@Submarina It's weird, since on the other hand it's a comfy slice of life manga but on the other there's the side with older men as young girls' "patrons" (and the frequent male guests of Momoko) which always leaves me with a strange feeling.
Compared to something like Be blues this definitely feels more like .. a manga. Unrealistic developments and characters whereas Ao ni nare actually feels like they're legit showcasing football.
I think I'm gonna go and reread this while waiting for something interesting happening in the current timeline. The modern times arc has been terrible for sure.
What chapter was it where he was trapped inside the block?
Okay here's how this would go in real life
"We received this [shows e-mail to person in question] what can you tell me about it?"
"Looks like someone is trying to hurt me by spreading rumours about me"
"All right that's what I thought, we trust you"
But since this is a manga he'll probably get...
On some earlier chapter someone said that player like Sakuraba can't survive on this level anymore, but I'd say you can get surprisingly far with just personal skill. It's around U18 - which I assume they are still some ways from - where a single player will not be able to do everything...