The Devil Bats are going to feel like dancing for joy if they can beat Banba and his hulking team, the Taiyo Sphinx. Sena and crew have held their own in the first half, but they're going to have to come up with something really special to defeat this bunch of bruisers. And don't forget, the winner of this game gets to play against a championship team from the United States!
He is a mangaka from Tokyo, Japan. He debuted in October 2001 with Nandodemo Roku Gatsu Jū San Hi, and also wrote for the magazine Square Freeze and Love Love Santa, published in November 2001 and in February 2002 respectively. He later moved to Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump, in wich he won the 7th "Story King" section in the same year.
This managa is adding more teams and characters but's it easier if the reader would focus on Deimon and Oujou, because although the two are on different sides of the spectrum, both have potential to rise and challenge the defending champions. Thus, both are suited to be rivals.
One of the things I like about One Piece is that bad guys don't need to always remain bad guys. And their "turning good" isn't always a coming to god moment. Sometimes, it's just a matter of perspective. The same person who can be a royal pain in the ass when you're on opposite sides of a fight can be a dependable ally when your goals are the same.
Such it is in Eyeshield. there aren't really redemption arcs ever, but there are recontextualizations and changing priorities. A lot of times it feels more natural than a concentrated redemption arc. And thus it is for the Ha brothers, as we watch them start to take football seriously against the overwhelming size and power of their adversaries. It gives us a lot of the fun in the early part of this book, and one particular page early on where the three are trying to figure out how many times they need to win in order to win is artistic comedic timing at its finest. All Hail Yusuke Murata.
Another part of the fun of a lot of storytelling is watching people analyze the situation that they're in and improve themselves to meet the needs of the event. Not only do we see Deimon doing it all the time, but their opponents usually do as well, unless they're one-note. the stuff here with Taiyo is brief, but fun as they start to reassess their thoughts on the game. And it's good to see, because while almost every team of star player in this series comes in with one aspect of the game that they think is paramount, the ones who do best are the ones who open their minds. :)
No rest though -- as we wrap up the Taiyo game, we finally get to get sort-of a look at the Shinryuji Nagas. To this point, the Ojo White Knights have been the mountaintop at which the Devil Bats have been aiming, but the Nagas may present just as big a challenge.
A lot of great football in this. A few laugh-out-loud moments for me. Overall, just great. :)
The match between the Deimon Devil Bats and the Taiyo Sphinx concludes in this volume. The Devil Bats put on a terrific show, and display some great teamwork. Most members of the team got a chance to shine in this issue, especially the linesmen, Monta, and Sena. Despite the fact that I can’t stand football in real life, I was still deeply drawn into the excitement of the game in this volume. That can largely be explained by my complete love for all of these characters--I could just *squish* them all.
Later on, the Devil Bats catch the end of the Kanto Spring Tournament semifinals match between the Ojo White Knights and the Shinryuji Naga. Shin continues to be frighteningly awesome in his devotion to the game. I was delighted to see Sakuraba getting serious about improving his game (I was not a fan of Sakuraba’s “torn between football and being an idol!” angst in earlier chapters).
We also get a look at Agon of the Sphinx, a character Sena calls “evil.” He did come across as all kinds of creepy, which is why I was a bit disappointed in Mamori for excusing Agon’s behaviour--even after he knocked her to the ground when she struggled to get away from him. Oh, *Mamori,* sometimes, you’re too polite for your own good.
I’m really looking forward to the next volume, when the Devil Bats go up against the Americans.
Eyeshield 21: Devil Bats Take Flight continues where the previous tankōbon left off and contains the next nine chapters (44–52) of the on-going manga series.
As Kazuki Jumonji tackles the Taiyo Sphinx's quarterback, Eyeshield 21 recovers the fumble to change the possession of the ball and the tide of the game. By half time, the Deimon Devil Bats catches up with Taiyo Sphinx leading by only one point (13–12).
However, the Taiyo Sphinx introduces a new cornerback named Ken Kamaguruma, whose bump technique throws off Yoichi Hiruma's passing timing and Monta's ability to catch. When only a minute is left on the timer, Yoichi Hiruma throws a long pass, and despite being constantly attacked by Ken Kamagura, Monta catches the ball and makes a touchdown, putting the Deimon Devil Bats two points behind with seconds left (20–18).
The game ends in a tie after Eyeshield jumps Taiyo's defensive line with the Devil Bat Dive to score a two-point conversion. The idea of overtime is thrown aside as Taiyo Sphinx gives Deimon Devil Bats the right to represent Japan in the game against the Americans.
This tankōbon is written by Riichiro Inagaki and illustrated by Yusuke Murata. For the most part, I really liked the story and glad that the match against the Taiyo Sphinx was concluded rather quickly and I look forward to their American match in the near future.
All in all, Eyeshield 21: Devil Bats Take Flight is a wonderful continuation to a new series that seems intriguing and I cannot wait to read more.
[NOTE: I'm re-reading this series; I first read it over a decade ago.]
The "Hah" brothers get some more time to shine as they shift more firmly into protagonist territory here - quite a few humorous moments that had me chuckling!
But the end of this volume is my favorite: I absolutely love the introduction of the Shinryugi Naga (and the Kongo twins) and the conflict of "hardwork" versus "natural born talent" that becomes more overt in this volume. One of things I love about this series is how it makes you sympathetic to even the opponents of the Devilbats. The blatant favoritism Agon receives seems so ridiculous... until you realize it isn't, and that it happens all the time in "the real world." As a result, Unsui's struggle is one I loved reading about when I first experienced the series, and it continues to hold true now.
Keren..........dua pertandingan dalam satu volume, dalam satu momen juga!?
Kurleb 2 jam aku ngabisin volume ini saking serunya. Ternyata secepat itu kita bakal ketemu Agon 🥲 Dan yang baru bisa kusadari di saat baca ulang ke sekian kalinya ini, alasan kenapa aku bisa suka banget komik eyeshield 21 adalah karena selama pengenalan tokoh dan peran mereka di cerita tuh gak lepas dari humor. Mau seserius apapun orang-orangnya, pasti bakal ada aja unsur lucunya dan jadi gak bikin tegang!!! Yang paling penting tentunya harus cocok sama jokesnya sih, dan sampai sekarang aku masih cocok sama kelucuan mereka wkwk. Oke habis ini lanjut baca vol 7 ✌️
3 ESTRELLAS ☆☆☆ Conclusión de arco emocionante y con toques humoristicos. Un buen tomo que sigue dando protagonismo a los personajes secundarios y que de alguna manera, sigue desarrollando el crecimiento de los demás participes del equipo. Todos comienzan a formarse como un conjunto dando una apertura a todo lo que viene. Me parece que el tomo es solo el principio de algo más grande. Me está pareciendo uno de los mejores del género. Eyeshield será una gran historia, de eso estoy seguro. Su nivel de adicción no es normal.
This volume does the thing where the character whose whole gimmick is that he's the fastest guy tries to get behind someone and the other guy disappears and re-appears behind the first guy, moving so fast he couldn't be observed moving. Did I mention this manga is about HIGH SCHOOL AMERICAN FOOTBALL IN JAPAN??????
This was fun, some good gags, and they introduced the Asian dreadlocked god of football "Agon" who is like...what if Hannibal Lector had the strength and speed of Superman and was also a Japanese teenage American football star - incredible stuff to be sure.
I fucking loathe agon but he has to exist for plot reasons… and I really like Unsui and their stories are completely entwined… UGH…
I never wanna see anyone complain about Oikawa when the real ultimate sports manga villain is right here being a raging misogynist and attacking disabled children… my little volleyball meow meow would NEVER
Btw that random mention of the Hakushu Dinosaurs at the very end… I’m having war flashbacks to their match with Seibu….. I’m not ready to read that again help!!!!!
Great way to end this arc, very fun games being played, the bullies become fun characters, we get to meet the best players for the upcoming arc, I’m all ready to see how the next tournament goes, I’m just hoping that the Devil Bats get more characters, I don’t like having them play both defense on offense so let’s get some more guys in!! They won’t be believable, the journalists even address it too
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
The match against the Taiyo Sphinx comes to a close, and it was fine. Wasn't a big fan of their team, they are certainly big but that isn't too exciting to watch. And then we get to see two of the 'good' teams face off for a little bit, it looks like one of them is being set up to be the bigger rival here.
They do be footballing though, that sure is a thing.
The Devilbats continue to fight the Taiyo Sphinx, and things are looking good for the 'Bats until the other team brings on their cornerback, the tall and lithe Kamaguruma, who keeps bumping Monta out of position so he can't catch passes. But when the teams tie after huge clashes, the Sphinx team grants the Devilbats their permission to simply take the opportunity to fight the American team. They're thrilled, of course, and they decide to go check out the end of the tournament between Ojo and the Shinryuji Nagas. Sena is absolutely gobsmacked to see Shin's team having lost miserably to Shinryuji. How could that be? The answer is Agon Kongo (and his less talented, less vicious twin brother Unsui). Agon is not only powerful but cruel, and enjoys hurting and intimidating those he plays against. If Ojo lost to them, Sena wonders how Deimon could ever have a hope against them--should they get to that point in the tournament in autumn. For now, they have a trip to America to take.
I love how this manga actually makes you feel the full impact of how much better Shinryuji must be if Ojo LOST to them 40 to 3 and there wasn't some gimmicky reason for it (like Shin being benched). Incredible and scary, and it's also interesting how Hiruma sort of respects Agon and isn't intimidated by him, but considers him a contender in their war of the mind. I really wanted to slap that Kamaguruma guy. His BUMP was SO annoying. I was surprised the Taiyo team forfeited though (especially since they said Deimon must be the better team because they weren't used to the climate). They seem like too proud a team to do that.
I enjoyed the addition of an important defensive secondary character with the cornerback for the Spinx team. We also finally see something standard shonen type tropes with the 'Devilbat Dive' special technique that gets the Bats a chance to play the American team. The finals of the spring tournament introduced the untouchable Naga team that decimated the until now fantastic White Knights. The Nagas look like they're the team to beat down the line in this series. 4 star action. Highly addicting manga.
Yay for Eyeshield. Hey Sena, football is FUN! Except when you're getting crushed by gigantic guys from Taiyo. And what's the deal with that Nagas team . . . they're actually stronger than Shin's team? Oh man.