Ranked #215

Ashita no Joe (Manga)

In a corner of Tokyo there is a place where the garbage flies with the wind, where the stink of the river is intolerable and the outcasts overwhelmed by alcohol go home destroyed by their working day, but not all are abandoned to themselves, not everyone is cut down despite adversity, among them there are those who aim high.

Story: The story follow the life of Joe Yabuki, a rude boy without parents that grows thanks to wins and losses.
However Ashita no Joe is not only the story of Joe, it represents the post-war Japan, its economic and social condition and the vision of a defeated people in search of a better future, a people represented by a boxer who runs his way with his fists overcoming every obstacle to a brighter tomorrow.

Art: Is for sure a dated style that improves over the course of the volumes, in fact, taking the first and the twentieth volumes you may notice the difference, initially is very rounded style, then the faces become more realistic with excellent expressions.

Character: There are many characters and they are all different from each other and characterized very well, the relationship that develops between Joe and his rivals goes beyond mere friendship, the relationship between two people who fight with boxing gloves dirties with reciprocal blood and sweat is more than just a friendship based on one million of words.

Enjoyment: This manga is very realistic, people can attach themselves to the protagonist that continues to grow despite making mistakes after mistakes.
There are also the dramatic moments and breathtaking ones that are able to enter the heart of the reader.

This is Ashita no Joe, a manga full of emotion, a masterpiece entered in the collective imagination that has cleared through customs the idea of ​​manga as something targeted only to a child audience. read more