Eyeshield 21, Vol. 36 (36) Paperback – July 5, 2011

The fight continues as things continue to build to their final end point. 5/5

:-)

The volume before the final last “Eyeshield 21″. The matchup between Japan vs. United States begins with vol. 36 and concludes in vol. 37 and the question that is on the minds of the Japan team, does Japan’s best have any chance of winning against the heavily favored American team – The Pentagrams?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 Tsubasa”, the basketball series “Slam Dunk”, the baseball series “Touch”, 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.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 Bats”, 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.Of course, the dynamics of “Eyeshield 21″ has changed since the Deimon Devil Bats accomplished their goal to make it to the Christmas Bowl and winning it. But one may have wondered, what will Riichiro Inagaki have left? As many people did read for the overall underdogs to take it all the way.Well, here we are with vol. 36 and this is the ultimate build up of all the chapters we have read in the manga series. The special abilities of certain players of various Japanese high school football teams have now become a collective and together, they must work as a team if they have a shot at beating the stellar American team.And as Hiruma tries to learn the team’s strength and weaknesses, he tries to find a way to penetrate the American team, who also has an excellent strategist with Clifford D. Lewis.And as for Eyeshield 21, he maybe one of the best running backs from Japan but we have known that the rivalry between he and Panther would take place someday…and that day is here! Sena vs. Panther…but also, the reverse with Panther on offense and Shin must take him on. Will these two Japanese players who have worked so hard, have any chance of defeating Panther?And with the excellent America team easily dismantling the Japanese team, does Hiruma have a trick up his sleeve in order for the Japanese team to come right back?With vol. 36, the focus in this volume is all about football, seeing the special abilities of each character for both opposing teams going against each other. For fans of the manga series, this volume favors more of the in-action football matchup, and this volume leading to the final volume does not disappoint.Everything about”Eyeshield 21″, from its characters, the gags, to the storyline is well-done and for those who enjoy American football or have knowledge about the sport will definitely be entertained by this series. Even if you don’t know about football, the game also helps the beginners understand the sport.There is only one final volume left of “Eyeshield 21″ and we will find out who will be the true victors in the World Youth Cup…Japan or America?If you are looking for a sports manga series, “Eyeshield 21″ is definitely a series worth checking out!

I was happy that it came in a timely manner and it was in decent condition