be interesting to see how this develops. Especially since Araki will miss his flight for the Yoin game. Will Kakeru-Suguru step in to fill the gap? I really want Sawamura and Oda to shine more too. They are both good players. Maybe Iwaki will shift his strategy and go with more of the SC style in the absense of Araki? Utilize post-plays more with Oda and Takase. That might unsettle Yoin since they haven't seen Enoshima play with that style.

Re: Araki gaining weight - he could use anything to justify eating his favorite foods. And he's so cocky about it that he'll share this crazy justification confidently to others. It's so him. It makes me laugh and roll my eyes. I can totally see how Suguru finds him amusing.

Re: Yeah, Yakumo & Kouta's fights are funny. It's Kouta's fate to always have a rival of some kind. Kouta & Nishijima is more hostile (perhaps b/c they've known each other longer) & Kouta always gets the rough end of the stick with Nishijima. Which is funny because that winds up Kouta even more. At least Yakumo & Kouta find that they can agree when an opponent is too cocky or basks too much in the gushing love given by their fangirls.

I really like the backstories. It rounds out the characters and gives more meaning to the interactions between them. Plus it gives a break from the main story. The one that tells how Silva & Suguru met in volume 9 is good too. I wonder why Silva knows Japanese? He seems to know it at the end of the mini-story.

Yeah, Yuusuke is somewhat ordinary. I wish he was developed more. I feel kind of sorry for him being shoved aside into Kamakura ... but I guess there's only so many characters that the author can develop without losing his main plot/theme. I just get the feeling that he's lonely for Kakeru in the football world. Maybe that's why I like him.

Whew...I've got to dig into these stories more. It's so fun to chat with you about it!

[Kouri-chan]

Guess what - Tsukiyama Kaya's blog
http://tukiyamakaya.dreamlog.jp//

Actually after thinking about it I think if Suguru were alive the series would never have been as good. I mean, Suguru certainly is a flawed character since he has stress problems and can't control himself sometimes (well, in the beginning of the series, anyway. Who knows how much he would have matured over the 2 or so years.). Not to mention that he's been shown to be a bit impulsive as shown by his immediate and damning judgement of Araki. But i can't shake off the feeling that in essence he was supposed to be perfect. If he had remained alive his perfection would probably have become really annoying, really quickly. But now that he's dead he'll forever be the One that Never Was.

Well, except when he's really-or-not controlling Kakeru >_>

Re: Chapter 118, are you referring to page 4? Silva is saying "I'm gonna defeat you and your brother's former team crushingly!!'

And yes, I can't wait for more to be revealed =) I'm going to have to reread volume 15. That side story with Araki and Suguru? Awwww. <3

Speaking of Mai, look at the end of chapter 120. That man looks threatening... but, to be honest, I had forgotten entirely about him since he hasn't been mentioned since to my knowledge. Unless he was the scout for the national team... ;\ a very threatening one!
And hee hee... yes, it would be very interesting if a Kakeru, Mai and Nana love triangle developed in the future. Include some of the 2nd years as well! Or Matoba! Don't hold back, Tsukiyama and Igano! *_*
have you seen Mito now? She's grown up a LOT!

@Ending: D'awwww... that would be such the perfect ending! Suguru would be walking alongside Kakeru or maybe holding the cup WITH HIM, sort of half transparent like in the shounan game!!!

@Asian Cup: Hurr hurr... if they had Lee, they might have won. That goalkeeper obviously had no idea who he was facing. Poor Araki... only he and maybe Onimaru, and maybe Sera as well knew what the team was truly up against. Did you know that I found out (vol. 18 Chinese version was published last week) that Kim was plucked from Tsujidou back to Korea, and he's playing for a Korean club now. Well. Guess I won't be seeing Tsujidou again... GEE THANKS WAY TO RUIN THEIR FUTURES SINCE THEY'LL BE DELINQUENTS NOW D: (a bit upset)

I hope that Mine gets the cold hand of truth soon. But then again, what the truth is exactly isn't even clear, so that probably won't be happening for a long time...
Maybe, if Kakeru becomes famous and establishes a successful partnership with his brother's heart, she may just live like that forever... ;\ And I do think that Iwaki and Mine are being bound together by the storyline, yes (:

Well, technically, Kamakura's star player is Takajou. But he isn't very inspiring >.> He's a bit like Honda Michael from Shounan who's supposed to be one of the top 3 defenders in Kanagawa or something. I was just like "whatever..." even when I read about how he was kicking Kakeru's ass or whatever. Game against Enoshima... Kakeru vs. Yuusuke! Kouta vs. Nishijima HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHAH (and Yakumo would just be like "wtf?" or he might even join Nishijima in the dissing XD)

@Yoin game: Going with the SC strategy may just work. Yoin would be thrown off initially at the sudden change of pace! And Asuka may be amazing, but Takase is tall. I think the midfield would be outclassed without Araki, though... Maybe this could be a rematch of Onimaru and Kaoru Although I don't think Kaoru stands much of a chance...
Alternatively, Iwaki might station Sawamura and Oda a bit more forward, to check Onimaru and Shiratori (blonde guy) Who knows? I CAN'T WAIT FOR VOL. 19 T_T
Vol. 20 is coming out April 16, by the way. *shot* I don't know what Tsukiyama's taking, but I want some of it. XD
I was on his blog and I read in a comment somewhere that he really liked Asuka and Onimaru too ^^ So I guess we'll be seeing more of them!

Maybe Silva learned Japanese because of Suguru... it would certainly fit his whole obsession with Japan in general >_> Oh... I smell a pairing... although I wouldn't be a fan of it. I'm not a fan of Silva in general XD

A Yuusuke/Kakeru partnership would be so. Amazing. We only saw a glimpse of that in the Kamakura game. I want more D: Maybe in the next U-16s! Yuusuke would be playmaker, and Kakeru would be scorer. (Or Kakeru would just have to learn to work with Sera. >_>)

aaah, vol. 19, please... @_@

[Guest]

I will reply to your mail above sometime soon, but I wanted to let you know what happens to Araki in Volume 19, since you told me to tell you... basically, we guessed right. I haven't run the text through WWWJDIC, so what I know is from the art ...

so, one of the terrorists points his gun at Araki - they have some kind of conversation, but the terrorist shoots up in the air (the ceiling is very high & open) and some soccer balls that were decoration for the Asia Cup fall down on the ground... the terrorist does it to scare Araki. So there's soccer balls near 3 three players. Things escalate, then Kim saves Araki from some kind of violence (hit or shot) by kicking a soccerball full force at the terrorist's face. It's an all out war between the 3 soccer stars & the terrorists. They take 'em all out with the soccer balls & save each other. One terrorist manages to throw a grenade, which Araki kicks through a high open window. It explodes midair, outside. Kim & Korea's #10 are amazed at what Araki did. All three have bonded. The terrorists are arrested. No one is hurt... but Araki misses his flight.

And he gets chewed out by the coach who stayed behind for him.

[Kouri-chan]

how do you know? :O do you have scans???! :O:O or did you buy it? (edit: oh right, i guess you bought it.. xD)

and...

HA HA HA HA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

AWESOME!

i hope this means we will see more of Kim :]

HAHAHAAHAHHAAHHAHA

ARAKIIIII

another thing to put in his autobiography

and now at least the tension between him and Pak has probably eased XD
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAAAAAAAA

in a good way

[Guest]

Yup, I bought it. I'm such a die-hard.

Oh ... and Kim's freckles are there & visible. And he throws the ball at the terrorist, he doesn't kick it, and it's so powerful that it knocks the terrorist on his bum.

Yup! I think Pak told him that Japanese soccer lost Suguru and that left a huge hole, and that Araki was the one who was able to fill that hole ... and what was he thinking about risking his life!! Araki looked stunned. Interesting. He's always so cocky, but it seems like he really didn't think he was an equal to Suguru. So now, he's got to step up. And he does. It's awesome.

It seems like #14 of Yoin is a jerk. During the game, he keeps on talking to Kakeru, maybe he's baiting him, & at one point basically tells Kakeru that he doesn't know and doesn't care to know about Suguru.

Yeah, I feel like you do... so excited. But now I'm bummed about waiting for Volume 20 because the game doesn't finish in Volume 19. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS!!!

[Kouri-chan]

OMG, you mean that lil blonde kiddie? UGH!! such a douchebag!! Kakeru better show him >: (Or he could pull a Zidane... lol)

And Kim!!! I knew he would come through!!! Haha... I think Araki is one of those joker types. He's willing to take responsibility and faux credit but he doesn't really mean it you know and he doesn't want to go too far. He didn't consider himself worthy maybe. So it must have been a huge shock!!!

[kaka90]

iv read up to the vol 18 so far anyone got links for 19+....

kakeru is in a bad spot i think if he goes pro and the media finds out about his heart then theyll just start heeping all his acomplishments on sugurus heart hope the manga dosnt end up like that

[Horizon]

There isnt any links for vol 19 vet.

[Guest]

Whoa! I didn't see that you guys had commented on our spoiler thread. Yessss!!! Welcome to our mad musings on "what will happen"!!!!

I agree kaka90. I don't want the media to know about Kakeru's heart either. That creepy reporter worries me. I don't think the manga will end up with everyone thinking Kakeru's accomplishments all come from his brother's heart... I'd be very disappointed if it did. I don't think it will b/c the author's plot & writing is too good for that. But I do think it's going to leak out. Else why have that creepy reporter find out about it? I think that whoever finds out next, when he finds out & how is a large part of the plot - that it'll change where things go or change relationships. Personally, I think Asuka will or Araki will... though I feel like the author is holding when & how Araki finds out close to his chest b/c he has something big planned that'll come out of it. Araki is already taking note. He sees Suguru on the field with Kakeru (I think) at the first Yoin game. He recognizes Kakeru's play as Suguru's when Kakeru gets overtaken by his heart's memories. He notices the conversation at the U16 training camp where one of the other players comments on Kakeru's cardiovascular system & how good it was... and that Suguru was like that too. Early on, in the first game Araki & Kakeru played, Araki notices that Kakeru's left-legged shot was stronger than his right and that Suguru was a lefty too. So I think things are lining up for Araki to figure it out. Or he finds out & then things fall into place and he thinks that Surugu is in Kakeru. Kindof like how Silva perceives it. That's where I don't know how Araki will react. I've got to hand it to the author... he's crafted Araki well. B/c the conflict between Araki & Suguru was never resolved, I don't know how he will respond to Kakeru's secret. But I do think Araki will find out.

But I am also wondering if Kakeru will get sick. Or get into a situation where he's exposed to someone who is sick and that becomes another clue to others that there's something not-normal about him physically. B/c Kakeru can't get sick - he's taking meds that supress his immune system. Or someone at training camp finds his meds.

Volume 20 just came out (I started a new topic for it, but let's spoil away here... hee hee... I love reading spoilers).

The cover is fantastic (but I'm an Ank nut so they're all fantastic...especially when they hint at what's inside the covers). It's split - to the right we see Araki, in fine form I might add, in the act of kicking the football & on the left, we get a closeup of Kakeru's profile - he's looking back slightly, like he's looking for that pass from Araki.

So... I think that the Araki - Kakeru connection is going to evolve. They've had great passes, but not like what Kakeru & Suguru had. And we've yet to see Kakeru's evolved Phi move. Nana-chan has indicated that it's ready (in V19). And the answers are in Volume 20. Argghhh! I wish I would have checked closer to when it came out (earlier this month).

I'm going to order it this week... (insert wild, maniacal cackling here)

[kaka90]

does anyone else feel that araki is sort of based on ronaldinho... ball control, passing and lack of fitness, although ronaldinho gained weight due to his party life style the author played with that in araki i feel and in a way kakeru seems like a unfinished ronaldo his dribbling and ball control need alot of work but i think that once he reaches his full potential he will be like that or at least on par with suguru remember in a memory of kakerus suguru said they may have opposite styles but there potentials are about the same (he said football sense but thats what it is) only difference between them through there life is that suguru was a genius so he developed at a faster rate than kakeru who progresses slowly plus he had that time period when he didnt play seriously and the hospital time

[Guest]

Yeah, I think that the author based Araki's skills on Ronaldinho. Nana makes the connection when she first sees Araki's ball control & how he hits the statue. And Nana is one of the characters that the author uses to deliver information that's true or technical.

I'm interested to see how Kakeru overcomes his poor ball control - is it purely through the phi move? That seems too "simple" a solution to me. Is it the fusion of Suguru's memories stored in his heart with Kakeru's ability to consciously use them? Which makes me wonder... when does Kakeru begin the training that will increase his respitory capacity? But I do agree that he has the same potential as Suguru... Suguru himself said it in the memory you mentioned.

I also think that Kakeru didn't develop his skill as quickly as Suguru because he's a a different type of player. He's a true striker and, from what the manga said early on, true strikers are rare (at least in the manga's Japan). So it seems like Kakeru has not been invested in or given the same opportunities like Suguru b/c his talent has been overlooked or misunderstood. Iwaki is the first coach that we know of to really see it & help Kakeru. I also have this feeling that Kakeru's talent requires a partner... someone like Araki or Suguru. I wonder if Kakeru's instinct & concentration actually formed some of Suguru's genius. Kakeru pulls incredible passes from the playmaker, he demands a near impossible pass or, in Araki's case, a creative pass - remember when Kakeru & Suguru played together the day before the accident & Nana said that she thought Kakeru was asking for Suguru's passes - and they were his harshest passes. How was Suguru able to develop those passes? Because his brother, asks it of him. And Kakeru pushes to receive those passes because it was his brother who sent them. So it is a symbiotic relationship, dependent not just on skill level, but emotional connection.

Look at the U-16 team selection & how short a time they're given to "prove" themselves. Kakeru doesn't shine in this situation because his gifting lies in the connection he builds with the playmaker. (Kouri-chan mentioned something like this in an earlier post - it was good insight.) And it often evolves in the high-stakes of a game. Which makes him an exciting player b/c you never know what he's going to bring to a game. Didn't Hibino say that Kakeru seems to always make the decisive goal near the end of a game? Yuusuke says something similar when he's trying to convince the coach to play Kakeru in their last middle school game.

Which makes me so curious to see what Volume 20 brings.

[Guest]

wohooo!

Got Volume 20. So now I know what happens... in a very general way.

[Kouri-chan]

hooray!

in the mean time, volume 19 isn't out here yet.. ;_; *shakes fist*

[Guest]

Dang! It's frustrating to wait.

Let me know if you want to know the outcome of the match between Enoshima and Yoin.

[Kouri-chan]

Haha... I think i'd prefer to wait... until I get vol. 19, at least! Then maybe i'll be like @#$!@ MUST KNOW NOWWWWWWWWWW @_______@ XD <3

[Guest]

Good call. There's something to be said for that feeling of "must know what happens" and the ending of Volume 19 definitely produces that feeling.

[Kouri-chan]

i read volume 19 and i'm so disillusioned yup i finally procured the japanese raw and scan-read it haha. I'll see if I can get it in chinese when i go back to hk for xmas :O

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