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Not being a fan of sports in general, and seeing how old the animation is, getting into Ippo was a hard task. However, despite all that, I couldn't resist the urge to start it due to some of my friends' hyping it and here I am writing a review about it telling you to go watch it. Why, you ask? Well, continue reading.

The story of Hajime no ippo is as straightforward as it gets and starts of quite cliche. A boy named Ippo is constantly getting bullied by 3 of his classmates. Despite this being a beginning we've all seen many times before ... its executed perfectly by making you sympathize with him, due to his hardworking and cheerful personality. As you might've expected, the bullies decide to take this to the next level because they can't stand how Ippo won't even be slightly saddened by what they do to him, even though he just hides his emotions very well.

Enter Takamura, a boxxing genius who observes the situation and decides to act. The bullies stop, forever, and Ippo, after being shocked for a few minutes, asks Takamura if he can grow stronger. And then the story takes off. With a pacing that never gets tiresome and fights animated by Studio Madhouse, even in 2001 you can expect it to be top notch. The artstyle is somewhat outdated but not something that will annoy you since you get used to it quickly.

From what you've read, the rating on MAL seems unjustifiable, but that's only because the best part of it is yet to come.

If you're going in this show only for a number of jabs and you decide to skip the story you'll be unbelievably disappointed. Part of what makes these fights so special is the feelings put in every single punch. You get to meet the antagonist, his struggle and backbone and believe me when I say they're unbelievably well written, all of them. Their personalitties are realistic and not forgotten throughout the 77 episode period. They form friendships with our main character and get to develop even further, you'll find yourself rooting against Ippo sometimes during the series.

The main character cast is formed by the forementioned Takamura, who's talent and charisma exceeds expectations, and his personality as well as his comedic moments accompanied by Aoki and Kimura are gold. Ippo's coach, Genji is a person you get to meet throughout the series, while you see him struggle with his trainees for the best possible result, living through every single moment as if he is the person fighting in the ring. The rival of the series known as Ichiro is also fleshed out very well. His way of acting seems realistic, and his matches are a sight to behold while his respect for Ippo is mutual and the usual comedy surrounding it will make you crack a smile numerous times throughout the series. And finally, our main character. While his motivations to fight are somewhat weak, and his personallity is kind of cliche, (just like any sports' series MC I've seen up to now) he's done RIGHT. His love for the sport drives him to achieve great heights and even romance shows up later on. His development as a person is subtle while he's boxxing skills are being acknowledged by most. Which brings me to another point; his development as a boxxer is so fast paced that some of his wins almost seem unfair. However the writer knows exactly when to make him lose giving him even more depth and development.

Overall, this series is so well directed and paced you hardly understand the time passed so quickly. Every single fight is filled with contradicting emotions and never feels dragged out. The comedy is incredible and if it wasn't for some cliches this would be rated a lot higher. The OST that accompanies the matches pumps you up every single time and fits well to the mood.
It has a fair share amount of everything and you will almost undoubtedly enjoy it to the max.

Story 7/10 (Done well, but somewhat cliche. - sports duh.)
Art 6/10 (Outdated, you get used to it quickly.)
Animation 7/10 (Consistent, great, especially for its time.)
Characters 8.5/10 (Almost everyone gets developed and nobody is ever forgotten.)
Sound 8/10 (Fits to the mood perfectly well, not THAT memorable.)
Overall 8/10 (Very good, incredibly enjoyable, kinda cliche.)

The Garden Of Sinners Movie 5.

After having watched the four prequels of the series and finishing the fifth just now, I will write this review based on the information we have up to now for the characters, storyline and so on. Not for what this series could be or how the adaptation should have been either.
Also, this is my first actual review, so I hope I will end up being helpful to those reading this.

Ok, let's begin! I'll seperate this into 5 parts.

First off; The story. 9/10

The 5th part of the series does not fail to deliver yet another storyline that will not confuse the ... viewer, as long as he pays attention to the dialogue, that most of the time drives the show along.
Mystery, incredible twists and gore scenes lead to this increadibly dark show. The reason behind my 9 is based on the fact that I found the mystery absolutely original, it's something I have never seen nor did I ever think of, and the way it was explained in the movie was simple and clear. As for its negative side, the only part of it that always annoyed me was the order of the series themselves. It never had a fluent continuation, a new movie was always beginning from a new checkpoint making it unclear at times.

Art/Animation; 10/10

The main characters are extremely well drawn. The simillarities between this movie and Fate/Zero are quite obvious, especially in the faces/eyes. Takeuchi Takashi is easily one of my favourite character designers and he has not failed to impress me yet another time. I can guarantee satisfaction on this certain aspect.
As for the animation, compared to the rest of the movies it was downgraded due to the length. However, ufotable is like pizza. Even when it is bad, it is still good. This part of the show is still its high point and when it has to get good, you know it will. The fights are excellent, wild and bloody as always, the movements are smooth and realistic and will keep the viewer glued to the screen whenever they occur.

Sound; 9/10

Just like the movies before it, and, from what I've read, the movies after it, the sound is fitting always to the situation, energetic as well as calming whenever it should be, however, in this particular movie, the soundtracks tend to get very loud, making it hard to hear the voice actors or focusing on certain situations, although that really gives you an adrenalin dose when it should.

Characters; 9/10

The characters in this movie had their best performance yet. We have seen each one of them in action this time, as well as proof of their intelligence and the potential that they have in the development of the story. We also get introduced to the counterpart of Shiki, who is the main focus of the first half of the show. The mystery that, as mentioned above impressed me the most in this movie was revolving around him, so I really enjoyed his stay on the show.

Overall/Enjoyment; 10/10

Overall, this movie's advantages far outdo its flaws and the viewer will remain speechless at times. It deliveres pure entertainment. Intense plot, with truly well done fight sequences that might make your jaw drop. That's what made me make a review on this particular movie.
Do not hold back from watching. And do it as many times as you want.

I hope I helped you out and I'll try and get better with reviewing.