First Impression: Shoot! Goal to the Future

Hideto Tsuji is not okay. Playing video games in cooperative mode, he keeps having flashbacks of his time as a middle school soccer star. He was the glorious shooter with the top goal count, up until this blond player who made the perfect passes left the team. The sudden change in attitude of the audience, who started calling him ‘useless’, traumatized Hideto so much that thinking about it makes him puke. Literally, mind you. After quitting, he plays plays video games, deals with his working mum, and gives venomous looks to the soccer team of Kakegawa High School (of Aoki Densetsu Shoot! fame), now in a state of decadence. Such dirty looks spark conflict with the enthusiastic goalie of the team, to which the new manager is a witness. Of course, a conflict like this may only be solved on the field of honor, that is, in a duel between shooter and goalie.

Okay. It’s fair to say that Shoot! Goal to the Future overdoes it a little. Rays of blue light come from the eyes of our protagonist when he shoots. His reaction to bring called ‘useless’, and the reactions of the goalie to his smirk, almost reach JoJo levels of exaggeration at times. And the repeated flashbacks we return to again and again—especially the ones concerning Hideto’s past glory—are, ahem, not as effective when we come back to them for the third time in the course of twenty minutes. That said, Aoki Densetsu Shoot! is indeed famous (though I have yet to watch it), and after the heights that Major 2nd Season 2 reached using this formula, I’m partial to it. Let’s see if it draws from the original in interesting ways, or becomes so theatrical I cannot take it seriously. Both are distinct possibilities right now.

Shoot! Goal to the Future can be streamed on Crunchyroll.

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6 thoughts on “First Impression: Shoot! Goal to the Future”

  2. As much as I like soccer IRL, I’ve never really been interested in soccer anime. I started Inazuma 11 but didn’t finish the first season.

    1. For my part, I think I could like a soccer anime. But I like realistic relationships, subtlety and a more poetic approach. Haikyuu!!, Ping Pong The Animation and Chihayafuru are some of my favorites.

  3. Shoot anime in the past (Tanaka version is one of the best soccer anime). The legend kubo has still been in the mind of fans. In contrast, shoot goal to the future is the worst soccer anime I have watched. This is g a y soccer, I don’t mean g a y is good or bad that is not the topic, but I want to ask the creator, you are making football story? So you should focus on football, not the love between men. What was in the last episode ??? The golden hair guy is sleeping naked on another guy bed?
    Oh come on, the creator, you are destroying the shoot anime in the past.
    The story of Kumo and Tanaka created in the mind of fan have been destroyed little by little. Honestly, please stop use the name of shoot! And make this story.

    Kubo is crying in the heaven.
    It take a lot of patient to watch it to en end , this non sense goal to the future.

    1. To creator of this anime, please also stop comparing soccer with online game. I like both, but you are making the soccer anime!!!
      So, win or lose in the soccer match should depend on the team experience in soccer game , not how many time you won the online battle???

      Please go back to watch the shoot (Tanaka version in past ) before Maketing the new episode. Have the creator watched it before making season2 ?

      And last thing Kazumi has been the main role in season 1 , where is this character in goal to the future. She is the female soccer manager, who gained love from many fans because her cute and honest speaking.

      Ok another last, every opponent Tanaka team confronted in the past they have some strategy or technique that is the real soccer knowledge.
      But in goal to the future, even in the final match, you use the relation of men to be the key of the match again!!!!! What about soccer??

      If you are going to make men relationship anime, it’s okay.I am sure that you will have those target group.

      But you use the name of shoot(Tanaka and kubo version), this story means a lot to fans who love football and want to see the Season2 about football, no matter what gender they are. They watched this because soccer!!

      Oh honestly the creator of this anime is killing every reputation the season 1 has created.

      I just wanna say something to creator of this anime, sorry if this is the wrong page.

      1. I’m admittedly not the creator of this show, but thank you for your critique! I hope he or she reads it someday.

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