All right...here it is! Captain Tsubasa 201! This storyline takes place four years after the previous one, and some...changes have taken place...^_- First of all, Genzo Wakabayashi has left Nankatsu for a soccer career in Germany...and Taro Misaki's traveling father has relocated his son to France! (shiver)...oh, well... Now, now, what will Nankatsu do without these two very strong players...?(sob) Kojiro Hyuga has switched teams...he (obviously) accepted the scholarship to Toho--Takeshi Sawada and Ken Wakashimazu followed suit. A lot of the changes to the storyline may seem disconcerting at first...some of the major characters(like Misugi kun) are eliminated from the competition even before the championship starts. Unfortunately, I missed the very beginning of this storyline...but the character designs have changed slightly. Age does tend to do that to people. Though...strangely enough, some of the changes(like Wakashimazu sama's hairstyle) are a little inconsistent towards the beginning... Most of the changes are for the better...I like the way Takeshi looks in this storyline much better...but as for Tsubasa...(sighs)...well, he was just so cute as a little kid, and he got kind of weird looking as he grew up. But that's okay...! ^_^

When I entered this storyline, Tsubasa had just received a challenge from the Otomo team. Otomo is made up of a bunch of ex-Nankatsu players(the less memorable ones)...and the team's captain, Shun Nitta, mocks Tsubasa while wearing a funny hat and rattles the boy so much that he takes it out on his teammates. Well...let's just say that when Nankatsu actually faced Otomo...Nitta kun wasn't exactly the most spectacular soccer player in the world...well, Nankatsu won that time. Poor Nitta kun...kicked the ball in the goal after the whistle blew to end the game... I don't remember if I saw this entire game, but it wasn't very memorable. (I also think that Nitta kun looks like a transsexual, but that's my own business!) After the game, Tsubasa is talking to a reporter, and mentions his former teammate Taro Misaki, which surprises everybody(don't ask me why)...

Now that the subject is on Misaki kun, we get a little information on what is going on with both him and Wakabayashi kun. Wakabayashi, who is playing in Germany, meets Misaki and they start to talk. It is here where we learn of Misaki's background...his parents are divorced and when he left Shizuoka, his father ran into his mother at an art show. She wanted to have her little Taro back very much, and they decided that it would be best for him to stay with her, since he wouldn't have to move around so much. In the meantime, Misaki is leading the local soccer team to its victory...(busy boy)... As it turns out...when Misaki sees his mother walking to greet him with his stepsister, he tugs on his father's arm and tells him he's going to France with him. "I'm not Taro Yamaoka, I'm Taro Misaki!" How cute....

In the meantime, Sanae has received a letter from Yayoi, Jun Misugi's...girlfriend? (snicker) Misugi has had an operation, and he's back in the game as the captain of Musashi...however, Sanae has bad news for Tsubasa. In order to get into the championship, Musashi has to play against...Toho. (foreboding music) Well...this is pretty much a death sentence for Misugi...after all, if either he or Hyuga kun has to be eliminated before the championship, who do you think will be the one to go?

So...the epic battle between Musashi and Toho begins. Makoto Kitazume, the coach of Toho, doesn't seem too fond of Hyuga kun...but the game goes on. When his team is in danger, Misugi enters the game...gets two shots past Wakashimazu and misses one...but right when the game is starting to get good...he has already worn out his time on the field. Hyuga kun freezes in horror when Misugi kun collapses in front of him...but Wakashimazu saves the game, and Toho wins, after all. Notice...as Wakashimazu sama runs to stop Musashi from scoring, he says that if he misses, he's going to quit the team. *foreshadowing* ^_^ Umm...never mind.

While in the locker room, Hyuga kun is visited by his old coach Kozo Kira, who proceeds to chew him out for turning into such a wimp. Since Hyuga kun doesn't have to worry about paying for his tuition, he has turned into a wimp...a wimp who froze at the first sign of danger...(sighs) I think Kira needs a life. What honor is there in beating up a person who has just had an apparent heart attack....? Well, Hyuga kun is so disturbed by this that when the rest of the team leaves for the championship, he quietly slips away on a train to Okinawa for some special training.

Tsubasa and company make it to the championship...and Tsubasa gets his first look at his latest opponent...Makoto Soda, a wicked young man who delights in injuring members of the opposing team! Wa ha ha! Soda kun's team beat Nakanishi kun's team(you know, that huge goalkeeper?)...and he is one dangerous guy. While this is going on, Kitazume has discovered that Hyuga is missing and is not pleased at all. Once Hyuga kun completes his week-long training(Tiger Shot!!)...he returns to Tokyo and is promptly greeted by both his teammates and a fuming Kitazume, who kicks him off the team and makes Wakashimazu the captain. Ouch.

Tsubasa isn't having a very good time either...Soda kun proves to be a very formidable opponent. He injures Tsubasa's leg with his special shot, and Nankatsu nearly loses..but Tsubasa outwits him. Tsubasa kun and Soda kun end the game as friends...and Nankatsu moves on to the next challenge...Hanawa! Co-captained by those annoying freaks Masao and Kazuo Tachibana! (evil laughter) Did you miss them?

Before the next game, there's a nice little break, with a cute scene with Tsubasa and Sanae going to the doctor's...(laughs) Whatever. And rumors are flying wildly about Hyuga kun's fate...he eventually leaves for home, much to his teammates' horror. Takeshi tries to get Sanae to ask Tsubasa to help bring Hyuga kun back, and she refuses....(B*tch!) When Hyuga kun arrives at home, he tells his family that he's going to lose his scholarship to Toho, and he is sorry he couldn't beat Nankatsu like he promised. He goes outside, and finds Takeshi and Wakashimazu waiting for him... Hyuga kun tells them that they don't need him anymore, and the two of them try to convince him to return to Tokyo with them...unsuccessfully. It is also becoming increasily clear that Wakashimazu *really* doesn't give a damn about anything their coach says...he's even planning to boycott the game if Hyuga isn't allowed to return! Not exactly the best choice for a new captain, huh...? (>_<)

And now...Tsubasa prepares to face the weird little guys. But let's save that for Captain Tsubasa 202!