The World Cup has begun. While the event itself is marred by corruption and human right allegation, it’s still celebrated as the largest football tournament in the world. During the event, the 32 best football nations will compete to determine which country has the best football players. There will be a lot of drama, joy, tears, and, of course, controversies at the event.
Riding the vibes of the event, we asked KAORI Nusantara contributors about their favourite football anime and manga. Seven titles are mentioned and compiled in this article. Here is our list:
Captain Tsubasa
Media: Manga by Yoichi Takahashi; Anime by Tsuchida Production, Animate, J.C. Staff, Studio Comet, Group TAC, and David Production.
Captain Tsubasa follows the journey of Tsubasa Oozora, an elementary school boy gifted with talents in football, towards achieving his dream to be the number one football player in the world. His famous line is “the ball is your friend!” — and it helps him to persevere as he faces countless challenges and rivals.
Who doesn’t know Captain Tsubasa? It’s a series that inspired even real-life footballers like Fernando Torres or Alessandro Del Piero when they grow up. Many people probably criticize the unrealistic depiction of football technique in the series. But eventually, the series successfully captures the drama, tension, and spirit of “never give up” that we often see in real-life football matches. It’s a football series that I watched when I grow up, and one of the football series I’ll always remember. (Dany Muhammad – The Indonesian Anime Times)
Dragon League
Media: Anime by Gallop.
Dragon League is set in a fantasy world where humans and humanoid dinosaurs are living together. The main character is Tokio, a kid who dreams to become a footballer. However, everything changes when Tokio’s father lost in a football match and is cursed by his enemy, Leon the lion king. Tokio vowed to avenge his father and stop the curse. However to defeat Leon, Tokio and his team Winners Junior have to win a football tournament.
Dragon League is very unique because of its setting. It’s set in a fantasy world inhabited by all kinds of animals, including dinosaurs (Really, the only 2 humans who live there are Tokio and his father). This anime tells a good underdog story that the weak can defeat the strong with hard work and perseverance. Tokio is able to transform Winners Junior from a small team to a big club that can challenge everybody. This is one of those old anime, but it’s also one of my favourite football anime that I watched when I was a kid. (Michael Chandra – KAORI Newsline)
If you think that Captain Tsubasa, Inazuma Eleven, or Blue Lock is too over the top, they’re nothing compared to Dragon League. This football manga is set in medieval times. In Dragon League world, even animals like the mouse, lions, or even dinosaurs can play football. The setup may be silly, but it works. The setting complement the fantasy story about a football team that has to win their match or their world will be destroyed by the enemy. It may be over the top, but the end result is memorable. (Tanto D – KAORI Newsline)
Shoot!
Media: Manga by Tsukasa Oshima; Anime by Toei Animation.
Created by Tsukasa Oshima, Shoot! tells the story of Toshi, Kenji, and Kazuhiro, three young footballers from the Kakegawa High School Football team. The manga has been adapted into 58 episodes of anime TV series and a film titled Blue Legend Shoot! (Aoki Densetsu Shoot!). In Indonesia, the anime is broadcasted by TV7 (Now Trans7) and Lativi (Now TV One), while the manga is published by Elex Media Komputindo.
Shoot! is a classic series for those who grow up in the 90s and early 2000. Both the manga and the anime are enjoyable to consume as it shows the cool football matches full of technique. For those who don’t really into football. Shoot! also depicted a romance story that is relatable for its viewers. Really a nostalgic series for me. (Dody Kusumanto – KAORI Newsline)
Aoashi
Media: Manga by Yugo Kobayashi; Anime by Production I.G.
The story of Aoashi centred around Aoi Ashito, a youth player from Ehime prefecture in Shikoku island. He’s labelled as a temperamental player and failed to get a scholarship recommendation from a football school. However, his talent is noticed by the youth manager of J1 club Tokyo City Esperion, Fukuda Tetsuya, who is interested in Ashito’s ability to remember the position of all players on the pitch.
As someone who knows nothing about football, the experience of reading and watching Aoashi were really informative for me. It gives me knowledge about modern football in great detail in a form that is easy to follow. Of course, I need to crosscheck the information here and there but the article about understanding full-back in Aoashi by one of our staff helped me to understand. I can’t nerd about the theoretical stuff about football here but I enjoyed the narratives and characters’ dynamics so far. Seeing the character’s journeys in J-League teams or even the characters around J-League, looking at how they are making effort, stumbled, and grew was pleasing, especially in Akutsu’s case. Akutsu is a CHAD. (Vina Nurziani – The Indonesian Anime Times)
Giant Killing
Media: Manga by Masaya Tsunamoto and Tsujitomo; Anime by Studio Deen.
Giant Killing focused on a fictional football club called East Tokyo United (ETU). The team has struggled in Japan’s top football league because of the lack of funding and good-quality players. However, their fortune changed when they hired Takeshi Tatsumi, an eccentric young manager who once played for ETU when he was still active as a football player. However, Tatsumi’s appointment is rejected by the supporter group, who think Tatsumi is a traitor.
Compared to the other football series, Giant Killing is the most complete of them all. It doesn’t only talk about football matches. It also talks about club management, the business side of football, the journalist behind football events, and the rivalry of different supporter groups. There are a lot of interesting characters, and some of them are not directly involved in football. Giant Killing is a football series that shows how football affects the locals and people behind football. While football itself already become a global sport, Giant Killing reminds us that those who are involved in the game are still human. (Dany Muhammad – The Indonesian Anime Times)
Mai Ball!
Media: Manga by Sora Inoue.
Mai Miyano has been helping out her childhood friend, Kunimitsu Hasuga, every morning with soccer practice ever since they were little. After years of practice, now Kunimitsu is a youth player MVP while Mai is still a normal high school student. One day, a talented female footballer Reika Hakurai surprised with how Mai, who isn’t on any football club, is able to keep up with her. Later, both Reika and Mai then join their Kujiyana North High School football club. Interestingly, the female football club is coached by Kunimitsu.
When it comes to the female football manga, maybe other people will remember Sayonara, My Dear Cramer more. However, I still recommend Mai Ball! because while there are a lot of fanservices in the manga, Mai Ball! captures the adrenaline of a football match much better. The dramatic tension is insane. It’s a manga that when you finish reading it, you realize how silly the story is, but you don’t realize it at first because the sheer excitement keeps you flipping the page over and over again. Moreover, there’s a confession scene that happened in the middle of the match. It happened out of nowhere during a critical moment, and it’s awesome. (Dany Muhammad – The Indonesian Anime Times)
1/11
Media: Manga by Takatoshi Nakamura.
Sora Andou is a great dribbler. However, he quits football after he realized that his physique isn’t getting any bigger. “The god of football didn’t choose me”, he said. But a meeting with a woman football player, Shiki Wakamiya, sparked the old flame in his heart. This is a story of a football player that carries a will from a girl, and the people who are affected by that player.
1/11 is very different compared to other football or sports series. The manga doesn’t have a central narrative but is more like a series of one-shot compilations that focused on different characters. What tied those stories is that it’s a series of coming-of-age stories about people who are involved in football. Most of the time, those stories are about people who are affected by the action of the character from the first chapter, Sora Andou.
1/11 story reminds me of Blue Box. It’s a mature, coming-of-age story that depicts how people grow and change. It’s nice a nice change of pace. Some of the stories are sad, some are cute, but most of them are inspiring. I also like the philosophy behind the 1/11 title. A football player, no matter how good they are, is just one of the eleven. So whether it’s inside or outside the pitch, you shouldn’t isolate yourself. This is a football manga for non-football fans. (Dany Muhammad – The Indonesian Anime Times)
Those are our favourite football anime and manga. Are your favourites also included in our list? Or maybe you have your own favourite? Let us know in the comments!
The Indonesian Anime Times
