Megalobox

This is one of those shows that I am certain people will be talking about for a long time to come, a true classic in more than one sense.

I really don't want to get in to spoilers during this review as to not ruin the show for anyone planning to watch it so I will for the most part not touch on the story at all unless necessary.

Now, I am not really that great at writing reviews in general and that is why I for the most part refrain from doing so, I however thought this show was worth doing my best for.

The show grips you from the first minute in to the first episode by showing you exactly what you are about to experience throughout this 13 episode long journey. The journey being that of an underdog.

If you even slightly like action oriented anime this is one you should not allow yourself to miss, the pure adrenaline of watching the boxers go at it in this show is not something that can not even be put into words, I have never experienced anything like it in any show I have previously watched.

The show manages to keep you at the edge of your seat at all times, the matches for the most part feel like they could go either way, you never feel that the main character (Joe) somehow has some plot-armor that protects him, he is a strong fighter, he is as said in the show "The real deal", but this does not make him invincible. He is as human as all the other fighters, as shown throughout the series.

The show also manages to be a huge homage to not only the original (Ashita no Joe) but also to older anime in general, it gives you true Cowboy Bebop esque vibes from how they animated the show to even just how it looks in general, it is beautiful. They even went as far as to downsample the resolution of the show to make it look older which has been debated a lot over if it actually makes the show better or not. My opinion on it is that I think it was a great choice for the show, I do however hope that a full 1080p version is released through the Blu-Ray version.

The original soundtrack, oh god the OST is truly perfect for this show and just amazing to listen to on their own as well, the music of this show is definitely worth a mention, every score seems to be particularly crafted for each scene they are put into it is beyond anything I see in most shows, we are talking Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo levels of OST goodness here. And it is all available to listen to right now on Spotify if you want to see (or rather listen) for yourself what I am talking about.

Now onto the only real issue that the show suffers from which is the short nature of it. You really do get the feeling that some things in the show had to be rushed when watching it, with only 13 episodes to work with they really did not have time to explore everything to the extent that the original did. However, I have to say, seeing as they only had 13 episodes to work with I do feel it used every single episode to its fullest potential, it feels complete for what it is, I just wish they would have gone with a 24 episode format instead for a better buildup.

All-in-all I think this is an absolute must watch for anyone. Even if you don't like boxing (which I don't).

I will give this show my highest recommendation and I give it a 100/100 overall score. It has its flaws, but so does anything, this is one I will most likely revisit from time to time.