# E2 - Tokyo City Esperion
Source: [Crunchyroll](https://www.crunchyroll.com/watch/GWDU858K7/tokyo-city-esperion)
Translator:
Editor:
Timer:
QC:
(Please feel free to edit the speaker names if incomplete or inaccurate. Names are handled on a best-effort basis depending on the info on the source file. Dialogue is left as is.)
**[00:08] Ashito**
Is that the Tokyo Met building?
**[00:11] Driver**
No, it's just a regular office building.
So where are you trying to go?
**[00:15] Ashito**
Tokyo City Esperion's Soccer Town.
**[00:18] Ashito**
I'm here to play soccer.
**[00:20] Ashito**
And take part in the youth team tryouts.
**[02:00] Ashito**
All of this is one big soccer facility?!
**[02:01] Sign**
Tokyo City Esperion
**[02:13] Ashito**
They must be here for tryouts like me.
**[02:16] Ashito**
Guess I'd better get out there!
**[02:19] Ashito**
Oh, uh, the registration fee...
**[02:28] Ashito**
Oh, sorry.
**[02:39] Hana**
Are you the one from Ehime?
**[02:43] Ashito**
Uh, yeah, I am, but how did you...
**[02:47] Hana**
Your hair.
**[02:47] Hana**
I was told a guy with hair
like Valderrama's was coming.
**[02:51] Hana**
My bro said it, not me.
**[02:54] Ashito**
Your *bro?!*
**[02:57] Ashito**
Cut that out! Who the heck are you anyway,
showin' up outta nowhere?!
**[03:02] Hana**
My bro's been going on and on about you.
**[03:07] Hana**
So annoying.
**[03:10] Mibu**
Hana-chan, hurry it up.
The tryouts are about to start.
**[03:14] Hana**
Oh, coming!
**[03:19] Hana**
Follow me.
**[03:21] Hana**
You're here for the tryouts, right?
**[03:26] Hana**
We have a total of 86 hopefuls.
Candidates with promise include:
**[03:31] Hana**
Tachibana Soichiro from Yokoyama Musashino's
Junior Youth soccer team.
**[03:37] Hana**
He was on the team that won the
Kanto boys' soccer tournament.
**[03:41] Hana**
Kaneda Akinori, captain of the prestigious
Tama Central Junior High team.
**[03:47] Hana**
Hasegawa Yudai from Seiran Junior High.
**[03:51] Hana**
Lee Jong Suk, also from Seiran Junior High.
**[03:55] Hana**
Have you achieved
anything of note in Ehime?
**[04:03] Hana**
What's my bro thinking?
**[04:08] Hana**
The front desk's over there.
**[04:10] Hana**
You pay the 5,000 yen
registration fee there.
**[04:13] Hana**
Good luck. Do your best. See ya.
**[04:16] Ashito**
Wow.
**[04:20] Ashito**
A grass field!
**[04:22] Ashito**
I get to play soccer on
such a beautiful field today!
**[04:26] Ashito**
I wish Shun could see this!
**[04:34] Date**
I'm Date, the head coach.
**[04:36] Date**
As you may already know, Tokyo City Esperion FC
is in its ninth year in the J1 League.
**[04:43] Date**
We've won the league title once,
and the Emperor's Cup once, too.
**[04:47] Date**
Our first team's record is solid.
**[04:50] Date**
And it all comes down to the
training of our youth players.
**[04:54] Date**
Esperion's youth coaching is
considered the finest in Japan.
**[04:59] Date**
You can take it from here, Manager Fukuda.
**[05:02] Fukuda**
Thank you all for coming today.
**[05:10] Fukuda**
I believe that a team that fails to nurture
the next generation has no future.
**[05:14] Fukuda**
In reality, however, pro soccer clubs end up
**[05:17] Fukuda**
having to acquire players from other clubs
to shore up any weaknesses in their team.
**[05:24] Fukuda**
But what if that player you acquire
ends up being a disappointment?
**[05:28] Fukuda**
There's no such issue with players who
we've raised from when they were young.
**[05:32] Fukuda**
We know their skills and
personalities better than anyone.
**[05:37] Fukuda**
Plus their strengths and weaknesses.
**[05:40] Fukuda**
You guys can soak up the club's
style of play as you train.
**[05:45] Fukuda**
That's what it means to "raise" players.
**[05:48] Fukuda**
The future of Japanese
soccer lies in raising players.
**[05:52] Fukuda**
If you pass today, we'll work together.
**[05:55] Fukuda**
If you don't, use this experience
to become a better player,
**[05:59] Fukuda**
then come laugh at us because
we couldn't see your potential.
**[06:05] Fukuda**
All right!
**[06:07] Fukuda**
How was that, Benzen? No flubs whatsoever.
**[06:10] Benzen**
You just ruined it.
**[06:13] Ashito**
* Crap. I know hardly anything about the*
* J.League, youth teams, or this club.*
**[06:20] Ashito**
*I only came 'cause I was invited...*
**[06:26] Ashito**
*And yet, I can't get my heart to calm down!*
**[06:34] Fukuda**
Oh, just one more thing.
**[06:37] Fukuda**
It's quite rare for us to snap up
any players from these tryouts.
**[06:43] Fukuda**
There's a good chance we won't pick any of you.
**[06:45] Ashito**
What?
**[06:47] Ashito**
Why'd you spring that on us *now*, old man?!
**[06:50] Benzen**
What's that?! Show some respect!
**[06:53] Ashito**
But it's not fair!
**[06:55] Ashito**
So many people came here,
all wanting to get in!
**[06:58] Ashito**
Not picking anyone's just plain wrong!
**[07:10] Tsukishima**
M-Manager Fukuda...
**[07:14] Fukuda**
Oh, right. I guess I didn't mention that part.
**[07:19] Fukuda**
It slipped my mind, Ashito.
I was kinda short on time. My bad.
**[07:25] Ashito**
*H-He's wearing* sandals?!**
**[07:28] Ashito**
* Th-This team's managed*
* by a crazy, creepy old man.*
**[07:33] Fukuda**
Youth teams aren't soccer schools.
We can only take players who are game-ready.
**[07:40] Fukuda**
In last year's intake, with the
players one year above you,
**[07:44] Fukuda**
we added 15 players to our youth team.
**[07:47] Fukuda**
Of these, three were scouted,
one made it in from the tryouts,
**[07:51] Fukuda**
and 11 got promoted
from the junior youth team.
**[07:55] Ashito**
Promoted... from the junior youth team?
**[07:58] Fukuda**
Yes. Most of the time,
over half the youth team intake
**[08:01] Fukuda**
is made up of players promoted
from the junior youth team.
**[08:06] Fukuda**
Last year, there were 25 third-years
in the junior youth team.
**[08:13] Fukuda**
Which means 14 kids who'd worked hard
believing they'd be promoted weren't.
**[08:18] Fukuda**
Then there's the scouted players.
**[08:20] Fukuda**
Talent scouts are always on the
lookout for promising players in Tokyo.
**[08:26] Fukuda**
If we find someone worthwhile, we negotiate
directly with them to join the team.
**[08:33] Ashito**
*So you're saying I wasn't "worthwhile"?*
**[08:36] Fukuda**
In short, thanks to the work done by our
scout team, we already know all about you.
**[08:43] Fukuda**
All 86 of you here today are players
we didn't think were worth snapping up.
**[08:49] Benzen**
Hey, now...
**[08:50] Tsukishima**
Don't say it like that, Manager Fukuda.
**[08:53] Date**
Fukuda...
**[08:54] Fukuda**
However...
**[08:56] Fukuda**
All of you already know that.
**[08:59] Fukuda**
You know your worth, but you came here to take
a chance on what is a very slim possibility.
**[09:04] Fukuda**
So many of you came here
wanting to join Tokyo City Esperion.
**[09:10] Fukuda**
Players who can crawl up through a
crowd like this really do shine through.
**[09:16] Fukuda**
I'd say that spark is essential to this club.
**[09:19] Fukuda**
That spirit of defiance.
A player who can turn the tables.
**[09:23] Fukuda**
We'd kill to get players like that.
**[09:26] Fukuda**
Display that spark and we will find you.
**[09:30] Fukuda**
So do your best.
**[09:32] Applicants**
Yeah!
**[09:39] Benzen**
The first stage of assessment
is the fitness test.
**[09:47] Tsukishima**
That's 6.1 seconds.
**[09:50] Applicant A**
A new PB!
**[09:51] Ohtomo**
Hey, you're trembling.
**[09:54] Ashito**
Huh?
**[09:57] Ohtomo**
S-Seems like I am, too.
**[09:59] Ohtomo**
I get a stomachache when I'm nervous.
**[10:03] Ohtomo**
It hurts.
**[10:04] Ashito**
You're the very first person who's spoken
to me since I got here. Congratulations!
**[10:09] Ashito**
I'm Aoi Ashito.
**[10:10] Ashito**
My position is "Genius Forward."
**[10:14] Ohtomo**
I'm Ohtomo Eisaku.
**[10:16] Ohtomo**
But forget about names!
This is all *your* fault!
**[10:20] Ashito**
Huh?
**[10:21] Ohtomo**
Because you couldn't keep your mouth shut,
Manager Fukuda gave us that speech.
**[10:25] Ohtomo**
And now, everyone's fired up.
**[10:28] Ohtomo**
A bunch of 'em were
bundles of nerves before.
**[10:31] Ohtomo**
I actually had a shot...
**[10:34] Ashito**
Oh, is that so?
**[10:38] Ashito**
You're right. Lots of these guys
looked super stiff at the start.
**[10:41] Ashito**
But I like it this way better.
**[10:43] Ohtomo**
Huh?
**[10:45] Ashito**
I get to play soccer with
these guys at their best.
**[10:54] Tsukishima**
Next up, we'll play some
20-minute mini-games of 7-on-7.
**[10:58] Tsukishima**
This is the most important
element of the first stage.
**[11:01] Tsukishima**
Good luck, everyone!
**[11:03] Ohtomo**
Who the hell decided these teams?
**[11:07] Ohtomo**
This is so unfair.
**[11:10] Ashito**
*Bring it on!*
**[11:23] Hana**
Hey, bro! How's the grading going?
**[11:26] Fukuda**
Hana, I told you not to call me
that out here on the field.
**[11:31] Hana**
Oh, sorry, "Manager Fukuda."
**[11:34] Tsukihima**
Hana-chan, I'm sorry for making
you work under this scorching sun.
**[11:38] Tsukihima**
Even if you're Manager Fukuda's sister...
**[11:41] Hana**
I don't mind!
**[11:43] Hana**
It's nothing compared to the guys out there.
They're putting their careers on the line.
**[11:50] Hana**
Though the game going on here
seems kinda... one-sided.
**[12:13] Ohtomo**
Hey! What do you think you're *doing*?!
**[12:16] Ohtomo**
Don't try and do it all by yourself!
**[12:18] Ohtomo**
You keep giving the ball away, Ehime!
**[12:21] Ashito**
It's 'cause you guys aren't passing to me!
**[12:24] Ashito**
I wanna score, but since no one's passing to me,
**[12:28] Ashito**
I have to take it upfield all by myself!
**[12:29] Ohtomo**
No one's passing to you 'cause you
don't let go of it once you have it!
**[12:33] Ohtomo**
Despite all that big talk,
you're just another show-off.
**[12:42] Ohtomo**
You've got the guts to try things.
I can see that.
**[12:45] Ohtomo**
And it's not all your fault.
**[12:47] Ohtomo**
We've got zero teamwork.
**[12:50] Ohtomo**
We need to pull ourselves together.
**[12:53] Spectator A**
The white team appears to be arguing.
**[12:55] Spectator A**
It's understandable, though.
They're totally outclassed.
**[12:59] Spectator B**
Especially by that guy,
Tachibana Soichiro.
**[13:05] Ashito**
What *was* that?!
**[13:06] Spectator B**
Rumor is, the main purpose of these tryouts
is to work out whether or not to sign him up.
**[13:15] Ashito**
Nice!
**[13:16] Ashito**
I'm free over here!
**[13:18] Ashito**
I'm free!
**[13:24] Ohtomo**
Don't worry, Kaneda! It was a nice try!
**[13:32] Hana**
Bro, is it really okay to have such a
huge gap in skills between the teams?
**[13:39] Fukuda**
Their careers are at stake in these tryouts.
**[13:43] Fukuda**
All of them want to stand out and be noticed.
**[13:47] Fukuda**
It's all me, me, me.
**[13:49] Fukuda**
In a makeshift team where
no one knows each other,
**[13:53] Fukuda**
showing off your A-game
is next to impossible.
**[13:55] Fukuda**
"What's needed right now?"
**[13:58] Fukuda**
"What role should I play in
this imperfect situation?"
**[14:02] Fukuda**
We aren't judging their
physicality or techniques.
**[14:07] ---**
We're judging their ability
to think—their intelligence.
**[14:11] Coach A**
That boy from Ehime's no good.
**[14:14] Coach A**
He's stopped moving completely.
**[14:16] Coach B**
Why'd Manager Fukuda even get him
to come all the way out here?
**[14:25] Ashito**
*Dammit. My bad habit strikes again.*
**[14:29] (Flashback) Ohtomo**
You're just another show-off!
**[14:35] Ashito**
* It was thanks to my friends that*
* I could play the way I wanted.*
**[14:41] Ashito**
*I must never forget that.*
**[14:47] Ashito**
* Playing with these guys,*
* I can see that they're all skilled.*
**[14:55] Ashito**
*I want to play* real *soccer with these guys!*
**[15:20] Ashito**
Ohtomo!
**[15:26] Coach A**
Hey, what's he doing?
**[15:28] Coach A**
He's a forward, but he's dropped
all the way into defense...
**[15:32] Coach B**
Is he still hung up on making a
grandstand play this late in the game?
**[15:35] Ohtomo**
What are you *doing*, Ehime?
**[15:37] Ohtomo**
Pass it back to me! C'mon already!
**[15:40] Nakano**
Keep the ball away from our goal area!
**[15:42] Benzen**
Five minutes left! Do your absolute
best so you won't have any regrets!
**[15:48] Ashito**
*Bear with it! I can do this!*
**[15:50] Coach A**
Unfortunately, he hasn't made the cut,
even though he came all the way from Ehime...
**[15:54] Coach A**
Aoi
Ashito
**[15:56] Kaneda**
Dammit!
**[15:58] Kaneda**
What the heck is he doing?!
**[16:11] Ashito**
*Please...*
**[16:13] Ashito**
* I'm begging you! Just take*
* one more step into our half!*
**[16:16] Ohtomo**
*What's going on?*
**[16:18] Ohtomo**
*Why's Ehime keeping the ball in that area?*
**[16:22] Ohtomo**
*What's he aiming to do?*
**[16:24] Red Team No.16**
Funky Hair over there
is totally panicking.
**[16:28] Lee**
Yeah.
**[16:29] Lee**
If we press him, we can win back the ball.
**[16:31] Lee**
Let's go.
**[16:39] Hana**
Ah! What's he doing?! Why's he
dribbling towards his own goal?!
**[16:43] Ohtomo**
Kaneda, run!
**[16:57] Ashito**
Eat that!
**[17:01] Ohtomo**
Awesome! Well done, Kaneda!
**[17:04] Ohtomo**
That was me! My instruction was key!
**[17:07] Ohtomo**
Without it, you wouldn't have
been there, right? Right?!
**[17:10] Ashito**
Hey! Did ya see that?!
**[17:13] Ashito**
I'm the guy who shines even when he
*doesn't* score! Yup, that's me, Aoi Ashito!
**[17:17] Ashito**
Me, me, me, me!
**[17:19] Ashito**
*I-It was pure luck that it actually worked...*
**[17:24] Ashito**
Assists feel great, huh?
**[17:35] Tsukishima**
Amazing!
**[17:36] Tsukishima**
So cool! What a treat we just witnessed, huh?
**[17:39] Tsukishima**
It was all so perfectly timed, wasn't it?
**[17:41] Tsukishima**
As the forward, he dropped
all the way into his own half,
**[17:44] Tsukishima**
and drew in the opposition.
Even their defenders.
**[17:48] Tsukishima**
That created an opening in the
other half for a fraction of a second.
**[17:52] Tsukishima**
He seized that chance to send a long
pass upfield with pinpoint precision.
**[17:57] Tsukishima**
In his play, I saw a glimpse of his bird's-eye
view that covers the whole field!
**[18:05] Fukuda**
Okay, time's up!
**[18:08] Fukuda**
We will now go decide which 11 players
move on to the final stage of assessment.
**[18:17] Ohtomo**
How can you eat so much, Aoi?
**[18:21] Ashito**
Why are you hardly eating, Ohtomo?
**[18:23] Ohtomo**
The food won't go down 'cause
I'm nervous about whether I made the cut.
**[18:27] Ohtomo**
I didn't get any time on
the ball... Like, at all...
**[18:32] Coach A**
Tachibana Soichiro. Kaneda Akinori.
**[18:35] Coach A**
Hasegawa Yudai. Lee Jong Suk.
**[18:38] Coach A**
They're all solid choices.
**[18:41] Fukuda**
Tsukishima, what do you think?
**[18:44] Tsukishima**
Ohtomo Eisaku-kun!
**[18:46] Tsukishima**
He was very unique.
**[18:48] Coach C**
Ohtomo Eisaku?
**[18:50] Coach C**
I don't think he did anything of note...
**[18:53] Tsukishima**
It was more his behavior on and
off the field, rather than his skills.
**[18:56] Tsukishima**
Did you notice?
**[18:57] Date**
Of course.
**[18:58] Benzen**
I did, too.
**[18:59] Tsukishima**
Even before the tryouts started,
he was chatting to different players.
**[19:05] Tsukishima**
Especially those on the white team
with numbers close to his.
**[19:10] Tsukishima**
Do you know what that means?
**[19:11] Tsukishima**
In those interactions with players
likely to be on his team in the mini-game,
**[19:17] Tsukishima**
he was gauging their
personalities and playing styles.
**[19:20] Coach C**
Aren't you reading too much into it?
**[19:22] Tsukishima**
No, no, I'm telling you.
Trust me. He's a shrewd one.
**[19:27] Tsukishima**
He was also the only one who tried to pump up
his team when the chips were down.
**[19:33] Fukuda**
We're short on midfielders, so let's keep him.
**[19:37] Coach A**
The real question mark is Aoi Ashito.
**[19:41] Coach A**
We're very split on him.
**[19:51] Ashito**
W-Wait, you...
**[19:53] Ashito**
I see. I didn't realize
you were a cafeteria lady.
**[19:56] Hana**
I'm not! You saw me helping out
with the tryouts!
**[20:00] Hana**
I'm just volunteering for today.
I'm just a normal junior high school student.
**[20:03] Hana**
But never mind that.
**[20:05] Hana**
No more seconds for you.
**[20:06] Ashito**
What?!
**[20:08] Hana**
Why's that surprising?
**[20:09] Hana**
If you make the cut, you
have to play again right away.
**[20:13] Hana**
On top of that, you've had too much
fried food, which is hard to digest.
**[20:19] Hana**
Hey...
**[20:21] Hana**
A reckless guy like you couldn't think far enough
ahead to pull off a perfect pass like that.
**[20:27] Hana**
So was it just a happy accident?
**[20:32] Ashito**
To be honest with you,
I'm not totally sure myself.
**[20:36] Ashito**
They'd completely owned
us up until that point,
**[20:39] Ashito**
so I just looked around the field,
thinking we had to do something.
**[20:45] Ashito**
It's a habit of mine.
**[20:46] Ashito**
Looking around the field calms me down.
**[20:49] Ashito**
I don't really remember much after that.
**[20:52] Ashito**
My body just sort of reacted...
**[20:55] Hana**
I see! So it *was* intuition!
**[20:59] Hana**
I'm so relieved.
**[21:00] Hana**
I knew it wasn't something
a mere teenager could copy.
**[21:04] Ashito**
Huh?
**[21:05] Hana**
My all-time favorite player said
he never stopped thinking about soccer.
**[21:11] Hana**
During training, during a match,
even when he wasn't playing soccer,
**[21:15] Hana**
he thought and thought
and... thought about it.
**[21:22] Hana**
If you do, "You're able to do things
without thinking about them."
**[21:27] Hana**
"That's when you've truly
mastered your craft," he said.
**[21:32] Hana**
"It's similar to intuition, but different."
**[21:37] Hana**
Good luck.
**[21:38] Hana**
"A man is but a thinking reed."
**[21:41] Hana**
I'm Ichijo Hana. Nice to meet you!
**[21:44] Hana**
I'm Manager Fukuda's sister.
Or well, stepsister.
**[21:54] Announcer**
*Goal!*
**[21:56] Announcer**
*Unstoppable 23-year-old, Fukuda Tatsuya,*
**[21:59] Announcer**
* sent a laser beam of a long pass*
* upfield from inside his own half!*
**[22:22] Announcement**
*Attention, all candidates.*
**[22:26] Announcement**
* We have selected who will*
* move on to the next stage.*
**[22:30] Announcement**
*Please make your way to the field.*
**[24:19] Sign**
Next Episode
**[24:19] Sign**
The Final Test Begins
**[24:19] Sign**
This is a work of fiction, and bears no relation to any actual persons, organizations, or names.
**[24:23] Fukuda**
The next episode of *Aoashi* is:
"The Final Test Begins."