After a few years in the wilderness, I had suspicions of the anime losing steam or having different voice actors taking roles from the originals. However this was not the case!
Story 10 - It seems Makanouchi almost took a back seat in this season, with the other fighters (esp Takamura) taking up more screen time. This was a great idea as it shows much more dynamics, and just the weight cut Takamura had to make was brilliant.
Art 9 - Even better than the original series, everything was better, from sharper character design to the fight scenes.
Sound 10 - Great music again and the voice acting is just imperious.
Character 10 - Every character in this is unique and adds so much to the whole show, just fantastic.
Enjoyment 10 - I literally binged the season in 2 days, comedy, romance, tension, heartbreak, joy, it has everything.
Overall 10 - Hajime no Ippo as a whole is a solid top 10 anime for me, I cannot speak highly enough about it.