Ashita no Joe A timeless masterpiece that is amazing in nearly every regard. This is not going to be an in depth analysis nor an essay , this is just going to be me talking about things I love in a manga that I love.
Plot The plot is consistent with the logic applied. It progresses consistently , never coming to a standstill where the story feels stagnated , and never rushing through the story that could have been enjoyed slower. It is not too complex , and is pretty simple to understand. It isn't too predictable , and the set ups and pay offs work very well. It also captures both the feel of a sports series and a character drama together. The plot alone is a lot more than decent , but when it works together with all the other aspects of the series , it truly is at a completely different level. __ Characters Where AnJ undoubtedly peaks is at its characters. First of all , the different and unique personalities of the entire cast is just incredibly entertaining to watch mesh together. Joe is just extremely entertaining with his personality and his actions. But what I believe to be the strongest aspect in the entirety of AnJ is definitely its character development. Characters that play a major role in the narrative are developed to a point I have never seen before. They are never cookie cutter characters. Seeing each of them be put in different situations and how the story changes around them has a very natural feel to it. The characters , although clearly exaggerated beyond a point any normal human can realistically be, all feel incredibly real. Almost tangible. We do not have their backstories told to us , we do not have any completely solid information on the characters. We just watch the events unfold. And as we do this , the characters in AnJ seem more and more layered as time goes on. As we slowly gain a new piece of information on a character , we as the reader are left to figure out what to make of it. And that is amazing. It paints a coat of reality to our characters that I have yet to see any other piece of media portray. Joe Yabuki himself is the prime example of this. He is easily and by far one of the best characters I have seen , if not the best. His rival Rikiishi Tooru also has a very well developed character. Along with Carlos Rivera and several others. Another one of the aspects that make this series such a fun read are the dynamics between the characters. Joe Yabuki has an interesting , slightly complex , and near constantly changing dynamic with almost all of the supporting characters in this series , which makes it incredibly entertaining to read the masterpiece that is AnJ. Overall , the characterization in this series is simply masterful. World This is one of the aspects that least stand out to me in AnJ. While the world of boxing is certainly interesting , it isnt built up very much. This series is not the kind that relies on its world and that is probably why. The events that take place in this world are also always tied to the main narrative and do not split off into side plots ( of what I remember ) Themes / Ideas AnJ tackles the themes of passion , guilt , and so much more which I cannot possible explain. Some on a surface level and some on a much deeper one. Just go read it already if you haven't. Presentation / Execution Although a bit shaky at first , the art , dialogue and a lot more never stop improving. The art , which might be a bit hard to read at first , becomes very charming once you gt used to it. And you will get used to it. The art in its peak is very detailed and just very nice to look at. The spread panels especially. The dialogue isnt that good in the beginning but only gets better as time goes on. There is always a solid sense of progression in the narrative. The reader is left to think about it on their own. Generally a very fun , entertaining read. Entertainment / Overall__ A very interesting , very fun and very touching story that gets better the more you read it , Ashita no Joe is worth reading 20 volumes for and a lot more. It only ramps up its intensity and never looks back , going from a quite boring start for me to a 10/10 the entirety of the second half.
