Recap: Let's Play Football!

Hello again. Well, to my dismay; the Seahawks could not repeat the Super Bowl win they had last year; losing out to the Patriots, right on the heels of the Ducks losing the Rose Bowl, no less. Be that as it may; it’s as good a time as any to look at another episode of Eyeshield 21. That series is gushing with shonen camp; so I think the second episode should help me cope. So, let’s open up; and “Let’s Play Football!” 

I don’t think I mentioned this in last year’s recap of “The Man With the Lightspeed Legs”, but the theme song is “Let’s Find Breakthrough.” It still doesn’t stand out to me too much; but here’s a tune that fits just as well. 

Our title card is laid out among the helmet of the Demon Devil Bats on the football field. Short, sweet, and to the point.

We open on Sena breaking the news to Mamori about the football team, mentioning that Kurita is very nice; even if he routinely eats his weight in Mallomars. Then, he inevitably mentions Hiruma, a man that’s every bit as hammy as Ming the Merciless. 

Gordon's alive?!

Oh, and apparently Mamori is head of the disciplinary committee; but that still doesn’t explain how she’s so controlling outside school. More on that later.

For now though, enjoy Hiruma as he screams for vengeance in a manner worthy of Judas Priest! 

You've got another thing coming!

He and Sena meet Kurita practicing, as he apparently has been doing so since 2AM.

Right after my late night World of Warcraft!

Apparently, he’s so strong he broke the tackling dummy!

There goes the deposit on that!

He decides to call it a day after he does a 40. He’s been up all night, so why not get crunk?

No, it actually means a 40-yard dash. Sena asks how long it takes. It depends. How long do you plan on living?

Apparently, despite having the girth of Kobayashi after his fifth Pepperoni P-Zone, he can do it in 6.5 seconds.

Naturally, Hiruma expresses incredulity at this, doing his best “Impossibru” face.

Impossibru!

He encourages them to push themselves further; and break some school records in the process. 

It'll be fun for approximately 3.7 seconds!

Sena gives it a try, and runs it in 5 seconds on the dot.

Not satisfied with this, Hiruma summons his dog, Cerberus; to chase after Sena. Well, a mad dog and an opposing team’s tackle do have similar amounts of incentive to run.

Naturally, his new best is 4.2 seconds, rendered as 420. Heh heh heh!

Sena, all tuckered out from his practicing; is resting in class because of the task of gathering 8 more players before the school tournament begins. Side not here: sorry this recap is so late, but part of the reason I’ve delayed it is because of how busy I’ve been with school. 

Even the school bullies fear Hiruma, he is that powerful!

Sena’s attempt to recruit the basketball team is fruitless. They already said no to those Kuroko’s Basketball guys!

Hiruma has a different approach: blackmail the star player by threatening to tell everyone he’s an idol-kissing bedwetter!

Sena’s attempt to recruit members of the sumo club is less successful. Even less so with him in the bushes in a fundoshi!

We are then treated to another football tidbit about how many meters is equal to 40 yards.

Sena does manage to recruit one player after agreeing to help him deliver magazines by that evening.

It also turns out that Kurita is exhausted at this as well. 

I was up till 2 looking at Danganronpa doujinshi!

Mamori is also still blissfully unaware she’s hindering Sena’s growth. Her intentions are noble, but she causes way more problems than she solves.

The bullies from the last episode return, saying Sena got them good the other day. They must have been hit pretty hard if they can’t remember who got them. They say they can’t touch him in school. Changing the location will stop Hiruma how?  As I recall, he got them at the shopping center and most likely knows where they live.

So, Sena makes further use of his skills to deliver the remaining magazines and ditch the bullies.

Despite the other boys coming up short, Hiruma has managed to gather more than enough team members for the three of them. 

So, we close on Sena being overjoyed they managed to get all the team members they need.

“Let’s Play Football” is a solid second outing in Eyeshield 21. With a healthy amount of camp and football action, it’s just what I needed to get over the fact that the Seahawks couldn’t go 2 for 2 in Super Bowl wins. I’m also going to change up what I had planned for the next recap. I was going to do an episode of Danganronpa; but I’m delaying it because of what happened with Ricardo Medina. Instead, the next recap will be on Pokémon: The Strongest Mega Evolution Act I. I hope to be done by the time Act II airs on Saturday. See you, space cowboy!