Viz Acquires "Captain Tsubasa" Reboot Anime, Partners With Televix For Latin American Release

Get ready to hit the pitch, anime fans, because a classic anime icon is making a comeback!

Earlier today, Viz Media announced that they acquired the license for the new Captain Tsubasa anime series. Viz picked up the master license to the title in North America and Latin America, which means that they picked up the digital streaming, EST, home video and merchandise rights.

Viz will partner with Televix Entertainment, who will present Captain Tsubasa to potential broadcasting partners at the upcoming NATPE market. Televix will handle all broadcast and digital licensing rights for the show in Latin American territories.

Viz Media CMO Brad Woods commented on the news:

CAPTAIN TSUBASA adds a new dimension to VIZ Media’s anime catalog, and we know audiences will enjoy it’s mix of character drama and intense on-the-field action […] We look forward to working with Televix to develop CAPTAIN TSUBASA for Latin American markets, and to scores of new fans and soccer lovers discovering this exciting anime series.

Televix CEO Hugo Rose also commented on the acquisition, stating:

We are thrilled to be handling one of the most iconic franchises to come out of Japan […] We expect audiences will be eager to enter the world of Tsubasa.

The NATPE market will be held in Miami from January 16 – 18.

The new Captain Tsubasa will retell the events of the original manga series from the beginning. The show is slated to hit Japanese TV in April 2018. TV Tokyo will air the show, along with other networks.

Toshiyuki Kato (Full Moon o Sagashite, Level E) is directing the project at David Production, with Hajime Watanabe (Kodocha, Animation Runner Kuromi) providing character designs. Atsuhiro Tomioka (Pokémon XY, Trinity Blood) is in charge of series composition for the show.

Other confirmed crew members include:

Music: Hayato Matsuo
Sound Director: Yoshikazu Iwanami
Animation Director: Hajime Watanabe

The confirmed voice cast includes:

Tsubasa Oozora: Yuko Sanpei
Genzou Wakabayashi: Kenichi Suzumura
Tarō Misaki: Ayaka Fukuhara
Ryo Ishizaki: Mutsumi Tamura
Kojirou Hyuga: Takuya Sato (Zeppeli in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)
Roberto Hongo: Katsuyuki Konishi

Yōichi Takahashi’s Captain Tsubasa manga kicked off in the pages of Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in April 1981. The initial series ran through 1988, spanning 37 collected volumes. The title went on to spawn: