Publisher Viz
Genre Sports
Age Rating For Older Teens
Price $7.99

Publisher's summary of volume from the back cover: It's the Kanto Tournament--Devil Bats vs. Shinryuji Nagas--and the Bats are getting steamrolled! In fact, it's so bad that their star quarterback has pretty much thrown in the towel. He tells the rest of the team that their chance of winning is less than one percent, and not to play hard, so they won't be injured and jeopardize their next season. But they know exactly what he means--abandon all fear! Kill yourself if need be, because there's no chance of winning unless this team can give more than they've ever given before! The question is will it be enough?

Nothing extra special is included for Vol. 21 of Eyeshield 21 (well, the author does comment on the fact that it's the 21st volume) aside from its current storyline. The art style of Murata has evolved, especially in comparison to the first volume, but otherwise nothing extraordinary is done with the art here. This volume is more along the lines of pay-off with the previously established hints and build-up. The story has evolved so big and with its huge cast of characters that the first page introducing the characters simply gives us photos and names of the vast cast.

As for the story itself, it's action-packed. Yukimitsu, one of the underused characters in the series, finally gets his chance to shine. The conflict between the Devilbats and Shinryuji increases as the former starts its counter-attack. Now Shinryuji is a team that was seeded in the earlier volumes, first as an enigmatic winning team and then later as this despicable but powerful nemesis. It's satisfying to finally read the two teams fighting each other and Shinryuji is more than holding its own. Towards the end of the manga, there are a lot of exciting moments, and ends on a high note that will be continued in the next volume.

Not quite the entry point volume for newbies but those who've followed the series this long will love this story arc as this is one of the most anticipated fights in the series (second only to Ojou which was established in the first volume).

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