ANOTHER ODE...
again, its been awhile since ive written in this thingy. Dont think my little story will have much more installments, mainly due to a lack of time, and more importantly, original and gripping story line. But, i can write the praises of one series that does have this quality. I havent been a fan of sports animes, mostly cause i never watched any til recently. I started with Hikaru no Go, and while Go isnt sport at all (Go = board game w/ Orthello-like pieces), it does have qualities as such. I commend them for making Go seem so hardcore, but after maybe 30-40 eps, i called it quits, thinking that this is way too long to drag out an anime, sport or not. Then, i started to watch some Prince of Tennis, and it grabbed my interest early. I was introduced to all the members of the Seigaku tennis team... well, the regulars anyway. I think its a nice gimmick that everyone has their own sorts of styles and special moves. So, the Seigaku guys are all pretty hardcore in their own way, but some of the guys are jus way too annoying, especially some of Seigaku's opponents (w/ the notable exception of Fudomine, they're hardcore too). Again, i was slowly losing interest cause the moving backgrounds and the animation (or lack thereof) was getting to me. Dont get me wrong, im still goin to finish this sucker off, and im watchin it as we speak. But thats because i finished off another series yesterday....
70+ episodes of any anime will tend to get dry and repetitive. I will concede to that, it is about the same thing each episode. However, it never got dry, it never got stale. And i consider that quite remarkable, i say that the majority of anime tends to get pretty dry 10 or 20 episodes into it (if they can go that long), whether it picks up later or not. Not here, it never got dry, even flashback episodes were okay (for flashback episodes). And as i sit and write these words, this one series has affirmed my belief that sport anime is awesome, arguably one of the best genres in anime. Oh yes, did i mention i finished off 76 episodes and 1 ova in 2 wks? It would have been less, but i had midterms in between. So, here we go, one of the best anime series you will ever see, start to finish (no finish in sight, the manga is still running strong):
HAJIME NO IPPO
Again, i have found an anime series that skyrockets to one of my top favorites... maybe even my favorite of all time (unseating Trigun... hard to say... but it might). Yes, Hajime no Ippo, the exploits of the boxers of Kamogawa gym in the Japanese pro-boxing circuit. I havent put boxing in high regard at all, i kinda looked down on it actually. After watching this series, i made a 180 turnaround. The main storyline follows one Makunouchi Ippo, a shy and soft-spoken hs junior who works at his family's fishing business part-time. Due to his kind-hearted and non-confrontational nature, hes been the target of bullying ever since elementary school. His part time work left no time for friends and such. Fate lends a hand in the form of Mamoru Takamura, a middleweight pro boxer who gets the Japan title in his weight class. Spotting the hapless Ippo gettin pushed around by bullies, he comes to the rescue, driving away the thugs with effortless weaving and ducking techniques. In awe of Takamura's prowless and strength, Ippo asks a question, choking back tears of frustration, which will change his life forever, "Takamura-san... what is it to be strong?" And thats how one of the most hardcore animes on earth starts off...
Hajime no Ippo blends so many elements together, backed by strong character development. Ippo is one you cant help but cheer for. Beat down by bullies all his life, he turns around his life with an unlocked natural talent, hard training, an unbeatable work ethic, and jus deep down grit and courage. Far from indestructable, the reason he is so formidable is his tireless training, the faith he puts into his second (coach), and his tenacity, which gives off an aura of a warrior never willing to go down as long as he can clench his fist. As his talent is developed and his skills are polished, success never goes to Hajime's head. Rather, he becomes more humble with every victory, always taking on the attitude of a challlenger. Ippo's pure devotion to the sport, and his down-to-earth good nature makes you yell with every down and cheer with every victory. He's jus my kinda character, i never really liked arrogant champions...
but, ill make an exception in his case. Another reason why this series is so hardcore is cause it manages to be humorous, jus downright funny. Usually the funny comes in the form of Aoki, Kimura, and especially Takamura, the main three boxers in the Kamogawa gym who show the new kid Ippo the ropes. Their dynamic jus makes you bust out laughing. I dont kno how they achieve such hilarity, but they manage too. Some episodes are jus too funny, i watched them maybe 3 times over during these past few wks. Takamura, the "lord of perverts", jus takes the cake. For such a hardcore boxer, hes a real crackup.
All of Ippo's opponents are given a face, a certain side of them is illuminated so you can see that they are jus as worthy to win as Ippo is. So, that outright polarity of good vs evil is erased, which i like better, much better. I dont really care for goodness over evil much anymore, its a lot more interesting when the sides are ambiguous. I guess this really a bias of mine, but i like how they make each opponent more human. Whats left is not really vendetta; jus simply a match between two people, a test of skill, speed, and strength to see who can take more punches, to see who is the one left standing. There is no love lost on the ring, but thats only in the ring. A bit idealized, which is granted, but the whole warrior ethic has a certain draw for me.
Each match is so nerve-wrecking too. Unless you've seen the episode before, you really cant tell whats goin to happen in the match. Ippo manages to get up despite all odds, but theres a certain doubt that he'll be able to do it again. And since this is a long anime series, i can forgive some shabby animation, jus like i did for prince of tennis... but this animation overall is pretty nice. It paints a gripping atmosphere, and coupled with the soundtrack, you can feel every punch. One episode i was literally weaving my head along w/ Ippo as he launched his Dempsey Roll (Ippo's ultimate KO move).
I have no qualms about the anime. I cant find any major fault with it. I love it too much. I love it so much, i bought the game (victorious boxer for ps2) today. Its... jus... that... goood. And since im feeling a little under the weather, ill leave it at that for today. Hajime no Ippo, what i would consider my favorite anime... maybe even of all time. Alrighty then, more to come later.
