Bonus – New edition: Post-chapter comments and general comments from the author
This extra chapter contains the most recent general comments about the story as well as all of my comments after every chapter in its most recent version. Every time a chapter will be added and every time I want to share my own thoughts with the readers, this part will be updated. Be advised to read this bonus part very often so you can follow changes that have been made.
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General comments: Since this project started back in 2014, context and rosters have been changed several times. Nevertheless, I settled down on the story to be a fictional account of the 2018-19 version in which an all-fictional Manchester United team would play against opposing teams that are mostly containing real-life players during the 2018-19 season.
The context of starting in the summer of 2018 became more appealing when Japan played that epic round-of-16 match against Belgium in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. I felt that setting up Kakeru as a player returning from an injury that deprived him of being part of history would be a great subplot to start the story on. Besides, I also read that Noriko could be part of a 6-year MD program, which means that the timing is now right to have her in her last year of medical school as of 2018-19 and following her arrival to England in the summer of 2013.
When I started writing this story, the Manchester United squad included real-life players as well as one or two fictional ones. But just as time went by, I felt genuinely disgruntled by how the real-life players performed. As a result, the writing process has often been slowed down. To solve that issue, I decided to convert the entire Manchester United squad into a group of fictional players. Being a fictional character whose style of play and appearance were first strongly inspired by real-life defender Mats Hummels upon its creation at the beginning of this project, Matthias Köhler went from being just the leader of the defenders to become the captain of my new all-fictional Manchester United team. As for the manager, the character of Andrew Butler is more or less the same character from the story mode named "The Journey" in recent FIFA games.
As for where Kakeru, Nana, and Yusuke stand, they respond to many of the needs that I hope to see the real-life Manchester United team solve pretty soon. To tell you the truth, I'm somewhat a nostalgic. For this story, Kakeru is the versatile and deadly forward that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer once was. Nana has a mix of several qualities from several great midfielders of the past, especially Paul Scholes. As for Yusuke, he is the ideal midfielder who would have the passing ability of a Michael Carrick and yet be able to sometimes come up as a hard man like Roy Keane was.
*If you ever feel lost with the various nicknames I have given to the new fictional Manchester United players, please come back to Chapter 2 to learn about them as many times as you need to.
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Chapter 1: If you read "Dream or Premonition", you probably remember why Kakeru and Nana became medical students. If you haven't, please take some time to read it. I'm not a medical student myself, but I took several bits of inspiration through reading of several accounts about medical school and clinical clerkships in Japan. It was very fun for me to do.
As far as Yusuke's transfer is concerned, €12.3 million may not look that much paid for a player. However, you have to remember that players who have left the J-League have not gone out for more than €7.5 million. There is still a kind of negative bias towards the J-League although I genuinely hope this will change soon.
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Chapter 2: At the time I wrote "Dream or Premonition" and the first version of the current story, I knew nothing about the names of Kakeru's parents. But as the information on the Area no Kishi Wikia page was updated, I found out that the father and the mother are named Mamoru and Eiko respectively. From this time forward and in this story only, the Aizawa parents will be identified by their first names in the narrative part.
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Chapter 3: That match against Arsenal was originally taking place in the Community Shield, but I chose to move it in this chapter as a part of the International Champions Cup. And unlike the old version of the match, Araki plays a few minutes, albeit as a substitute and a penalty taker. The Arsenal squad also has Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang among attacking options alongside Patrick Jenpa.
As for Nana's little dance at the end of the penalty shootout, I took pleasure in watching the new repertoire of dances from Fortnite. If Antoine Griezmann popularized the "Take the L" dance, Nana would definitely be one to popularize the "Star Power" dance.
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Chapter 4: I felt that Sarah needed a proper introduction alongside Noriko's reappearance just as their friends Kakeru and Nana have returned to Manchester. I also added a small reference about the atmosphere in France when Les Bleus won the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
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Chapter 5: The FA Community Shield for this rewrite involves the one that was played between Chelsea and Manchester City on August 5, 2018. Considering that Kakeru, Nana, and Yusuke spent a few times scouting other teams in the manga/anime, I felt it would be appropriate for them to do it again in a match that involves 2 potential rivals. The commentary, the actions, and the goals are described exactly as they happened in the match. As for Mai's first appearance in the story, I took the opportunity to give some little background as to how she recently got her chance with the boys.
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Chapter 7: Plenty of controversy, incidents, and intensity in a match worthy of the old rivalry between Manchester United and Arsenal. The truth about football is that referees are often homers on top of the fact that the majority are very inconsistent. We are still very far away from that next match against Arsenal, but the tone is surely set for that moment to come.
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Chapter 8: Originally, the match against Everton was written in Chapter 10 before it was moved here. I had to consider that the Everton team changed a lot over the course of summer. Hence, Wayne Rooney was only briefly mentioned.
I know some of you might find Yusuke slightly OOC in that last scene with Noriko. Nevertheless, you know that male anime/manga characters can sometimes lose it a little bit around a girl.
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Chapter 9: The UEFA Champions League match against Celtic was originally written for Chapter 8, but then I moved it here as the real round robin matches are set to be played after the return from the international break, which was the Everton in the previous chapter now.
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Chapter 10: Well, this was a break in the action. Originally, this hospital chapter was written in Chapter 9 before it was moved here. I must admit that it took quite a share of time to get how to make this bit as authentic as possible for a clinical placement. For the record, Wythenshawe Hospital is a highly rated hospital in Manchester.
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Chapter 11: As you certainly noticed, this chapter focuses on Yusuke and Noriko going to some of the best places in Manchester. In order to add some Mancunian flavor, the lyrics in the background come from a song titled "Beautiful Head" by a local band named The Courteeners.
In this chapter, there is a little spoiler from manga chapters indicating that Yusuke joined Borussia Dortmund's youth setup. Going from there, I added the little twist on my own here to explain the hard reality that can hit any footballer who cannot settle down in a new environment. The difference between the old and new versions of this chapter is mainly about the day it happened, which is now a few days after Noriko's birthday.
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Chapter 12: Ajax has always been synonym to a club with class although the Eredivisie is not highly rated these days. Since it's a canon fact that Koichi Hibino had knee surgery in the Netherlands, and lived there for a few years, the setting was perfect to see Kakeru facing Hibino once again. Now that Daley Blind has also returned to Ajax after 4 seasons at Manchester United, setting up the match in Amsterdam was a natural decision.
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Chapter 13: OK, this chapter was originally written with Stoke City being the opponent. However, things had to change from the moment Stoke went down. As a result, Newcastle United went on top of the list.
For the first scene, I took inspiration from various EA Sports videos to depict how our protagonists would be playing FIFA. At the very end, the bit with FullTimeDEVILS is a part I enjoyed writing a lot since I love to see fans speaking out their opinions on the spot after matches as long as it doesn't go overboard.
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Chapter 15: Being a Manchester United fan, you're conditioned to hate Liverpool FC. However, I try to keep the banter to a "respectable" level although my aim is always to portray the whole picture as accurately as possible for any of my fanfics. If some readers still feel offended by this chapter despite the disclaimer, then I would recommend them to skip this one.
Yusuke going shirtless at the end... Well, that incident from a few chapters back where Noriko got accidentally naked was already a form of fanservice for male readers. So I wanted to give something for female readers if any; I'm sure they love Yusuke. With the post-match celebrations, the timing was perfect to make things "even" between him and Noriko. At the very end of the chapter, she was looking a lovesick puppy who could not think of anything else, not even when Chelsea and Arsenal were playing against each other.
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Chapter 16: Since I introduced the possibility of having a few elite female players playing alongside men in this reality from the prequel, it was clear there would be a few others who would be direct rivals on the pitch. So I thought that having Mai Murasaki as a Chelsea player would be a very good fit. I also felt the need to change a few things here and there to depict the intensity of some of the great matches between United and Chelsea at Old Trafford. In any case however, Manchester United and Chelsea aren't the only clubs to feature elite female players from the original AnK series in this story.
About the conversation between Eva Carneiro and Noriko, it was something I really wanted to write for a long time now. Back to the beginning of the 2015-16 season, I was hoping that conversation would take place at Old Trafford, after the match. However, what happened with Dr. Carneiro forced me to change the context of that conversation. Nevertheless, I enjoyed writing that part.
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Chapter 17: I have been waiting and waiting to write this part. I'm really glad that it finally came to life. There is nothing better than a night club scene to spice things up between Yusuke and Noriko before they go all the way, especially at Deansgate Locks. For the record, the songs in this chapter are titled "Blue Monday" (by New Order), "Synaesthesia" (by The Thrillseekers featuring Sheryl Deane), and "Alive" (by Krewella).
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Chapter 18: I wanted to bring back many of the characters whom readers have come to discover in the original series as they are part of the Japanese National Football Team. That's why the likes of Mikiya Tono (goalkeeper), Ryosuke Shima (centre-back), Toru Asuka (centre-back), Haruki Onimaru (right winger/right-back), and Akira Takajo (striker) featured alongside protagonists and other characters who already played a part in previous chapters. There will be more to come in next chapter too. In this fictional Japanese squad, only Shinji Kagawa, Maya Yoshida, Hiroki Sakai, Yuto Nagatomo, Genki Haraguchi, Takashi Inui, Yuya Osako, and Gaku Shibasaki are real-life players who are still part of the team after that fictional 23-man squad revamping.
For the record, England and Japan only played 3 times against one another in men's football as of 2016. England won twice and drew once, however both England wins were only by one-goal margins. The last time they met back in 2010, Japan would have won it if that wasn't for 2 freak own goals. So the match in this story was always bound to be very competitive.
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Chapter 20: A match at Celtic Park is something I always wanted to depict in a story. Whenever I take a look at the Scottish league, my focal point of interest has always been on Celtic. Perhaps it's because of the connection between the 2 clubs through the likes of Roy Keane and Henrik Larsson.
Celtic Park is never an easy place to get a result because of the intimidating atmosphere that exists. I have seen a number of big clubs struggle at that place during European competitions. With respect to that, United were never going to win at Celtic Park in my story.
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Chapter 21: To be honest, this Manchester derby was a very emotional chapter to write up. Everything you could find in a rivalry was there: players who hate particular adversaries, questionable calls, tempers going hot, and lots of drama. It was really difficult to write at times because it reveals parts of the darker side of the beautiful game. Nevertheless, I was happy in the way I captured a wide range of emotions from players and supporters' respective points of view.
The part I added with Nana and Yusuke trading insults with a couple of racist supporters was inspired on a number of incidents at football stadiums where supporters have behaved very badly. Sadly, people have to remember that there are still a number of spectators out there who must be called out either because they don't like players' ethnicity or gender. In our current time, those people should be banned from attending matches.
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Chapter 22: Originally, the chapter set Kakeru to be depressed because of his injury preventing him from helping his struggling team. With the recent changes, I found a better context to go with Kakeru missing out on the AFC Asian Cup after he already missed the FIFA World Cup. It is more dramatic for him, and it sets things up well for Eric Cantona to make an appearance.
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Chapter 23: That confrontation against Akira Takajo and Ukyo Sera was a long-awaited one. In Sera's case, he was already a punchable face from what I can remember of him in the anime. However, it was in volume 21 of the manga that he left an everlasting mark in my opinion of him when he dived, and then taunted a player to draw 2 yellow cards on the same guy within seconds. As far as I'm concerned now, I see Sera as a cheat who is on par with some athletes in various disciplines who are known to be despised players. This isn't the last time we will see Leicester City in the story.
The current context of Ukyo and Akira's arrival at Leicester has been changed from the original version, in which both players arrived at different transfer windows. The most recent World Cup makes it better to justify Leicester City doing some business to get both players on board, especially after they lost Riyad Mahrez to Manchester City.
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Chapter 25: I read a couple of articles about how footballers spend Christmas day. Since players often mention a short training session either in the morning or in the afternoon on Christmas day, I adjusted the chapter accordingly.
With the updated context mentioning the AFC Asian Cup, I added a scene where Yusuke is leaving the UK for the United Arab Emirates. As a result, the Arsenal match has been displaced further down the road.
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Chapter 27: The FA Cup has started for this campaign. Unlike the first version of this chapter, Kakeru is not quite fit to play in this match yet. Nevertheless, I always wanted to write a chapter that includes a match in such a historical stadium.
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Chapter 28: This is Kakeru's return to first-team action. I chose St. James' Park, a.k.a. the Gallowgate, to be the venue where Kakeru would make his statement of intent with a perfect hat-trick – one goal with the right foot, one goal with the left foot, and one goal with the head.
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Chapter 29: Originally, this chapter was supposed to be about the end of the big match against Arsenal. However, I chose to take into account some of the real events that happened in the recent Asian Cup. As a result, the match against Arsenal now takes place a few chapters ahead. The FA Cup match between United and Liverpool takes center stage here.
The idea of getting former Yoin Academy striker Takumi Emishi in a Liverpool shirt only came up in the month of March (2017). But the idea of having a direct rival with his own nickname (Assassin) facing Kakeru (Knight) became too appealing to pass by. In all, the chapter came out good, I believe.
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Chapter 30: From the moment I read that Keira Knightley is a West Ham fan, the first thing that came to mind was her role in "Bend It Like Beckham". Considering what kind of role model Keira is, it was natural for me to write up Nana as a big fan of hers. At the same time, lots of young female footballers out there probably saw the movie in their younger days before it became an inspiration for their career paths. If you ask me, I think Nana could easily find the inspiration from there as well.
At the beginning and at the end of this revamped chapter, there are direct references to the last AFC Asian Cup final in which Japan lost to Qatar. In the aftermath of that defeat, the context was ideal for Ryoma Oda to make his rant to a journalist. Even if his words were unaired, they are the catalyst for what is coming up next. Hence Kakeru, Nana, and Yusuke will prepare themselves for war against Arsenal.
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Chapter 31: In the process of rewriting this chapter, I had to integrate some buildup ahead of the displaced clash against Arsenal. It started with a training session where intensity was not an option. Later towards the end, I made sure that Kakeru would confront Ryoma Oda about the latter's controversial comments in the aftermath of the AFC Asian Cup final.
When I came to work on the part that commemorates the Munich Air Disaster, I integrated a reference to the air crash that claimed the lives of many from Chapecoense back on the 29th of November 2016. For those of us who are younger, the parallels between the Munich Air Disaster and LaMia Flight 2933 accident could be drawn. Suguru's small cameo as a ghost went on differently from the older version of this chapter, but I wanted it to have some effect on Kakeru ahead of the match.
If you want to learn more about the Munich Air Disaster and the Flowers of Manchester, the Munich58 website has all the information you need.
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Chapter 32: With the tributes to the Munich Air Disaster now moved into the previous chapter, this is now the first half of the summit meeting. Compared to the older version of this chapter, I made sure this one to be even more intense than it was. Having watched a recent NHL documentary that perfectly captured the emotion and the intensity of the Stanley Cup Final, ideas came from that to me so I could depict the tension in the context of the match at Old Trafford against Arsenal.
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Chapter 33: In the original writing, this chapter was featuring an FA Cup match against Nottingham Forest. Instead, the second half of the summit meeting against Arsenal takes center stage.
Well, friendships can be strained to various degrees in a span of 90 minutes or a little more when friends stand on opposite sides of a rivalry in which hatred becomes part of the vocabulary. To see Kakeru falling out with Oda like that was very difficult to write, but I always knew it was bound to happen.
People who watched United vs. Arsenal matches between 1996 and 2005 will remember how fierce those matches were. Both teams had power, pace, aggression, skill, and experience. When I wrote this chapter, I had to dig deep in my own memories, and then watch old matches to remember exactly how those matches used to breed hatred on both sides. I just don't think we will ever see matches like the ones that were dubbed "The Battle of Old Trafford", even less a rivalry like the one we had between the Red Devils and the Gunners.
For those who ask, this was not the last match between United and Arsenal in the story. There is one more left...
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Chapter 34: A few things to discuss here. First... In the new context where Ryoma Oda spoke a little too much to the media after the Asian Cup final, it was obvious that the punishment from the JFA would be far more severe than it was in the original version. In Japan, too many national team coaches bow to pressure from higher-ups and sponsors. So I wanted to depict a moment in which the coach would win by laying down the law upon a player who has disgraced himself.
Second... I moved the Adidas shooting in this chapter. I felt that it was right that Kakeru and Nana would get things done before Nana would leave to join Nadeshiko Japan in the SheBelieves Cup.
Third... Juventus have always been a team that fascinated me even when I became a Manchester United fan, so I really wanted to have a matchup in the Champions League knockout stages. With the addition of Cristiano Ronaldo back in the summer of 2018, I had to review everything in this chapter, including Yusuke's specific job in this match. The good thing from that long process of restructuring is that I was given lots of new ideas on how Juventus could be beaten when the real-life AFC Ajax team produced a masterful performance to dominate and defeat the Old Lady.
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Chapter 35: A match involving Liverpool and Manchester United is always a heated thing. In the most recent version of the chapter, I made sure that it would be as tense as it would be in most matches between the 2 sides. In a rivalry, you will see flashpoints and players losing the plot a number of times. The way Takumi Emishi got sent off is based on an incident in which Gary Neville got sent off for headbutting an opponent back in 2004.
The last part of the chapter slightly brushes off a spinoff series of one-shot chapters that I wrote. Of course, I had to tone down the original NSFW content to include the part here. Nevertheless, I'm quite a fan of the idea where Yusuke and Noriko would try something a little different in their romantic life. I also think it's a good way to see Sarah as a little more than just a side character.
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Chapter 37: Even though Kakeru and his teammates won the away fixture by a score of 2-1, I just wanted to show you that nothing is ever settled until a big goal is scored or until the final whistle is blown. As we have seen a number of times in real life, anything can happen in the UEFA Champions League.
After the match, you have an example of how the Champions League draw takes place after the round of 16 to decide the playoff tree from the quarterfinals up to the final match. In every year, you have the UEFA Deputy Secretary General accompanied by a former player and ambassador for the final. Since the final will be held in Paris, I had to include the most famous footballer born from the Paris metropolitan region as that ambassador: Thierry Henry.
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Chapter 38: A couple of things here. First of all, the match between the 2 women's teams is something I wanted to write for some time now. So I felt it was the right place to show it and to briefly introduce Angelina von Seckendorff - a canon character who first appeared in Volume 49 of the manga. Her appearance in this chapter is a direct link to the eventual appearance of her brother, Karl, in future chapters.
Second, the match at Stamford Bridge was always going be a hairy affair when one knows the history of most clubs playing against Chelsea on that ground. Something unexpected always comes up at Stamford Bridge, making Chelsea very hard to beat there. Furthermore, adding a shoulder injury to Nana was always to be a very good twist that would bring a team to dig deep within themselves to find a spark when it doesn't look to be one.
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Chapter 39: This chapter was something I have dreamt of writing for quite a long time. When I started this project, I was not exactly sure if I could fit a match involving Real Madrid. As time went on, I finally accepted the idea by including the confrontation with Real Madrid. And when Ajax Amsterdam defeated Real Madrid in real life during the round of 16 in the 2019 UEFA Champions League, every scenario became possible by any stretch of the imagination.
Unlike the real-life matchup with Ajax, the Real Madrid team depicted in this chapter remains a dangerous opponent inside the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. As such, I built up this match as if it was a boxing match that started badly for the underdog before that boxer comes back with solid punches against the hometown boy, takes the lead on points, bends a little, but finally holds long enough before he lands a knockout punch in the final round. Good thing that I have access to plenty of old football highlights to see some of the most dramatic matches ever as support material in the writing process.
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Chapter 40: This is the long-awaited second and last Manchester derby of the story. After the events from Chapter 21, it was first touted as a grudge match between Kakeru/Nana against Ricky with a lot at stakes to the title race. From the very start, I took inspiration from the real-life Patrice Evra vs. Luis Suárez 2012 handshake incident to set up a clear tone of hatred between the 2 sides, which was epitomized by Kakeru sneakily pushing Ricky into the railing within the first minute.
After that, the floodgates were open with Kakeru (twice), Yusuke, and Nana leading the charge on the scoreboard. It was particularly satisfying for me to write about Ricky getting dismissed and jeered on the way out before Kakeru pours the whole bag of salt in the wound with the opening goal. In real life, Manchester City have not been beaten by more than 4 goals in the Premier League in recent years. Nevertheless, they have been dominated before when the other team plays a very good mix of attack and counterattacks.
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Chapter 41: Drama struck the Mishima family as Nana's mother has been thrown into a coma after an accident. This was a twist to the story that I had planned for some time. Only details had to be refined as I wrote the part. I also felt that it was a good way to reconnect readers with a canon part of Area no Kishi when I integrated the flashback into Nana's past.
As for the dinner scene, I must admit that it was very difficult to write it. It's not exactly about integrating the German-speaking bits, but rather about making the early confrontation between Kakeru and Toru Asuka as tense as it could be. The dinner scene from "Heat" between Al Pacino and Robert De Niro was my greatest inspiration for that written scene. I wanted to replicate that amount of tension because, if you remember the original manga story, Kakeru defeated Toru Asuka twice. So you can imagine how badly "Koutei" wants to defeat the "Knight in the Area" on such a big stage now.
For fluent German speakers out there, I'm welcoming your feedback if parts of the German dialogue have to be modified.
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Chapter 42: As you probably read the chapter by now, this chapter is about the long-awaited match against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena. Before we went straight for the match, I wanted Kakeru and Yusuke to discover that small square in the Trudering-Diem suburb; the Manchesterplatz actually exists as a memorial to all 23 casualties of the 1958 Munich Air Disaster. Then to the match... European football/soccer connoisseurs will tell you that Bayern are a very tough team to beat at their home stadium regardless of the opponent. I know that Franck RIbéry has left for Fiorentina in the summer of 2019, but I really wanted to include him for this match just to show how much depth their team has had for years.
When I wrote this chapter, I focused Kakeru's part in the action to be one where he would mostly be confronted by Toru Asuka. Karl van Seckendorff, being the "final boss" in the original manga, could have seen more action, but I chose not to do so just yet because Nana was not playing. If Nana was able to join Kakeru and Yusuke on the pitch, we would see more direct action and more duels between them and the 3 Bayern players – Toru Asuka, Mina Meier, and Karl von Seckendorff. Nevertheless, adding the 3 Area no Kishi characters into the real-life Bayern Munich team makes me think how near perfect of a team they are.
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Chapter 43: This was the longest "transition chapter" that I had to write. As you probably read, Nana was conflicted between staying at her mother's side and helping her teammates in making it over the line. I felt it was also the perfect moment to reintroduce familiar people and familiar places from the original manga/anime manga as Nana sought for advice that would help her in making a decision on what she would do next.
In the manga, the fact that Teppei Iwaki and Ayaka Mine became a couple with a child is canon. If you're one of those who read the manga up to its very end and/or who read the Teppei Iwaki side story, that small bit is something that you probably have spotted already.
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Chapter 44: In the history of the UEFA Champions League, there have been a number of spectacular comebacks after one team lost the first leg. Of course, the mission is a perilous one as the team in the lead can deepen the wound by scoring another goal.
When I wrote Nana's return into the action, I remembered the scene from the movie "Rush" where James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl) gave their respects with only non-verbal cues before the final race. For me, that was one of the best scenes ever made with only non-verbal communication on display. I wanted to recreate that mood here.
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Chapter 45: A penalty shootout is definitely the cruelest thing you can find in the beautiful game because one is hailed as a hero while the other can bear the pain of missing a crucial shot for an entire career. In this case, it was down between Nana and Mina Meier. There could be only one winner, but you can also see how much respect that opponents have for each other at the end of something as grueling as this.
As for Nana's mother, she is now out of danger. I know this is a part that almost sounds like it's out of Captain Tsubasa. Nevertheless, the context of miracles was perfect to include her awakening alongside what Nana did in this match to save her team.
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Chapter 46: That chapter is one of my favorites because it revisited many of my own set of special memories from that season. Noriko's own story as a fan would find an echo with stories from thousands of people who lived, saw, and breathed in that context. Football/soccer was so different overall in those days, and I really miss that era of true warriors.
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Chapter 48: At last, the final day of the Premier League campaign starts to unfold. If some of you have watched the Premier League over the years, you probably know that drama on the final day is a matter of minute by minute when something is at stakes. That kind of drama has happened in a number of title races, in races for top 4 (meaning a spot in the UEFA Champions League), for top 6 or top 7 (leading into the Europa League), or even just for surviving relegation.
After the events of Chapter 23, it was obvious that Nana and Sera would enter into a clash at least once. One dangerous tackle can get Nana angry, but she knows there is a line that must not be crossed for her team's sake. With that context in mind, I felt it was a perfect moment to introduce Roy Keane doing punditry in a style that only he knows the secret. When you know the character, Keane would have gone violent against Sera if the latter's antics happened back in the days.
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Chapter 49: Taking the tension and the intensity to higher notches was the challenge in this chapter. Nevertheless, the second half lived up to be quite the craziest rollercoaster ride I've written in all. In the end, the chapter lived up to its title. The final outcome was only sealed and delivered when the clock went as deep as one could have asked for Fergie Time.
Having read the part when Enoshima played against Kamakura in the original manga, I really enjoyed depicting Ukyo Sera as a pantomime villain. In this league, being a villain means giving some and also taking hard ones in return. Outside of the goals, the scene where Nana clattered into Sera with an old school sliding tackle was the most satisfying of all here. He deserved all of it.
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Chapter 50: The Premier League is now put in the books. As a Manchester United fan who discovered this great club during the great days of the rivalry from the late 1990s to the mid-2000s between United and Arsenal, I never fathomed that it would be so difficult for both clubs to get back anywhere near to the top. I don't know when such a great celebration will happen at Old Trafford again, but you get at least a description of what happens after a club gets to celebrate a Premier League title victory at home. You have it all here: the long carpet, presentations, club legends, VIPs, medals, the trophy, fireworks, confetti, the champagne, and then friends and relatives joining in.
This chapter could have been an ending in itself considering that it capped the longest and most demanding part of the job in any European club's season, which is around 9 months long. Also just as Kakeru said, everything came in full circle after what started as a dream in this story's prequel, "Dream or Premonition". What comes next is now unchartered territory.
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Chapter 52: So ends the FA Cup final. The match had it all: back and forth action, goals, saves, controversy, red card drama, and a moment of brilliance to make it a spicy final. What always fascinates me in the FA Cup is the fact that no team can ever be considered as beaten until the final whistle is blown. Teams have to work hard and dig deep, even if that means sacrificing everything for the team like Kakeru did. Some teams that went down to 10 or less players found the strength and the spark of magic to produce memorable moments. Ever since the project came to my mind, Wembley has always been the perfect stage for Nana to produce magic worthy of her nickname of "Witch."
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If you visit the Area no Kishi Fanon Wikia page, you could also taste the first updates as they come. Enjoy!