INAZUMA ELEVEN

ï ¿½ Nintendo, Level-5

Original title: Inazuma Irebun Characters: Mark Evans, Nathan Swift, Jack Wallside, Hurley Kane, Tod Ironside, Scott Banyan, Archer Hawkins, Caleb Stonewall, Shawn Froste, Axel Blaze, Austin Hobbes, Thor Stoutberg, Jordan Greenway, Jude Sharp, David Samford, Kevin Dragonfly, Xavier Foster , Darren LaChance, Jim Wraith, Steve Grim, Timmy Saunders, Sam Kincaid, Maxwell Carson, Bobby Shearer, Erik Eagle, Shadow Cimmerian, Byron Love, Victoria Vanguard, Suzette Hartland Production: Level-5, Oriental Light and Magic

Author: Akihiro Hino, Atsuhiro Tomioka Regia: Yoshiyuki Tomino, Masaki Osumi Country: Japan Year: 5 October 2008 Broadcast in Italy: 1st June 2010 Gender: Sporty / Fantastic Episodes: 127 Duration: 24 minutes Recommended age: Children from 6 to 12 years old

The team of wonders
Inazuma Eleven (Italian title "The team of wonders) marks the return to the small screen of a series of cartoons dedicated to the world of football. The anime was broadcast in Italy starting from 2011 first on the Sky pay platform and subsequently, starting from June, on Rai 2, where an episode of the series is broadcast every morning at 8.45 am. If the 80s and 90s were characterized by the exploits of Capitan Tsubasa (Captain Tsubasa) that many generations made people fall in love with football and if the early 2000s saw the birth of another very spectacular and decidedly more mature anime than its predecessor (albeit of a few episodes) such as Hungry Heart (The team of the heart), it is with Inazuma Eleven that we can finally witness again a football saga that has all the trappings to thrill adults and children and bring back to the fore a genre that due to today's excessive spectacularization of cartoons had ended up somewhat in oblivion . Certainly, also due to the nature of the protagonists, the default target towards which this anime is aimed is the pre-adolescent one, but anyone who has witnessed the aforementioned past cartoons will undoubtedly be thrilled to be able to get excited again in front of new games , new tournaments and new stories derived from the fresh green grass of a playing field.

The Inazuma Eleven video game
Surely after reading the previous introductory lines, many of you will be wondering about the origin of this new Japanese cartoon, if you think it is the usual television transposition of a manga you are absolutely far from the truth. The origins of the anime Inazuma Eleven are contained in the Japanese RPG video game of the same name (role-playing game) of 2008 developed by Level-5, published by Nintendo for Nintendo DS and arrived on Italian consoles only in 2011. The video game can be considered as a hybrid between a management system and an RPG: you will find yourself hiring players and enhancing their elemental characteristics to win the games that you will gradually face. The fundamental elements of the title are therefore the management of the team, the growth system of each individual character and the matches played. A videogame therefore almost revolutionary for having united these two genres to the world of football. The worldwide success of this console video game has inspired a manga in its entirety, then the anime itself and even some feature films. Here we are, finally the time has come to dive headlong into the plot, the characters and the plots that gave life to "The team of wonders". To make it easier to read and understand, we have decided to name places and people with the corresponding Western name, mainly so that you can immediately find the name of those names and places when you witness the cartoon. Ball in the center, let's start!

ï ¿½ Nintendo, Level-5

The story of Inazuma Eleven
The protagonist of the series is the young boy Mark Evans, middle school student Raimon Juniori High and captain of the homonymous football team of his institute. Mark plays as a goalkeeper, a role that in the past was of his grandfather David. Mark's grandfather was known as one of the best number 1 in all of Japan, before dying in suspicious circumstances in an accident long before Mark was born. In any case, David is a constant inspiration for his grandson who, in addition to having a photo of him in the room, with which he confides from time to time, jealously guards the notebook with his grandfather's special football lessons. Mark always carries the notebook with him and is convinced that only by learning to perfectly perform all the trainings invented by his relative will he be able to become an unbeatable goalkeeper. Among the workouts described in the notebook, there is one very dear to Mark: putting an old tire over his shoulders and tying another to a tree making it swing, the training will be considered successful when Mark is able to block the swinging tire with his hands. at high speed. As mentioned before, Mark is the captain of his school's team, but unfortunately this is made up of only 7 members (including him), all football lovers, but dejected in the face of the impossibility of having a training field and low team reputation that is definitely a deterrent to any new recruit. As if that weren't enough, many of the Raimon Junior High players are aware that the team will soon be dismantled. Mark, even in the face of these difficulties, does not lose heart and tries to encourage his teammates, but getting no positive response he decides to train first on his own and then in the company of his friend Silvia who manages a female football team. as elementary school girls, Inazuma Kids Fc. During a training session of the girls, Mark is attacked by a group of bullies, but suddenly a mysterious silver-haired boy makes his appearance, kicking a ball in an extremely precise and powerful way, forcing the bad guys to flee. Mark is baffled by the technical skill of the boy he has just seen, and enthusiastically introduces himself and asks him what school he attended. The mysterious boy, however, decides not to answer and to leave. The following morning to Mark's surprise, the boy introduces himself as a new student of Raimon Junior High with the name of Axel Blaze, but Mark's intention to join him in his football team is stopped in the bud by Axel, as the talented boy from Kirkwood Junior High (famous for having a great football team), confesses to Mark his premature decision that he no longer wants to have anything to do with the game of ball. In the same afternoon, the principal of the middle school summons Mark to his study and announces great news: the following week there would be a friendly match between Raimon Junior High and the strongest team in the country: the Royal Academy. The news sent the young captain into ecstasy, were it not for the fact that a defeat would decree the immediate dissolution of the football club due to lack of funds. Mark does not lose heart and knocking on every door will be looking for new players to recruit by the start of the game. After various refusals he will be able to find the 4 players to complete the team, but Axel does not figure among them, always determined to remain consistent with his decision. In the meantime, Mark's enthusiasm infects his companions who dedicate themselves with him to the special training prescribed by grandfather David. The day of the game arrives and the players of the Royal Academy led by coach Ray Dark are clearly superior to the players of the Raimon Junior High enough to score an avalanche of goals (20), but with great surprise after the escape of William Glass (snooty number 10 ) Axel Blaze enters the field and in a few moments he manages to score a goal to the very strong goalkeeper Joe King thanks to his special technique called fire tornado. The Roy Academy withdraws from the game (it seems that their intent was to push Axel to play) and the Raimon Junior High wins at the table. The team is safe and finally complete.

The authors and the production
Before proceeding with the description of the main characters and the structure of the series, we will dwell on the minds and arms that gave life to this anime. The real "team of wonders" is led by director Katsuhito Akiyama who availed himself of the advice of Yasuyuki Sagami and the help of Yumi Kamakura. The original idea of ​​the anime is the brainchild of Akihiro Izino and the drafting of the subject is by the house that developed the video game for Nintendo DS, Level-5 INC. As for the characters, they were conceived by Takuzo Nagano, drawn by Yuji Ikeda and animated by Masahito Sawada under the supervision of director Yuko Inoue. The animated backgrounds are by Atsuhito Tomioka, made by art director Chikara Nishikura and colored by Koji Ohtsuki. The music was made by Yasunori Mitsuda and the editing was made possible by Naoki Watanabe. Finally, the television production of the cartoon is headed by the TV Tokyo Corporation. As for the Italian television version of Inazuma Eleven, the actors who have lent their voices to the protagonists are: Lorenzo De Angelis (Mark Evans), Manuel Meli (Jude Sharp), Mirko Cannella (Jack Wallside), Veronica Puccio (Silvia Woods), Andrea Lavagnino (Kevin Dragonfly), Alessio Cigliano (Timmy Saunders), Paolo Marchese (Seymour Hillman) and Davide Garbolino for co-star Axel Blaze.

ï ¿½ Nintendo, Level-5

Characters
As previously promised, now we will focus first on the description of the protagonists with their characterization and then on some of the football teams present in the anime, briefly listing their characteristics, The success of a television product that is an anime, a film or a series TV does not matter, it is given not only by an engaging plot, by the optimal characterization of the protagonists. The canonical postulate of television satisfaction states that the more the viewer becomes attached and identifies with the protagonists, the more he will be glued to the screen, the more he will talk about it to other people and the more it will be a fundamental part of the success of the series. We therefore describe the protagonists of Inazuma Eleven. The main role is played as previously mentioned by Mark Evans, Mark is a sunny and generous boy who does not give up in front of anything, his personality fully corresponds to the role of leader, in fact he often and willingly takes responsibility for the results of his team's matches for better or for worse. The captain of the Raimon Junior High is endowed with enormous willpower and is undoubtedly a point of reference for all his teammates both inside and outside the pitch. Its original name "Mamoru", in Japanese has the meaning of protecting, a more than apt choice for the number 1 (in every sense) of this Japanese production. Co-star Axel Blaze is the most enigmatic character in the series, as can be seen from the first episode. We will not explain in these lines the reasons for his departure from the world of football, but know that Axel's story is anything but "light". Axel wears the number 10 shirt, which as you surely know is worn by the football player with the greatest strength, inspiration and imagination of a team, Axel is in fact the added value of the Raimon Junior High and thanks to his devastating techniques he will be able to bring his team to the victory on more than one occasion. Jack Wallside is the funniest character in the series, a defender who looks like the fusion of Holly and Benji's Bruce Harper and Bob Denver. His size makes him the most powerful defender on the team, but he's as courageous and determined on the pitch as he is a coward and clumsy in everyday life. Nathan Swift is the full-back of Raimon Junior High, initially part of the athletics team of his school and is convinced by Mark to devote himself exclusively to football. Nathan in some moments of the series could arouse dislikes from viewers for his resolute character and his disproportionate pride, in fact he will create many problems for his team. Tod Ironside is a small and agile defender with teeth and a long tail on his head, he is very skilled in dribbling and his speed allows him exceptional recoveries against opponents. Off the pitch, Tod does not enjoy great acclaim and is often sidelined for important decisions. Kevin Dragonfly is the striker with the most appearances in Raimon Junior High, but life has become complicated for him with the arrival of Axel Blaze in the team. In fact, Kevin finds himself having to compete with the extraordinary talent of the boy with the silver hair and struggles to carve out a leading role within the team. After various vicissitudes, however, he becomes a great friend of Axel and a reliable partner of attack. Maxwell Carson is the strange character that we see before the inaugural match of the series between the Royal Academy and Raimon Junior High, his peculiarity is to wear a funny headdress during the matches, he is in the world of football for little, but he has a great desire to learn and his willing character will be very useful to his purpose. Silvia Woods is the manager of Raimon Junior High, sunny and available always offers her contribution when it comes to raising the spirits of the players, as can be assumed from the first episodes Silvia has a weakness for Mark and this little sentimental intertwining is without another added value brought to the series. Ray Dark, the Royal Academy coach, is the villain on duty, although the term villain is largely an understatement. Ray is highly self-centered, cannot stand defeat and takes downright evil actions against his opponents. His background is full of interesting ideas, it seems that it has to do with the disappearance of David Evans, or Mark's grandfather. In our enumeration of the main characters, we have deliberately omitted some character traits derived from events of which it will be up to you to learn about them as the episodes flow.

Inazuma Eleven's teams
In the first episodes of the cartoon the teams to keep in mind are basically 3: the Raimon Junior High, the Royal Academy and the feared and very strong Zeus. As the episodes pass, our protagonists will have to deal first with regional teams, then with national ones and finally with world-class teams and it is about these that we want to list some of them, as they are the most interesting ever. The main world teams that will face our heroes will be: Knights of Queen (England), The Empire (Argentina), Fire Dragon (South Korea), Unicorn (USA), Big Waves (Australia), Red Matador (Spain) and of course the Orpheus (Italy). England is captained by number 10 striker Edgar Partinus and uses two special techniques: Invincible Lance and Invincible Knights. Argentina is captained by defender number 2 Tiago Torres and uses the tactic called the death trap of the Andean ant. South Korea is led by midfielder captain number 7 Chan Su-Che and has the ultimate tactic in terms of pressing, the perfect pressure zone. The USA are captains from midfielder with the number 9 Mark Kruger jersey and their deadly tactic is thunderous thunder. Australia is captained by the playmaker with the Nice Dolphin number 9 shirt and the asphyxiating bunker tactic is their lethal weapon. Spain have number 5 defender Victor Garcia as their captain and their best tactic is the slingshot. Italy is captained by Christopher Nicols, midfielder with the number 7 shirt, curious how the Japanese name of the Italian captain is Hidetoshi Nakata, the famous Japanese player who won the Scudetto with the Roma shirt. Many names of the Orpheus team can be traced back to the real players of our national team: goalkeeper Gigi Blasi (Gianluigi Buffon), midfielder Anton Gattuso (Gennaro Gattuso), defender Marco Maseratti (Marco Materazzi) and attacking midfielder Gianluca Zanardi (Gianluca Zambrotta ).

Structure of the episodes of Inazuma Eleven
Now let's talk about how the episodes of this Japanese cartoon are structured. The Inazuma Eleven saga includes 127 episodes divided into 3 series. In the first series, episodes from 1 to 26 will be broadcast, in the second from 27 to 65 and in the third from 66 to 127. Each series will be represented by a fundamental plot that we will immediately illustrate. The first series of Inazuma Eleven is entirely dedicated to building the Raimon Junior High team as a function of participation in the Footall Frontier championship. In this series we will be able to witness the events of the past of some protagonists (Axel above all) and the matches that will face Mark and his companions in search of the final triumph. The second series centers on the alien threat brought by the Alius Academy, a football club made up of intergalactic aliens determined to destroy the earth through its football branches around the world. The latest series is an absolute masterpiece: Mark and other players will be selected to participate in the Football Frontier International, the most prestigious football championship in the world. In the latter series, the team led by the young Evans will face the strongest teams on the international football scene: Australia, USA, Spain, England, Italy and many others. The objective of the Japanese selection is to obtain the title of world champion, will they succeed?

Criticism
After the examination of all the technical and non-technical features of Inazuma Eleven, an anime made in the East, it is fair to ask if its vision is worth it. The simplest and most immediate answer that we would like to provide is yes! As mentioned in the previous introductory lines, it is not easy to see animated products on television with such narrative complexity and action spectacularity. Given the times in which we find ourselves, where special effects dominate undisputed in sectors such as cinema, video games and of course also cartoons, Inazuma Eleven aims to be the right compromise between the desire for spectacle and the emotional one of viewers. The exceptional and sometimes bizarre evolutions of the players could make the purists of the genre turn up their noses, but the care with which they were made, not to mention the extraordinary inventiveness of the authors given the present number, is absolutely worthy of praise. The drawings grow in complexity and originality as the episodes go by and the animations are all technically perfect (it doesn't matter if they are improbable, it is always a cartoon). The games are always very exciting and never go on for many episodes, great merit of the writers who do not limit a series to a few matches. Spectacular aside is the plot of Inazuma Eleven that makes it special, the story of Mark and his grandfather, that of Axel, that of the alien invasion and the world championship are extremely complex, fun, engaging and exciting. The plots that are created between the protagonists are beautiful, including stories of love, revenge, friendship and glory. Speaking of love stories, the one between Mark and Silvia is not a simple outline, but it will give emotions to viewers in the least expected moments and who knows if this does not serve as an incentive for the vision to the female audience, certainly far from the vision of an anime focused on a usually male sport such as football. Another great merit of this anime is the high number of protagonists, more protagonists means more stories to tell and we really want to emphasize that this is a cartoon dedicated to football, but it is also a respectable anime under the point. view of the development of the story off the playing field. Each character is a living witness of a different type of character and behavior, few souls can boast such a well-defined characterization of the characters who represent the heart of the story. Ultimately the greatest merit that lies behind the enormous amount of work of the makers of Inazuma Eleven, is that of not having left out any aspect in the development of the anime, all the main elements on which a cartoon is based (drawings, history, fun, action, music, personal feelings ...) are treated in every little facet.

Conclusions
We therefore recommend the vision of Inazuma Eleven to an audience passionate about football, for which football itself is not everything. The anime is aimed at an audience mature enough to be able to understand the stories, sometimes even tragic, that lie behind the experience of the protagonists, in order to be able to fully appreciate their redemption at the moment of victory. Nevertheless, you will be able to watch this cartoon without giving too much weight to the plot, in some difficult moments to understand, freely enjoying a science fiction football match or the irony that the authors have given to some behaviors and words of the protagonists. We guarantee that once you have finished watching at least the first 5 episodes you will no longer be able to not follow this anime, both for your desire for football, and to learn more and more about the protagonists' past. The time has come to take the field alongside captain Mark Evans and to witness perhaps the best anime ever created about the world of football. 1 to 0 ball in the center, good vision.

Source: www.cartonionline.com

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