Story(9/10): Our main character, 16 year old Makunouchi Ippo has been bullied for as long as he can remember. One day while he was getting beat up by his high school bullies, comes along a boxer called Takamura, who saves him from the bullies. Takamura then proceeds to take him to the gym where he trains, and from here on out begins Ippo's glorious journey in the field of boxing.
What I really liked about the story was that the passage of time is realistic, no timeleaps or anything. We see Ippo's determination in getting better through countless hours of running, practising in the gym, shadow boxing and sparring, which is his daily routine. From first spar match to him getting his boxing license and then finally becoming a pro boxer, we get to see him grow as a boxer right before our eyes.
Art(9/10): The art for its time is pretty damn good. Sure, the faces sometimes look odd, and sometimes the hand and movement animation seem plastic, but those are just small little things.
The Animation shines during a fight. You can feel the impact of each blow as they land on target, gradual sweating throughout the matches, realistic wounds and so on. The newer seasons clean up the Animation by quite a bit, but the general feel stays the same as from this season.
Sound(9/10): I have no complaints in the sound department. Various sound effects from punching, blocking and running are done to near perfection. The voice actors also did a splendid job in giving a soul to each of the characters. As for the OPs and EDs, they're mostly good.
My favourites being ''Under Star'' and ''Yuuzora no Kamihikouki''.
Characters(10/10): The main reason why I love this Anime so much. Each and every single character has great backstory behind them and you can't help but root for them. Each fight being tougher than the last, it's hard not to cheer for Ippo when he perseveres.
My favourite character other than Ippo is definitely Takamura. He's brash, arrogant, a pervert. But damn, he's a genius in the ring. There wasn't a single moment where I wasn't astounded by his brute strength in the ring. Aside from him, I love Aoki and Kimura a lot too. They're Ippo's senior but they're good in their own right. They also provide for the comedic relief in the Anime, especially Aoki(can't beat the Frog Punch!). Ippo's coach, Kamogawa, who is the owner of the gym deserves special mention as well. He's a veteran and highly likable, and makes sure everyone does their training regularly. Finally, each opponent of Ippo are really likable. My favourite being Sendo and Vorg. His fights with both of them are the best of the whole series.
Enjoyment(10/10): I haven't enjoyed an Anime this much in long, long time. I honestly can't really find faults in it. Right from the get go, it caught hold of me by the collar and never let to. I was subjected to a roller coaster ride of emotions and great action. In short, I LOVE IT!
Overall(10/10): If you haven't watched this Anime already, then WATCH IT! This Anime is so good, that it'll be a shame if you haven't watched it. Definitely one of the best Anime I have ever seen and honestly, in the Sports genre, I doubt anything can top it.
