 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | VIZ MEDIA | | | ▪ | AUTHOR / ART: | | YUSUKE MURATA / RIICHIRO INAGAKI | | | ▪ | FORMAT: | | JAPANESE/ B&W | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 171 | | | ▪ | RATING: | | OT | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 08/05/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 10/01/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | SCOTT CAMPBELL |
Eye Shield 21 is a nice addition to the lineup of available sports related manga. We’ve had manga about soccer, lots about tennis, and so why not football? Football certainly seems like it would be a sport not so familiar or popular in Japan, but perhaps this series proves otherwise. The art and story is dynamic and full of movement. It’s about football, so of course the art would need to jump right off the page to make it work and keep it interesting over multiple volumes. This series more than accommodates for that. Besides the detailed and dynamic art, the story and characters also posses a lot of ability to make the reader laugh. Humorous facial expressions, situations, and the odd character types make this series a funny read. It’s the somewhat classic idea of throwing a group of very different, often eccentric characters together on a sports team and see whether they can make it work. Perhaps not the most unique idea ever, but Eye Shield 21 makes it work in a way that is always entertaining. As the story goes, wimpy Sena Kobayakawa (Eye Shield 21 himself) has been running away from people who make his days difficult all his life. His one true time to shine is when the football gear goes on - then things change for the better. Sena’s speed and uncanny ability to stay out of the way of big bullies is what makes him a great high school football star. All the bone-crunching action and goofy comedy of a sports manga is here, as well as the pleasant surprise of a heartwarming story of growing up and learning life’s many lessons. In volume twenty-one, it’s time for some more football mayhem as the Bats take on their latest and greatest challengers. It's the Kanto Tournament-Devil Bats vs. Shinryuji Nagas-and the Bats are getting steamrolled! In fact, it's so bad that their star quarterback has pretty much thrown in the towel. He tells them that their chance of winning is less than one percent and not to play hard so they won't be injured and jeopardize their next season. But they know exactly what he means - abandon all fear! Kill yourself if need be, because there's no chance of winning unless this team can pull out more than they ever have! The question is will it be enough? If it’s possible (which most people would agree it is), Eyeshield 21 has managed to continually get more and more dynamic with each volume, even after reaching a volume number as high as 21. The artist really pushes the limits within some of the more action oriented parts, and each panel looks like it could have taken hours to get just right – he’s a master of creating movement within a media like manga that in fact stays still as you view it. You says a book about sports action can’t be action-filled, right? The story remains humorous as ever, with the art complimenting that with all of the zany expressions and character interactions. It’s always been a good piece of light entertainment, with its fair share of warranted nail-biting moments – Eyeshild 21 has a great formula, and sticks to it. When reading a series, it’s usually good to know a bit about the auther or artist, so that you can find out about other books he/she has created in case you’d like to read those as well! Yusuke Murata is the artist for Eyeshield 21 – he was born July 3, 1978 in Miyagi, Japan. He won the 122th Hop Step Award prize (1995) by "Partner" and won the 51th Akatsuka Award 2nd prize (1998) for "Samui Hanashi". Hopefully we’ll see lots more from him in the future!
IN SUMMARY:
Eye shield 21 is a sports manga that takes minor league football and turns the whole thing into a battle of lore-infested craziness. Players aren’t just the kids next door – these guys all have unique personalities and talents, almost as though they are a rag-tag bunch of superheroes with superpowers only useful in football. Needless to say, it’s a lot of fun! |
