Spoiler Free Hajime No Ippo Review
I will split this review into sections Story, Art, Characters, Cons. Even though this review is on the manga page I also recommend the anime seasons as they are well done and is how I got into this series so this review will just be about the series as a whole.
STORY
Hajime No Ippo starts off with the main character Makunouchi Ippo being bullied one day until he is helped by a pro boxer named Mamoru Takamura who then introduces him to boxing at the Kamogawa gym. After training Ippo becomes a pro boxer under the Kamogawa gym and his main reason to box is to find out for himself what it means to be strong. Ippo goes through many fights learning many techniques constantly improving himself while facing different opponents. The rivarlys and build up for this series is some of the best you will ever find. Another thing that is well done about this series is it shows how hard it really is to be a boxer as it takes so much dedication, training and discipline. It also explores other things such as weight management which it depicts as very difficult and dealing with losing whether that be fights, ppl or motivation, self doubt and injuries. One thing I really love is the that the fights have actual strategies and the boxers train specifically for their strategies so the fights do not feel like asspulls at all and are very satisfying mind you some fights go quicker than others but its just like real life where it is stated in this series that in boxing anything can happen. You do not have to know anything about boxing to enjoy this series as it explains the rules and techniques of boxing so well that when reading / watching it you will probably become a boxing fan.
ART
Since it is such an old series first chapter came out 1989 the art is a bit dated at first but the evolution it goes through is immaculate and George Morikawa does his best to make the fights captivating with his paneling and using perspective and repeated motions to make it easier to follow and like you are actually right there witnessing the fights.
CHARACTERS
The characters is one of the biggest strengths of the series as even though Ippo is the main character many other characters get to shine as well which makes you actually care about them to, as many series fail to accomplish this with the main character making the rest of the cast irrevelant but that is not present here. We get to learn the motivations and reasons most of the boxers are fighthing for even the one off characters and opponents. There is also alot of character development and the bonds that are created between characters feel very real. For example Ippos and Takamuras trainer Kamogawa sees them as his sons and they both look up to him as a father figure as Ippo lost his father at an early age, and Takamuras family siutation is complicated which we find out during the Battle Of Hawk Arc.
CONS
The comedy is really hit or miss either sometimes it can be very funny but sometimes its a bit too much. But once again since its an older series some of the comedic scenes havent aged very well and some of the jokes are based on Japanese puns on words so the cultural differences of the jokes is also a thing. The romance is very weak most of it is like something is about to happen but barely happens but since this is not a romance manga its not really a big deal.
