What is the worth of Hajime no Ippo?
| Hajime no Ippo is now up for vote. Decide if it will uppercut its way to victorious Enlightenment or if it will get KO'ed in the Relations. RULES: 1. You can only vote for a title if you've finished watching/reading it. You must’ve read or watched at least 60% of the published content for unfinished titles. There might be exceptions for very long finished titles – they are decided on a case by case basis, but usually amount to more than half of the published content. 2. Write your vote at the very top of your comment. 3. Below your vote, give a substantial explanation to back it up. It doesn't have to be lengthy; it just needs to cover the points you want to make. 4. If you have only read/watched the adaption/source material of the respective nominee, please state so in your post. 5. It will take a minimum of 5 votes for either Enlightenment or Relations to make it into any of the lists as an anime (3 votes for manga). If it fails to reach that, it will be deemed Invalid. 6. The votes for Enlightenment will have to outnumber the votes for Unremarkable and Relations for it to be included in our list; the same goes for Relations. If it fails to reach that, it will be deemed Unremarkable. 7. Behave yourself. We accept discussions and debate, not flaming and incoherent fanboy/fangirl behavior. 8. The fate of the poll will lie in the hands of the officers if it turns out that there are more first time voters than regulars or the series cannot be gauged by both voting and discussions. This polling process will last 14 days. BEGIN!!!!!!!! |
Ducat_RevelDec 8, 2013 8:01 PM
| 2. It is too unremarkable to be on on either of our lists. Ashita no Joe, this is not. Hajime no Ippo really is a typical sports anime all the way through, but that's not to say it isn't a good (but simple) sports anime. What I mean is that the story is very basic and focused around the main character 'leveling up', getting better and fighting stronger opponents and having adrenaline induced boxing matches. But really that's about it... I just can't in good conscience call something enlightening when that's all there really is to it. I mean the main character goes from being weak to being strong, but it's not like his personality develops over time or anything. There is a bit of rivalry of course, but it's about what you'd expect. Music, not particularly noteworthy but it fits. Animation and art, same thing. If you want an enlightening boxing anime with a great story, an amazing tale of rivalry and characters that really fit into the sport of boxing 'like a glove', it's Ashita no Joe. And Yabuki Joe is too much of a glory hog to share his (future) enlightenment championship belt with a schmuck like Ippo. => And that's about all I have to say. So accept it cause I typed this up with a hurt finger since I figured somebody else really ought to vote on it. :/ |
LayedBackNov 30, 2013 9:53 PM
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| Option 1. Unlike Slam Dunk, I don't have as much nostalgia towards Hajime no Ippo. Don't get me wrong, I love the series, but you can't really have nostalgia over something you've only watched last year, right? That aside, however, there's A LOT of greatness in this series. The characters are very realistic and well-built up, their emotions are carefully written and never sink to the hell of poorly written angst that plagues a lot of other sports/shonen series and the story is carefully paced and easy to follow, never losing focus while still leaving a lot of room for expansion (which happens in the sequels). The boxing matches are intense, the artwork looks amazing and the series strays carefully away from most shonen stereotypes, making it a fresh watch for any anime fan regardless of experience. Long story short, this is a series that deserves to be on the list. It is captivating, intense, and yet really heart warming. The author has clearly put a lot of effort into making this series, making almost every character like-able with some degree of back-story and development. Yes, the music is typical. Yes, it's a sports anime/manga. And yes, I believe it should be on the enlightenment list, because it bloody well deserves it. |
sushiisawesomeDec 1, 2013 9:25 AM
| "The more inexperienced you are, the more you want to show off." - Oreki, Hyouka |
| Option 1 Alrighty. Finally finished this baby (series 1 at least lol). To be honest, I look forward to Ashita no Joe more than I have Ippo, but I still feel I must do some justice to Ippo. From the bit I've seen of Ashita no Joe, it seems like a spiritual journey of sorts while Ippo I would consider to be a boxing primer. Ippo is more about the passion of competition and conquest, fully embracing its large and ambitious shonen nature, but what makes it so great is how extensive it is with every step in portraying the odyssey of a young boxer and the world of boxing itself. Every step of training, the gaps in skill and the obstacles to be overcome, the life outside the ring, you name it, Ippo takes the time to show it all. Then there's all the psychology and dramatic irony that comes with each fight to expose all the inner secrets of the fighters to get a clear understanding of who they are and what they strive for. Everyone is pretty much neutral with the occasional morally corrupt guy every now and then, and the series allows us to really tap into that with that aforementioned psychological aspect and expose them as passionate human characters who all have to push themselves for their goals, most of whom we can root for just as much as our strapping young protagonist. Another strength of the writing is the scenarios Morikawa formulates to add intricacy to the fights, things like Ippo's first loss to break his streak and show the rift between himself, the underdog and the champion as his stigma to drive him forward (which gets even heavier with Ricardo Martinez later on) and the double edged sword of Ippo vs Sendo for the Featherweight Match giving both boxers a devastating result when they lose, making you really want the best for both of them and much more. It's visceral, it's emotional, it's finely orchestrated and it is dense on detail to make it one of the finest shonen titles out there and definitely deserving of enlightening. |
| Great! Just one more vote and this poll will be valid! |
| Forgone better get his butt in here after all that incessant nagging. |
| Just asking, I only read the manga and already reach volume 97. can I still vote for this poll? since I heard the adaptation doesn't really went far off from the manga |
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AngelsArcanum said: Forgone had a multi-week long finals project that nearly drove him to insanity, but yes, he will get his vote in.Forgone better get his butt in here after all that incessant nagging. Doraemon - considering Madhouse's track record for near page by page adaptations, if this is the case for Ippo, then I don't know, perhaps listen to a few of the soundtrack songs on youtube and cast your vote? I personally don't have much issue with you voting if you've read enough of it. |
| It's Tsuneo Imahori. Music gold. So I agree, he should give a listen. |
doraemon1992 said: Just asking, I only read the manga and already reach volume 97. can I still vote for this poll? since I heard the adaptation doesn't really went far off from the manga From the pages of Enlightenment, it is stated: 7. If you have only read/watched the adaption/source material of the respective nominee, please state so in your post. Honestly, nobody has yet to try and use this rule to vote, and I've been a bit confused about how well it would work, but I think now is a good time. I think that if you vote for enlightenment even though you haven't seen the badass animation for the fights, that really speaks for its quality. Go for it. |
AlabastreAizo said: So, basically now I'm some kind of guinea pig for experiment, am I?Honestly, nobody has yet to try and use this rule to vote, and I've been a bit confused about how well it would work, but I think now is a good time. I think that if you vote for enlightenment even though you haven't seen the badass animation for the fights, that really speaks for its quality. Go for it. well, that said, I'm actually going to vote..... (get ready for a double posting!!!) |
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doraemon1992 said: AlabastreAizo said: So, basically now I'm some kind of guinea pig for experiment, am I?Honestly, nobody has yet to try and use this rule to vote, and I've been a bit confused about how well it would work, but I think now is a good time. I think that if you vote for enlightenment even though you haven't seen the badass animation for the fights, that really speaks for its quality. Go for it. well, that said, I'm actually going to vote..... (get ready for a double posting!!!) I'M BRACING FOR IMPACT!! Oh wait, by posting this myself, I am negating the double post. Ah well... |
AlabastreAizo said: *AHEM* I've tried to use it before and I never got the OK to vote >_>doraemon1992 said: Just asking, I only read the manga and already reach volume 97. can I still vote for this poll? since I heard the adaptation doesn't really went far off from the manga From the pages of Enlightenment, it is stated: 7. If you have only read/watched the adaption/source material of the respective nominee, please state so in your post. Honestly, nobody has yet to try and use this rule to vote, and I've been a bit confused about how well it would work, but I think now is a good time. I think that if you vote for enlightenment even though you haven't seen the badass animation for the fights, that really speaks for its quality. Go for it. |
| Option 2 - Unremarkable As stated above, I've only read the manga until volume 97. And yes, I had watched the OST and some fight scenes, alas my vote will not change. I am not going to deny that hajime no Ippo is one of the most solid sports series to date. The characters, as the other had said, is nigh intriguing with very progressive and real development going around them, especially Ippo that turn from a bullied kid into one of the best boxer in Japan. Their interaction, in and out of the ring, are also interesting. and lastly, every match is fun to experience, with good detail and intensity brought out from every blow. However, my biggest grip is the same with LB. that's it. That's all there is to it. Hajime no Ippo is solid, but really simple. While it's not a bad thing as long as the execution is great, HnI doesn't had anything that makes it shine in extraordinary way. It's really jack of all trades, at least to me, and nothing more than a slightly better in overall than common manga/anime. Maybe I, too, compare it too much with Ashita no Joe, but it still doesn't change the fact that I find HnI to be stagnant over time. I also feel the same thing with chihayafuru that get into the list. I like both of them, they are pretty good, but enlightening? I don't know, at least not for me compared to most of the entries in the list. Edit: What the!!? Damn you Forgoneeeeeeee...... so, do I get the OK to vote or not? |
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| Hahaha this sure backfired. |
 "Your sight, my delight. Will you marry me?" |
doraemon1992 said: so, do I get the OK to vote or not? As someone who wants it for Enlightenment, NO! NO VOTES FOR YOU! As a fair and impartial admin, it's an acceptable vote. I'll let Ducat or Aizo or another officer weigh in if they wish too as well. |
ZetaZaku said: Hahaha this sure backfired. lol gotta say it actually amused me. |
| Option 1 - Enlightening Hajime no Ippo clearly stands as one of the most recognizable and enjoyed sports anime. It's accessible to a very wide audience without debasing itself to try and cater to the most number of people. This has helped it to become a sort of paramount among lists of "greatest anime" and while we all know that these lists can often be quite terrible, I'd say that Ippo deserves most of the praise it receives. Ippo is not a perfect series, and there were times during which I was watching it that I began wanting more from its story. For mild stretches it would be pure sports anime and not contain enough outside elements. However, when these thoughts started creeping up, it became what I needed it to be and would adapt more of his life, the relationship he has with those around him, and healthy amounts of motivation, back story, and humanness to the supporting characters into the main scene to give a fuller and more rewarding experience. I have not seen Ashita no Joe (though I do plan to start soon), and I am told that it is mostly this area in which Joe exceeds Ippo. Without a proper comparison I can only talk of Ippo, and to that extent it holds up in my eyes. As for the sports elements themselves, they are quite fantastic. The matches are riveting and have a wide variety of challenges and build up to them. We often see the anticipation, fear, and motivation from both sides of the ring, and the fights themselves are exhilarating. In season 1 we do not succumb to poor pacing with over extended matches, a major pitfall of other long running shows like DBZ fights or Slam Dunk (anime) games. This is not true in Season 2 which did have some pacing issues, but we're talking about S1, which was plotted very well. Some episodes have better animation than others, but it is overall very good. The music fits, and while S3 does have the superior sound composition and direction, S1 is no fool in that department. Lastly, and quite importantly, the matches all carry so much weight with them. They feel heavy, important, and valuable to the series as a whole. I don't feel like the show ever wasted time or opponents for Ippo or any of the other characters who share the limelight inside the ring. Speaking of other characters, no one is outright neglected in Hajime no Ippo. Though we clearly see a lot of the show's namesake lead, Takamura, Aoki, Kimura, Miyata, and even Ippo's opponents all get generous amounts of screentime and development. The world does not revolve solely around Ippo and his fists, and for that I am extremely grateful. We have a whole boxing community full of (usually) believable and rounded characters who share humorous and dramatic interactions alike. Ippo has stood the test of time, it's original anime adaptation starting over a decade ago and still producing a third season that is currently airing. I don't believe it will be forgotten any time soon, and for good reason. |
HalfofNarnia said: I've tried to use it before and I never got the OK to vote >_> And I think that's how it should be. I don't know why we even have that rule, honestly. Anime and manga can never be the same, otherwise we could just have copy/paste entries from one list to another. |
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metamorphius said: I agree. It assumes that the manga and anime for whatever title are exactly the same but that's pretty rare, and in most cases I don't think we would have anyone to verify (like in this poll). And there are certain aspects that you can't appraise (e.g. VA, animation, soundtrack).HalfofNarnia said: I've tried to use it before and I never got the OK to vote >_> And I think that's how it should be. I don't know why we even have that rule, honestly. Anime and manga can never be the same, otherwise we could just have copy/paste entries from one list to another. |
EmmrysDec 8, 2013 4:47 PM
| Opt 1 Hajime no Ippo is one of those things that are not actually great in any sort of artistic or critically sound sense. Instead it takes some of the best elements of the genre and just uses them to the best effect. I personally don't consider that a sin at all. After all, this 'is' anime and there is no rule written anywhere that it can't be like that to be accepted. There aren't actually a great many shows, especially in the motivational/sports genre that reach such heights. Too often we will get into really awkward pacing, ghetto animation and into very overblown super sports area. Given, Ippo is not completely without this, but it does feel more like flavoring instead of the point of it all. So what do you get out of this? Well, you will get a story about rekindling an inner faith and passion towards not only a sport, but life. Not just Ippo himself, but also his opponents and comrades in arms. That is the "enlightening" quality of it, the passion of it all that can reach beyond the story, which in the end has more staying power than a plot full of twists and pretentious imagery content. You can also learn a bit about the world of boxing, even though it isn't 100% realistic. Terminology, rules and even some techniques are still technically sound and have real history behind them. The bad thing is that it has some quite awkward humor, it is incomplete (though the first season ends at a satisfying point), the latter seasons don't quite live up to the quality and I just may think there is something even better than it (not Joe, though), but overall it's still a classic of a genre and a great introduction to sports anime. It can even work as a potential gateway to anime in general (tested it with good success). |
| Sorry I'm late guys! I had to get my braces adjusted. Anyway, with 5 votes for Enlightenment and 1 vote for Unremarkable, I draw this poll to a close. Thank you for voting. Note: I agree with meta and HalfofEmm'sNarnia, and I cannot count doraemon's vote as this is a poll for the anime and not the manga. We should do something about that rule. |
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