Ranked #1496

Captain Tsubasa J

Made in the mid 90's, this anime is fun to watch, just like the original. For those who've seen the original, you can pretty much skip to episode 35, since the first 33 are recaps and episode 34 is quickly summed up in the first few minutes of 35. If you're new to the anime, watch the whole thing, and if you want more detail, go to the corresponding episodes in the original.

Now, from episode 35 on is pure bliss, because the character development of this fantastic newcomer, Shingo Aoi, is well done. If you can get a dub or sub, do it, since the dialogue is actually pretty important. This is unlike the original, which could have had no dialogue whatsoever and still been pretty much understood (except for a hilarious backhand smack that NEEDED dialog for effect, but I digress).

The entire series is only 46 episodes long (45 in some dubs; I've seen the Arabic and Spanish ones), which means only a dozen new episodes total. But that dozen is absolutely fantastic- namely the internal feud at training camp and the epic match vs. Thailand.

The music, in an absolute sense, is great, but compared to the original, it's somewhat disappointing. You just don't get the same feel. For comparison, if the original is DBZ, than Captain Tsubasa J is DBGT on steroids. Make of that what you will. The animation, however has me torn. It's different than the first series, but it's more pronounced (crisper) in both a good way- brightness, lack of blurriness- and a bad way; the original is easier on the eyes. I gave it a 7/10.

All in all, this is great marathon fodder. It does leave you at a sort of cliffhanger, though, which is universally bemoaned, but at least it's good while it lasts. Here's hoping the next remake (aired 2001-2002) clears up that distasteful part of this anime for us. read more