After weeks of on and off watching, I finally finished all the 145 episodes of Eyeshield 21. As mos of my readers know, I am a huge fan of sports anime. I watch almost every anime there is for a certain sport.

For instance, I've watched a lot of baseball anime like Major 1-6, Major 2nd, One outs, Dia no Ace, Cross Game, OoFuri, etc... for soccer, I've watched Aoki Densetsu Shoot, Area no Kishi, Giant Killing, Ginga e Kickoff, Inazuma Eleven 1 and 2, etc... I don't only watch the well-known ones but even the not-so-popular ones which usually turns out to be underrated.

Actually, I don't know a lot of sports in real life. Before, I didn't know anything about baseball, but now, I know and understand how the game goes. And I'm dreaming to watch an actual baseball game someday. Probably not in the Philippines, since it's not very popular here.

So yeah, recently I decided to watch Eyeshield 21. It's an anime about American Football. And to be honest, I know nothing about American Football at all! Well, I just imagine it as a very aggressive sport in which players try to get possession of the ball. There was a point when I thought it's the same with rugby, but they're really different. Oh! "All Outs!' is an interesting rugby anime!

What is EYESHIELD 21 all about?

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Eyeshied 21 is about a "goofball" named Sena. He spent his life being the targets of bullies and delinquents, and because of that, he unconsciously trained himself on how to quickly escape from them. One day, the captain of the "Deimon Devil Bats" (the American Football team in their high school) saw him gorgeously escaping three delinquents using his light-speed running. He then "forcefully" recruited him to the team and gave him the title "Eyeshield 21". From then, his life as the invincible "Eyeshield 21" began.

Who are the Characters?

There are a lot of awesome characters in this series, both in the main team and rival teams. However, I'd like to introduce some of the important characters that I really like in the said anime.

Sena Kobayakawa

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Also known as, Eyeshield 21. He is the main character of this anime and I really love his growth. From someone who used to be the subject of bully, he transformed into a person who is admired by many. He's very dedicated and very willing to do his best for his team.

Hiruma Yoichi

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This guy is definitely my favorite character! He's a personification of the devil himself. haha~ Hiruma is the team captain who "forcefully" recruited his members. I really like his character because he's crazy and he loves playing mind games. He reminds me of "Toa Tokuchi" of One Outs. They both use psychology in playing their sports. Ugh! I'm really a sucker for psychological plays.

Kurita Ryokan

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This massive ball of sunshine is Kurita-senpai. He created Deimon Devil Bats together with Hiruma and another person. He's the strong foundation of Devil Bat's lineman. Despite his physique, he has the softest heart and is a huge crybaby. He's truly adorable and the other linemen and teammates respects him a lot.

Gen "Musashi" Takekura

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That fanart above is the bomb! He looks super hot especially with that hairstyle. Actually, he looks like an old man in the series, but in the last episode, his hairstyle was changed to that above and I was like drools .. Oops.. Well, my fujoshi heart ships him with Hiruma. I know.. it's crazy and I'm sorry Anyway, he's the 3rd person alongside Hiruma and Kurita who founded the team from scratch. He's an amazing kicker which I think is really crucial in the game, especially for extra points after touchdown.

Raimon Taro

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Catch MAAAAX! "Monta" as he is called in the series, is Sena's best friend and is the ace receiver in their team. He used to play baseball, but realized that baseball wasn't for him. He wasn't good at all, except catching. I like his character, too. He's sometimes annoying, but he really is very reliable. He is an awesome friend and teammate.

Deimon Devil Bats

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Everyone in their team is very interesting and plays a vital role. They have their own backstory and you can truly see their growth as the anime series progresses. I really like the team. Individually, they're not as good as other players, but together, they complement each other well. They're indeed very awesome.

Others

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As I mentioned earlier, I don't only like he man team but also some of the rival teams. I guess it's really common in sports anime. There are always this healthy rivalry and camaraderie. To mention a few, I really like Ojo Whiite Knights, Seibu Wild Gunmen, Shinryuji Nagas, Kyoushin Poseidon, Bando Spiders and Zokugako Chameleons. Ohh! NASA Shuttles from the US was also a fantastic team.

Conclusion:

I really had a great time watching the whole series. I never skipped an episode and the character growth and development was great. I am actually craving for more action. I wish there was a second season before the final episode was shown. It was epicly good, though. I didn't waste time watching all 145 episodes.

If you're into sports anime, try this one! I recommend it! (^_^)/