Jan 2, 2013
Not like most sports-related shounen manga or anime, Eyeshield 21 focuses on the trials and tribulations of a rag-tag team trying to reach their ultimate goal. In this case, our main hero is Sena Kobayakawa, a small and non-assertive kid who’s been treated like a gopher for most of his life to avoid being bullied. With his only friend/protector most of the time, Mamori Anezaki, being his only sense of support throughout his life, Sena decides that once he’s in high school, things will turn around for him.
Once he arrives at Deimon Private Senior High School, Sena is immediately bullied once more though this time he is determined to fight back. After all of his years as being forced to be a gopher, Sena developed an incredible amount of speed when he runs as well as intense agility. In one instance where his tormentors chase him through the crowded city streets, Sena uses his size and speed to cut through the crowd; it is during this instance that Yoichi Hiruma watches Sena’s ability and decides to approach him to join the football team. Eventually, Sena crosses paths with the devilish-looking Hiruma and the huge, yet kind hearted Ryokan Kurita and joins the football team as it’s manager, where Kurita reveals of his and Hiruma’s dream of going to the Christmas Bowl – Japan’s American football championship game. Despite Sena’s role as manager of the Deimon Devil Bats, Hiruma secretly enlists Sena as a running back for the team by using a football helmet with a green-tinted eyeshield to protect his identity, as well as a football jersey bearing a ’21′.
Despite the fact that not many people willingly join the Deimon Devil Bats (most of the players were actually blackmailed by Hiruma), people are quite curious of Eyeshield 21, the enigmatic player that seemed to burst out of nowhere. Eventually, the rag-tag Deimon Devil Bats begin to establish themselves with players that seemed to have various natural talets – most of whom were misfits to begin with – but it is Sena that becomes the heart of the team. Overcoming numerous odds, the Devil Bats continue to march towards reaching the Christmas Bowl.
When the manga was originally published in 2004, the anime itself was adapted and released con-currently in 2005 until the anime concluded in 2008 while the manga actually concluded in 2009. In February of 2010, Sentai Filmworks acquired the rights to release Eyeshield 21 while online streaming site Crunchyroll continued to air the Japanese episodes.
As it stands, there are four volumes of Eyeshield 21 currently available on DVD, spanning episodes 1-52 where it ends with the Zogaku Chameleons playing against Kyoshin Poseidon in a playoff tournament to reach the Christmas Bowl. Though there an English voice cast for Eyeshield 21, the only version available at this time from Sentai is the subbed version. Also, whether you are a fan of her or not, Aya Hirano provides the voice of Mamori Anezaki, where she does a fairly good job in her role.
Opening Theme
#01: "Breakthrough" by Coming Century (eps 1-35)
#02: "Innocence" by 20th Century (ep 36- 64)
#03: "Dang Dang" by ZZ (eps 65-103)
#04: "BLAZE LINE" by BACK-ON (ep 104-126)
#05: "Hanno no Runningback" by SHORT LEG SUMMER (eps 127-145)
Ending Theme
#01: " Be Free" by Rikken'z (eps 1-13)
#02: "Blaze Away" by TRAX (eps 14-35)
#03: "Goal" by Arashiro Beni (eps 36-64)
#04: "Run to Win" by Mamori (Aya Hirano), Sena (Miyu Irino), Kurita (Koichi Nagano), Rimon (Kappei Yamaguchi) (eps 65 - 100)
#05: "A day dreaming..." by BACK-ON (eps 101-116)
#06: "Flower" by BACK-ON (eps 117-126)
#07: "Song of Power" by SHORT LEG SUMMER (eps 127-145)
