I may be getting fast internet connection soon ^__^V So, DOWNLOADING manga will be IMPORTANT! ES21 is LOVE as I have a major soft spot for sports series heroes and teams who start off with potential but have to work their asses off to get better. Furthermore, my favorite sports heroes are ones that have a One True Rival (they have other rivals in the interim, but it is the OTR that is their final goal, and more often than not it takes them the whole damn series before the two can actually have their official match.) Anyways, I think one of the reason that one tend to take E21 characters more seriously is because you get to see how much hard work, how much effort they put into becoming what they are, and when they fail (because by the gods, they will) it is heart wrenching because it is so damn unfair and so sad. Furthermore, more often than not, you start the series with a character who is often a novice about a sports (from the top of my head; Hajime no Ippo, Hikaru no Go, Slam Dunk, etc.,) and you learn with them, you are happy for them when they earn a win, and you cry for them when they lose! It is all so BEAUTIFUL! (In a manly, sports way XP)

BTW: You need to watch Hajime no Ippo. Once again I recommend the anime because OMFG! To see the actual matches being animated (especially when the animators know what they are doing, none of this slow-motion crap, or fights that drag into 2 or more episodes) is a pleasure, and I admit by the end of the series I was so involved that at one point I was jumping up and down and screaming because of the tension (mum wasn’t impressed.)