- - - S T O R Y - - -
The beginning of this one overlaps with the later part of the original series. Having watched the first Ashita no Joe series, I immediately spotted some differences. To me, it looked like a lot of details were removed and that they aimed to make it more sportsman-like. The Ashita no Joe I'd come to know wasn't really about sports, it was more of a drama about a wild, young boxer learning about values and how to overcome his troubled past. A fair bit of the drama from the manga was cut out, but this still managed to be very entertaining. The thing I liked least was the ending, which felt a bit abrupt and unsatisfying, especially since there was no aftermath.
- - - A R T - - -
Here's a clear improvement compared to the original series. The animation is pretty fluid and, while it does recycle some sequences, it does a good job of feeling fresh and exciting to watch. Yabuki Joe is a guy who can't sit still, randomly doing things like walking on his hands, and the animation puts in the effort to let his character shine. The art style is also very charming and unique, which makes it all that much better.
- - - S O U N D - - -
I was pretty disappointed with the first opening theme when I started watching this. Both the song and animation made me question whether or not I was watching Ashita no Joe. It was too cheerful and sporty, which is basically the complete opposite of the original series' opening. Worst of all, the opening animation doesn't even include Joe at all. However, despite all my criticism, the song is pretty catchy and quickly grows on you, especially since they play it a lot throughout the series. The second opening theme fits the mood far better. Not much else to say about it, they nailed it.
It's too bad they couldn't include some of the songs from the original series, but this one had plenty of good songs, too. Coupled with Joe's habit of whistling tunes, the whistled song and other catchy tracks made it so I couldn't help but whistle some of these songs throughout my day like Joe would.
The voices for the main characters are all good. Joe sounds manly as hell, something modern anime is lacking big time. There's a surprising amount of characters who speak in Engrish, which is laughable. I find it ironic that Jose Mendoza speaks in terrible Engrish while disposable supporting characters speak with perfect English. In one of the last couple episodes, they described a character as having - get this - "goose flesh". They meant to say "goosebumps". It's pretty funny when you need subtitles to be able to understand what the characters are saying when they're speaking in your own language.
I just don't get how they could have voice actors speak perfect English, definitely voiced by Americans... then they have these other characters voiced by Japanese people who have clearly never used English in their lives. They should've had an American revise the English part of the script. I mean, they have a boy named Chelsea. I can't believe I wrote this much about the sound.
- - - C H A R A C T E R S - - -
Well, there's our hero, Yabuki Joe, who's probably the most unique anime character I've ever seen. He has so many habits and distinct personality traits that I can't think of another character like him. His character is very lovable. It's great when everyone around him is wearing a suit at a formal event while he's just wearing his dirty old coat and cap. He's a manly ass yarou who doesn't let anyone push him around.
The rest of the cast is great, too. You won't find one-dimensional characters in this anime. They behave like real people, not like character archetypes. In particular, I feel like mentioning one of the kids from Joe's gang, Tonkichi. He's ugly and stupid, you'd think you'd like him the least... but everytime he's on the screen, I just know something good is gonna happen. His clumsy, ill mannered behaviour is just hilarious.
- - - O V E R A L L - - -
Well, I enjoyed this greatly. I know I said this is kinda more about sports rather than drama, but that's not entirely accurate. Ashita no Joe 2 has almost no focus on the technical aspects of boxing whereas Hajime no Ippo has a ton of focus on it. This series is still dramatic and stuff, just not quite as much as the prequel. I just kinda wish they stayed a little truer to the manga... and I wish they got some American help with the English parts.
I wish more anime was as good as this one.
