Eyeshield 21
Jul. 27th, 2010 06:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xparrotA few years back I got into the manga Eyeshield 21, which was unexpected because I've never been into sports of any kind, much less American football, and I'd never read a sports manga (to this day I've managed to miss Prince of Tennis). But ES21 has Hiruma, you see, and once you know Hiruma there's no going back.
The series finished last year, but I wasn't reading manga then, so missed the end. Recently, however, I watched Oofuri (anime based on an award-winning seinen manga about high school baseball. If you like ADORABLE high school boys being ADORABLE (and teamy and slashy and sweet and learning how to make friends and believe in themselves and did I mention ADORABLE?) I highly recommend it. Even if you don't give a fig about baseball) and that got me back in the sports manga mood (if by sports one means intense and ridiculous and cute team stories that just happen to revolve around playing a game rather than saving the world, but same difference, really.)
So I went back to Eyeshield 21, and not remembering the story well I went and read it from the beginning. And ended up falling in love all over again - unlike Oofuri's beautifully low-key, realistic characters and games, ES21 is totally OTT and zany and absurd and so much fun. It's got fantastically lovable characters and great art, and really, what more do you want out of a series? Even if it is about football...
Still can't get over how emotionally engaging the games are! I think the Shinryuuji Naga game is my favorite - that one is just so intense all the way through, with Agon being about the most villainous opponent they face, not just strong but evil, so seeing him get tromped is so satisfying. But then there's the game against the Dinosaurs, and Hiruma actually injured (!!!) and Kurita protecting him and AWWWW. And aaaahh the Christmas Bowl game was almost hard to read - I dunno, I knew the Devil Bats were going to win, them's just the rules in a story like this...and yet, and yet, they're losing so badly...
Then the final world tournament, with the all-star Japan team - of course it had to happen, it was too marvelous not to. (Even if the portrayal of America and Americans - bwaaaaaah oh Japan ^^;;;;) And the very final chapter, all the rearranged college teams, hee. Really I don't know how else it could've ended. (Even if I feel sorry for everyone up against Hiruma's team. Since he knows them so well...)
Second time through I loved Hiruma more than ever. Really, still adore everyone, but...Hiruma! Especially at the Christmas Bowl - I love that he's really the second protagonist by then, that for all Sena's the title character the manga is really as much Hiruma's story. And that he has changed even though it's not readily apparent, even though there wasn't a big deal made about it - but it's remarked upon then, that Hiruma the consummate numbers player decides to bet everything, against the odds, on faith in his teammates - AWWWWWW.
(zomg also all the tankouban omake - like everyone's grades being 2,3,4,5 - and then Hiruma has all 100s with a ???! And then the interview questions - "What's the most expensive thing you've bought?" the various team captains answering "barbells", "sneakers", then Hiruma: "An island (cost ??? yen)" and Hiruma's answer to "what would you do if the world was going to end tomorrow?": "Everything I can to make sure the world doesn't end"...Hiruma~~~! <3)
Now I've found some GetBackers scanlations, so am going to be actually reading the bug arc for the first time, rather than just skimming it and enjoying the aaaaangst (I have it in Japanese, but GetBackers is ha~rd to read, between the slang and the pseudoscience...) BanGin forever! *_*
(and a quick personal note, am leaving tomorrow to visit![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
gnine in England for a couple of weeks (\o/\o/\o/), so if I'm slow to comment or reply, that's why!)
The series finished last year, but I wasn't reading manga then, so missed the end. Recently, however, I watched Oofuri (anime based on an award-winning seinen manga about high school baseball. If you like ADORABLE high school boys being ADORABLE (and teamy and slashy and sweet and learning how to make friends and believe in themselves and did I mention ADORABLE?) I highly recommend it. Even if you don't give a fig about baseball) and that got me back in the sports manga mood (if by sports one means intense and ridiculous and cute team stories that just happen to revolve around playing a game rather than saving the world, but same difference, really.)
So I went back to Eyeshield 21, and not remembering the story well I went and read it from the beginning. And ended up falling in love all over again - unlike Oofuri's beautifully low-key, realistic characters and games, ES21 is totally OTT and zany and absurd and so much fun. It's got fantastically lovable characters and great art, and really, what more do you want out of a series? Even if it is about football...
Still can't get over how emotionally engaging the games are! I think the Shinryuuji Naga game is my favorite - that one is just so intense all the way through, with Agon being about the most villainous opponent they face, not just strong but evil, so seeing him get tromped is so satisfying. But then there's the game against the Dinosaurs, and Hiruma actually injured (!!!) and Kurita protecting him and AWWWW. And aaaahh the Christmas Bowl game was almost hard to read - I dunno, I knew the Devil Bats were going to win, them's just the rules in a story like this...and yet, and yet, they're losing so badly...
Then the final world tournament, with the all-star Japan team - of course it had to happen, it was too marvelous not to. (Even if the portrayal of America and Americans - bwaaaaaah oh Japan ^^;;;;) And the very final chapter, all the rearranged college teams, hee. Really I don't know how else it could've ended. (Even if I feel sorry for everyone up against Hiruma's team. Since he knows them so well...)
Second time through I loved Hiruma more than ever. Really, still adore everyone, but...Hiruma! Especially at the Christmas Bowl - I love that he's really the second protagonist by then, that for all Sena's the title character the manga is really as much Hiruma's story. And that he has changed even though it's not readily apparent, even though there wasn't a big deal made about it - but it's remarked upon then, that Hiruma the consummate numbers player decides to bet everything, against the odds, on faith in his teammates - AWWWWWW.
(zomg also all the tankouban omake - like everyone's grades being 2,3,4,5 - and then Hiruma has all 100s with a ???! And then the interview questions - "What's the most expensive thing you've bought?" the various team captains answering "barbells", "sneakers", then Hiruma: "An island (cost ??? yen)" and Hiruma's answer to "what would you do if the world was going to end tomorrow?": "Everything I can to make sure the world doesn't end"...Hiruma~~~! <3)
Now I've found some GetBackers scanlations, so am going to be actually reading the bug arc for the first time, rather than just skimming it and enjoying the aaaaangst (I have it in Japanese, but GetBackers is ha~rd to read, between the slang and the pseudoscience...) BanGin forever! *_*
(and a quick personal note, am leaving tomorrow to visit
gnine in England for a couple of weeks (\o/\o/\o/), so if I'm slow to comment or reply, that's why!)
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no subject
Date: 2010-07-28 07:03 am (UTC)Hiruma's answer to "what would you do if the world was going to end tomorrow?": "Everything I can to make sure the world doesn't end"...
He would totally manage it, too!
no subject
Date: 2010-07-28 09:31 am (UTC)He would totally manage it, too!
Which is why he rocks ^^
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Date: 2010-07-28 08:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-28 09:38 am (UTC)But that last chapter with their college teams totally made up for it (even if it also made me a little sad because bawww, all of my 'ships are at different schools now... except for Hiruma and Mamori XD)
Hee, I kind of liked how Hiruma/Mamori was understated but so, mm, constant. And lasting! Otherwise, I was just thinking, there's always the pro teams after college...(though really in sports there can be BFFs across team lines anyway; competition just adds spice to the relationship! ^^)
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Date: 2010-08-08 01:54 am (UTC)I loved the Hiruma/Kurita/Musashi storylines soo much.
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Date: 2010-08-17 07:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-06 09:31 pm (UTC)What sucks is that there's fic for the fandom, but there's not enough for the pairings I like. Or, if there is, I have no idea where to find it. :(
no subject
Date: 2010-12-06 10:14 pm (UTC)But yeah, aren't they all so terrifically lovable? And yeah, shame about the low fic count. I wrote a couple of short fics but never got into it enough to do more, or to really seek out fic. There's some on AO3, at least? What pairings are you partial to?
no subject
Date: 2010-12-06 10:19 pm (UTC)The pairing list! In no particular order, Shin/Sena, Gaou/Kisaragi, Kid/Tetsuma (after seeing Jo absolutely lose his shit when Gaou broke Kid's arm, I was completely sold), and I find myself a lot more open to other pairings than I usually am in any given fandom?
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Date: 2010-12-07 01:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-07 01:16 am (UTC)There should be more Kid/Tetsuma fic. There really should. *nod*
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Date: 2010-12-09 07:34 pm (UTC)Should we trade links?
no subject
Date: 2010-12-11 10:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-12 01:31 am (UTC)This page is a collection of short stories, basically, and there's stuff like Hiruma/Rui and Rui/Megu and some other pairings, but the writing's good?
http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=leaper182&keyword=eyeshield%2021%20--%20hiruma%2Ftakekura&filter=all
Sadly, I only have three fics in my LJ memories, but here they are? :D?
no subject
Date: 2010-12-13 09:59 pm (UTC)