I'm trying to be objective, after all this is a review. However, I can't. This isn't just some anime I have watched on a whim. Ashita no Joe is something that touched my soul and spoke to my heart, I can never be objective when it comes to this one. To u who's reading this sloppy review with poor writing skills, I'm just trying to tell u about what this anime means to me.
Which reminds me of one of my favorites, Gondo.
Gondo tried to make profit out of Joe via writing his life story. Thing is, he failed, he gave up on writing it. Not because he lacked skills as a writer or anything, it's merely because he couldn't look at joe objectively. Just like me, joe touched Gondo's heart.
#Meet Yabuki Joe, the man who thought he could forget about boxing and ran away after a tragic event.
After a traumatizing event, Joe thought he could forget about boxing, but the thing is, he simply can't.
Joe is the perfect boxer. However, he's not the best one. Kim, Carlos, rikiishi and Jose clearly outclassed him. Then, why does he keep fighting? It's simple, he loves it. After each fight against a great boxer, Joe is left in a miserable state. Joe wins for one reason, DEDICATION. Joe would get hit by the heaviest punch to ever exist but get up anyway, that's the kind of man he is.
Is this just a "never give up!" Story? Fuck no. It's a story about passion. in an episode, joe states that he's always tried to find a "magnificent place" he doesn't know what kind of a place this is but he just knows it exists somewhere. Danpei, his coach says that he'll reach this magnificent place after he defeats the world champion, he'll achieve the glory that every boxer dreams of
"that's it?"
Joe doesn't want Glory or validation, he wants one thing, satisfaction
After watching this show, you'll think about something, "am I happy right now? Am I satisfied with my life?" and I believe this is what this show is trying to make u think of. The music also helps a lot in delivering this message, Joe's whistles can truly reach your heart. In season two, it feels like his whistle has a mix of sadness and peace, as if, our main character knows his road is incredibly dangerous, but he couldn't care less.
To people who aren't exactly passionate about anything and are happy to have a fairly normal life, Joe is weird as hell. Mind you, this guy is around 17 years old, just why would such a young man endanger his life with something as dangerous as boxing? It's like a fire that burns its host, even if it's for just a second, it burns so much that it's almost blinding, this fire is the feeling of your own satisfaction, and then, only pure white ash is left.
I wish to burn away in the flames of my passion, and I'd never reach this mindset if I didn't watched this show, this is how much it means to me. You don't need to be a boxer to truly feel this show, this is dedicated for every single lost soul trying to find satisfaction and peace.
