Will Olive and Tom play overtime? The football manga “Captain Tsubasa”, first known in France under the name “Olive et Tom”, appeared for the last time on Thursday in Japan, 43 years after its debut, but its creator does not intend to completely abandon his characters.
“Now that I have finished drawing the last episode of the series, I am relieved to have finished everything and I feel liberated to finally be able to lead a life without publication deadlines” to respect, wrote mangaka Yoichi Takahashi on Wednesday on his X account.
90 million copies sold worldwide
But while announcing his “retirement as a cartoonist”, the father of the manga published for the first time in 1981 in the Japanese weekly Shonen Jump specified that he would continue to create adventures of his football stars on the Internet under the form of storyboards.
The exploits of his hero, the young football prodigy Tsubasa Ozora, inspired future football legends like Zinédine Zidane, Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi. And the franchise, known as “Holly e Benji” in Italy and “Super Campeones” in Latin America, has seen numerous adaptations, in cartoons or video games.
The animated series has been broadcast in more than 100 countries, and the mangas have sold some 90 million copies worldwide, according to the specialist site Mangazenkan.
“The story isn’t over yet!” »
But in January the 63-year-old cartoonist announced the end of the series for the month of April, citing the deterioration of his state of health and the evolution of the manga industry. “This decision was not easy to make and may disappoint and sadden those who enjoy reading Captain Tsubasa, but I hope you understand my decision,” he explained.
He nevertheless tried on Wednesday to reassure his fans by specifying that he intended to continue his “creative activities”. “Captain Tsubasa’s story isn’t over yet! It’s a fact,” he wrote. “Since I don’t have a due date, number of pages or manuscript size to respect, I think I will be able to offer you entertainment in a freer way,” Yoichi Takahashi promised.