| | |  | STUDIO GHIBLI LIBRARY | Home » » » Eyeshield 21, Vol. 1 | | | | | | | Product Promotions: | | | | | Description: | | The underdog-with-exceptional-ability-makes-good plot is typical of boys' manga, but seeing another country's view of a great American competitive sport—in this case, football—provides added entertainment. Since football isn't a popular sport in Japan, Sena Kobayakawa's school's team only has two players: Ryokan, a large, friendly boy who dreams of someday competing in the Christmas bowl game, and Hiruma, the quarterback better known for frightening the underclassmen. At 5'1", Sena has always been smaller than his classmates, so he's been used as their gofer and errand boy. As a result, he's developed outstanding running speed. He wants to be team manager, but he winds up competing under the name Eyeshield 21 to keep other teams from knowing his name and stealing him away. The three must recruit enough players to form a team of 11 in order to play their first game. The thin-line art style gives the players a certain delicate beauty, while exaggerated reactions put readers directly in touch with the characters' emotions. Game scenes are drawn in loving detail that captures football's violent grandeur. This promises to be Viz's third sports hit, joining popular series on tennis and soccer. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Riichiro Inagakiri | | Comic:
| 208 pages | | Publisher:
| VIZ Media LLC | | Publication Date:
| April 05, 2005 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 1591167523 | | Product Length:
| 7.5 inches | | Product Width:
| 5.06 inches | | Product Height:
| 0.69 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.45 pounds | | Package Length:
| 7.32 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.04 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.87 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.49 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 7 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 7 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 11 found the following review helpful:
BEST MANGA I'VE EVER READMar 26, 2006
By Bickazer
"MapleStory"
Eyeshield 21 isn't the best sports manga out there--it's the best manga that I've ever, ever, read in my three or four year career as a manga fan. Everything about Eyeshield is so darned perfect--the characters, the art, the story...I can't believe it. I can't see it deserving anything less than 5 stars. I can't imagine how ANYONE can hate Eyeshield 21, for Eyeshield 21 has got something for everyone.
Story: The story for Eyeshield 21 is a little stereotypical; it's basically the same sports manga formula of underdog-team-strives-to-be-the-best--but it's carried out in a serviceable way that doesn't get too annoying. However, Eyeshield has got one thing going for it--it's about FOOTBALL. Not the black-and-white ball, but AMERICAN FOOTBALL. I'm surprised it's even so popular in Japan where American football isn't that popular. A neat thing about Eyeshield 21 is that you don't have to know squat about football to enjoy it.
Characters: This is where Eyeshield 21 REALLY shines--the characters. Seriously, Riichiro Inagaki is a genius. All of the characters have distinct personalities while not being too stereotypical and cliched--Sena's the shy kid who can run really fast because he's spent most of his life running from bullies, Hiruma's the demonic quarterback for the Devil Bats, Kurita's the nice fat guy with a chestnut-shaped head, Monta is like a monkey, etc. etc. Even the "bad guys" are well-thought-out, funny, and original. Honestly, even if you hate football, just read Eyeshield 21 for the characters. What can I say? They're awesome.
Art: Ah, more genius. Yusuke Murata is a genius artist and brings Inagaki's writing to life. I really love how Murata depicts things using visual metaphors--such as Sena visualizing the path he's going to take. The character designs, too, are all unique and distinct and you'd never mistake one character for the other. Eyeshield 21's art is detailed; perhaps a little too detailed, but it's still excellent.
Overall: Like I said before, Eyeshield 21 has something for everyone. Don't like football? Read for the characters. Don't like manga? Read for the football. It's not sugary-sweet and "BELIEVE IN YOURSELF" like so many other sports manga nor is it chock full of bishounen *coughPrinceofTenniscough*, but Eyeshield 21 is still the de facto best sports manga, perhaps even best manga, I have ever read.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
It is the best Manga I've ever read!Apr 02, 2005
Although it can be quite crude, or innapropiate for younger teens and children, it is very interesting and comical! You will love it! I personally promise your happiness. :-)
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
best sports manga in history!!Feb 09, 2008
i thought this story was gonna be pointless and stupid. oh, how wrong i was. my bro let me borrow the first 4 or so books, and i was addicted to it after the first 2 chapters! and the best part is? you don't have to know squat about football to enjay and laugh at it. about all that i knew about football before i read this was that you take the ball, and run for your life, or you will be doggie-piled. i didn't even know what a quarterback was. now i actually know some stuff. and it's sooo funny. as far as i'm concerned, the devil of a captain is the one who pulled the story together, and made it funny. heck, he recruted the main star by dangling him upside down and purpousfully missing him with a gun! i even got my other bro addicted to this series, and he doesn't even like manga/anime! point is, it is the best sparts manga ever, and is a must buy.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Eyeshield 21: Not your average high school football dramaSep 21, 2007
By John Zittel
It's the fourth quarter with nine seconds to go. While in the huddle, your team captain, who resembles the devil himself, tells you, "You better make it to the end zone or else I will kill you," accentuating his point by cocking a handgun that seemed to come out of nowhere. What do you do? Risk getting crushed by the opponent's defensive line, or risk getting shot by your insane team captain? For freshman running back Sena Kobayakawa --known to the football league only by the codename "Eyeshield 21"--, there's only one thing to do. Run as fast as he can. Now, I don't really know much about football, much less football in Japan, but Eyeshield 21 offers an action-packed and often humorous crash course in one of the most popular Japanese high school sports. The entire story is presented in Manga (Japanese Graphic Novel) form.
The story follows the trials and tribulations of Sena Kobayakawa, a freshman at Deimon High School. All of his life, Sena was the target of constant bullying by upperclassmen and even students in his own grade due to his size. The only person who could help him was his childhood friend, a female upperclassman by the name of Mamori Anezaki.
Because he got into Deimon High School by passing the required entrance exam, Sena got the chance to start fresh and makes a vow to stop being a victim. The people he meets, however, have other things planned for him.
The first person who takes interest in Sena's amazing speed and agility is the captain of the Deimon Devil Bats football team, sophomore student Yoichi Hiruma. Hiruma's most outstanding trait is his resemblance to a demon, with his wildly spiked hair, pointed ears, slitted eyes, and unusually sharp teeth. He is also rather manipulative, keeping a small black book chock full of blackmail so that he can force people to play for the Devil Bats whenever a game comes. His violent streak is rather evident whenever he pulls out a weapon with which to intimidate someone. Such occasions include "Recruiting" Sena to become their running back, when Hiruma dangles Sena helplessly from the ceiling while Hiruma opens fire with an assault rifle, intentionally making near misses. During one morning practice, Hiruma uses two rocket launchers as starting pistols for the 40-yard dash drill, where it is discovered that Sena can run the drill in 4.2 seconds, considered top speed even for the NFL. This is a timely discovery, as they have their first game the next day against a team called the Koigahama Cupids, where Eyeshield 21 makes his debut.
Concerned for Sena's safety is his childhood friend Mamori. As a sophomore and a member of the Disciplinary Committee, she takes it upon herself to effectively shield Sena from the more hostile elements of Deimon High, especially Hiruma. However, this effort results in making her look like an absolute mother hen, constantly checking up on Sena, to say everything short of smothering him. Obviously, she is frustrated that Sena ends up getting involved with Hiruma despite her warnings, but is relieved that Sena is "Just the team manager." (At least, that's all she's supposed to know.)
As an Anime and Manga fan, I picked up Eyeshield 21 out of sheer curiosity. I usually never read sports-centric Manga, but Eyeshield 21 is a definite exception. With its wacky cast and absolutely ridiculous situations (Hiruma gets away with stuff that would get him thrown in a federal penitentiary in real life and would most assuredly get him expelled were he a student at any U.S. school), Eyeshield 21 is a page-turning, side-splitting read for anyone who is a Manga fan. Football players would enjoy this too, despite its lack of realism, as it has the basics of football relatively well understood. Taking these factors into account, I give Eyeshield 21 an "A" on the grading scale, and if you read it, I think you'll agree.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Funny and funnyNov 21, 2010
By JFL
it's a big funny and fun series that takes a look at something all Americans know in football and gives it a different perspective that makes it really exciting.
the art and story is very good always because this manga has both a writer and a penciler. this means that the art is always top quality and and the story is always on the move.
there is a huge cast of character for you to learn about and care about.
Have Fun.
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