Visualization In Manga (Or, Why Eyeshield 21 Actually Makes Football Interesting)

I hate football. Hell I hate sports. But, I love sports anime / manga. Why? Let's take a look, using Eyeshield 21 as an example:

Never seen anyone catch a football that was spinning so fast, dust and smoke was spiraling off of it. But Monta's got it under control. Can Brett Favre do that?

This one is great too. Everything is in slow motion, Sena running, running, running, then BAM! He kicks it into high gear and gets ready to sack the quarterback. The kid doesn't even have a chance to react. Can Brett Favre do that?

This one up above has got the be the most bad-ass image ever. The way Agon just erupts through the smoke, face obscured in shadows, but eyes still glowing. His one arm sneaking out of the shadows to smash Sena down. Can Brett Favre do that?

This composition is brilliant. We are so low to the ground as the captain of the Scorpions (didn't see that coming did you??) and his linemen charge into the fray. Love, LOVE how they are almost trapped in the upper left corner while the ground shoots past them in the majority of the frame. Can Brett Favre do that?

Agon again, showing off his insanely quick reflexes. It's like the artist went ahead and animated his turn on one piece of paper. The sheer force of his speed breaks all logic and creates a sonic boom, which mixes into Sena's dust. Can Brett Favre do that?

In case you can't tell, Sena here just spun past the opponent. Can Brett Favre do that?

So, to recap: I love sports manga because:

A) Special moves.

B) Ridiculous, over the top characters.

C) Physics? No thanks.

D) While not obvious from these pics, we generally have characters with personalities that go beyond, "Dude, I am the greatest thing that has ever happened to humanity." We have characters with fears, doubts, courage, generosity, and hope. We have character arcs. We have rivalries, some that are settled, some that are not.

I rest my case. Can Brett Favre do that?

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