Hajime no Ippo

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Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting!
Alt title: Fighting Spirit

Synopsis, Screenshots, Reviews, Recommendations ~ Add Your Own Recommendations

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I'm going to be marathoning Ippo this week so I won't be posting on every episode but I thought I'd make a post each day about that group of episodes. Anyway I'm going to watch more episodes today but I've already watched the first three episodes.

I don't know anything about boxing so I'm starting off about the same level as Ippo knowledge wise. I was expecting him to be a novice but I didn't think he would start out such a wimp. Ippo pretty much starts out a completely introverted and timid guy not exactly what you would expect from someone that going to end up a great boxer. However despite his disposition he does have advantages mostly he's already strong and can take a ton of damage. I guess this isn't really a surprising way for a shounen hero to start off though. On the one hand I can't say Ippo makes much of an impression as a character but on the other he is perfect underdog material so I already find myself wanting to root for him. He's stubborn, hardworking and not completely stupid. He was able to figure out how to catch those leaves without Takamura teaching him.

Although the character that stole the first three episodes was Takamura. He's hilariously over the top especially with his facial expressions. He's a big ego and the problem is I could see him completely overshadowing Ippo. Despite being a bite odd Takamura is also really charismatic which makes his naturally more fun to watch. He also has a magnificent pompadour but that just adds to his oddness/charisma mix.

The first three episodes were all pretty standard stuff to get Ippo into boxing and accepted as one of the guys. Of course at first no one believes in him and well basically if you've seen any underdog movie then you know how these episodes play out. Despite being rather generic I found the actual characters and interactions to be interesting. I also liked Ippo sparring with Miyata... mostly because it was fun to see Takamura freaking out trying to coach the novice Ippo.

So off to a good start and we'll see where it goes from here.
 
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... I almost dread saying it is a great series, But I will. Weird that it never had a thread till now. =O
 
Well, there is a thread for the manga. This does have me thinking about watching the anime again. Those opening songs alone are enough to get someone pumped up.
 
Anime - Hajime no Ippo Rocks alot. The main character is a simple guy that will become ambicious for the title , but he does not hold a grudge for their opponents, friendships become a competition and emotions of the battles are hilarious.
Its a must see.
 
Funkgun said:
... I almost dread saying it is a great series, But I will. Weird that it never had a thread till now. =O
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No worries my friend after day one I'm suitably impressed with this anime.

Wow man it is so good watching an anime that not only knows what it wants to do but actually knows how to do it. Ippo is a manly adrenaline that can actually deliver on the drama as well as the comedy. It's been stripped of all extraneous drama and bullshit and focuses like a laser on the boxing. That's the best thing so far the drama is where is should be in the ring.

When I started I was worried about the length meaning I was going to have to deal with boring school life bullshit and other meaningless drama but Ippo seems to know that what I want in a boxing anime is some motherfucking boxing. The anime does nothing more than acknowledge the school life exists. The perfect example is how the bullies were treated. Rather than being fodder for angsty melodrama they were sloughed off mostly as a joke until they were needed for an actual moment of development in Ippo and then went back to being comic relief.

Which is one of the other great thing about this show. The comedy is anything but fresh but it is impeccably timed. Whenever there is too much going on and a break it needed a joke is naturally inserted in a non-intrusive way. The jokes themselves aren't great but man that great timing got more than one laugh out of me today.

Then there are the motherfucking fights. Now look I don't give a shit about boxing but this show makes the fights both accessible and exciting. There is just the right balance of strategy and action. It would be easy for things to get bogged down in technical terms that I wouldn't care to remember but instead all the essential information is given in an interesting way and then things go on their merry way. All the fights have been great so far and there have been several times I find myself wanting to cheer out loud as well.

Ippo is developing nicely as a character. Showing progress from episode to episode but it's the other characters that really bring this thing to life. No characters are wasted, they all have a role and a purpose. Just look at Takamura. Most of the time he is a clown acting as very effective comic relief. However when he's needed to he really steps up to deliver some interesting advice or drama. Just when things were looking too rosey for Ippo, Takamura steps up and shows the real pain and agony of being a boxer. The punishment of the body these guys go through just to get to the fight, much less the actual fight itself. The diets and the insane training all for that one moment of perfect glory. The opponents get enough development to make them interesting as well. In the last bout I was feeling pretty sympathetic toward Jason which made the fight just that much more intense. It's nice that none of the characters really seem wasted or completely worthless.

Anyway this is a show that came out firing on all cylinders and has continued to progress and develop through the first 15 episodes. I am really looking forward to more tomorrow.
 
Oh yeah and this antagonist is ugly enough to be a Kaiji cast member:

Hajime.jpg
 
Ha, Mashiba. He's awesome in his own right. They did a hell of a job building him up as a villain. He isn't fodder either. but yes, he is one ugly dude, you kind of have to wonder where he gets it from once you learn...
he's Kumi's older borther.
 
Almost no one looks pretty in this show. Takamura is the tightest greaser fro in history, and Ippo himself is not a "pretty" boy.

DrOrpheus said:
Which is one of the other great thing about this show. The comedy is anything but fresh but it is impeccably timed. Whenever there is too much going on and a break it needed a joke is naturally inserted in a non-intrusive way. The jokes themselves aren't great but man that great timing got more than one laugh out of me today.
.
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The comedy shows up in completely odd places. Takamura choking out someone, while he yells at Ippo, or later yelling at him, that his penis is in the heavy weight class.

I even liked the BGM Jamie.
 
Funkgun said:
The comedy shows up in completely odd places. Takamura choking out someone, while he yells at Ippo, or later yelling at him, that his penis is in the heavy weight class.
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It always comes when a break is needed from the tension. It's always a little unexpected and catches me off guard. I think that's why I like it.

Also Takamura is always making jokes about Ippo's dick. I laughed pretty hard when
Takamura pulled down Ippo's pants in front of the hostesses and they all gasped in shock for a minute before one of them just said this perfectly timed "wow" then the episode ends. It was just a great way to cap off an otherwise tense episode.
So yeah the humor is juvenile but well placed.

And I already said this but that last fight with Jason was just fucking epic. I really have loved all the fights so far. They keep getting increasingly awesome as Ippo improves.
 
Funkgun said:
I even liked the BGM Jamie.
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Yeah, and not only is it good music, but it fits so well and is used perfectly in the show.

I'm already thinking about getting to the end of the first series, watching New Challenger again and being back where I am now, waiting for them to make more anime.
 
Episodes 16-19:

Heh it's weird having a beach episode when all the characters are all guys. Still it was a good combination of funny with some good training time as well. As much as Takamura plays around he never really slacks off on his training. He's actually just good at finding his fun whenever and where ever he can while never taking away from his pursuit of the championship.

Anyway the fight with Kenta was the weakest fight so far but that was to be expected from his style of boxing. He isn't strong and doesn't have great technical skills so he has to compensate by throwing his opponents off their game. It was an interesting little character arc for him but it made the fight a little boring. I wasn't particularly interested even when Ippo took one right on the chin.

Now it's Takamura's turn to fight and this time against a decent opponent so this should be good.
 
About time you started this amazing show Marius. :love: Watch out for adrenalyne overdoses, and enjoy the ride.
 
End of day 2 and I made it through episode 30.

Oh boy, some great fights in this batch of episodes. I just loved the brutality of both Mashiba fights. Once again this anime shows some dexterity for making the opponents interesting and giving them a bit of depth.Mashiba still isn't a good guy but given his background his attitude becomes much more understandable and he is definitely my favorite opponent so far. I like that flicker jab thing he does and that fightman style looks pretty cool.

I did feel a little sorry for Miyata though. It was just a nasty fight, although it was nowhere near as brutal as Ippo's fight with Mashiba. Despite his technical skill Miyata doesn't seem to have enough strength to put guys down for good. He had Mashiba early on but it just wasn't enough end it. Of course once he broke his foot I knew it was over.

Now we have Ippo's biggest test so far. After smashing up his hand he's afraid to hit anything with his right. Sendo wants for a fight so Ippo better get shit together quickly. Speaking of Sendo his fight with Takamura really showed how far above everyone else Takamura is. Even playing around he was a superior fighter. Well he was playing around until Sendo elbowed him then shit was on and Sendo got his ass handed to seriously handed to him.

Oh I forgot the fight with the pretty boy was pretty good too. It was just overshadowed by the later fights.

Ippo's still going strong 30 episodes in. It's showing no signs of slowing down but instead keep ratcheting up the intensity.

Hehe tomorrow is going to be awesome. More Ippo and new Kaiji. MADHOUSE you rule.
 
I don't know it just seems this show doesn't ever have much respect for Miyata. Even when he wins it always seems half-hearted when compared with everyone else. His last fight against the Thai dude Jimmy was pretty intense though.

Still going strong on day three. Had to take a break for some Zawas though.
 
Okay so I'm up through episode 65 and will finish this off tomorrow. It's been a thrilling ride to say the least. All the fights have been epic and it's hard to figure out which one is my favorite so far. They all have their great moments. I think the best thing about the fights is they are all fairly realistic. I mean their are some liberties taken for dramatic purposes but for the most part everything that happens could happen in real life.
 
Do not forget to see :

Hajime No Ippo: History of Takamura | Champion Road | Mashiba vs Kimura | Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger (26 Epi.)
 
Somehow it's only right that the show would end with Takamura being cockblocked by the coach.
 
I'll stick this in here too:

DrOrpheus said:
Hajime no Ippo

Of all genres in anime the sports genre is probably the weakest of the bunch. So many sports anime go so far with its over the top stylized action that the very essence of the sport it's trying to capture becomes lost amidst the hyper-realistic techniques, awful storyline, and poorly developed one-dimensional characters. Hajime no Ippo is the exception to this rule and is quite possibly the greatest sports anime to date. The story of Makunochi Ippo, a shy high school kid who helps his mom at their fishing store but gets picked on by his classmates as a smelly, antisocial weakling. He meets Takamura Mamoru who introduces him to the world of boxing. He then begins his journey to become the world champion.

The key to creating a compelling sports anime depends on two major factors: stylized realism vs hyper-realism and character development. The first is the most common mistake most sports anime make. The ability needed for anybody to play these sports requires a great deal of dedication and talent. They don't need dragons in the background or two minutes of characters powering up as they go for the shot in order to be impressive. Hajime no Ippo understands this in spades and creates fights that are as beautiful to watch as they are tense. There are no power ups, no monsters, no demons, and no energy forces; there is just two people facing off in a ring. As a result you feel every punch, every hit, and every broken bone. While some moves may be stylized and exaggerated they all have a basis in real boxing techniques and are handled extremely well. This is directly a result of some gorgeous animation and camera techniques that capture those moments in glorious detail. The fights have just the right balance of strategy and action. It would be easy for things to get bogged down in technical terms that I wouldn't care to remember but instead all the essential information is given in an interesting way and is integrated naturally into flow of the fights so the tension and flow is never broken.

The other shining aspect of this show is its characters. The biggest flaw in shonen anime are the simplistic storylines fueled by simplistic characters who provide nothing more than story fodder for the viewer to wallow through as they wait for their main character to return. This is not the case with Hajime no Ippo. While its storyline is incredibly simplistic it rises above the rank by filling the show with well-developed lovable characters. This includes Ippo's boxing friends and the opponents that he faces. Each fight is built up over a few episodes not only to provide Ippo with a new fighting technique but also to let the viewer understand what his opponent's motivations and reasons are for boxing. The show is quite skilled at building up and developing the opponents in a very short period of time. By the time you get to the fight you end up cheering for both sides. Ippo's friends are also an absolute joy to watch as they provide Ippo not only with new skills and lessons but serve as the comedic backbone for the entire show. This show should be the poster child for how to do shonen sports anime or even shounen anime in general.

When I started I was worried about the length meaning I was going to have to deal with boring school life bullshit and other meaningless drama but Ippo seems to know that what I want in a boxing anime is some motherfucking boxing. Time is spent on life outside the ring but this time is focused on building up the characters as they prepare for the matches. Boxing is never far from any of the character's minding even when they might be screwing around or having fun.

That's not to say boxing is the only thing Hajime no Ippo has to offer. It can also be hilarious at times. The comedy while not revolutionary is always there hiding in the background waiting for a chance to pounce. Whenever there is a break in the action or a need to defuse the tension Takamura is almost always there to fire off a stream of perverted jokes. The jokes and gags are well times and their perfect execution makes up for their lack of originality. Not all of the comedy is perverted and a good deal of humor can be found in the character's facial expressions. Just watching Aoki's face as he boxes could make me smile.

The show has a few minor flaws that stop it from being perfect. The show is does repeat its formula one too many times. Each fight lasts about 10-15 episodes which includes the training, the backstory, and the fight itself. It doesn't change it up a great deal. Also I would have liked to have seen more fights from the supporting cast. However, these are really minor gripes I have with an otherwise stellar show.

Hajime no Ippo is an anime that not only knows what it wants to do but actually knows how to do it. The show is a manly adrenaline rush that can actually deliver on the drama as well as the comedy. It's been stripped of all extraneous drama and bullshit and focuses like a laser on the boxing. That's the best thing about the drama is it's focused where it should be, in the ring. 4.5 out of 5 #25
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Right I'm ready to get this anime started, been looking forward to starting it ever since Mushimushi told me about the group, and here I go....
 
Ditto. It'll probably do me good to get a little break from Sailor Moon. Ippo was the first manga I ever started reading, too, so it has a lot of nostalgia value to add to the mix.

Episode 1

Oh, Ippo. You're just as likable as I remember you being. Do like the fact they didn't give him a high-pitched, girlish voice, too, which is the case with shy males a bit too often. And I mostly remembered Takamura's... ahem... antics, but no, they establish him as a senior worth his salt right off the bat.

Otherwise... well, it's a first episode, so backstory and preparation, mostly. But at least he's more prepared to speak up now.
 
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