With the passing of the world championship of the world's most popular sport, I would like to put a spotlight on two manga series that share the joy of world football...as well as put a Japanese spin on them. First off is the original anime and manga world football classic: Captain Tsubasa. Captain Tsubasa is a classic Shonen Jump title from the 80s that follows young Tsubasa Oozora through [the Japanese equivalent of] elementary and middle school as he yearns to one day lead Japan to winning the FIFA World Cup.
Much like most sports titles, like Kinnikuman, Eyeshield 21, and The Prince of Tennis, or even live action titles, like Shaolin Soccer, Angels in the Outfield, and The Waterboy, Captain Tsubasa is a fairly exaggerated series as it's full of super powers and special moves. However, this should not detract from the principal story at hand which is that of friendship and the willpower of not giving up your dreams, much like many other shounen titles. Despite the original series ending in 1988, it has resurfaced a number of times over the years with "World Youth," "Road to 2002" (which actually follows a friend of Tsubasa's - Kojiro Hyuga), and "Golden-23." Each story starts up at a later point chronologically in Tsubasa's life and follows his world travels from Japan to Brazil and finally to his professional career in the Spain futbol league. Unfortunately, while the original anime was shown in the United States under the title Flash Kicker, this legendary manga has not seemed to have found its way to these shores. 
Next is a series that I'm somewhat biased about seeing as how it's my 3rd favorite manga of all time. Whistle! is also a title that comes from the world-famous manga publisher Shonen Jump about the popular sport of [world] football. Once again, like its earlier counterpart, it follows a young middle school-aged boy, this time named Sho Kazamatsuri, who wishes to become a professional [world] football player. However, this is is where the similarities end. The main difference between these is in how the story is presented.
In most shounen, there is usually some element of fantasy or disbelief. This is more often shown with the presence of some sort of unbelievable "special skill" or a "special move." Whistle! does not do this. Whistle!'s story is very much like an anime/manga version of stories like Rocky or Rudy, which while very unlikely, are completely possible to actually see happen in the real world. From start to end, Whistle! runs about 27 volumes (or 216 chapters), all of which take place during Sho's Junior High years.
1 comment:
They are very good soccer series.
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