As an anime and manga fan, I take pleasure in trying out the large fan favorites of yesteryear. It helps broaden my perspective on these artforms, and offers me a chance to type my very own opinions on a piece and never rely solely on the views of others. And who is aware of—possibly I’ll get a brand new favourite. On this spirit, I not too long ago familiarized myself with a manga that isn’t solely beloved worldwide for its portrayal of soccer but additionally the daddy of the fashionable shounen “crew sports activities boys” format. Earlier than Blue Lock, Yowamushi Pedal, Haikyu!, Prince of Tennis, and Slam Dunk, there was 1981’s Captain Tsubasa by Takahashi Yoichi.
Relating to studying older main titles, Shounen Bounce has been a constant useful resource of works for me to faucet, resembling Saint Seiya and Hunter x Hunter. However whereas these titles are big in their very own proper, Captain Tsubasa’s affect is absolutely one thing particular.
In Japan, Captain Tsubasa helped propel the recognition of soccer nationwide, even being revealed in a time when “World Cup” wasn’t even a generally identified phrase. Overseas, it gained reputation anyplace soccer was. On my most up-to-date journey to Japan, I watched an episode of Why Did You Come to Japan?, a well known program that interviews foreigners who’re in Japan. This specific episode adopted a German fan who made a pilgrimage simply out of affection for the sequence, throughout which he bought to go to the actual inspiration for the college within the sequence, amongst different issues. There’s additionally a well-known story in regards to the occupation of Iraq by the US army, the place water vans had been coated with pictures from Captain Tsubasa to indicate that they had been pleasant automobiles.
Creating love for soccer at residence and garnering reward internationally for its portrayal of the game are components of the legacy of Captain Tsubasa. But it surely was additionally essential in one other space that has change into a outstanding a part of anime and manga tradition: doujinshi. In my evaluation of the enormous robotic anime God Mars (additionally from 1981), I described it as one two sequence basic to the institution of the fujoshi fandom as we all know it at present—the opposite was Captain Tsubasa. Having learn the whole thing of the primary manga sequence, I now really feel that I perceive precisely why this story of younger soccer athletes achieved the hat trick of home affect, worldwide acceptance, and subculture proliferation.
Let’s discuss in regards to the precise story: Captain Tsubasa kicks off with a hell of an introduction to its major character, Ozora Tsubasa. As a small baby, Tsubasa is actually saved from a truck by a soccer ball (avoiding the isekai protagonist destiny, within the fashionable parlance), and his life is ceaselessly modified. The boy falls in love with the game, treating the ball like an extension of his physique. And as Tsubasa grows from impetuous child to grownup with soccer in his coronary heart (although I solely learn as much as the purpose the place he finishes center college), he influences each different participant he meets, be they pleasant or adversarial or each.
These taking a look at Captain Tsubasa, particularly from a contemporary perspective, is likely to be shocked by its aesthetic, anticipating a title identified for its varied fandoms to both have characters who look impossibly cool or extremely lovely. As an alternative, Takahashi’s designs function ridiculously lengthy and stilt-like legs, squashed craniums, and bird-like eye placement that makes it appear as if the characters can see in two totally different instructions without delay. How may this probably be the sequence that helped spark soccer fandom and spawned shounen sports activities BL transport? But, regardless of the odd look of the characters themselves, two issues change into clear even from the very starting.
First, the manga is improbable at depicting motion and stress. When portraying issues like passing, dribbling, and objective makes an attempt, the artwork may be very clear and simple to observe whereas nonetheless creating pleasure. When the athletes use their ridiculous signature strikes (that aren’t meant to be supernatural however nonetheless play quick and unfastened with the legal guidelines of physics), there’s a satisfying sense of weight and emotion. The paneling often takes benefit of the double web page unfold to painting very broad pictures, particularly when factors are being scored. It nearly feels as if Takahashi made some form of pact that made him a genius at depicting characters in motion in change for being dangerous at drawing them standing nonetheless.
They’re additionally all weirdly mature-looking. Some 10-year-olds seem like they’re 16, whereas some 14-year-olds seem like they’re 30—one thing we see in later titles like Prince of Tennis.
Second, most of the tropes of the shounen sports activities boys style—specifically having a wide-ranging forged of passionate guys participating in intense types of camaraderie and rivalry—are on full show right here. Wakabayashi Genzo the goalkeeper begins off as Tsubasa’s first antagonist whereas later creating a nagging ankle damage that stymies him at dramatic moments. Misaki Taro is a scholar from out of city who turns into Tsubasa’s most dependable accomplice on offense, however who can solely play for his or her college for a yr earlier than his household has to maneuver away. Ace striker Hyuga Kojiro sees Tsubasa as the person he should take down, and his violent, win-at-all-costs mentality comes from a heartfelt want to help his household. Wakashimazu Ken is a dependable goalkeeper for Kojiro who makes use of his karate background to defy what needs to be potential in soccer. Matsuyama Hikaru emphasizes teamwork above all else because the captain of his crew. Misogi Jun is a good-looking and noble all-around genius who could be the best youth participant in Japan if not for his congenital coronary heart illness that limits his playtime. And there are different characters.
In case you had been to ask who’s Tsubasa’s biggest rival/accomplice, there actually is not any clear reply, making the sequence ripe for explorations of the creativeness of varied sorts. All of the substances are there, whether or not one is studying for the aggressive soccer or the bromances, and it’s doubly highly effective while you notice how these very characters fueled their archetypal descendents within the following many years.
It’s additionally price noting that each one the feminine characters are the sorts of managers and sideline supporters typical of sports activities boys sequence, besides that this was an period once they had been clearly supposed to be romantic companions down the road as a substitute of primarily audience-perspective characters. For instance, Tsubasa’s major love curiosity, Nakazawa Sanae, begins off as a tomboyish ouendan-style cheer squad chief however turns into extra “female” over time. I truly bought just a little miffed that the story couldn’t even preserve that enjoyable side of Sanae’s character. It’s no marvel why the feminine followers gravitated in direction of guy-guy pairings, no matter their inclinations in direction of BL within the first place.
However when Captain Tsubasa is at full energy, the thrill jumps off the web page. The matches begin off as exaggerated depictions of precise soccer earlier than remodeling into one thing that appears extra like a battle manga at instances. Many scenes function opposing gamers clashing in mid-air like they’re Fist of the North Star characters who occur to have a soccer ball between them, and whereas it does begin to really feel ridiculous, I can’t deny the infectious vitality. Although its tropes are outdated hat within the realm of sports activities boys at this level, the sequence holds up very effectively. There’s a lot manly ardour on this manga that it’s no marvel it shaped so many various fandoms and even performed a component in making soccer a nationwide sport in Japan.
Personally talking, the ball just isn’t my pal, however possibly Captain Tsubasa is now.
