[Anime] Giant Killing: an anime for soccer/ football fans

bonbi (the hubby) has always been an avid fan of soccer~ on top of watching real life games from our favorite team Barcelona (go Xavi~ <3) he also has a team from nearly every league that he supports... and of course not forgetting to keep an eye on how the respect rival teams are doing (=.=;) during World Cup times he'd be crazy enough to support up to 3 different teams... (one from each continent....). On top of that... when there's no real life games going on... he'll be on the Xbox playing FIFA... sometimes to relive a game that has just been broadcasted hoping to change the past somehow... orz

Well recently, he found the perfect soccer anime for him to watch- Giant Killing by the author Masaya Tsunamoto! Giant killing actually won the Lodansha Manga Award best general manga in 2010 

Here's the plot/summary from Wikipedia:

East Tokyo United, ETU, has been struggling in Japan's top football league for a few years. It has taken everything they have just to avoid relegation. To make matters even worse, the fans are starting to abandon the team. In an effort to improve their performance, ETU has hired a new coach, the slightly eccentric Tatsumi Takeshi. Tatsumi, who was considered a great football player when he was younger, abandoned the team years before but has proven himself as the manager of one of England's lower division amateur teams. The task won't be easy, the teams East Tokyo United is pitted against have bigger budgets and better players. However, Tatsumi is an expert at Giant Killing. ETU home stadium in this manga was modeled on Hitachi Kashiwa Soccer Stadium. It references many famous managers including Arsene Wenger the manager of Arsenal FC. The manga continues the story instead of ending it like the anime does, however their could be a Giant Killing series.

To tell the truth... I have not watched much of this anime myself... but I did watch an episode together with bonbi last night. There are a few thing that I found amusing:

- The OP song actually sounded like a theme song of a football team in the English league! (My Story by THE CHERRY COKE$)  I don't follow the Japanese football league but I would've thought that the Japanese teams would have some passionate Jpop/Jrock theme songs instead~ XD but maybe that's just my inner otaku thinking~

- The new coach Tatsumi Takeshi was supposedly (according to bonbi) modeled off the Chelsea legendary coach and current Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho. bonbi was saying it was more in character and the smart coaching tactics rather than looks... well... I guess Tatsumi could be a younger more hipster anime version of Mourinho~ X3 The artist's drawing style also made Tatsumi's nose very pointy... :S

Tatsumi vs. Mourinho

- the episode that I watched had introduced 3 new Brazilian players in the opposing team Nagoya Grand Palace~ who had names like Pepe, Carlos and Zelberto. which were reminiscent of the real life Brazilian players Real Madrid defender Pepe and previously famous Real Madrid defender Roberto Carlos. XD

bonbi also mentioned that the anime itself did not spend too much time oogling over the individual skills of each player (in which each player would probably end up with their own set of super moves etc) like in the older soccer/football mangas... Giant Killing instead focuses more on the tactics that the coach uses, management and the interaction of fans! (apparently there are also different sub-groups of fans, the new fans which joined since they were previous supporters of Tatsumi and the original loyal ETU fans who aren't so happy with Tatsumi... ooOH~ the politics of fans! X3)

Well... although I may not be religiously following this series (unless they decide to change it to the Spanish league and follow the Barcelona team! XD) it does seems pretty interesting~ But for those who may be as soccer/football crazy as my hubby... then I do recommend this anime/manga to you! :D