#433 Manga Theory 43 | Super Kinetic Explosive Soccer Guy: Libero no Takeda
I briefly introduced this before when I was covering soccer manga as a whole, but today I'd like to take a long, deep dive into "Super Kinetic Explosive Soccer Guy: Libero no Takeda," or "Libero no Takeda (Ribe-Take)".
Libero no Takeda Synopsis
It was a soccer gag manga serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump for a little under two years, from the spring of '91 to the winter of '92.
Judging by the ending, one might assume it was canceled, but it was still a manga deeply etched into the minds of the boys and girls who played soccer back then. Everyone around me loved it too.
The protagonist, Dangan Takeda (Tama Takeda) was the only son of Japan national soccer team player Kikanju Takeda. However, his father went missing, and despite his love for soccer, every school he transferred to lacked a soccer club. He finally gets to experience soccer for the first time at his new school, Akebono High.
Up to this point, the setup is almost exactly the same as "Eleven," haha.
Now, the Akebono High soccer team is incredibly weak, but with the addition of Takeda, who is a bundle of soccer talent, they gradually get stronger. They advance through the Inter-High Saitama regional qualifiers, make it to the final tournament, win their way through, and reach the finals, only to be defeated by Raiden Kogyo, narrowly missing out on the Inter-High.
And just as they're about to get their revenge at the national championship, the whereabouts of his missing father are confirmed, and the story wraps up toward its conclusion, haha.
Libero no Takeda Appeal
1. It was the only soccer manga in Weekly Shonen Jump
This era was right in the middle of the excitement leading up to the launch of the J.League, but at the time, the only soccer manga were "Eleven" and "Kattobi Itto" in Monthly Shonen Jump. Since Weekly Shonen Jump wasn't serializing any, I think that's why it gained the support of kids.
By the way, Yoichi Takahashi, famous for "Captain Tsubasa," was serializing a boxing manga called "CHIBI" at the time, haha.
2. It was a manga with a "DF" as the protagonist
As far as I know, I don't think there was another manga with a DF protagonist after this one until Ao Ashi was born.
Well, even though Ashito in Ao Ashi and Takeda in this work are called DFs, they are heavily involved in the attack, but it was still very unique to make a "DF" the protagonist instead of the flashy FWs or MFs in soccer.
The sound of the title "Libero no Takeda" is also nice.
3. Overwhelming gag sense
I laughed so much.
Makoto Niwano-sensei also has quite high artistic skill, and the gags delivered through that art style really had me holding my stomach in laughter.
It's rare to actually laugh while reading a manga, but I remember reading this, "Noumisopurun," and "Oyasuminasai" and laughing out loud.
Libero no Takeda Favorite Characters BEST 10
10th Place: Raimaru Imagawa
Raimaru was the GK for Raiden Kogyo and was effectively the final boss.
He uses a ridiculous technique called Magnet Saving to save goals using magnetic force, and he was truly an iron-wall GK.
He is a S.G.G.K. who only allowed one goal to Bazooka Channel in the entire series.
9th Place: Shoko
She is the heroine of this manga and the only person with common sense.
She is a rare existence who can provide solid and accurate retorts to the crazy idiots like Takeda, even for a manga like this, and it was Shoko who persuaded Takeda, who hated being a DF.
She is treated quite poorly, such as being almost sold off in a bet, or having the principal sniff her butt, lol.
8th Place: Monjiro and Kantaro Yui Brothers
Raiden Industrial uses the power of lightning, while Fujin High School manipulates the wind, lol.
It's a crazy setting once again, but I do think that if you could manipulate the wind in soccer, you'd be invincible, lol.
They were quite formidable opponents.
7th Place: Takeda Kikanju (Machine Gun)
He is a former Japan national team DF who played in the Mexico Olympics and went missing during a practice match in South America, but he was actually alive and appeared in a ridiculous way for a manga, teleporting from his own memorial portrait to appear in 3D, lol.
And he teaches the special shot called the Bazooka Channel to the bullet.
You could say it's a development similar to Baki, where the father appears as an enemy.
6th Place: Captain Hojo
He is the captain of the Akebono High School soccer club.
I don't know if he sensed Takeda's aptitude as a libero or if it was just a coincidence, but the reason Akebono High School became stronger was ultimately because this captain used Takeda as a libero.
What made me laugh about the captain was when he was practicing feints in a crowded shopping street and stole a Glico Giant Cone from a housewife, lol.
5th Place: Uesugi Fuwato
He is a character who seems to have wandered into the wrong manga, lol.
He is a straightforward and passionate FW, and he wouldn't be out of place as a protagonist, but he's overshadowed by the perverts, so his presence is a bit faint, lol.
Kamamoto The fact that he admired him also makes you feel the era.
4th Place: Kyukoji Kikumaro
Kikumaro is a transfer student with no soccer experience, but he is set up as a descendant of a family with a tradition of Kemari for generations, and in this manga, he felt like he could play soccer reasonably well, lol.
Anyway, the pervert duo with Takeda was great.
3rd Place: Shiratori-kun
Shiratori-kun was Takeda's elementary school classmate and a bully who acted like Gian toward Takeda.
He appears as the goalkeeper for Dosha Daiichi Kogyo in the regional tournament finals, but this Shiratori-kun is just completely absurd, haha.
He even protects the goal with a barrier, haha.
What I like most is that Shiratori-kun's roots aremysteriously from the Mongolian nomadic tribesso he shows up to watch the Akebono High School matches, which are advancing through the tournament, while riding his beloved horse,Khanhaha.
It's got that VIVANT world-building vibe, haha.
2nd Place: Saburo Toyotomi
And then there's Toyo.
He's a first-year playmaker for Togare Academy, a rival to Akebono, and he's just a total pervert, haha.
My favorite gag with Toyo is either“Do you want to go to the Gulf War?”or the one where his completely meaningless jump is named“Phoenix Jump”haha.
Also, the scene where he and Takeda are competing for a header, both saying “Not yet, not yet,” and thendisappearing into the sky abovemade me laugh so hard.
1st Place: Dangan Takeda
And finally, the protagonist, Takeda.
Even though he's a defender, he gets involved in both offense and defense, and his special shot, the Bazooka Channel, has enough destructive power to wipe out everything, but it has the ridiculous side effect—for a manga—ofcausing him to regress to infancyhaha.
He was such a beloved character.
I definitely likedthe coffee bean onethe best.
Summary
It was a silly manga like that, but I still loved it so much.
I read it again for the first time in a while recently, and the sense of humor is so high that it still makes me laugh even now.
I think even pure soccer fans can enjoy it, so please check it out!
That's all!