"Soar Toward the Great Sky!" (大空にはばたけ!, Ozora ni Habatake!), called "The Meeting" by the current official English distribution, is the first episode of the 2018 Captain Tsubasa series. It was originally broadcast on April 3rd, 2018.
Synopsis[]
An 11-year-old boy, Tsubasa Ozora, has just moved to Nankatsu in Shizuoka. He is a passionate footballer and, instead of helping with the move, he runs away to dribble his ball around the city. What happens next is close to a fated encounter. He meets Genzo Wakabayashi, a young and genius goalkeeper. Tsubasa watches him catching one ball after another from middle school Nankatsu sports players and is impressed by Wakabayashi’s skills, so he challenges him. Accompanied by Ryo Ishizaki on Nankatsu City's lookout, he says that he can shoot the ball all the way to Wakabayashi’s mansion and land it on the roof. As proof, he writes something on the ball.
Plot[]
A one-year-old Tsubasa plays with a ball, as his father Kodai gets ready for a business trip. His ball rolls into the street and when he goes to retrieve it, an incoming truck drives down the road.
Ten years in the future, Kodai receives a message from Tsubasa of a picture of himself posing in a jersey. Meanwhile, in Nankatsu, Tsubasa bails on his Mother Natsuko from helping her move into their new home to practice football around town. A flashback reveals that the oncoming truck did hit Tsubasa, however, the ball acted as a cushion that allowed him to be unscathed. Back in the present, Natsuko reveals that since that incident, Tsubasa has played football religiously; so much so that she believes he was born to play the game. Tsubasa is shown practicing with his ball from the Nankatsu Trading Street to the Nankatsu elementary school. At the school's football field, Tsubasa witnesses a confrontation between a boy named Ryo and Shutetsu's Genzo. The two sides fight over ownership of the field and Genzo settles the matter by challenging Ryo's group. If Ryo's group manages to land a ball in the goal that he can't stop, then he'll concede and allow Ryo's group to have the field.
The various sports captains in Ryo's group take up the challenge, however, each of them fails to score a goal with Genzo as its keeper. With no one left to challenge Genzo, the Shutetsu take the field, leaving Ryo distraught by the loss. He then runs into Tsubasa who asks where Genzo is so he can challenge him. Ryo agrees to tell Tsubasa where Genzo lives and the two then introduce each other.
While the two head to Genzo's house, they briefly talk about how Tsubasa favors the ball. Arriving at Nankatsu City's lookout, Ryo points to the Mansion Genzo lives in. Showing off his skill, Tsubasa writes a message on his ball and kicks it hoping it'll land at Genzo's property. A drunken passerby watches this scene as it plays out. In the end, Genzo sees the incoming balls and he manages to catch it. His mentor Mikami then goes rushes over to Genzo who then reads the message on the ball. Genzo astonished by the message which is a declaration of a challenge by Tsubasa, the drunken passerby approaches Genzo and his mentor. He explains that he's not a stalker, but was just following the ball shot from the hill by Tsubasa. This astonishes both Genzo and Mikami, as Ryo and Tsubasa enjoy some icy pops together by a convenience store. Eventually, Tsubasa and Ryo meet with Genzo, Mikami, and the drunkard by the football field. In this confrontation, Genzo shots the ball at Tsubasa who easily deflects it and returns it by kicking it under an incoming bus. Sequentially, Genzo manages to catch the ball and is left aghast by Tsubasa's football skills.
Cast[]
- Tsubasa Ozora (debut)
- Natsuko Ozora (debut)
- Kodai Ozora (debut)
- Ryo Ishizaki (debut)
- Roberto Hongo (debut)
- Tatsuo Mikami (debut)
Home video releases[]
- To be filled in the future
In other languages[]
- Latin American Spanish: "¡Vuela hacia el cielo!"
- French: "Prends ton envol!"
Title screen
Trivia[]
- This marks the debut in any anime adaptation of Wakabayashi's dog, John.