Eyeshield 21

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.

I've never been the biggest fan of watching sports. I enjoy it, understand the appeal, and I can get super into it, but I've never "followed" a team or a sports season all the way through. I remember reading Eyeshield 21, however, and getting super into it, even to the point of tears at times. For years I played soccer, basketball, and hockey at different times. But long before middle school I had given them all up. Eyeshield 21 really touched the deep part within me that would've loved to be a part of the brotherhood of a serious sports team.

It's a great manga, and really showed me what a sports manga could be!

So eyeshield 21 was a manga which I had really high hopes,paricularly due to murata's art work.And so I started reading it and finished it in less than a week.One of the best things about eyeshield 21 is that its really easy to get into.Now I am not someone who can read 333 chapters in like 4 days,I get really exhausted after 100-150 chapters but eyeshield for some reason felt very easy to read and I appreciate it.

I am not veteran when it comes to sports manga.The only sports manga I read are slam dunk(its the best in my opinion) and haikyu.Reading eyeshield I felt like this was more unrealistic than the other two and this one had more energy than the other two.

In terms of character,I liked Hiruma kun and kid san the most.Both felt like they controlled the story whenever they were on screen and both were intelligent and more charismatic than most of the other characters.

Now coming to the best aspect of the show,I think that this show has one of the best villains in a sports manga that I've read up to now,Agon.
No,he's not the kind of villain whom you can relate to but the kind of ones that you want to get defeated so bad

The best match in the entire manga was devil bats against agon's team,it was very good.

So coming to the part of the manga which I truly hated.So in the previous two paragraphs I talked about the villains in the manga.In any other sports manga,I never felt like the opposing team was the villain.They always felt like they just wanted get to the same goal as the main team.

Potraying most of the opposite as downright villains we really want them to lose and if these villain teams defeat the devil bats,it will be realy anticlimactic.But the manga never felt like it would go in that direction.So most of the tournaments felt predictable.

This was not the only problem I had with the manga.Rather than going on the usual realistic depiction of a sport,they decided to make the manga as shonen as possible.Like bleach,naruto etc were the mc becomes the strongest character in the world,here also it felt like this rookie guy who came to play american football for some reason became one of the strongest players (in highschool) in american football(not in just japan that is,in the entire world)
I really wish the last arc would've been avoided it felt really forced and did not contribute much to the main characters in devil bats team

This is a MUST READ (if not the BEST) sports manga, even though you might have no idea what American Foorball is. The best things I like about Eyeshield 21 is Characters' Development, which I give a 10/10:

Most sports manga have characters who are gifted or simply acquire some 'special traits' that make them suitable: Sawamura, Kuroko, Hanamichi,... Eyeshield 21 brings up a game where even the weekest player, or someone without any talent, can become the star. Not to mention, every character in the series have a lot of chances to shine and development.

Because the nature of American Football, where a team requires players specializing in one field (Speed, power, technique, catching, tactics, etc.), and there are a lot of one-on-one situations happening on the field, no character is neglected, and the intensity of the series come with, two words, tactics. Like One Outs, the author builds the best character of all time (in my opinion), Hiruma Yoichi, who overcome any hardship and CLUTCH situations using trick plays. Hiruma Yoichi is one hell of a genius, in comparison with great mind like L , Light and Lelouch. However, the fun thing is that his tactical plays come from hardcore practice, which bring the whole team together.

Story: 9.5/10 - The action throughout the game is every intense, while the tournament bracket is full of surprise. The author sets up for the team, SPOILER ALERT, to lose early at the very first game, so that the team can go training early and ready for their final tournament. So, yes, you will not be let down from cliffhangers like in Diamond no Ace. The plot twist in the manga is real, and it occurs very unexpectedly (according to all the comments I read). And the manga gave you goosebumps on every one-on-one situation.

Drama/Romace: 9/10 - There is actual drama/ romance relationships between a few characters in the manga. And they are very satisfying (Definitely better than Nise Koi).

Art: 10/10 - This comes from the artist of One Punch Man. So if you saw OPM first, you would see some characters with similar designs (Not Saitama, though).

Sportslike? - at least 9/10 - Of course, it is manga. So it is understandable that Japanese high school players can be a little bit overpowered. However, it is actually not at the level of UNREAL actions like PRINCE OF TENNIS. Many of the actions in the series are actually seen in many NFL games, though not usually. The timing where the new skills come up in the game definitely make you scream like any sports fan. My enjoyment with this manga makes me re-read it at least 5 times.

Comedy - 9/10 - If you feel OPM funny, then the comedy in this series is around that level.

SPOILERS ALERT - My disappointment is that Hiruma Yoichi is not annouced MVP. However, the game vs. American showed us his worth. And rumors said that Hiruma Yoichi is actually the MVP of that game and given the opportunity to play football in US, but he gives it to Sena in the end.

What makes this manga enjoyable is primarily the characters and the comedy that is associated with them.

Of course the story tends to follow that of any regular team sports story and as with some shounen sports series like Prince of Tennis, we some impossible moves but when reading this manga all you really concentrate on are the well placed cliffhangers and the enjoyment you get from reading how the protagonists prevail in the next few chapters.

This is probably the only sports manga I have gone back to re-read at least 3 times, simply because of it's light-hearted style, comedy and art work.

This is not a review as such. I'm sure there are many perfectly written review on this story. So, this is more like appreciation post.

I read this story repeatedly over the 4/5 years (since the first time I read it).
And believe it or not, it kinda lifted my spirit up. I became more motivated on my life because this story is so inspirational. I lead a boring life with boring work so once in a while, I need some motivation to walk through it.

Although, I admit, it IS kinda typical/classic manga where the character shout he have to do it even if it cost him his life - a bit exaggerating for me, BUT i still enjoy it and the content and the pace of the manga is just perfect.

Bless the author and the writer. Highly recommended.

Do you like American football?
Well, inform you, that this review is have some spoilers. And includes bad English. So, be ready.
SPOILER ALERT! This review is written by some idiot (Ahahaha) and don’t have any informational importance.
So, Eyeshield 21…I have many different feeling , so to put them in one review is quite a deal, but I try, nevertheless.
Story(FUNNURABA/FUNNURABA): This is story about completely ordinary shrimp, who is trying his best to become someone in his life. One day he enrolled in very special school, where he got involved in some club activity. In start, he was thinking that this will be a easy manager-like job, but he was severely wrong. Because, this shrimp is have unique leg power. And starting by this, he is left his dream to become a manager, and became a runner. With epic title – Eyeshield 21, which means a best runner from Notre-Dame University. Story is hot blooded sport shounen about dreams of everyone. Characters is need to score, or catch, or stop opponent, even if they die (Yeah, it’s that serious). Some characters speaks in tribune on speed of 4.1. yard in second. Really, they can discuss someone's biography when ball is flying, and after they done, ball is still flying.
Art(MUKYA/MUKYA): Art is great. Dynamic scenes, or daily life scenes or unrealistic scenes, it’s done on very high level. Well, it is Murata after all. That is really great – he make almost every characters looks different, so it easy to recognize them. Yeah, some characters is look unrealistic as hell, but it is fine price for individuality.
Characters: fucking: shrimp, fatty, manager, monkey, idiot, ha brothers, baldy and many of others. Characters are various, and everyone can find a favorite for himself.
BEHOLD THE SPOILERS
Overall: Eyeshield 21 is have more from shounen, than sports. It’s not bad, but if you get ready for a serious sport anime, I think you should pass the Eyeshield 21. But even without matches, Eyeshield 21 have many other things, that can be interesting. Light comedy, some drama moments and overall slice of life events – for me to read these moments sometimes is more interesting, than actual matches. And I think, that Death March is one of most interesting training arc. It have some romance – big adventure to improve himself, be ready to fight on tournament. Maybe, after this arc, I set plank too high, expecting the same quality from matches. It’s not like matches are bad, just overexaggerating and sometimes repeated. And after final match of Winter Cup is come to end – there is a great scene, where is Sena remember old TV, where everyone is wrote their dreams. Really, maybe most powerful moment for me.
So, with this, I ended my small review of this really interesting manga. Eyeshield 21 is have his up and down, but overall it is very memorable story. And my final score will be…Uguya!
«-To all little punks, who is reading this. After you read this shitty review until the end, you automatically join to a Deimon High school club of American Football!!!Kekekeke!!!!!!!!»
Final score-WE WILL KILL THEM!!!YAAAAA-HAAAA!!!!!!

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.

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?

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 !!

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

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.

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.

*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.

+ Hiruma and Kurita
These two are the most memorable characters, Hiruma is the evil genius who devised the game plan while Kurita is the gentle giant.

+ cute girls
the girls are as i have mentioned above are cute, but the author decided not to exploit this, so don't expect any fanservices.

+Diversed characters
Even the supporting characters are well developed, you will find many interesting characters

-repetitive story
It's always the same story, coming from behind story. It's okay if it only happen in 2 or 3 matches but it happened everytime.

-The story are too focused on Monta and Sena,

It a good manga, but i don't why we don't just watch NFL instead of reading this manga

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.

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?

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.

"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.

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.