Summary
Sports anime and manga remainone of the most popular genres, with new ones coming out every season. That doesn’t mean the classics are not popular now, however, and one manga is continuing to be published more than forty years after it first debuted. After more than forty years, though, it is going to try something really new to keep fans interested, and keep the manga alive.
The story in question is none other than the famous soccer manga seriesCaptain Tsubasa.The publisher, Shueisha, confirmed this past week that the next chapters of theCaptain Tsubasa: Rising Sunmanga will be done in an all-new format, unlike anything in other manga right now. Instead of the usual style of manga panels, the story will be told in storyboard format.
Forty+ Years ofCaptain Tsubasa
TheCaptain Tsubasamanga was first published in 1981, running initially until 1988, with 37 volumes. Since that first series, there have been several manga sequels, along with several anime series as well. The most recent of these anime adaptations aired from 2018 to 2019, and was followed by a second season in 2023.Captain Tsubasahas alsoinspired a few video game spin-offs, too.
By 2023, more than 90 million copies of theCaptain Tsubasamanga have sold around the world, making it one ofthe most successful mangaseries of all time. That alone shows how relevant the manga remains even today, more than forty years later. And that doesn’t even touch on the fact that it is still getting adapted into anime as well. According toAl Jazeera, the series has been so influential that some professional soccer players have even cited it as their inspiration to start playing the sport.
Uncharted Manga Territory
These days, the current manga forCaptain Tsubasais calledCaptain Tsubasa: Rising Sun. The newest arc will be titledCaptain Tsubasa: Rising Sun Finals, and the first 27-page chapter was released on Shueisha’s website this past week. The chapter isdone in a unique storyboard style, which looks different from the usual manga style that fans are accustomed to. The story follows the main character, Tsubasa Ozora, on his journey to represent Japan in the Olympics. It is important to note that this arc is different fromCaptain Tsubasa: Rising Sun the Final.
After forty years, it isdefinitely a change for people to get used to, but not necessarily a bad one. Trying something different is risky, but draws attention, and that is exactly what this news is doing for theCaptain Tsubasamanga as curious people are likely to check it out even if they may not have been interested otherwise.
The news of this special style forCaptain Tsubasaalso comes with a special announcement; the upcoming chapters forCaptain Tsubusa: Rising Sun the Finalwill be the last ones for the series. The creator, Youichi Takahashi, hasannounced that he will retireafter these final chapters are published. At sixty years old, the mangaka cites his worsening eyesight, the switch to digital manga drawing, and the impact of the death of Shinji Mizushima (creator of baseball mangaDokenben) all as reasons he wishes to retire.
ForCaptain Tsubasafans, this means these chapters are the end of a long era. However, the story of Tsubasa will continue at least for a little longer in this storyboard format forCaptain Tsubasa: Rising Sun Finals, which Takahashi can create freely without deadlines, set manuscript sizes, or other restrictions. He claims that this will hopefully give him more freedom to create art for the fans, and that Tsubasa’s story is not quite finished yet. After over forty years, we wish all the best for Takahashi in his retirement.
