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Captain Tsubasa Creator Will Appear At British Museum on May 24
posted on by Andrew Osmond
The author of the famed soccer manga Captain Tsubasa, Yōichi Takahashi, will appear in conversation at the British Museum on Friday May 24, from 6.30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the BP Lecture Theatre. Tickets for the event are £8, or £6 members/concessions.
The event, entitled "How manga can change the world: Captain Tsubasa in conversation," is described as follows:
"Acclaimed manga artist Takahashi Yōichi, creator of the football-themed sensation Captain Tsubasa and exhibition curator Nicole Rousmaniere discuss the global impact Takahashi's artwork has had over the past four decades – from popularising football in Japan in the 1980s, to inspiring Syrian refugee children.The panel also features leading manga editor Suzuki Haruhiko."
The event coincides with the launch of the British Musuem's major Manga exhibition, which runs from May 23 to August 26. There will also be several manga-related daytime talks at the Museum, including one on Thursday June 20 (1.30 p.m) entitled The Japanese manga comic helping Syrian refugee children dream, about Captain Tsubasa's impact on generations of Syrian children. This talk will be given by Kassoumah Obada, who is translating the Captain Tsubasa manga into his native Arabic. The talk is free but must be booked at the link.
The original Captain Tsubasa soccer manga revolves around 11-year old Tsubasa Ōzora, a boy who loves soccer and is recognized by his coach Roberto due to his skill of the sport. Tsubasa goes with his coach to Brazil in order to train for the World Cup.
The 37-volume Captain Tsubasa manga ran in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine from 1981 to 1988, and it inspired four television anime series (most recently a version which begun in 2018 by david production), four anime films, several original video anime projects, and a stage play. The manga is available in about 20 countries — including France, Italy, and Mexico — and an Arabic edition shipped in the Middle East in January.
The manga spawned additional sequels and spinoff series, including Captain Tsubasa: World Youth Tokubetsu-hen Saikyō no Teki! Oranda Youth, Captain Tsubasa: World Youth, Captain Tsubasa: Road to 2002, Captain Tsubasa Golden-23, Captain Tsubasa: Kaigai Gekitō-hen in Calcio, Captain Tsubasa: Kaigai Gekitō-hen En La Liga, and the ongoing Captain Tsubasa: Rising Sun in Shueisha's Grand Jump magazine. In total, the manga series has 100 compiled volumes and 70 million copies in print. The manga has also spawned three novel volumes.
