Mar 07 2007
The U.S. Version Will Be Called “Battle Angel LaDainian”
Association football may be the third-most popular sport in Japan behind baseball and schoolgirl-groping, but football of the gridiron variety has a growing audience there, too. In addition to its scores of high school and college teams, Japan is home to the X-League, which consists mostly of corporate-owned and sponsored teams. Japan is also the two-time defending American Football World Cup champion. (Where ya at, USA?)
So of course, the country has to show its love of American football the best way it knows how — through anime.
Eyeshield 21 is the story of a small, unassuming, doe-eyed teenage boy who just happens to have the ability to run fast and dodge tackles in ways that make Tecmo Bowl Bo Jackson jealous. The superstar quarterback at his high school coerces this boy into playing for the football team, but in order to keep other schools from luring him away, the coach makes him front as if he’s the team secretary and puts a thick green eyeshield on the boy’s helmet to conceal his identity during games. Because that makes perfect sense in an anime series.
I found out about this series through, of all things, a Wii blog. A video game version of Eyeshield 21 is coming out for the Wii in Japan:
Somehow, I don’t think Madden junkies in America will ever have the opportunity to play this. More’s the pity. I bet the anime cheerleaders would put Minka Kelly to shame.
Incidentally, a YouTube search for Eyeshield 21 turns up a whole slew of episodes, so if you want to see what some Japanese folk think of American football, go check it out. Given the cult following the gridiron game has there, the Land of the Rising Sun might be fertile ground for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s World Domination Tour.
RSS Feed
“Where ya at, America,” you ask. For those who don’t want to follow the click trails, I offer this:
http://wc2007.info/cgi-bin/news_e.cgi?4
Yeah, Will, that was announced in September. There have been ZERO announcements since then. You wouldn’t know from looking at USAFootball.com that anyone gives a shit.
You’re right. I can’t even find a google news hit on mackovic and japan. You would think that there would at least be a human interest type pice on it or something. After the 2006 fiasco in Germany, I’d at least like to remind the world that Americans are good at ONE code of football.