Entry 013: "Eyeshield 21" Ep. 136-145 End

Dear Internet,

                YA-HA!  "Eyeshield 21" is over, all 145 episodes.  This is both a relief on my mind but also a sad reality about how it did so.  My suspicions were correct that I have been outlining in my letters to you.  The television series ended after the game against the White Knights.  Taking 16 episodes in total, the single match would have taken four months to air or over four hours if played in real time.  It is a testament to sports shows how it is able to make twenty or more steps made by a player to equate to five yards.  I remember one episode where it was clear that Eyeshield ran past ten white lines.  Each of those line are equivalent to five yards, so he ran fifty yards.  Yet the audience was told he went only ten to twenty.  Also, "Eyeshield 21" has a way of allowing many characters to comment on a split second play.  A ten second play can last two minutes with all the interjections.   But alas, the show has draw itself out and to a close.  There are still a few things that I must say before I move on to the next item of the backlog.

                "Eyeshield 21" is a show that never once plays the "man card" despite obviously holding it the entire time.  What does that mean?  It is a show about guys playing American football while never once saying to the women that they are not welcome.  This is a narrow line that the show walks which it might have only done so because it is aimed at a low age demographic.  Only adults care about such matters and usually adults who do not have kids involved with the situation talk the least sense when it comes to it.  At the same time, the show actually makes the case that despite females never playing the game they are invaluable to the team.  Trying to pull the argument that the Devil Bats could have won without Mamori diligently compiling data and supporting the players is impossible.  Even Suzuna played her role as emotional support from time to time, not just acting as a cheerleader.  The females of the show are neither denied acceptance or pined after as a goal.  With that being said, the number of females are rightfully low.  I can perhaps name roughly 80% of the females that appear in the show without looking through my notes.  There is Suzuna, Mamori, the manager of the White Knights, the manager of the Chameleons, the manager of the Spiders, the three fans of Sukuraba and the rest of his female fans who really only count as one character, the girlfriends of the Cupids, Sena's mother, Monta's mother, Komusubi's mother, Yukimitsu's mother, Taki and Suzuna's unseen mother, the two American women who were harassed by punks early in the show, the American biker chick, Panther's grandmother, the pregnant woman who couldn't get a doctor, the extra Devil Bats cheerleaders, the Poseidon cheerleaders, the Gunmen cheerleaders, the scary nurse, the stewardess, and the gun crazy police officer.  While some 26 recallable females might seem like a lot, most of them do not even get names.  It is less a testament that the show does not care for females but more of a testimony that the show is there to talk football not relationships.

                Another thing that  "Eyeshield 21" does quite well that needs mentioning is the music.  There are twelve songs used for the opening and ending themes.  A majority of them are well suited for the show and act well to build up or let off tension to get the audience anxious to find out what happens next.  I am reminded of a number of "F-Zero" songs when listening to the soundtrack of the show.  There are also a number of background music tracks that can be missed if one does not play attention.  These tracks are sometimes so beautifully done to the point where it feels like they poured a little too much of their budget into the ambiance tracks, yet they are warmly welcome.

               

                On the matter of pacing during a match, the show suffered greatly from a major flaw.  Every time that a new technique was created or showcased, it was almost immediately shot down as ineffective.  I have talked about this before but with the White Knights game it was worse than ever.  Numerous times a play would start and when someone was about to pull off an unbelievable feat they either failed or some new facet was thrown in the viewers face.  What made it worse here was how often it occurred.  It got to the point where I could no longer fall for the obvious attempt to make every single play the most important one so far.  I could tell that the eventual dupe was coming well ahead of time.  The only time in the match that completely went against this obvious formula was the face off between Himura and Ichiro Takami, the two quarterbacks.  Here the show went for broke pulling about four of these switches one right after another, with each time the one character mocking the other.  It was the closest time that the show was self aware and willing to go over the top.  That is also where a lot of the strength of the show comes from.  Whenever it goes well over the top, "Eyeshield 21" is able to entertain.  Characters shooting guns off to intimidate, good.  A violent dog chasing team members to train them, good.  Having only 1 cm to the end zone, meh.  The last item is just one upping the 30 cm to end zone play a few games back.  What differentiates between "one upping" and "going over the top" is asking if the show just takes it to the next logical level.  If someone can run 40 yards in 4.3 seconds, then the next guy is going to run it in 4.2.  If the show is predictable then there is little incentive in watching it.

                Internet, it might seem like what I have discussed her make it seem like "Eyeshield 21" is worth avoiding or at the very least is bogged down by too many faults to warrant the time to watch it.  But that is not the case.  "Eyeshield 21" is enjoyable despite the faults that  mar it.  The characters are varied and well made.  The plot tells you what to expect and delivers it, which is refreshing especially when so many of its peers can go aimless for well over 100 episodes.  In some aspect, it is educational between the American Football Clinic breaks and the story's direct explanation of the rules.  And for the most part, it is fun.  "Eyeshield 21" is a good show, just not great.  The biggest problem of the show is just the length and time it would take to watch it as a weekly show, which is something that I cannot replicate.  However, it can definitely qualify as a guilty little pleasure. 

Yours in digital,

BeepBoop

Entry 012: "Eyeshield 21" Ep. 121-135

Dear Internet,

                The final homestretch is here.  Or should I use an American football metaphor instead?  The longest yard?  Forth down?  Within field goal range?  No matter what you want to call it, I am almost through "Eyeshield 21."  This batch of episodes can be split into two halves.  The first is the buildup to the White Knight game and the second half would be the White Knight game itself, which is not over yet.  Then again, a majority of the series has been the buildup to this one game.  Every time Shin and the other White Knights made appearances through the length of the show, it was weak foreshadowing that this match was to take place.  I say weak because it could not be any more in your face about it.  It was less foreshadowing and more explicitly telling the audience that it was going to happen.  Which is one of the fault of having the game against the White Knights not be for the Kantou Championship but instead being a semi-final match.

                "Eyeshield 21" made a gamble when it decided to have the tournament brackets as it did.  I do not know how the source material handled it, if it was the same or not, so all I can do is ignore it for now.  What made it such a gamble was having the Devil Bats play first the Nagas, then the White Knights, and then either the Gunmen or the Hakushu Dinosaurs.  The Nagas match was well done in its approach, especially with Agon, something that I wrote to you about last time.  Being pitted against the nine year champions is a great hurdle for our rag tag group to overcome.  It is better than having the Nagas be built up as some unstoppable force only to be squashed by a new previously unmentioned faction, and then have that group face the Devil Bats.  No matter what, the Devil Bats would have had to face them or their successors.  With the Devil Bats winning against them, they must carry on the role of Naga slayers as they head up through the tournament.  Sadly, this point is stressed little once the game is over.

                The match against the White Knights is another eventuality that does not need to be discussed further than what I have said.  The concluding victory over the team is soon here, and let us not kid ourselves, Internet.  If the Devil Bats do not win over the White Knights it would make for a bad story, especially for its demographic.  Instead, the final game of the Kantou Tournament is where the show's gamble comes from.  Either the Gunmen or the Dinosaurs would be their opponents.  Placing the Gunmen as their opponents would be rather uninteresting to say the least.  It has been about 60 episodes since the Devil Bats played them, but only about four games ago not counting filler episodes like the Cream Puff Cup and the Death Match games.  I do not count them not because they do not appear as such in the source material but because of how matter of fact they were.  The matches only took an episode or three max to showcase and did not really test the Devil Bats more than they already had been.  If they are just taught the same lesson again, it is not something new, but a refresher or a review.  Not much has happened for the Gunmen since their game with the Devil Bats except for Riku's Rodeo Drive Stampede, which at this point just comes across as having more laser lights than his previous running style.  If a technique does not include a factual reason for evolving then it is just power level nonsense.  That is what makes so many of the "special moves" that the characters showcase to be interesting.  Whether it is adding a juke, spin or truck to a run, it almost always feels like there is a real world reason for why the technique works.  A match against the Gunmen would be pretty much the same as the last game except for the advancements that the Devil Bats have made, which in my mind would be a railroading match.

                With the case of the Dinosaurs winning the match against the Gunmen and then facing the Devil Bats, there is not enough buildup to make that game exciding.  Sure the Dinosaurs have the beast of a player who injures players as if they were made of paper, but how far different is that compared to Agon?  The Dinosaur player, Gaoh, is at least shown as having respect for his opponents, albeit a certain negligence for their well being.  It trades him from being a villain into making him a beast, which I admit can be as threatening had the show shown him for more than just two episodes.  Two episodes of him battling against the Gunmen would double his exposure but unless he had a more elaborate character showcase then he is another rung on a ladder that goes nowhere.  In a show where people dislocate arms, lift barbells of a hundred pounds with only two finger holds, and break out of iron chains with just flexing their muscles, stopping a truck with one hand is the next step.  The matchup would be a standard pure brawn verses refined skill contest.  After a matchup against Shin, which centers around a skill vs. skill challenge with a race thrown in the side, a match against the Dinosaurs would be taking a few steps back, especially considering that nearly every matchup has pointed out that Eyeshield is pretty weak compared to most players.  If the show was just going to tack on the psychological problem of facing an opponent stronger than oneself to the other Devil Bats players, then "Eyeshield 21" would be going in a circular track that it has made so often that the grass under has turned brown.  

                This all adds up to the gamble that the show makes.  How can it attempt to make the final game of the Kantou Tournament better than the game against the White Knights?  In short, it cannot.  The White Knights game has had too much leading up to it to take second place to any match other than the Christmas Bowl.  Three years of weekly episodes have led to this game.  Nearly every opening and closing credits has showcased Shin and Eyeshield's confrontation.  Even Agon who disappeared for 100 episodes was in the opening in one way or another as a constant reminder that he is going to be important, eventually.  Everything after the White Knights game would be downhill due to a complete lack of foreshadowing or forced interest upon the audience.  This is one of the most glaring faults of the show.  Only the opponents for the next match matters.  Everyone after that does not exist until the match is over.  Only with the Second half of the Tokyo Tournament does the show address this, but it does so inadequately.  It all feels too little, too late to correct the problem, especially when it continues to err introducing rivals and opponents just before a match.   

From where?

 

                Internet, there are only ten episodes left.  So, tomorrow will be my last entry covering the television version of "Eyeshield 21."  I think I have covered the biggest criticism I have of the show so far.  Unless something out of left field appears (or should I say blitzed out of nowhere?), I will cover the few things here and there that I have missed.  

Yours in digital,

BeepBoop

Entry 011: Eyeshield 21" Ep. 106-120

Dear Internet,

                It is about time that the Kantou Tournament got under way.  With this last batch of fifteen, I have now finished 120 episodes.  So, that means only 25 episodes left.  I would not be surprised at this point to learn that the series got canceled without a real ending.  It would not be the first time I have seen this happen.  Memories of numerous shows, like "Deadman Wonderland," are called forth where the show stops before a final resolution is made, usually because of the source material moving slower than the new medium version.  But that is more for me to tell you about once this is over.  Now, I have to deal with this group of episodes.

                Agon Kongo, the monster wide receiver, has got to be one of the most refreshing antagonists that this show has offered.  Before or after nearly every single match that has been played on this show, it has become customary to humanize or de-villainize the opponent of the month.  From Shin of the White Knights to Rui of the Chameleons, every single challenger that appears is made to be sympathetic with enough time or a short back-story.  They are either also aiming for the Christmas Bowl or attempting to conquer their own hurdles.  Agon is none of these thing and that is good, or at least for the story it is.  Not only is he the embodiment of the argument that natural talent supersedes effort, but his motives are that of a villain, an actual villain.  On the sidelines of the scrimmage match against the Poseidons, he dislocates Kengo Mizumachi's arm.  In scenes later on episodes down the line, he beats random gangsters until they bleed for his own amusement.  

                But how is this a good thing, you ask, Internet?  With every other antagonist that this show offers, there is always some level of restraint.  No other player shown is willing to break bones and hand out injuries for their own amusement.  With Agon, Sena and the rest had a real threat to their lives.  The match that they were playing was no longer a question of whether it was the last game they would play together but whether or not it was the last game they would be physically able to play.  For a change, the stakes of the game were raised.  Instead of not making it to the Christmas Bowl, the Devil Bats members worried about living to see tomorrow.  The only problem with Agon is the last scene he has in episode 119.  I can deal with him making a resolution to train for a change and actually developing himself rather than relying on his base talent.  What makes me do a double take is him grabbing a referee by the collar and throwing him with no mention of penalization.  Sure, it was after the game ended, but he just committed an assault in front of a stadium of witnesses.  I guess it is just going to be ignored.

                I hope that the episodes until the next game are few.  I am almost through this show, Internet.  Just a few more to go.

Yours in digital,

BeepBoop

Entry 010: "Eyeshield 21" Ep. 91-105

Dear Internet, 

                I was right.  The Cream Puff Cup was a complete filler as far as plot went.  A quick comparison to the source reveals that pretty much everything that I sat through today was only made for the show and did not come from the manga.  Yet for some reason I am not all that upset.  Other than the Cream Puff Cup, which was obviously an excuse to visit the United States again, the episodes in this filler arc were still rather fun to watch.  From the Why-Why Kids and watching the Huh-Huh Brother tackle a bull to seeing Seijuro Shin kill a bear with one hand, the episodes felt so over the top enjoyable that it made me forget that they were non-essential.  Even the obligatory school festival was refreshing, at least to acknowledge that the cast is a group of high school kids.  There was one recap episode stuck in there, but that is not superfluous since the last one according to my notes was about 60 episodes before.  Because the episodes in this batch do not really say much other than that they were made too quickly in comparison to the source, which was still being published at the same time, all I can do is mention a few other things that I have not yet.

                Parents make rare appearances in this show.  That is not to say that there are complete gaps.  Nearly everyone on the Devil Bats team has been shown to have a parent or guardian.  It just takes them a while to show up.  Sena's father took nearly 80 episodes before showing up.  Suzuna and Natsuhiko Taki have a mother but she has not made an appearance yet, only being mentioned by the two of them.  Hiruma is the only one on the team that has yet to have any relative, but I would fear to imagine what kind of parent he would have.  As far as other adults, they are marginalized.  The referees are minimal even when the game occurs, sometimes only speaking off screen.  Some teams do not even have a coach.  However, in the States adults are everywhere, except for obstetricians--they are busy fishing. 

                Helmets are a thing to be worn like a hat and to be taken off at a moment's notice.  Eyeshield was the only character to regularly keep his helmet on during a game at all times.  This aspect is so laughable to the point that when the main quarterback for the Gunmen is seen on the field wearing a cowboy hat in-between plays I have to pause the show because I am laughing so hard.  Where does he get the hat, and where did his helmet go?  Is he playing the game with the hat on his belt or nearby so that he can pose or talk in-between plays?  On that point, everyone on the Devil Bats takes off their helmets pretty regularly.  They will fall to the ground catching their breath, but their helmets are nowhere near them.  They dematerialize into thin air.  It gets even better.  Players of all types get their helmets violently knocked off.  I find it hard that Japanese high school football would have no penalty or foul rule for such excessive force, or even a rule declaring a dead ball.  Then again, this show has had only about three fouls so far, so who is to say that the referees are doing their job right?

                Internet, I know the next batch of episodes are going to be better since the plot is going back to the Kanto Tournament, and with that I will have more to say about the core of the show.  I hope there are no more filler episodes.  Although, I might have just jinxed myself.

Yours in digital,

BeepBoop