Ashita no Joe 2

Talking about old anime is always a pain in the ass. Especially if nostalgia is involved or a certain show is highly regarded on a certain website. Not many people will actually watch something like ashita no joe and the ones that do are usually fans of 80's anime or weebs who are really passionate about sports anime. So of course the opinions are going to be biased, elevating the show to a legendary status and creating high expectations that will not be met for everyone.

To be honest i dont really care if this is supposed to be the first masterpiece anime medium has produced. ... But most reviews here only point out the good parts of ashita no joe 2 without mentioning the very obvious list of flaws it suffers from.

Sure this show has some Great parts. So Great i cant belive Its made in 1980. The animation is amazing for the time. Joe's character development is pretty good. The first and last fight of this season are easily among the best anime fights of all time. However the arcs in between these fights are the problematic ones.

These arcs just feel like filler to delay the final confrontation with Jose. Each match's result is predictable and the fights themselves arent that good. The reason why rikiishi vs joe is considered as one of the anime fights of all time is because despite being long it never feels boring. The fight starts before their actual match with rikiishi trying to lose weight and joe training to counter rikiishi's uppercut . As a result i was already at the edge of my seat when the match began and wasnt let down by the way it progressed from there on. Because rikiishi's techniques are hidden to the viewer you dont know what will happen next or who will win the fight. Which is why the whole thing is such a joy to watch. Even after the match ends it can shock you yet again and that's how you write a legendary fight.

Unfortunately the middle arcs of ashita no joe 2 have none of that. Joe's weight loss is dumb on so many levels and isnt brought up ever again. Kim yong bi's back story was interesting at first but then it finishes with him not ever getting haungry ever again which is just anime bullshit and it really feels forced as a result. The fight itself isnt very good either with him only having one secret move and joe surviving on spirits alone. The same is true for the rest of the matches in the middle part. Harimao, the afro guy that was so imporant i forgot his name and the other boxers i dont remember enough to even describe all have one gimmick at best that beat the fuck out of joe in the first rounds but then he finds a way around them and wins the match. There are no pre match trainings before these fights and no new techniques are developed unlike the first season which means joe will go in the ring and randomly throws fists until he wins. This works in the final fight because Its such an imporant moment in the story but the fight with that afro guy? You cant tell me it has the same build up.

The other major flaw with ashita no joe 2 is how it treats its characters. Joe and yoko are the only ones that get any proper development while danpei and nishi dont change at all through this season. It doesnt help that most of joe's oponnents are completely one note and for the ones that arent i only liked carlos mainly due to his personality. Jose and the korean dude were interesting at first but fell flat to me by the end.

There are also some problems regarding the script dragging on the story with unnecessary flashbacks and monologues and yeah i havent read the manga but after watching so much anime you can feel this kind of shit trust me. Also soundtrack sucks. Absolute garbage.

With that said im still not sure if i can just recommend the manga and be done with it. Truth of the matter is with all its flaws ashita no joe is a beautiful story and you should definitely watch it anyway if youre a fan of sports anime but if youre not, well i hope this rant of mine helps you make your decision.