Yusuke Murata, artist for One-Punch-Manrecently posted online a 47 second animated trailer for BRAINxBRAVE, an upcoming short based on eye protection 21. Although the one-shot has yet to be released, the clip itself shows the main cast lovingly recreated once again. The new project celebrates the 21st anniversary of the American football manga drawn by Murata, first released from 2002 to 2009.
The original clip was uploaded to Murata’s personal X account but was quickly reposted by the Shonen Jump News fan account, which also shared that the finished work would be posted on the Shonen Jump+ app. The teaser confirms that both the manga’s creators – writer Riichiro Inagaki and artist Murata – are collaborating again after more than 20 years to create a new story.
One-Punch Man’s Yusuke Murata brings Eyeshield 21 back to life
The epic animated trailer shows Sena, Yoichi and Taro on the field against Seijuro’s opposing team, while many other familiar faces also appear in the stands nearby. Even Sena’s signature techniques like Prediction and Bat Demon get a moment on screen. Even though Eyeshield 21 already has a 145-episode anime, it pales in comparison to these highly detailed rendition of the cast, who move with manga-worthy eye-popping dynamics. Viewers also seem to agree with what the trailer has shown, as Murata’s initial upload has already hit 5.5 million views.
There are certainly plenty of reasons why viewers are eager to see BRAVExBRAIN. While Eyeshield fans will be delighted when Inagaki and Murata revisit their work after many years, the latter Murata is an even more famous name. His work in adapting ONE’s superhero comedy One-Punch Man from amateur webcom to quality manga is a once-in-a-lifetime story. Seeing him announce his participation in a new project is sure to make many people turn their heads. Murata’s “home” animation studio, Village Studio, is also working on an exciting new anime series called Zaiyuki.
However, there is a bit of ambiguity about what the revival will entail. While Shonen Jump calls the video a “preview,” Murata’s tweet, when translated, describes it as an “animated announcement of a shot.” This shows that the animation itself is just a promotional activity and not to see the final product. In that case, the work that Murata and Inagaki are working on could be another manga. However, BRAINxBRAVE There is currently no official release date yet, but since this project is for anniversary purposes eye protection 21 fans can expect it to come out later this year, as the popular artist behind One-Punch Man shows no signs of stopping.
Source: Yusuke Murata on X.