Anime #20- Whistle!

To make up for a major drought of anime articles, I'm going to write on one of my personal favourite manga-turned-anime, Whistle! ! Created by Daisuke Higuchi.

Intro
Taking place around 1998, before France won the World Cup, the story focuses on a teenager named Sho Kazamatsuri, an aspiring soccer player who would like nothing better than to go to the world cup and play on the Japan soccer yeam. However, his road to the world cup is paved with obstacles. He originally went to an academy called Musashinamori, which is well-known for their powerful soccer team. But when Sho tried out, he only made the third team, a team of substitutes that barely even touched the ball. And so, Sho left the school and moved in with his brother Ko. There, Sho transferred to a middle school known as Josui, where he was mistakenly introduced as a star player. When the other members of the team discovered Sho wasn't all he was cracked up to be, he started to train alone, until the captain of the team, Tatsuya Mizuno, brought him back. Many strange and interesting soccer players join the team, such as a player who had quit and re-joined, a genius boy known as 'The Crusher' and a girl! The show is full of humour and very interesting soccer strategies.

Sho Kazamatsuri
The main character of the series. He is unlike any other soccer player he meets. For, when he loses, he doesn't get angry and be a sore loser. No, he only sees soccer players who are better than him as a means of getting stronger and more training. He is very kind, and will always stick up for his friends when they are in trouble. He is also short, and dreams of being 180 cm when he grows up.

Tatsuya Mizuno
The captain of the Josui Junior High soccer team. He was originally a regular, but challenged the captain (Honma), for the position of captain, and Honma lost. Tatsuya became the new captain, leading to a mass drop-out of players. However, Sho, determined to get a team together, managed to get a new team together. Tatsuya is calm, cool and collected, and is often found getting angry at Shige for calling him "Tatsu-bon."

Shigeki Sato
Also known as Shige, Shigeki Sato originally quit the team. But one day, when he saw Sho, he decided he would je-join the team. He is very light-hearted and is always cracking jokes. However, on the field, he is a very determined and skilled player. He was originally a goalkeeper for the team, but was put to forward alongside Sho due to a new member joining their team, 'The Crusher'.

Daichi Fuwa
A genius boy known as 'The Crusher', because he is known to crush people's dreams. Sho first met him along a riverside, where he thought Daichi was trying to commit suicide. Sho talked to Daichi about his dreams of going to the World Cup, and, oddly enough, Daichi had never heard of it before. Sho explained the rules to Daichi, and challenged Daichi to a little game, where Sho would take shots on him. Sho was astonished when Daichi blocked every shot Sho took. Daichi joined the team to find out why "this boy smiles so much."

Yuki Kojima
A girl who is currently on the Josui soccer team, though she isn't allowed to play. She originally disguised herself as a boy who would stop players who insulted the game of soccer. She was revealed as herself a littlw while later. She joined the Josui high soccer team and amazed the boys when she beat almost everyone there. Tatsuya talked with her a little later, and explained to her that she couldn't play in the tournaments, because the other teams would make excuses when they lost like "But there was a girl on the team!"

Oyassan
The owner of a noodle shop. Sho first ran into him when he was training. Oyassan appeared rough around the edges when Sho first met him, but is actually very kind-hearted, and will always help Sho and his friends out. He even made a sign for the team when they played in a tournament. Vor! A mighty kick!

Picture from:http://www.animenfo.com/animetitle,912,euigky,whistle_.html