This Week in Anime

Fantasy Football

Coop
A few days ago, the fine folks here at ANN had a blast talking up some of our favorite sports anime and manga. But as you probably recall, Lucas, there were more than few people asking "¿Donde estas Captain Tsubasa?"

Well, we didn't forget about him, mis amigos! Today, we're taking a look at this shonen sports rosetta stone and the many other football-focused series it has undoubtedly inspired. I guess you could call this a "super bowl" of sorts... Wait, wrong "football."

Same here! I'm not much of a soccer (my apologies) person myself, but I'm always a sucker for stories of people overcoming the odds in tangible ways. To echo myself from our larger sports feature, it's that instant relatablity that sticks with me. I can't learn how to use Kaio-ken or the special jutsu of the week, but I can figure out how to kick a ball around.

And on top of the World Cup coming up, Tsubasa's become a hot topic over the past week since the series' 2018 anime adaptation is hitting DVD this April. Some might bat their eye at it being DVD only, but I think this a smart move for three reasons.

1. DVDs are cheap.
2. DVD players can be found for pretty low prices.
3. Sports titles are notoriously poor sellers.

They all provide low barriers to entry, and that's a boon considering that I believe these discs are primarily for the much larger (and much more passionate) Latin American audience. Why? Spanish dub and subs, baby!

I feel that celebratory spirit flows everything Captain Tsubasa inspired. It's a notion that there's way more to the game than simply the game itself. For reason, I'm not surprised that the series is a favorite pretty much everywhere that isn't America. Soccer has always created this sort of glue that brings communities together, occasionally feeling way more adhesive that the sports fanaticism we're familiar with in our neck of the woods. While we're talking about the stickier elements of Tsubasa's legacy, TWIA Alumnus Monique "Nicky" Thomas was quick to fill us in on the series' status as a fujoshi cornerstone—a topic that's even been explored in academia.

You know what they say, "A Heated Rivalry does things to a person." Especially when it's government funded too.

Speaking of that European appeal, GET LOVE!! and Uwasa no Midori-kun!! are legally available in France and Italy according to our editor (and keeper of Shojo-filled Silverman Satchel) Rebecca Silverman.

While looking into titles to cover for this column, I found there are tons of titles that have received releases in Europe, but never in North America. I'd wager that's due to a combination of American soccer apathy and the sports title hurdle I've mentioned many times before.

But I've got to say, Midori-kun!! has that early aughts, deliciously trashy je ne sais quoi about it. Stepping into a trouser role so you can outplay the douchebag you bumped uglies with? Sign me up! It's that wild spice that has me wondering how well it'd would do with an official English localization. Gō Ikeyamada takes some wild swings here, so I'd be game to see more of her work land stateside.

On that note, I do want to stress that while sport titles are being talked of more regularly in critical and industry spaces, it's still an incredibly niche genre. I think we've seen more of it here in the states in recent years because there are simply more titles available on the the whole.

The recently concluded Embers, is a great example of a such series that slipped in but ultimately failed to latch on with audiences. Which is a huge bummer, because Embers has a great set up and genuinely fantastic art.

It might take a starting play out of the Slam Dunk playbook, but Embers struck a chord with me. While he's a not a persistent character from the looks of it, Mr. Oshimi sees something in our protagonist Haitani. The kid's rough around the edges, but Oshimi knows that with the right push and actual support, he could really go places.

From there, it's really up to Haitani to prove everyone wrong about him—and I love that! Makes it sting all the more that it was more or less an "in-an-out in four months" kind of series. There's real potential here, so I'm at least going to give it the courtesy of a full read later on.

It's funny you mention Haikyu!! because it took so many notes from Dunk itself, but I totally see what you mean in this specific example. Goes to show how the sports genre is always taking notes from the greats.

Not to mention that this was nearly a decade ago, just a little while before simulpubs became a standard for most ongoing Jump titles. That trio of Shudan! chapters aren't available through VIZ nowadays, but they've thankfully been archived elsewhere for curious readers to check out. What was officially localized is a breath of fresh air because the characters are all elementary schoolers and look like it.

There are some super fun "I'm a young boy and I'm having hard time reckoning with a girl being cute and super good at soccer too, my little brain is frying" moments in here, too. It's nice to have a story that looks and feels like it's actually about kids rather than the classic Steve Buscemi meme.

While we're talking about titles about girls who prefer to play against the guys, it's the perfect time to bring up Sayonara, Football and its anime adaptation, Farewell, My Dear Cramer.

Sylvia and Nicky chatted about the series' prequel film back in 2021, but the anime series itself is a interesting one. Cramer isn't exactly concerned with following the manga beat for beat, skipping past Nozomi's internal struggle with playing on a girl's team (material covered in the film) and getting straight into the larger plot.

By doing that, the anime provides its cast with a little more room to breath instead of pouring all the attention on Nozomi. It's a welcome approach as many series can trip up viewers with new characters just as they're getting a feeling for the protagonists. Cramer splits that difference quite well.

I got the impression this one might be a slower burner in animation, which is fine by me. For example, Haikyu!! took a good five episodes to really draw me in.

By the way, have you also noticed that many of the protagonists we've met tonight are wearing #10 jerseys at one point or another? I guess Captain Tsubasa started the trend long before Slam Dunk cemented it even further.

Giant Killing is my favorite title of this bunch! It so intrinsically gets why soccer is a key part of so many communities around the world. Again, it goes to show that the sport is not just a game—it's a glue that binds people together.

If you're a fan of Ted Lasso, you should be jumping on Giant Killing immediately! The term "Reverse Ted Lasso" sprung out of my mind as I read through the series' opening chapters. He doesn't exactly have that Lasso charm, but Tatsumi's a fellow eccentric who's loved by everyone in the English town he coaches in. However, a couple of old acquaintances fly in with hopes of bringing Tatsumi to Japan so he can coach their flailing team. However, he's not exactly well liked back home.

Honestly, the Ted Lasso thoughts really make me wish that Giant Killing's anime adaptation was still legally available. It'd been on Crunchyroll, but left the platform over a decade ago.

As someone who learned what "offsides" is from Hank Hill then instantly forgot, I think this'll play just fine to general audiences. Then again, Giant Killing is probably a little more in the weeds than say a Ted Lasso.

It's only officially available in anime form at the moment, but I really really really liked Aoashi's opening episode.

Aoi is a bit of an empty headed ball hog, but you can tell that he's got his heart in the right place. Particularly after he headbutts a fool for trash talking his teammates and family. He might've cost his team a game for doing that, but you come to understand why exactly that got under his skin so much... And how a certain soccer pro takes an interest in him.

I'll probably end up watching more of this, but I am way more stoked about checking out Titan's first 3-in-1 Aoashi omnibus in May. Most of the time, I find sports stories to be so frenetic in their original form that I usually stick with the manga unless there's something specific to the adaptation...or one my hyperfixations acts up. That's part of why I haven't actually watched all that much of Toei's original adaptation of Slam Dunk. I got the classic on my shelf already, baby.

And I'll freely admit, we often speak about series based on first impressions—it's a reality of this column from time to time. However, it speaks volumes that I wouldn't mind spending more time with any of these titles—even if they flame out in the case of Embers or Shudan!!

I wholeheartedly agree! It's a great way to see what worked, what didn't, and what should be celebrated. While it's not a soccer-focused title, Teppu is a wonderful example of that. It, too, got cut off before it could progress to the next stage.

And whatever you do, don't take off your eyes off #10.