Eyeshield 21 is an anime based on a manga written by Riichiro Inagaki and illustrated by Yusuke Murata. The manga was first made into a 30-minute film in 2004. The film was produced by Production I.G., and was directed by Tamaki Nakatsu. An anime series was produced by NAS and Studio Gallop in 2005, and was directed by Masayoshi Nishida. The television anime ran for 145 episodes, which aired on TV Tokyo from April 6, 2005-March 19, 2008.

The story starts with a physically unassuming and non-assertive boy named Sena Kobayakawa entering Deimon Private Senior High School. His childhood friend Mamori Anezaki, who always stood up to bullies for him, is already attending the school. She encourages Sena to join clubs and try to make friends. Sena has an incredible running speed and intense agility, which he demonstrates on his first day of school when he’s being chased by three boys trying to bully him. Sena catches the attention of Yoichi Hiruma, the captain for the school’s American football team. To protect Sena’s identity, as well as to prevent other school sports clubs from recruiting him, Yoichi has Sena say publicly that he’s the team’s secretary. However, when Sena plays on the field, he wears a football helmet with a green-tinted eyeshield that covers his face, and he plays under the name of “Eyeshield 21.”

Not only is Yoichi Hiruma the team captain, he is also the team’s quarterback. He carries around multiple amounts of guns, and owns a homicidal dog named Cerberus. While Yoichi may act cruel and crazy, he really does care about his teammates and friends. Ryokan Kurita is the third original member of the team, and is also the largest and the strongest player. He’s somewhat dim-witted, but is also a kind-hearted person. Ryokan becomes Sena’s second friend at the school.

The Ha-Ha Brothers are the three boys who bully Sena on the first day of school. However, they end up playing as linemen for the team, because Yoichi blackmails them into it. Another notable player on the team is Taro Raimon, who has the nickname of “Monta.” He is the primary wide receiver, and is one of Sena’s closest friends on the team.

Eyeshield 21 is an anime that has the potential to appeal to viewers who like football. In my opinion, this anime would have the strongest appeal to male anime viewers. With the content in the series, I would personally recommend Eyeshield 21 to anime viewers who are eleven or twelve years of age and older.