But volume 26 is definitely an exciting volume as we get to see the Senna vs. Shin matchup that we have been waiting for! If you are looking for a sports manga series, “Eyeshield 21″ volume 26 is definitely a manga worth checking out! Recommended!
© 2002 by Riichiro Inagaki, Yusuke Murata. All Rights Reserved.
MANGA TITLE: Eyeshield 21 vol. 26
STORY BY: Riichiro Inagaki
ART BY: Yusuke Murata
FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: Shueisha, Inc.
PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC
RATED: T for Older Teen
RELEASE DATE: June 2, 2009
Rough ‘n’ TumbleAs the second half begins in the Kanto Tournament game between the Devil Bats and the White Knights, Ojo is still leading by seven points. Sena continues to struggle against the seemingly unstoppable Shin, but it’s another Deimon player who finds a kink in the Knights’ armor. Hoping to prove his superiority in the air, Monta clashes head-on with ace receiver Sakuraba. Will Monta’s skills help put Deimon back in scoring position?
It’s the semi-finals and Deimon High School is taking on Ojo High School, winner gets into the Christmas Tree Bowl!
And so far, Seijuro Shin has found a way to neutralize Senna and with Deimon is losing by a touchdown, they will need to pick things up for the offense. Now it’s the second half and Hiruma needs Senna and the Deimon High Devil Bats to find a weaknesses against Shin’s defense. But also on the receiving end, can Monta find a way to find a weakness in Ojo’s Haruto Sakuraba’s defense?
Find out in volume 26 of “Eyeshield 21”!
What is “Eyeshield 21”?
In Japan, American football may not be too popular compared to the international futbol (soccer), but there are a few high schools that have football teams and the NFL does have a game played in Japan, helping to spread the game’s popularity.
But in 2002, writer Riichiro Inagaki and illustrator Yusuke Murata introduced American football to a broader audience through their manga “Eyeshield 21″ which has been featured on the very popular Weekly Shonen Jump, has led to several videogames and also a 145-episode anime series which lasted from 2o05-2008. And now for 35 volumes, “Eyeshield 21” continues to entertain masses through its manga series currently available from Viz Media as part of their Shone Jump Advanced line.
“Eyeshield 21″ revolves around a young teenager named Sena Kobayakawa who has passed his entrance exams at his local high school, Deimon Private Senior High School. The school where his childhood friend Mamori Anezaki attends. Both Sena and Mamori are close because all throughout his life, Sena has been bullied and Mamori has been there to protect him.
Living his life as a gopher for other friends, Sena hasn’t had any true friends until he meets the devil-looking Yoichi Hiruma and the very huge Ryokan Kurita who try to get Sena to join their football team.
Of course, Sena doesn’t know how to play football but being the new kid at school, once again, he gets bullied but this time, the huge Kurita ends up taking care of them. Out for revenge, the bullies start to pick on Sena once again but Sena is sick and tired of getting beaten up and when they go after him, he demonstrates a skill which he has had for a long time, speed. Because Sena has lived his life running away, he is very quick and immediately, Hiruma wants to utilize him on the Deimon High School Devil Bats football team.
Sena just wants to become a team manager but Hiruma wants Sena to be the team’s running back. And because Hiruma wants to make sure that no one can steal him for their high school, he plans on a disguise that no one but he, Sena and Kurita will know and that is putting an eyeshield on a football helmet and giving Sena a #21 jersey and the nickname “Eyeshield 21″.
Earlier in the series, we have watched as the Deimon Devil Bats grow as a team and do all they can to make it to the Christmas Bowl.
And now they are one step closer as they must take on Ojo High School and if they beat their major rival, they will earn a chance to play in the Christmas Bowl!
But of course, the Ojo High School team has a been a thorn in Deimon High School’s side as Seijuro Shin has found ways to neutralize Senna each time. As with Haruto Sakuraba who has found a way to contain Taro Raimon!
There is no way Deimon High School can go down like this. So, what tactics will Deimon High School figure out in order to score some points in the second half?
For any longtime reader of “Eyeshield 21”, you can’t help but feel the excitement as the underdogs, Deimon High Devil Bats continue their goal of making it into the Christmas Bowl.
You think about how they started out in the beginning, as a team that didn’t even resemble a football team and players that never had any chemistry but yet, they managed to find ways to beat their opponents. And now there is one more left… The Ojo High School White Knights.
A team that has one of the best Japanese high school football players Seijuro Shin, one of the best receivers with Haruto Sakuraba, one of the best quarterbacks in Ichiro Takami and defense prowess with Makoto Otawara and Daigo Ikari.
We have seen Ojo High dismantle Deimon High School but now, from growing together as a team, Deimon High is about to show Ojo that they are not weak and if they thought they have been figured out… guess again!
I have been a big fan of sports-based manga and in Japan a lot of their sports manga and anime are big hits. From the soccer-driven series “Captain Tsubasaâ€, the basketball series “Slam Dunkâ€, the baseball series “Touchâ€, the tennis series “Tennis no Oujisama†(Prince of Tennis) and many of them have this underdog vs. the better team type of mentality.
Yes, there is a banality when it comes to sports manga series but there is often this side of supernatural element that an athlete has. A super kick, a special tennis serving or hitting ability and with “Eyeshield 21″, what makes the series so exciting is that every team has its special individuals with unique talents. But when it comes to the Deimon Devil Bats (the protagonist team), these guys are like a group of misfits put together in hopes to accomplishing their goal of making it to the Christmas Bowl. But they are surely talented. Sena (Eyeshield 21) has this special ability of his running and in this latest volume, he hones that talent and makes himself even better. We also see new characters pop up and joins the team and definitely see how everyone works together, faces adversity together as a team. But for Deimon High School, these bunch of misfits have pride and also have what it takes to surprise everyone they have come up against.
Similar to other sports anime in which there is an underdog getting involved with sports and displays a tremendous skill, “Eyeshield 21″ definitely showcases that into the storyline but with the characters, in this case the team is more like the “Bad News Bears†and with the “The Devil Batsâ€, the team consists of characters that are just wild and crazy. Actually, all teams have characters that are wild and crazy and I suppose that is what makes “Eyeshield 21″ so interesting and enjoyable.
But volume 26 is definitely an exciting volume as we get to see the Senna vs. Shin matchup that we have been waiting for!
If you are looking for a sports manga series, “Eyeshield 21″ volume 26 is definitely a manga worth checking out! Recommended!