Hajime No Ippo — Anime Review
“I want to know what it means to be strong,” was Ippo Makunouchi’s answer to professional middleweight boxer Mamoru Takamura when the latter asked him why he wanted to take up professional boxing. An anime/ manga series that is unique in the sports genre, Hajime no Ippo by George Morikawa combines excellent storytelling, detailed art, intense action and character development making this series an unparalleled experience for boxing fans and anime lovers alike.
STORY — INTRODUCTION:
A shy high school student, Ippo is constantly bullied at school by his upperclassman Umezawa. Things get out of hand one day when they beat him up real badly. He is rescued by Mamoru Takamura, a middleweight pro boxer who takes him to his gym, run by retired boxer Genji Kamogawa. Ippo is amazed at all the action. Takamura gives him two tapes containing boxing footage and tells him to go through them. After watching them, Ippo decides to give boxing a try. Takamura tries to dissuade him to which Ippo replies, “I want to know what it means to be strong.” One event leads to another and Ippo ultimately starts training under Coach Kamogawa in the Kamogawa Boxing Gym. Thus begins Ippo’s journey and rise as a professional featherweight boxer.
ACTION, GRAPHICS AND AUDIO:
Although essentially a shounen series, Hajime no Ippo breaks the mould of the traditional shounen anime by concentrating heavily on the sporting side of boxing. No flashy fight scenes, no scream-at-the-top-of-my-lungs insane powerups, no superpowers. This series portrays with detail and starkness the harsh world of professional boxing, with great emphasis to the sport in particular, exposing the brutal honesty and sheer dedication required by pro boxers to survive in this sport. Although in general the graphics is somewhat threadbare, making it easy to animate the daily life of the people, the greatest plus point of the series are the meticulously detailed fights, making the action a treat for the eyes. Toned muscles bulging, bones cracking, punches exploding bombastically, blood flying, sweat dripping — all these seemingly excess details make this series realistic and lifelike, adding to the adrenaline rush one gets when watching the boxing bouts. Yet, despite such harsh visualization, nowhere does this series seem overly violent.
Music is not the strong point in this series but when it comes to sound effects, this anime is a cut above the rest. Various tracks of guitars, drums, piano, horns, and combinations of the instruments provide a wide array of background score in tandem with the mood and action of the scenes. The sound of fists impacting on flesh and bone, and the consequent pain and reactions of the recipient, puts the viewer truly at the scene of the action. Add to that the top notch voices of the voice actors, combined with background music coherent with the drama, and you get a series that is a treat for the eyes as well as the ears.
Although a shounen series, it is not mainstream battle series, and capitalizes on intense boxing action, although keeping in mind the other points of art of storytelling, such as character development, drama, humour and emotion. The animation is smooth, indicating the meticulous amount of research that has been conducted into how boxers move, ranging from the simple jabs to finishing punches, from ordinary hooks to knockout uppercuts. Although fight patterns get predictable after some time, the finer details make each fight stand out from the others, keeping the viewer glued at the edge of his seat, hooked to the action, thirsting for more.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT:
In Hajime no Ippo, every character gets his chance to shine, and no specific person gets the sole attention, as is the general case in shounen series with a central character. Although the series is mainly based on Ippo’s career, we are in turn given glimpses into the life of each character, portraying their past, motivations, relationships, daily life and career. From Ippo’s rivals Ichiro Miyata and Sendo Takeshi to his love interest Kumi, from his gym mates Takamura, Aoki and Kimura to his worrying single mother, to his foe-turned-friend Umezawa, George Morikawa does a more than commendable job with character development, making the individual people as interesting to watch as the action itself. Nearly every opponent that Ippo fights is given a good, sometimes emotional, history and characterization. The unique point of this series is the absence of a true villain. All of the opponents that Ippo fights are just professional boxers themselves, with their own personal pasts to reckon with, and their own reasons to fight
DRAMA AND HUMOUR:
Consider it as the only drawback of the series, the drama is not as intense as expected of a shounen series, mostly because it is a series that banks more on action than on drama. Nonetheless this fails to stop Hajime no Ippo from grabbing attention. Speaking of hilariousness, this anime utilizes the kind of humour common to everyday interaction between characters, with no need for sophistication. To some it may seem too simple and somewhat old school, but for those who can understand and appreciate Hajime no
Ippo’s humour, there is no better way to tickle one’s funny bone and keep you in splits in places. When the trio of Kimura, Aoki, and Takamura get together, the viewers can expect antics that are bound to give them a good time.
MANGA:
Having a count of close to 1040 manga chapters released till date, Hajime no Ippo is perhaps the most extensive manga series released so far. The greatest plus point is the art, with its detailing and uniqueness that conveys the action with thorough brutality and pinpoint accuracy. To be honest the manga is somewhat better than the anime in terms of graphics. Trajectory of punches and their effects on the boxers, body movements, steppings etc. are too well depicted, making George Morikawa’s artwork a truly commendable venture.
ANIME:
· SEASON 1: THE FIGHTING SPIRIT:
Comprising of 76 episodes, season 1 kicks off the Hajime no Ippo anime franchise. This season focuses more on Ippo and his rise as a professional featherweight boxer, although other characters are introduced and explored. Despite the length of the series, nowhere does it get boring, and the length is needed for plot and character development. Strict training regimens and filler episodes punctuate this fight filled saga. The anime is a perfect adaptation of the manga to say the least. This season is full of fights at different levels, and gives an insight to the actual events and tournaments in the boxing world. Season 1 ends with Ippo becoming the featherweight champion of Japan after defeating Sendo Takeshi of Osaka prefecture.
MOVIE: THE CHAMPION ROAD
This movie shows Ippo defending his title belt as Japan Featherweight Champion for the first time against doctor turned boxer Sanada Kazuki, who trained under Coach Kamogawa’s friend and former rival Hama Dankichi. The connecting point between the first and second anime seasons, this movie shows Ippo realising the importance of being champion and defending his place in the boxing world, and what it means to be strong.
· SEASON 2: NEW CHALLENGER:
Comprising of 26 episodes, this season shifts focus away from Ippo and shows Takamura’s venture in to the world level. Graphics and audio are much better compared to season 1, and fights are more intense. Takamura’s past is explored, and his family is revealed. A better watch than season 1, this season shows Takamura on his way to conquer 6 weight classes, beginning with his conquering of the Junior Middleweight class by defeating Bryan Hawk from New York.
· OVA: MASHIBA VS KIMURA
A separate OVA was released along with the actual series. This shows Ippo’s gym mate Kimura Tatsuya challenging featherweight turned junior lightweight champion Mashiba Ryu, whom Ippo defeated on his way to being Japan champion. This OVA focuses solely on Kimura, on how he transformed from a high school thug, to growing up to challenge the Japan champ. This OVA is must watch.
· SEASON 3: THE RISING:
Finally the long wait after season 2 is over, with season 3 starting to air from October 5th, 2013 in Japan. This season starts with Ippo defending his belt against two ferocious opponents, Iwao Shimabukuro and Sawamura Ryuuhei, who have openly challenged Ippo’s deadly signature move, the Dempsey roll.
These opponents, as well as others later on from the OPBF (Oriental Pacific Boxing Federation), threaten Ippo’s position as Japan champion, and this season somewhat focuses on these fights. Also mention worthy are Takamura’s title defences and his conquering of his second weight class and becoming the Middleweight champion after defeating David Eagle. Downside of this season is the absence of the World War2 arc from the manga, which showed the past of rival boxers Genji Kamogawa, Hama Dankichi and Nekota Ginpachi, and the advent of boxing as an organised modern sport in Japan. With improved graphics, action and sound effects, this on-going season promises greater entertainment than all previous seasons.
COMPARISON WITH ASHITA NO JOE:
If the true calibre of Hajime no Ippo is to be tested as a boxing anime, then without a doubt arises the question of its comparison with the critically acclaimed boxing anime Ashita no Joe by Ikki Kajiwara. Although several differences between the two can be tabulated, the major comparison can be summed up as follows. Ashita no Joe has its events based during late sixties and early seventies, when the country of Japan was in deep cultural and economic chaos, and as a result the tone of the series is very dark. Joe, a slum dweller turned boxer, served as a representative of the struggle of the lower class of the society, and his dedication and sacrifice of the sport reflected the will of the people he was representing. By the late 1970s Joe was already an iconic figure in Japan.
Hajime no Ippo, on the other hand, takes place in the early nineties and Ippo is seen as a bullied high school student who turns to boxing. In contrast to Ashita no Joe, Hajime no Ippo showcases boxing as a sport, and the struggles and hardships associated with it. Rather than painting a picture of societal struggle, Hajime no Ippo is an intense and brutal yet heart touching story about the harsh world of professional boxing, and an underdog’s rise to fame and glory.
MY REVIEW AND CONCLUSION:
As for my review on the series, I begin by saying that Hajime no Ippo is a much needed detailed venture into the sport of boxing. Putting aside the drama, comedy and character development, this series takes a scientific and realistic approach into the boxing world. Full credit for this goes to the genius of George Morikawa, who had experienced the sport first-hand, being the cornerman for several professional boxers and later a boxing journalist. The author uses his extensive knowledge and experience of the sport to create a series which may also be interpreted as a beginner’s guide to boxing. Graphic explanation of boxing moves like the jab, cross, hook, uppercut; accurate depiction of actual body movements, and other finer details make it easy for even a layman to understand the sport, without feeling alienated. Add to that the mention of real boxers like Thomas Hearns, Floyd Patterson and Jack Dempsey; and the various international boxing associations like WBC, WBA, IBF and OPBF; and this series seem more like a documentary on boxing rather than work of fiction.
For those who prefer hardcore mainstream battle anime with flashy fights, insane powerups, and intense interactions between protagonists and antagonists, this series may initially seem like a let-down.
Quite contrary to the concept of shounen battle anime, Hajime no Ippo is brutally lifelike, depicting the characters as the flesh and blood humans that they truly are. despite the fights being starkly realistic, they also carry the intoxicating allure of mainstream action. For boxing fans, this series is a much needed venture into the greatly misunderstood sport. Even for non-boxing fans, these series provides ample entertainment, and is bound to get any newbie truly interested in the sport.
A sad point of Hajime no Ippo is a grossly underrated anime due to lack of publicity, despite having over 1000 manga chapters and a successfully running third anime season. Even so this series shines with its own unique light that sets it apart. For battle anime lovers, boxing fans or not, I recommend that they watch this series and I can guarantee they would not regret the experience.
©Auro_18122013
