I’ve been watching Captain Tsubasa 2018 and let’s say that it has been an amazing experience. I have seen the original series when I was in Mexico and then I saw the Road to 2002 version while I was in middle school (I think, it was quite a while ago)? That version was just ok although I did like the voice actors but the art style is really not my style at all. This new version is actually quite amazing. At first I wasn’t too sure about it since they were changing somethings from the original version, but they were mainly done because it was after all a version that is taking place in this time period. It was also a bit weird seeing an anime that goes from the old coloration to the new really bright and vibrant one we have today. But it does look quite amazing. One of the things I really like is that as the series kept going the quality also increased and to top it off they were paying more homage to the original manga. The second opening is definitely my favorite out of all the versions that have been released throughout the years. Of course my favorite sections are when they go into an animated version of the manga panels having Hyuga and Tsubasa going at it.

It looks so cool (I wanted to incorporate some of those speed/power lines into my artwork). I really hope they release it on blue ray over here in the States:

In any case I have done a piece based on Hyuga already, although he looks really stiff. I would like to make an updated version at some point. So now I wanted to make a piece on another one of my favorite characters, Matsuyama Hikaru. He has always been among my favorites, competing against Hyuga for my first place (which is funny because they have a rivalry within the series itself). In one of the most recent episodes he has finally unleashed his special shot. I’ve been watching it while I workout in the gym and that scene got me fired up and going even harder while I was doing my cardio. This series really helps as motivation to push me even harder. So with that in mind and the actual snowfall that has been hitting here in my city I wanted to make a piece of him training his special shot while it snowed.

One other element was having Yoshiko Fujisawa looking over him. There are many couples in this series but theirs is definitely among my favorites. The headband that is given to Hikaru is such a cute and tender moment that I feel it is quite iconic in the series. Must be nice having someone like you like that huh…

(〃￣ω￣〃)ゞ

Here is the final piece:

This is the main reference for the body posture (I wanted him to look like he was moving and not too stiff):

Here are the rest of the references (first two were to get an idea of the color scheme):

Here is the drawing process (at first I was going to have him training in his jersey but that would have been mean huh, so while getting screenshots for reference I came upon his tracksuit so I went with that instead):

And here is the digital painting process:

What I like most about Matsuyama Hikaru is that he is a hard worker. He might not have the genius ability of all the top aces from the series but he has the initiative and drive to push himself and in turn also his teammates in order to compete on even ground to the other teams. He truly is an inspiration for the many of us who might not have a natural talent but could still achieve great results based on pure hard work and tenacity. If you have something that you are passionate about don’t give up when you encounter setbacks, push through and achieve new limits by working hard.

Hasta la proxima,

-NUBE