Eyeshield 21

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Sports manga in general (with a few notable exceptions) branch off into two main groups - the martial group and the teamwork group. The martial sports manga (featuring boxing, judo, etc.) usually sport characters with grit and guts struggling against one another. This type of sports manga also often suffers from overemphasis of the main character and weak side characters who only serve to show how awesome the lead is by comparison. The teamwork sports manga (featuring baseball, basketball, etc.) usually sport a large, well-developed cast. At the very least, the main team of a team sports manga will have ... a lot of fleshed-out players. The downside with teamwork sports manga is that it can sometimes feel like competition-lite, and it lacks the quantity of guts displayed in martial sports.

The American Football played in Eyeshield 21 is an interesting and ultimately successful combination of the two formulas, mixing the group dynamics of a genuine team with lots of hard-on action.

I have a lot of praise for the way the sport being played is used in ES21. Football is a large sport, requiring 11 players on each side, each with a different distinct role. As a result, you always have characters other than just the mains in play, being far from useless. 22 players, though, are a bit much to focus on at one time, and this manga acknowledges that, focusing only on small portions of the playing field at any given time. We get lots of different individual, small group, and large group confrontations throughout any given game, which makes up for the fact that a game may go on for 20-30 chapters. This effectively splits up screentime among a truly massive cast in a way which neither weakens the mains nor benches the non-mains. The cast is, in addition to being in the triple-digits, extremely diverse backstory-wise, ranging from a kicker who quit his team to help his father's business to a tall reciever who's good and popular, but failing to catch up to the true genius superstar of his own team. Odds are most, if not all, people will be able to find at least one character whose background they sympathize with.

And there are mindgames. Dear me, the mindgames. Possibly the best part of this manga is how the player confrontations are set up by a diabolical mastermind of a man, Hiruma Youichi, a gun nut with dirt on half the world's population. This guy comes up with the most outlandish trick plays which are usually a surprise, totally outlandish, and always fun to watch. What's more, they often don't work, giving an added thrill of uncertainty to each play.

The basic plot of Eyeshield itself is standard fare; weak, bullied kid (Sena Kobayakawa) with hidden talent gets forced into a sport and ends up liking it. His team gets stronger with him in it and goes on to compete at high levels. Just how high is a minor spoiler. Two things here. Firstly, you can expect the Devilbats to lose quite a bit, and not just in the introductory chapters to their eternal rival. Secondly, THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BASIC FORMULA. Just because it's common doesn't mean it's a weak one. Coming-of-age stories have been selling since forever for a reason, and the basic formula needs only to be applied correctly to produce a decent piece. High-schoolers passionately fighting tooth-and-nail over one inch of turf isn't going to get old anytime soon.

Not that Eyeshield is just decent - it's consistently hilarious, thrilling, and a whole lot of fun. I would recommend trying it out to just about anyone, including the people who aren't normally predisposed towards manga. It's a shining example of what sports shonen, and shonen in general, can be when it tries.

Eyeshield 21 is a sports manga that focuses on high school students and American football. That fact alone often turns people away usually because they are not interested in sports and understandably assume a manga about sports would be uninteresting. This is far from the truth. Eyeshield 21 has such a wonderful story, good pacing and length, well developed and in depth characters, and fantastic art style that whether or not the viewer likes football is irrelevant. Those who dive into Eyeshield 21 and stick with it will most certainly have a nice payoff and will remember the series for years to come.

The focal point ... of the series is the Deimon Devil Bats team as a whole. Technically Sena Kobayakawa is the main character however almost all of the other team members are treated equally in level of importance of development. The writer, Riichiro Inagaki, also takes the time to show the other rival teams, their back stories, and what they're all about. Aside from the Deimon Devil Bats, rival teams usually only have 1-4 characters that will be named and have any sort of dialogue or back story. Throughout the series' course it introduces a wide array of characters but not too fast or too numerous that you would be overwhelmed.

Eyeshield 21 is a mixture of drama, action, and comedy. This series generally avoids ecchi, fan service, and romance. The story is deep but also simple. It's centered around a tournament and the characters walk you through it as well as walk you through each individual football match so you'll be able to moderately follow even if you're not football savvy. There are many unexpected turns and twists not just during the matches but also with the characters themselves. Riichiro Inagaki does a fantastic job at delivering a completely believable cast and world. The pacing and overall length of the series is excellent. It's not too long or too short. It gives you everything it has and doesn't overstay it's welcome. The ending is satisfactory and even gives you some bonus pages that tell you the fates of the characters.

The artist of Eyeshield 21 is Yusuke Murata. His art style starts off a bit rough and sketchy but still pleasant. Throughout the course of the series it evolves and becomes more cleaner and sharp. Murata is skilled in being able to draw different faces and body types and is able to create memorable and unique designs making the world of Eyeshield 21 all the more believable. Murata's art really makes the comedic scenes pop out and is able to so skillfully illustrate different emotions that can range from downright silly to dead serious or anything required of him. His color spreads are absolutely breath taking. Full of detail and life. He always puts all his effort into every panel of Eyeshield 21. A possible way to describe his style is "pretty shounen" or maybe "cute shounen". There's enough for those who desire a shounen look as well as those who are drawn to a sort of shojo style.


Eyeshield 21's strongest attribute is probably it's colorful characters. They come from all different walks of life all with their own goals, weaknesses, and strengths, some of which you may even be able to understand on a personal level. Some characters that you may have thought were one dimensional and easy to read will end up having more depth than you first assumed. Eyeshield 21 tackles on many different types of personalities and mindsets. You'll see examples of inferiority complexes, egotistical monsters, a strong desire to achieve, and much more. Some characters have more depth than others who sometimes just serve as support but they are just as likable as any of the fleshed out ones. The entire cast is likable and even the most cold hearted villains you'll learn to love for one reason or another. Watching these characters grow and having different kinds of people come into contact with one another and seeing who triumphs is one of the great joys of the series.

I think this series will be a nice surprise to anyone who gives it a fair shot. It provides so many desirable attributes for a manga that I wonder how someone couldn't possibly enjoy it. Great art, good story, fantastic and memorable characters, what more could you want? In comparison to every other manga I've read this has made the greatest impact on me. It will always be in my mind. I simply cannot ever forget what this series has given me. I've re-read it several times already and I will continue to do so. Most manga I don't care if I physically own or not but with this series I simply need it in physical form. Eyeshield 21 will always be that manga I recommend to all my friends and consistently praise above all else. I don't personally like football....but Eyeshield 21 managed to become my favorite manga of all time and it always will be.

First time writing a review but since this manga didn't have that many I thought I could try

Story
I think this is quite a realistic manga. Of course it's not that realistic in comedy and with what happens to the characters, but the focus, American football, is realistic. At least I think. It's hid under the veil of shounen, where all attention is given to single persons or groups at a time, where time seems to stop as people discuss about what's happening and sometimes seem to read each others thoughts while doing that. Even with all that the game is not supernatural or anything. But ... sometimes it's hard to remember what's REALLY happening, as in if the reader could zoom out and see the field like it's seen on television. Especially the formations get a bit too little attention since you can't help but sometime think "where the hell did he come from?", "what was happening in the center?". But I believe the writer knew what was happening, he just did a conscious decision to not share everything in order to make it more shounen like.
But boy does the shounen bring out some of the most epic moments. Sometimes the despair in front of practically certain loss makes you want to just give up and check how it's really going to end. Every point the enemy makes feels like someone is pulling YOUR stomach and you start to question "it's just football. It's not like you're gonna die." But that's just a fleeting thought before you remember that emotions really are powerful in sports if you're playing seriously.
The power-ups are a bit unrealistic in the sense that there is a quite strict weak-strong scale between some people. And even when it isn't that strict it's hard to notice, since those many "normal" plays aren't shown. Nevertheless, no one can change physical attributes like muscle strength with some super training overnight, often it's all about mind, will and technique. What one can do when it's just impossible to win in physical prowess.
On a side note I was a bit disappointed the hints of relationships and drama never bore any fruit.

Art
The art is very clean and good. I guess it sometimes feels bland since it's not that unique, but the quality is unyielding.
The action scenes burst with athlete's anatomy and speed, and the comedy is highlighted well with different stylizations

Character
The characters are different and there are quite many of them. Everyone have their own struggles and motives when playing football. And it's not just the protagonist's team members, Deimon Devil Bats, but other teams as well. And even those supporting characters whose stories aren't told stay true to themselves. Especially Devil Bats' quarterback Hiruma uses in a genius way his team mates and enemies personalities in his unbelievable schemes. That wouldn't work if the characters' personalities didn't work.
The Devil Bats, who are a hastily collected ragtag team, face more and more fierce enemies often so they mostly try to cope with their own weaknesses and become stronger. But still the these personal struggles often times manage to be unique and even tearjerking. And with the other characters included they'e stories are nicely versatile.

Enjoyment
In one or two matches the switching from hope to despair happened so many times it was starting to get a bit too agitating. And I thought this manga might have given more if I had played football, since it was sometimes hard to get the whole picture.
Other than that it was very enjoyable and I wanted to keep on reading.

Overall
The ending made it clear that these people will keep on playing astonishing and unbelievable matches in their universe. It's not like it ended midway but you just can't help but have a bittersweet, heartrending feeling when you think that you can never hear those stories. And that is a testimony of a fantastic manga.

I recommend reading the manga of Eyeshield 21 , because it's funnier than the anime and gives much details about all the characters ( specially of you are a fan of Hiruma )
unfortunately Eyeshield 21 anime completed and I don't know if they're making a second season of it .. but if you can't wait for that just read the manga .. Ya ha!

Eyeshield 21 is basically about a timid boy who is forced to join the high school football team by a devilish bully and a gentle giant.
At first, I didn't really want to read this manga because it was about football, which I don't really enjoy. But then, I just decided to give it a try. From the very beginning, I really enjoyed it. Eyeshield 21's characters are lovable and unique. I thought this manga was great right from the start.

Story:
I thought the story was very enjoyable. At some points, the most unexpected thing happened which made me have to keep on reading. Some things made ... me laugh so hard I started crying. When something bad happened, I started actually crying. Although the plot isn't the most original for a sports manga, I thought it was still great, so I give it a 9/10.

Art:
The artist does a good job drawing the characters, but nothing really stands out to me that much. I think the art is better than other sports manga, but compared to other shounen manga, it's quite basic, but still good. 8/10.

Characters:
Eyeshield 21 has a diverse group of characters. I can't help but love all the characters and the things they bring to the manga. The characters are what I love most about Eyeshield 21. A couple of them are a bit cliche, but are still great. The part about the characters that amazed me the most was how much they grew throughout the series. I give the characters 10/10

Enjoyment:
I thought this series was very enjoyable. Re-reading it is still fun after 2 times around. I thought every aspect of this manga was enjoyable: the characters, the jokes, the story...10/10


I highly suggest this manga to pretty much everyone. It's great, so just give it a try even though it is about football. Who knows? This manga may be better than you think it is. That's what happened to me.

Eyeshied 21 is an American Football themed manga where a few hopefuls try to recruit and mature a team together for their joint goal of becoming the national champions.

[10] : Art

Thankfully the art of Eyeshield 21 is at the top of it's genre. Amazing action sequences, along with detailed shading and unique characters. The art will keep you reading long enough to appreciate the series even if a football-themed manga didn't initially appeal to you. Being a shounen series naturally there are "special moves," which are brought to life in an imaginative manner with this great art style.

[9] : Character

I feel like ... in the Eyeshield 21 universe, each character comes across as unique. The design for each character is well done, and overall very impressive. Where the character department starts to earn more of an 9, as opposed to a 10, is lack of development for certain characters (main characters not on the football team). The motivations for the characters although straight forward are well represented, and there isn't much room for criticism. There are certain areas that could have been expanded on, but despite it's length the series remains very on-task and I feel like some character backgrounds were left short deliberately, which didn't take away from the story as a whole. I felt one well-done and essential element to the characters was how they were introduced. In order for it to feel believable, there was often set-up before they faced each new team. The preview of characters talents or given examples of their notoriety in a natural sensible way, before they came into contact with the main cast, made it so you as a reader could be accepting of their power level (a level you identify that the main characters have worked so hard to achieve).

[9] : Story

The story for Eyeshield 21 is superb. The primary goal for the main characters is to become national champions, and in order to accomplish it they need to assemble a football team. The story follows the characters as they at first merely try to find fillers so they themselves can participate and carry their team. However, it develops as they find individuals with specific talents to compliment a certain role of the team. With each of the characters coming on board for their own reasons in this well-known "join up" style of story building (used in other manga such as One Piece, or Yu-Yu Hakusho) the team is finally given shape. More than just any of the characters individual dreams or motivations alone, they give their all for the sake of each other and the team as they innovate, train, and face opponents on and off the field. If this style of storyline progression appeals to you as it does to me, you're in for a real treat as Eyeshield 21 executes it in impressive and compelling fashion.

[10] : Overall

All in all, Eyeshield 21 is a very well drawn manga that goes far beyond it's underestimated sports-anime genre. It's compelling storytelling coupled with all the bad-ass shounen elements readers have come to love ingrained into these unique characters keeps the series in my personal top 5.

One of the best sports manga I've ever read, and will always be.

Eyeshield 21 is like the most awesome thing in this world. Oh my god.

Got absolutely no knowledge nor passion for American Football? Doesn't matter. Football might as well be your favorite sport after finishing this manga.

Story - ES21 tells the story of our protagonist Sena Kobayakawa. He, like most shounen anime protagonists, is extremely weak, good-for-nothing, and is constantly bullied. The premise is actually very interesting, because Sena developed a skill which matches him being constantly bullied! Yes, the skill lies within his pair of legs.

Sena has always been special since the start, ... but being special doesn't mean that he has to be invincible. No, Sena tastes a lot of crushing defeat throughout this story, but nevertheless he just keeps on getting up, continue to fight on, and in the end emerges victorious. And it's not just Sena who's fighting, it's all of his teammates. It's the whole Deimon Devil Bats. Each members has their own story and their own passion.

The execution is BEAUTIFUL. This could probably be the most passionate sports series out there. All of the matches are amazing and you can go around re-reading it for many, many times. It is really weird how the duo mangakas could make all of them very interesting and even though there is a lot of them in this manga, none of them feels repetitive. Each of the matches are unique in their own way. The matches also have perfect length, just the perfect bit of drama, and as always, the satisfying conclusion. It shows how even when the team's on the brink of defeat, they can always get up and NAIL IT!! (with regards to common sense still)

The techniques. Sports mangas ought to have weird techniques, and what's really weird of this manga is: the godlike techniques don't seem weird at all... Maybe it's due to the explanation given, but at any rate, it's actually pretty realistic if you think about it (minus the weird visual effects of course). Some, well, like Don, might seem very unrealistic but hey, you can't take mangas too seriously.

The ending might seem really vague, especially the last match they have together (not gonna tell, read it read it READ IT YOU'LL REGRET NOTHING!!), but I think it's fine just the way it is. It left us kinda wondering at the end, so I would consider it a good cliffhanger ending.

Can't believe I have blabbered this much JUST for the story, but in short: the story is fricking awesome.

Art - Holy sh*tting goodness, the art is wonderful. The first 8 volumes will probably keep you "lol the art" but on the later volumes, oh my god once again: it's beautiful. One of the best art improvement I've ever seen. The later art looks really masculine and the techniques are very easy to understand. I really love how the movement just flows and it's like we can see the pictures moving. Even the anime couldn't animate this better. Yusuke Murata is pure genius. If you have read One Punch Man before ES21 you'll probably get blown away by the improvement.

Character - We have tons of characters here. Aside from the unique traits of each individual, the character development is also really great. Monta, after letting go of his longtime ambition, finally finds his true life on American Football. Hiruma learns to trust others and leave his back to his teammates. Kurita learns to, even though he's kind, to fight fiercely in order to protect what he cares for. The trio gets to understand their passion. Sakuraba matures and he leaves his old life behind to fully dedicate himself to being an athlete. And most of all, the one who grows up the most, is Sena, who throughout this series has grown, from a weak-willed boy into a very formidable young man with solid dreams, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to reach that dream of his.

Enjoyment - This is no doubt my favorite manga ever and I fully enjoy this. I mean, a LOT. Maybe the first 5 volumes will get you bored but believe me after volume 9, it is all action and it's freaking awesome. It gets better after each chapter, and all of the matches are very intriguing they will surely keep you glued to your seat.

To sum up from this longass review (the longest I've ever written): if you haven't read this manga, READ IT. It is a masterpiece.

I will keep it simple, it is much better than the animated version. I would suggest taking the time to read it.
The story is funnier, more attention to details regarding the game play and tactics.

"It's a sports manga, why would I enjoy it?" This is probably the first question that enters your mind if you know nothing about Eyeshield 21 except that it's based on American football. The fact that it's based on American football may drive you away from the series.
One thing I can tell you is, you are right. But it's more than American football, and I guarantee that you will be sucked into this series just like I was. Not only will you be thoroughly entertained, but you will find yourself picking up on the rules of American football throughout the entire series.

This rather entertaining story ... focuses on the weak-willed protagonist, Sena, who has an uncanny ability to run. This catches the eye of the quarterback of Deimon High's football team, Hiruma, who forces Sena onto the team. Little does Sena know that his speed will eventually bring together a formidable football team that becomes somewhat of a rather dysfunctional family. Together, they endure brutal training and seemingly impossible games against various notable teams, which each bring an experience like no other.

A hilarious story requires hilarious characters, and Eyeshield 21 provides some extremely well developed characters that won't be like any other. From the maniacal mastermind Hiruma, whose strategic ways will leave you jaw dropping or laughing, to the overeager teddy bear Kurita (known for his large structure as well as having a chestnut-shaped head), each character brings something unique into the story that ultimately circle around our main protagonist and their football team.

The artwork is just unbelievable. Artist or not, you'll take notice of the over exaggerated perspective when the characters are out on the field, from their stances to their sprints. Despite these over exaggerations, they do nothing but complement the series. Prepare to be in awe of Yuusuke Murata's detail in characters, scenery, anatomy, and games.

Enjoyment can really go in different directions. I find myself developing an interest in American football, making the story all the more enjoyable. However, if the sports didn't attract your attention, then comedy will, as the manga is chock full of it. Either way, I find it almost hard to believe that you wouldn't enjoy this unless you were absolutely against laughing and American football... which in that case, I'm going to ask, why are you reading this?

Overall, Eyeshield 21 is what it portrays: American football. However, don't dismiss it as merely just that. There's more to it than meets the eye, and such an underrated series deserves more attention for an outstanding job in story, art, and characters.

Taken from my recommendation post (with accompanying picture snaps) on http://sekijitsu.com/2010/03/09/recommendation-eyeshield-21/

The Hard Sell: If you are automatically turned-off by the fact that this is a sports manga, you are missing out on something much, much more. I know plenty of people who won’t even give this manga a chance because of the premise. Hopefully I am able to convince some of you that sports is just the outer layer of this series, since it is actually much deeper than that. If not, I don’t think it would have stood a chance in the highly-competitive world of JUMP, where rankings are king and new series get ... dropped so often that it’s saddening. For a manga which focuses on the relatively-unpopular American Football (at least outside America), for it to stay serialized for 300+ chapters is astounding, and has actually helped to boost the sport in Japan.

You don’t even need to be a fan of the sport. When I first picked this up, I was actually just starting to get into American Football, as I was interested in the sport after watching “Longest Yard”. This manga helped me understand it more, as it builds up on the rules slowly but surely, acting as a helping hand for newbies to the sport. You don’t even need to understand it to love it, as I know some others who read it out of pure love for it’s characters and comedy. For those who want to know more about the sport, I can’t recommend an easier and entertaining way than to read this, as I’ve pointed plenty of people to ES21 when they ask me of the sport.

The Characters: The thing that you can pick up on right from the first chapter is the easy-going attitude of the series. It’s not serious (although there are plenty of those moments later on), as it is quite a light-hearted take on the sports-genre. It is definitely no Slam Dunk (arguably the greatest sport manga ever) but what it lacks in seriousness it more than makes up for in humor and character (although SD has plenty of those as well). The characters all have their quirks and the mangakas do not hesitate on blowing them up. Take the main character for example, Sena Kobayakawa. An unassumingly weak character, he is seen as the victim of bullies early in the story. He even needs to rely on his female childhood friend, Mamori Anezaki, for protection and help. The only thing he has going for him is his inhumane speed, which he ends up using to run errands for others rather than to fend bullies off. He was also forced to join the Football team, but learned to grow as a person through the hardships of teamwork and battle. A cliched rise really but the way at which he climbed up to the top is the stuff of legends, as I’m sure plenty of readers will agree on.

Then there is the fan favorite Hiruma. He is the unique one of the bunch, as he is mainly viewed as the cunning and devilishly wicked leader of the team. What he lacks in physical prowess he more than makes up for in cunning plays, laser vision and genius tactical knowledge. He may seem like a horrible person on the outside but later on we learn that he is a great leader, someone who is willing to sacrifice everything for the cause of the team, as well as his comrades. He doesn’t show this freely but the team knows this and by using his devilish and shocking facade, he is able to build the team up from scratch and into a formidable squad. Also, his antics and way of doing things are hugely entertaining, as I’m sure you’ll find out in the images I posted along with this entry.

These two are just some of the colorful characters that you will learn to love through your reading. If you think these guys are awesome, wait till you see the rivals they face. All of them exude originality and confidence, and the designs never fail to amaze as everyone looks amazing and non-generic. If you like Bishies or even hot cheerleaders, look no further as there are no shortages of either of these in Eyeshield 21. For the ladies out there who need a little push, here are some of the bishies up for show (don’t worry guys, there’s some for us here too).

The Humor: The humor is what I’d like to describe as slapstick, since it is pretty crazy the lengths that the characters go through to give us our laughs. Since the main team the Devilbats are essentially a bunch of misfits that band together after blackmails and threats, you can expect that their teamwork will be shoddy at best in the beginning. This itself leads to some very funny moments, since there are clearly factions within the team that don’t really like each other. Couple this with the fact that Hiruma rules with an iron-first (or more accurately, weapons of mass destruction), you can expect a good laugh whenever the team doesn’t go through the plays that they should (since 95% of the team don’t even know the sport nor the rules when they first joined).

Most of the laughs come from our very own Devilbats but their rivals also get into the act at times. A key piece of rival team Oujou Knight, Ootawara is a stereotypical all brawn, no brain player, as he often finds himself butt-naked no matter what the situation. While this may seem childish, it just shows the range of the comedy available as every player is susceptible to a bout of craziness themselves. The comedic duo of Monta and Sena, the one-man show Hiruma, the huh-huh rivalry, the perverted helpers, the technologically-challenged genius and plenty more show just how crazy this ensemble really is, and I am sure that they will manage to tickle your funny bone, no matter how hard-headed or mature you claim to be.

The Art: Oh gawd, the art. This is what initially drew me in, since I am as crazy an art-whore as any. The Eyeshield artstyle is easily my favorite since it is the perfect blend of shouneny clean lines and intricate attention to detail. Whoever thinks that drawing about American Football is easy has to be delusional, since it is waaay harder to illustrate than say soccer or basketball. Since there are 22 players on the field, the amount of players drawn as well as details such as stadiums and uniforms make it so hard to illustrate, especially since Eyeshield is a weekly serialization. With the amount of detail going into each character and their gear (the helmets themselves are notoriously hard to draw, and that doesn’t take into account the shading and tinting), it is mindboggling how the mangakas are able to keep this up week-in-week-out for over 300 chapters.

The style at which the character faces and physiques are drawn are also perfect to a T in my book, since there are no characters that look remotely alike. The character and uniform design is just unique and refreshing, and they do not even resemble characters from any other mangas. The originality alone makes it easy to stand out from the crowd, and with the amount of characters there are in this manga (easily ranging in the 50+), I’m at a lost for words at how creative you must be to think them up. Another good thing is that the manga develops it’s own style very early in the series, since you can see the improvements in every chapter. While the first chapter isn’t much to write home about, come chapter 20 or so there is a markedly noticeable difference.

Because of the art, Eyeshield also gets a lot of colour pages since it is very popular. This is where the mangaka shines since he is able to use copics to illustrate things such as water and reflections beautifully. While the colour selection is not as awesome as say Amatsuki, the depth of each colour spread itself is enough to make up for this fact, since nearly every colour spread has like 10-20 characters coloured in detail. My favourite of the spreads are the ones where the lines are taken off, giving the pictures a more realistic effect. If your jaw doesn’t drop from seeing the colour images in this entry, then you’re just blind. No two ways about it.

The Epic Battles: It wouldn’t be shounen without the epic battles right? Since this is a sport manga, it definitely has it’s fair share of awesome fights. Since the Devilbats are perennial underdogs, they are always underestimated by their opponents. This may be due to the fact that the Devilbats were only formed not long before the manga started by Hiruma and his best friends Kurita and Musashi. Since the three were the only full members of the team, they needed all the help they can get, as they blackmailed and (forcefully) persuaded members from the school’s other sport teams to help them out to gain enough numbers for a proper team. This lead to some major losses and it wasn’t until their second year of high school did they stumble upon their gem, Sena. With Sena acting as the foil and team ace, they slowly but surely gained respectable and capable members to help fill the team numbers. With the growing potential of newcomers, the team improved immensely as they gained experience, with Hiruma cunningly picking the right opponents to help them fight to their limits.

Because of their rapid rise, as well as Hiruma’s cocky persona, the team gained their fair share of rivals, such as Shin of the Oujou Knights and Agon from the invincible Shinryuuji Nagas. These are just two of the best and the developing rivalry between their teams throughout the manga is very entertaining, as they go through a lot together. Sena and Shin are the ultimate rivals as they are forever improving themselves in order to catch up to the other, leading up to an insanely emotional final battle. I’m not gonna spoil too much about their journeys here but believe me when I say that the character development and the way that backstories and rivalries are fleshed out make the manga a very well-told story. If you think that this is gonna be very shallow than you’re sadly mistaken, since I actually think that there is more depth in character here than Slam Dunk. Hopefully the panels I’ve chosen for this section is enough to make you tempted, since they are just a sample of what you can expect.

CONCLUSION: Hopefully what you’ve read so far has been enough of a push for you to give this great series a chance. I personally guarantee that you will like it and even if you don’t, I’m sure the art still made it a worthwhile experience. Since the manga is really light-hearted and not too intense, it is very easy to get into so don’t feel too afraid that it is based on a sport that you don’t know anything about. If you do give it a read and end up loving it, I’d love to hear your comments and we can hopefully discuss about the stuff that we loved. Promoting Eyeshield was one of the main reasons why I started blogging in the first place so it has a very special place in my heart (I’ve read it 11 times now so you know that I’m crazy for it). I can only wish for it to be the same for others.

If you liked the review, you can find more of my work on my blog www.sekijitsu.com

*This review mentions the anime as well

Eyeshield 21 initially had me curious because of its premise; outside of the US and Canada, works of fiction that feature American football are next to non-existent, if not straight up unheard of. A lot of the people who liked the show/manga, much to my surprise, were also people who weren’t even remotely interested in sports anime and often mentioned just how utterly fun the whole ordeal was.

Fast forward a few years and the show faded from mainstream anime attention, having a cult following of loyal fans but otherwise largely forgotten. While randomly scrolling, I ended up marathoning 14 ... episodes, finding the show immensely entertaining but due to real-life happenings, ended up putting it on hold.

Eventually, I marathoned the anime, read the manga (from the beginning, no less) in the space of 5 days.

If there’s one sentence to sum up Eyeshield 21, it’s that it’s earnest, loveable and endearing; the manga never pretends it’s something it’s not, and not once while watching or reading was I ever disinterested or bored. It’s charming and incredibly fun to read, and everything meshes together to create a near-perfect experience with something for just about everyone.

The characters are varied, well-developed and likeable, with the manga humanizing all the opponents the main characters face and focusing on their struggles as well as the heroes. The manga’s incredibly funny and touching, and there’s no sense of mood whiplash.

This is also thanks to the incredible artwork, which does an amazing job in showing off attractive and interesting designs to all the various characters, making them easy to recognize and appealing to look at at the same time. Matches are intense and captivating, and there’s no sense that the manga is ever dragging its feet.

The one flaw the manga has (which carries over to the anime) is the presence of some…questionable, racist stereotypes. While exaggeration is something this manga does incredibly well and falls into narm charm, there are moments where it also falls into unfortunate racist stereotypes, especially a particular dynamic early on between a black player and a white coach. While the manga by no stretch of the imagination glorifies this, this can be an issue for some people.

This manga/anime is fun, energetic, engaging and above all something that just about anyone can enjoy. I cannot recommend this highly enough.

Perhaps artistically, the delicate details that range from proportion, angle shots and equally detailed hair might be reflective of the author's assistance with the death note manga, which has only helped to heighten the enjoyment of this series even further for me.

A manga that can turn an indifferent artist into a rabid sports fanatic, is powerful. Eyeshield has my respect for winning me over, but moreso for delivering such a fascinating story that possessed me, as I literally pulled all-nighters just to read on to the next chapter.

Is my review biased? Any lover of a particular series would attempt at advertising what brings ... them so much joy, for it to be shared amongst others. Hiruma, Sena, Mamori, Shin and the other characters have so much of the author's personality ingrained into them, they're alive. As with the progression of time, people change-these characters mature in unpredictable ways, and in that sense, this fast-paced manga is thoroughly exciting. Repetition is hard to avoid as this is a sports manga, but with some patience, I doubt anyone can ignore this series if they recognize high quality manga.

The anime version lacks all the depth delivered here, but the animation quality is superior in the sense the motions are fluid and captivating to look at, as long as speed lines aren't in the way. I do prefer the manga, of course.

first time i heard about it .. i thought it will be a bored comic ,, because it about american football .. i think most people will say that .. but my uncle said eyeshield 21 so good and i can be love to read because he known i like comedy comics .. and his comment 100% right ,, i like to read eyeshieold 21.. and if you like comedy comic ,, you have to read eyeshield 21 !!

Well First off I'm not an amazing at this reviewing manga or anime thing yet so... I personally love Eyeshield 21. The story of Sena Kobayakawa wanting to be the best football player in Japan was ultimately interesting. The determination that he and the other players showed gave goose bumps and gave me shivers. The Art by Yusuke Murata was amazing. Only that quality could be expect from my favourite manga artist. He knows what he's doing. You could feel the emotion pouring off of the page You felt what the characters feel and more. It was so well done. The poses the character ... and everything was beast. You could tell a character was a beast by just how they looked. The way he depicted presence of a person was awesomely done. The character were fun and epic. You just couldn't help but respect everyone if them. They wor so hard to get to where they are. I felt for the characters. I love that when you feel for a character in a manga. My enjoyment for this manga was over 9000. Out of every manga I have ever read I enjoyed Eyeshield 21 the most. I don't know why that s but that is what it is. I am so glad I came across Eyeshield 21 and I hope anyone who has not read the manga yet and is reading this review, that you read it right now. Enjoy.

eyeshield 21 is the one of the best manga that can caught me off guard. the story is really unpredictable in a good way and the tension, emotion and joy is what makes this manga distinguishable from the other.

the story, which is "generic" if you read a lot of sport manga, still delivers some good and quality plot. character and plot development excels any sport manga (haikyuu etc). in eyeshield 21, we were given a good amount of explanation about the character so we can relate to them, even the ha ha brothers, the author really do a great job in that department. hiruma, ... which is the center and the most interesting character in my opinion, is really well told. we aren't getting the overpower and really genius, unbeatable character, instead, we know that hiruma, the evil and genius person, isn't invicible and untouchable at all. he has a weak side, and thats why we can relate to them.

the art is one step forward from it's time and well drawn. i even get the goosebumps because of the art. and i really enjoy the heck of it. i even get emotional and feel like i'm one of the spectator in the stadium. i really grateful to read this manga. astonishing. 10 out of 10.

Preface:
Every review I write is confronted with 3 major problems. Memory, Patience and Sense of Purpose.

1 - My memory is horrible, writing a review on a certain subject implies mastering that subject to a certain extent. And that, personally, requires revisiting, noting and re-reading. Activities that I usually practice, but it requires the use of the second part, patience.

2 - To write a review, I need to write primarily in my native language (Portuguese) to then translate into English, an unfortunate submission to the Anglo-Saxon imperialism that I face with each text on a foreign website. To ensure that my analysis is not nullified by ... bad grammar and the fear of judgment of being considered an illiterate, enormous care is put into this part, even if in a limited way. All this requires from me a huge effort both creative, intellectual and willingness, simply to write, regardless of the quality of what was written.

3 - This is the most difficult, I cannot produce anything when I do not feel that I will be relevant or differentiated in some way (apart from academics works that I am obliged to do even without wanting to). That is, it is not easy to produce something new and interesting from scratch. Something new is usually impossible, something interesting is unfortunately even more beyond my range.

Now, what allows me to produce this Review? The complete disregard for the three rules I set for myself. I made an effort of revisiting and memorizing, which I don't usually do. I am having patience and spending my time on an activity that many would consider useless, making a point of being prolix enough and producing countless lines of text introducing my experience with writing and so far, with zero mention of the reviewed work. Finally, choosing now to finally address what should be addressed, to recognize that my review will not be spectacular or new at all, but that even so, compared to the horrible and amateurish level of the other reviews on this site, my amateurish and horrible review will be an amateurishly and horribly superior review to those that have already been produced here.

Concluding, not the Review, concluding the introduction to my review. I like to write, and today I decided to write about Eyeshield 21, a manga published in 2002, in the Japanese Magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump, written by Riichirou Inagaki and drawn by Yuusuke Murata. The division of this work will not be the conventional one, divided by arcs or moments, doing that would be, personally, both tedious and unnecessary. I will not enumerate and categorize things like a bot. There is no separation between "art: rating 9", "characters: rating 8". If you do something like that, you are a complete and total dumbass, not wanting to be rude, sorry. Now, regarding scores... they are useless. They serve only as a north of direction, not as an end or something defining. But well, if you care so much about little numbers, if I were to categorize, Eyeshield would be in my parameters an ''8", the spoiler is given. However, you will notice at the end that I will give it a top grade, the maximum. Why? Because I can and because I want to. That way it draws more attention and raises your expectation, read it and create your own experience. Maybe the 100 is exaggerated, I think so too, or maybe not, but then you will have to read it and correct me. Anyway, it would not be an unfair grade. If it is good it is 10 if it is bad it is 0. Let's stick to this monochrome world for now.

Now, more important than an empty number, is to understand what this story wanted to tell me, if it succeeded, and if it did, how well it succeeded. Then we can, together, decide whether or not it was a good read, if my time was well spent, because if it was used in a good way, it will not have been a waste of time. And how could I develop this if not through my personal experience in a totally partial and subjective way? After all, there is no objectivity in art, implying that there is a wrong would imply that there is a right, and the other way around, and this does not exist at all when it comes to art. Well.

Eyeshield 21 - Three acts
Act 1 - Power of friendship

How do you ensure the motto of the magazine that shelters you, ''Perseverance, Friendship, Victory'', without establishing bonds of friendship, and perseverance towards victory. Nothing embraces this more than Sena and its friends. Nothing here is handed out, nothing is given. If you watch American Football, you know well that there are positions that matter more and which matter less, which receives more importance and which receives less importance . This information I pulled out of my head, my experience following the sport is null, it was the manga of Inagaki/Murata that made me create interest in the art of the oval ball. I will support the Denver Broncos, they have a cool logo. Back to the point, everything is earned, nothing is handed out on a plate. We see a cast carefully assembled, it's poetry, nothing is more beautiful than seeing the careful importance that each character receives throughout the Mangá, each position matters, each member is added to the group over time, slowly, with patience, in a cohesive, natural and organic way, in a genuine manner. Concluding this story and seeing where each one has come, seeing where this same group started from, what they have accomplished, is the satisfaction that can only be achieved by a story that pours passion for its cast, successfully accomplishing the non-simple writing exercise, the good character development. This of course is not limited to the main core of heroes, in a sports manga, rivalry is as important as brotherhood, confrontation, dispute, your enemy is as necessary as, if not more, than your ally. Naturally, its development is of equal importance, and again, seeing its outcome makes us reflect how well written the whole journey was.


Fernand Braudel can brilliantly explain even this, knowing that the ''histoire événementielle'' reveals little to us other than the analysis of the present fact, reflecting Eyeshield 21 as a whole, from beginning to end, through the ''longue durée'', allows us to understand the passion and importance that each character, however small, has for the whole story and its message, as a unity. Ok this was extremely forced, it was just to show that I am reading The Mediterranean. Im so cool right?!


Act 2 - Winning and Winning

Sport, competition, in its very essence, survives through cruelty and the need to overcome the loser. What would be the second place if not only the first loser? What conquers those who are left behind on the journey, what is left for the defeated, or even worse, for the one who has lost before even having the chance to compete, whether out of fear or inability. It is not about recognizing the cruel insignificance of the defeated, but recognizing that this is the only goal, victory, always victory, above all else. Just as the Buddhism teaches us not to fear the inevitable death, Eyeshield teaches us not to fear defeat, but to embrace it. The loser is not glorified, the loser does not receive flowers, he receives purely defeat. What he will do with it, is what makes the total difference, whether the cycle ends in it, or will become a step towards victory, the defeated will only be a defeated during this crucial decision.


Act 3 - Do or Die, Misery or Glory

To the defeated, oblivion, to the conqueror, the next battle awaits. Glory is temporary and the next opponent presents itself, the path of a winner is endless, there is always the next opponent, and for the elite, the battle is to stay in the elite. It is truly never ending. And it fails to conclude those who believe that victory or defeat matters more than anything else; just as the journey matters more than the destination, the challenge, the battle, matters more than the outcome.


The challenger, trying to prove himself the best, even though he isn't, and not being, seeking to be, is what matters. To assert oneself, to test oneself, to challenge oneself, is the duty and destiny of the sportsman, it is his path, and it is where Eyeshield 21 resides.

Not-conclusion - The influence on reality


It is clear to an attentive reader that more than anything else, Eyeshield twenty one has been influenced by reality. The 2023 campaign of the Miami Heat, in heroic fashion the 8 seed reached the NBA finals, in a totally discredited manner, as did the young athletes from a humble Kanto school. Everything is very evident, Hiruma and his injury and persisting on the court, just like Jimmy Butler in the series against the New York Knicks, the leader, even injured, on the court giving support to his teammates. Wonderful how reality influences our experiences and the experience of great works. The entire run of the Deimon Bats closely resembles the South Florida basketball team, it was wonderful to realize that. If you did not realize even that, I am sorry for your lack of ignorance. You lack intellectual baggage. I don't blame you for that failure, I blame you if you stop informing yourself from here on out. #HeatNation
Yes-conclusion - Conclusion (for real)

Just as Blue Lock exposes in a not so subtle and superficial way the selfishness within sport, we can project the same idea, in an extremely superior and improved way in Eyeshield. Sport is the selfish desire to be the best, to overcome the opponent. And just like the selfishness of the sportsman, it also shines through in his reader. My desire to produce the best review aligns with Sena's goal to become the best Running back, Monta's to be the best Wide Receiver. That's what sports is all about. Compete, sweat, be better than your opponent, or if not, don't chicken out and try to be anyway. You can absorb what you want from a story, you can project and interpret it in the way you want, just as Musashi managed to become the best Kicker, other athletes seek to overcome him, challenge him, stop him in different ways. We express ourselves and find different responses in the face of adversity, never without giving up, It is always better to fail by giving it your all than not trying at all.


The duo Murata and Inagaki with few flaws and many merits recreate and apply with exquisite all the classic bases of the supreme sports genre, one of the most delicious aspects of our favorite media. The beauty of sport, the beauty of competition, the frustration, the pain of the pursuit of victory, the desire to rise above all. Eyeshield 21 addresses everything and a little more, never forgetting its macro or its micro. A reading that, did not prove to be a waste of my time at all.

I'm straight off of an Eyeshield 21 high as I just finished it not too long ago (its been a few minutes). Eyeshield 21 is the story of a bullied nobody coming into his own through friendship, drive, and an amazingly non-defeatist attitude. Sena isn't a pathetic loser nor is he a gifted genius. He has determination and will. Therein lies his strength. Whether you like America football or not, ES21 is a great story. The characters, both Sena's teammates and adversaries, are memorable and the manga is very funny. Slapstick humor, rousing speeches, and an improvement strategy that never gets old - it's a ... very easy manga to get into and stay engaged with. Self-consciousness, inferiority complexes, superiority complexes, the struggle between innate talent versus hard work, discrimination, and the power of friendship are all explored with much more. The artwork is pretty fantastic and each page is filled with some sort of action or point of interest. Being unfamiliar with American football won't hold you back from enjoying it as there are seamlessly flowing basic explanations of the game. The cleverness of the plays, the charm of the characters, and the seriously hilarious parts of the manga are complemented by areas of turmoil and character maturity. And you're always left wondering how the characters will face adversity next. What will be there next route of growth?

I'm not normally big on writing reviews for things that seem to already have a lot of fans, but this is an exception. THIS is Eyeshield 21.

Where to begin? I guess I should really start by saying this: Before this manga, I couldn't care less about ANY sport let alone American Football. Sure, I knew the rules and had seen a few games, but I never thought it possible that the game could feel like more then just big headed idiots crashing into each other. I was dead wrong.

Story? Enter Sena, high school freshman who spent his life running away. He never expected to be ... scouted by Deimons American football club. He REALLY never expected to enjoy it! Under the guise of Eyeshield 21, the story follows not only Sena's struggle to make the lie of his title a reality, but the fight to make the dreams of three friends come to fruition. Along the way, Sena, QB Hiruma, and LB Kurita are joined by a wacky cast of characters, each one adding to the team in numbers, rivals, or skill. Deimons goal? The Christmas Bowl! But just how far can they climb? In short, maybe the story had a basis of the age old under dogs fighting for the top, but they put such a spin on it, you can't help but be drawn in!

The characters in Eyeshield 21 are unforgettable. I know I personally struggle to remember characters names (especially when they are all in Japanese and not particularly short). The fact that I can remember the name of every major character in that comic is amazing (I'd like to point out that there are at least a good 20 key characters or more in the story (11 on Deimon alone)). Thats how memorable every personality was! From the violent gun collector Hiruma, to the passive and honest Kid, to the mighty lineman Gaoru, to the smooth talking Kicker Kotaru. Just a few examples of the colorful personality of the Eyeshield cast. Even the people like Mamori are hard to forget.

Art. One of the best things to me was that, even with characters that looked similar (like Kakei and Takuto) you could still understand which one was which with out reading the speech bubble. It takes a lot of talent to be able to draw the action of a sport on the still pages of a manga. But the artist greatly exceeded my expectations there. Every move from Shin's Trident Tackle to Riku's Rodeo Drive, Even Sena's Devil Bat Ghost, was drawn so well, it was like you could see the move before your eyes. Such vivid illustration really helped the story come to life. After all, the characters and story can be perfect, but it's useless if you can't depict it.

All and all, this has got to be my favorite manga. With me, taking out everything for the top spot isn't easy, but Eyeshield deserves it. I was sad to see it end, but completing it was a journey! I defiantly recommend this to anyone and everyone. If you're into football, don't pass it up, and if you aren't, read it anyway. You never know how much something can surprise you.

Eyeshield 21 is the perfect example of how the sports genre can be so good! But let's go by parts:

The story of Eyeshield 21 is based on the standard sports premise of a talented rookie breathing new life and strength into a weak team, but the story is so well told that the feeling of predictability and repetition is not there.
The combats are very well constructed, in a way that the main team's true moment of glory is completely natural. In addition, the author's ability to tie ends and highlight the characters throughout the work is impressive, it really gives the feeling that there was ... always control of the story that was being told.
A special mention for the final arc, the idea was very complex and yet it was well executed in a way that all the characters had their relevance well done.

The characters are great, being charismatic and well developed.
Initially, the author wanted to make them very cartoonish where their personalities were based on the symbol their school represented which made them uninteresting. However, little by little this changes where they embody symbolically in their ways of being that make things more fun instead of obvious... The pride of a dragon, the ferocity of a dinosaur, the quick pass like a shot, etc.
Another important thing is how the development of all the characters is constant, not just coming down to the main group but to the entire team. That way, the clashes become even more involved... Seeing the secondary character who starts out as irrelevant and getting to the point of creating himself as one of the biggest opponents is powerful.

The art is by Yusuke Murata, not much else needs to be said. Intense matches, strong expressions and everything that needs to be done at the highest level.

The protagonist, Sena, grows absurdly during the story in a way that he is one of the best things in the manga. Initially cowardly and fearful, until progressively being the spiral that engulfs the entire football dynamic.

Finally, Eyeshield 21 is a sports manga that brings the best it can offer. Characters, story, gameplay is of the highest order being skilfully carried through to the end.

to be honest, i dont remember why i pick up this manga, whatever the reason, i know this : i havent regretted it!

the story, an underdog team, make up of various outcasts characters aim to to the impossible, win the championship title, sound like every other sport manga right? trust me, it's not ^^

sure, the theme and story arent really original, but what's original, are the characters: -

from the Devil Commander Hiruma, the true underdog Sena, and various other interesting supporting characters, and their dream of doing the impossible :)

regardless whatever the reason, if you hate sport manga(like i do), i guarantee ... this sport manga will make up wish you had the chance to play american football! truly the best sport manga, if it make one want to play it no?