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Yoichi Takahashi, author of the manga and anime Captain Tsubasaknown in Mexico as Super championshe was a teenager when curiosity led him to see The World Cup of Argentina in 1978 and especially attracted by the game of Brazil decided to start drawing about footballcreating one of the most iconic works about this sport.
“Brazilian football seemed impressive to me“, says Takahashi in an interview with EFE in his studio in Tokyo, recalling how he began studying the beautiful game, La Canarinha’s record victories in the competition and the central role of the South American country globally and in shaping the takeoff of the soccer Japanese.
“At the time there was no professional league in Japanbut many good Brazilian players came” to join the private clubs, contributing to the rise of soccer in the country, under the shadow of important figures like Pelé or Zico, who would come to command the Blue Samurai between 2002 and 2006.
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How was ‘Supercampeones’ created?
Takahashi, now 63 years old, He started drawing manga in elementary school. When he came across that World Cupdecided to direct his career, already linked to sports works, to football, given the low popularity he had at the time in the archipelago.
“I started with the wish that Japan could participate in a World Cup.”
That would end up happening at the 1998 World Cup event in France, where his love affair with the FC Barcelonawhere the protagonist of his manga, Tsubasa Ozora, Oliver Atom, would serve after having to stay in the Catalan capital to attend that World Cup due to the lack of accommodation on French territory.
Regarding the conception of his charismatic protagonist, Takahashi says that he was a character “made to take Japan to the World Cup”.
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“He wanted soccer to become more popular in Japan., thus the character of Tsubasa was born (back in 1981). While I was drawing it, Japan was getting stronger in this sport, a professional league was born and then it was able to reach the World Cup… I was drawing with that desire and finally everything came true. I am glad that football culture developed like this,” he adds.
Much of that merit is due to the influence of his work, which is not limited to Japan, but to countries around the world. Professionals like the Spanish Andrés Iniesta and Fernando Torres, the Argentine Lionel Messithe Brazilian Neymar Jr. or French Kylian Mbappé They have confessed to having been inspired by his work.
“They have told me that they used to watch the series as children or before training“, says the Japanese about his encounters with them during tours in Japan, and says that the fact that his manga has inspired players of his stature makes him feel “proud and happy.”
What happened to the author of ‘Supercampeones’?
After 43 years publishing stories of Captain Tsubasa from the hand of popular magazines from the Shueisha publishing house, on April 4The manga ended its serialization on paper.
The author has made the decision to continue releasing the story through a website and returning to the pencil outline of its origins. The reasons, he says, have been multiple.
On the one hand, advancing age has made him feel less quick when drawing, at a time when the prevailing pace in publishing houses is very high. On the other hand, there is the digitalization of the way to draw mangasomething he resists.
“This makes my job difficult, because There are currently fewer staff to carry out tasks analogically,” he explains.
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Takahashi had marked 60 as a horizon for withdrawalbut the semi-finals have just started in the current Tsubasa series, Captain Tsubasa Rising Sunin which the protagonist tries to win gold in the Olympic Games with the Japanese under-23 team and I wanted to continue at least until that story is concluded.
“I thought about drawing the manga as a pencil draft, without inking, and I realized that with this style I could continue working quickly. I was convinced that already it was impossible for me to continue making mangabut this way I think I can continue drawing in the future,” he says, leaving the door open for future adventures for Tsubasa and company.
Where to watch the complete series of ‘Supercampeones’ in Mexico?
In Mexico, many people grew up seeing Super champions on open television channels, such as Channel Five.
Currently, the 52 chapters of Super championsare available on streaming platforms such as Amazon Prime Videowhose monthly subscription is 99 pesos.
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