Ao Ashi can definitely rejoice now that the second season of the hit football manga has been confirmed, but on the other hand, the news also does come with news that one might see as worrying, given events of the past year. Fortunately, there is a silver lining as this announcement means that the anime could have a better schedule going forward and that fans will not be made to wait for more than 2 years for a sequel.
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Season 2 of Ao Ashi was confirmed about a week ago on the cover of Shogakukanโsย Big Comic Spirits, but the official announcement has just been made today. A key visual of Ashito typing his shoelaces and smiling has been revealed alongside the announcement, as well as a 2026 air date. The biggest and most shocking news, however, was that there has been a studio change, and TMS Entertainment will now handle the production and animation of Ao Ashi season 2.
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Ao Ashi’s Studio Change Could Signify Trouble
There are a few reasons why the studio of the anime was switched. Production I.G, the studio behind Season 1 and many other hits like Ghost in the Shell, Psycho-Pass, and FLCL, is currently busy with other series like Haikyuu‘s upcoming movies and Kaiju No. 8. Both series are immensely popular, and it is no wonder the studio decided to hand off Ao Ashi, which, while it does have an audience, isn’t nearly as big as the others. Another very possible reason could be a poor schedule and planning.
What caused worry among fans is that TMS Entertainment is the studio that animated the recent Sakamoto Days anime. While the anime was far from being poorly animated, it still was not regarded to be as good as it could have been, and the action could have been better in particular. TMS is a very large and successful studio that created hits like Detective Conan, Fruits Basket, and Dr. Stone, after all. The studio has just as much of a capability to bring the anime to life as quickly and as good as Production I.G. Furthermore, Season 1 of Ao Ashi, while good, was nothing spectacular nor one of the studio’s best adaptations anyway.
Ao Ashi Could End Up Better Than Before
While there are cases of an anime becoming worse after a studio change, like One-Punch Man, there are also other cases where a series stays the same or even thrives, such as the case for Attack on Titan and Vinland Saga. It all depends on the director and staff that will work on Ao Ashi season 2, but fans should not lose hope or judge the season until a trailer is out. Furthermore, TMS Entertainment picking up the series means they are willing to work on it long-term and bring more content quicker, which will lead to a 3-year gap like this being a thing of the past.
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